Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Results 1 to 13 of 13
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vic
    Posts
    5,629

    Default CIGWELD WeldSkill® Auto Darkening Helmet

    Was in at Total Tools today at Kilsyth and they had these CIGWELD WeldSkil® Auto Darkening Helmets at $99.

    They have variable shade adjustment from 9 thru to 13, fully adjustable sensitivity and delay controls, grinding and welding mode

    Attachment 84954

    Also for an extra $10 you could get them in Carbon Fibre Graphic as well which is the one I picked up this arvo and have tried it out and I am very happy with it, much better than my Tecman all whatever it was called that I only used 3 or 4 times till I got fed up with it and ditch it.
    Cheers

    DJ


    ​ADMIN

  2. #2
    Charleville's Avatar
    Charleville is offline Nocturnal and primeval - I fish at night.
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    73
    Posts
    57

    Default

    What was wrong with your Techman, please?


    I am happy with mine. Should not I be?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Mandurah WA
    Age
    62
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Hey DJ,

    I have done a fair bit of welding at work and the Auto darkening helmet is a godsend, the first one we got at work was over $500.00 you can get some bodgey ones on the net for less than $50 now, (I wouldn't have one but) as with all our toys you get what you pay for, CIG brand for under a Hundred, good buy I think, the cheap ones die at our shop in about 5-6 weeks,

    HazzaB

    Hey Charlieville, if you are only doing a pack of rods a year or roll of wire every 6 months, Techman would be fine, try doing a 15kg roll of mig wire in one shift and your Techman would melt.
    Last edited by HazzaB; 3rd Oct 2008 at 08:16 PM. Reason: add info

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vic
    Posts
    5,629

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Charleville View Post
    What was wrong with your Techman, please?
    Head tilt stop broke after 2nd use and you have to hold the bloody thing to stop it flopping too low or you can't see what you're doing , also the auto darkening was a smidge slow and I sometimes got flashed a bit which meant that I was just a bit blinded for that first second or so of the weld, never got sore eyes or anything thought as the outer lense still protects you from the UV bit

    Quote Originally Posted by HazzaB View Post
    Hey DJ,

    I have done a fair bit of welding at work and the Auto darkening helmet is a godsend, the first one we got at work was over $500.00
    Know what you mean, used to do contract welding for a mob and I'd used their Speedglas and that was a rippa
    Cheers

    DJ


    ​ADMIN

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default

    I got one of those CIG welding helmets...I really love it...I went into the shop expecting to pay out about $300 for a decent one and left the shop with the $100 CIG one...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    nsw
    Posts
    18

    Default

    The weldskill shields are a good buy for mig and to a lesser degree tig welding
    Ive had no probs with them and at that price its hard to go wrong but if you intend to do low amp or pulse tig they have a tendency to flicker ,Which is not a problem for most people
    I like them, along with the unimig one they're probably the only low cost shields you can use with with any degree confidence ,
    Stay away from anything less thought ,
    Even thought the manufacturer of your eyes guarantees them for life spare parts are very hard to come by

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
    Posts
    25

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DJ's Timber View Post
    Head tilt stop broke after 2nd use and you have to hold the bloody thing to stop it flopping too low or you can't see what you're doing , also the auto darkening was a smidge slow and I sometimes got flashed a bit which meant that I was just a bit blinded for that first second or so of the weld, never got sore eyes or anything thought as the outer lense still protects you from the UV bit



    Know what you mean, used to do contract welding for a mob and I'd used their Speedglas and that was a rippa
    Because I am new to welding, only had one session and that with the Techman. One problem I had was that the initial contact with the metal gave me a flash that also left me blinded for just a second which made it difficult for me to get a straight weld or to put the rod on exactly the spot that I aimed at.

    I assumed it was me, possibly still is. But next time I will take more notice and if need be flick it to something better. At this stage the jury is out but the evidence is heavilly pointing to me rrather then the automatic helmet.

