Thread: Welding masks - your preferences and opinions

Hi guys,

I'm saving up my pennies for a new welding mask after the experience of my cheap Tecmen mask not doing a top notch job of protecting my eyes on a quality machine when I used it at the short welding course I'm doing (The thought was to use what I use at home to be more comfortable with it that way, the bright spots were not comforting!)

For some time, I've been coveting the 3M Speedglas range. However, idly Googling as one does turned up this thread, which had a lot of support for the offering from Jacksons.

What really caught my eye was post #15, pertaining to the colouring of the lenses. I'm still only an amateur myself, but I can greatly appreciate what that poster has said about being able to see the welding puddle better. But! This is why I'll ask here, because I'm sure the Speedglas system isn't the price it is for no good reason.

So, what is your favoured welding mask, and why?

Cheers

I use a Miller Pro Hobby at home in my shop and i also take it to work. I like the arc color as i have used some that look funny thru the glass. Miller - Welding Helmets & Welder Safety Equipment and Clothing - Pro-Hobby™ Series
...Bob

Also a home user, and my first auto helmet was about $80.00 from Tradetools with a shade control knob on the side. It is sort of OK for basic Mig or stick welding steel but not great. If you don't shut your eyes momentarily when striking the arc it will flash you very quickly before switching to shade making it hard to see for a few seconds and making for crappy welds and missing the mark often.
My second one was about $190.00 from Everlast. Automatic Digital module, nice and fast with decent parameter settings, comfortable enough and decent value for money.
I wasn't entirely happy with the low current DC tig on Stainless Steel, as it was a bit unstable at times and getting the off flash, but not bad and thankfully not too bright but annoying just the same.
So my 3rd and last purchase was a Miller Digital Elite which seems to tick all the boxes but I use it moreso on my low current Tigwork and the Everlast for general welding and higher current DC and AC Tig.
The Miller is a bit more expensive and I decided to buy direct from the US with this as I doubt If I would have paid the asking price here. From the US it was about $300 delivered to the door.
I like having the two good helmets as one often stays in the car to use at work due to the rubbish they supply there.

Yeah it's mainly for home and hobby but for me welding without decent gear is one of the most frustrating things to try and do well but with the right gear it's almost a pleasure to do and it is nice to see what you are doing and get a great result.

The Miller too has a receptacle for magnifyer lenses which with my failing old age eyesight is so good for getting up close and personal with the finer Tigwork.

The only thing that I have to be carefull of but forget is the Everlast is automatic switch on. It senses the amount of ambient light when out of it box or bag and stays on untill you put it away.
The Miller is manual switch on and auto off if not used for a while or you can manually turn it off.
Problem happens when I throw the Miller on after a break and cop a good flash when I forget to check it's turned on. I wish it was more like the Everlast in that regard because its auto on. At least there is still a static shade #4 or somthing that gives basic protection.

The Speedglas have a good following and I would imagine a great choice.

I love my Miller digital elite Clone (unimig). Crystal clear viewing screen and infinite adjustability.
$400 bucks from my lws
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I recommend the Speedglas 9100XX - not cheap but the delay and sensitivity controls, tacking mode, larger eye-port area and the headband adjustability and fit makes it a winner for me. It's not cheap but worth it for me.

I have the miller digital elite and has been very good. The only down side would be the standby light shade which is 4 and the speedglas is I believe shade 3. The other thing is the tightening knob/dial on the head piece can cam out if overtightened. As far as the lense goes it has been very reliable with no flashing. As Gavin said the new spedglas 9100xx is a very good helmet and it will tick most if not all the boxes. If I was in the market for another helmet i would probally go for the speedglas 9100. They are both a bit pricey to buy in Australia but if you buy online from the US you will pay far less and maybe able to buy 2 for the price of one in OZ.

Having an older model Speedglass I will naturally gravititate towards Speedglaas as first choice.

However most of the entry level helemets are not too bad.As these cheap helmets get older the performance and especially the speed of change of the lens is an an issue with some of them.


This has resulted in some bad press and misdirected criticisms.

I can catagorically state that at no time using the cheaper autodarkening helmets( in the correct way) that the is no hazard to the eyes -unless there is for some reason direct unimpeded exposures of the eye/s to the ultravoilet /infrared rays.


To explain this simply, it means that with a slow speed changing helmet that the bright light observed by the user will do no more harm than than being hit by oncomming high beam headlights at night.


I have read where people will claim that they have have all the symptoms of a proper flash after wearing a cheap auto darkening helmet. My question to those people would be : "Are they wearing their safety glasses under the helmets" or "Is the helmet or lense cracked ?"

All it sometimes takes is a touch of the electrode to ground while the helmet is not covering your naked eyes and a flash is possible.

For those not familiar with a welding flash is goes something like this.
Tip a bottle of metholayted spirits into your eyes and toss in a cup of sand and rub until the pain is intense and you will have something approaching the pain of a welding flash.

2mm of safety glass material prevents the radiation from damaging the eyeball,even clear safety glass, it does not need to be tinted.This is not internet BS I checked it out with my freindly Opthamologist.

I havent had a flash since the eightes when I began to wear my safety glasses full time.Why? I was using some staincraft(stainless rods) and was struck on the eyelid by the hot flux expelled from covering the finished weld by the contracting metal some 10 seconds after the arc was broken.

The top and botton eyelid was fused together and required surgical separation-and I was wearing my safety glasses at the time.

If any one has had a flash it is only because they did not have the required eye protection and if they weld with out safety glasses they are just stupid and no amount of dollars spent on any welding helmet can possibly protect them.

AHH!!! I feel better now having got that particular bee out of my(welding) bonnet.

AVAGREATWEEKEND

Grahame

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

For those not familiar with a welding flash is goes something like this.

Tip a bottle of metholayted spirits into your eyes and toss in a cup of sand and rub until the pain is intense and you will have something approaching the pain of a welding flash.

2mm of safety glass material prevents the radiation from damaging the eyeball,even clear safety glass, it does not need to be tinted.This is not internet BS I checked it out with my freindly Opthamologist.

This is very very interesting!

I started welding back in high school in year 8 I was 14 I guess. I have done a huge amount of welding in that time and I have had welding flash more times than i can remember!

But i have never ever experienced the welders flash that i keep reading about. It stuffs my vision like a bright light but never any sand in the eyes feeling or long term impact. Just some blurred vision for a few minutes then back to it.

The reason is now clear! I have worn glasses since i was about 7 years old and glasses must have suffcient ability to block out the the actual high enegry UV rays.

So this agrees perfectly with what Grahame has stated.

Cheers

Justin

Hi Grahame,

Very informative post there, thanks muchly!
Your analogy of the flash is very painful sounding, but considering it is pretty much severe sunburn on the eyeballs themselves, very apt.
I also appreciate it, as until now, I'd not been wearing safety glasses under my welding mask, but your post has changed my habit regarding that

Grahame's description of arc flash sounds very much like snow blindness, caused by poor eye protection when out in the snow during the day. It's particularly bad in Australia where the bright suns's reflection off the snow causes excess UV to get in your eyes, and later in the day it feels like they're full of grit.

Another good thread.

I did a welding course 2 years ago & the bloke running the course said the same thing about always wearing the safety glasses.

He says it has saved him heaps as an instructor because he was always sticking his head around the corner of the welding booth at just the wrong time.

Guy at work got one of these a couple of weeks ago.

WeldSmart LCD Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Tig Mig Arc | eBay

I have used it a few times and I am actually impressed with its capabilities for the money.

Only time will tell if it will last though.

Grahame, a question:

When you say 'safety glass material', are you referring to the polycarbonate type of safety specs or actual glass material?

Thanks mate

The docs answer mentioned safety glasses.My prescription specs are made from CR39 polycarbonate.I have never had any trouble as I have had to wear them( at work) since 1974.

Lay on an operating table and have the doc work on your eye.It sure changes your point of view (literally) when you have to get metal removed from your eyes.

grahame

Couldn't agree more, mate.

The risks people take with their eyes and safety in general are not funny in any way. Blindness is life shattering, yet people risk it for the want of a $5 pair of safety specs. Madness!

Have a look for some of the horror photos that are out there on the net of industrial injury aftermath.

Personally, I swaddle up like a PPE Darth Vader when I do any kind of work. It's a pain in the backside sometimes, but better a metaphorical pain than a real one!

Anyway, thanks for the reply on the material used for the glasses. Sounds like good quality polycarb bins are the go