  8. #8
    Charleville's Avatar
    Charleville is offline Nocturnal and primeval - I fish at night.
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    73
    Posts
    57

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by STAR View Post
    Because I am new to welding, only had one session and that with the Techman. One problem I had was that the initial contact with the metal gave me a flash that also left me blinded for just a second which made it difficult for me to get a straight weld or to put the rod on exactly the spot that I aimed at.

    I assumed it was me, possibly still is. But next time I will take more notice and if need be flick it to something better. At this stage the jury is out but the evidence is heavilly pointing to me rrather then the automatic helmet.


    Well, I only do a bit of home handyman welding so the guys who do it all the time who have given advice will know a lot better than me. So take what I say accordingly.

    I don't know how these things work but mine is solar powered so I reason to myself that a good dose of sun on my helmet for a while before I start welding might give the internal battery a helpful charge which may make the reaction time of the filter work best. I have not received a nasty flash yet in the few weeks that I have had mine.

    There s a slight yellow flash but not the blinders that I got every now and then when I was using the old fashioned helmet and forgot to drop the filter in time.


    Quote Originally Posted by HazzaB View Post

    Hey Charlieville, if you are only doing a pack of rods a year or roll of wire every 6 months, Techman would be fine, try doing a 15kg roll of mig wire in one shift and your Techman would melt.

    Ah - Gotcha - I can understand that. As a boofhead home handyman welder, the Techman has been fine for me. I have the patience and time to do the job to try to not break it.


    .

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
    Posts
    25

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Charleville View Post
    Well, I only do a bit of home handyman welding so the guys who do it all the time who have given advice will know a lot better than me. So take what I say accordingly.

    I don't know how these things work but mine is solar powered so I reason to myself that a good dose of sun on my helmet for a while before I start welding might give the internal battery a helpful charge which may make the reaction time of the filter work best. I have not received a nasty flash yet in the few weeks that I have had mine.

    There s a slight yellow flash but not the blinders that I got every now and then when I was using the old fashioned helmet and forgot to drop the filter in time.
    CHARLEVILLE

    You may be on to something regarding the solar charged battery.

    Mine came straight from the shop in an enclosed box. OK, we welded outside, then I put it straight back into its box, closed the lid and stored it safely in the work shop.

    One would expect that the helmet would need a sun charge, I wonder how important it is and if that was the reason I got half blinded by that early first flash.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default

    Well my Weldskill helmet has died..It is not that it does not work but it will flicker when welding, not coming completely bright but it becomes light enough to flash your eyes so you cannot see properly for a short while...I am taking it back tomorrow to see what they say, it is still within the 12 month warranty period...Problem is it is an intermittent problem, that seems to go away after a few minutes of welding...I am wondering if it being solar powered has anything to do with it...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post
    Well my Weldskill helmet has died..It is not that it does not work but it will flicker when welding, not coming completely bright but it becomes light enough to flash your eyes so you cannot see properly for a short while..
    Sit the helmet in the full sun for an hour or so.

    Mine Techman did this and some one here said to do this. It worked!
    It is something to do with the built in battery running out of charge by being in the dark for too long.

    Cheers
    Grahame

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vic
    Posts
    5,629

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post
    Well my Weldskill helmet has died..It is not that it does not work but it will flicker when welding, not coming completely bright but it becomes light enough to flash your eyes so you cannot see properly for a short while...I am taking it back tomorrow to see what they say, it is still within the 12 month warranty period...Problem is it is an intermittent problem, that seems to go away after a few minutes of welding...I am wondering if it being solar powered has anything to do with it...
    That's a bummer .RC. hopefully you'll get it sorted.

    Can't really comment on mine much as I've only used it on about 5 or 6 different occasions and so far it has been brilliant . Been about 2 months or so since I last used it but am expecting to use it in the next week or so, so I'll update the thread again when I next use it to let you know if it was still performing as it should be.
    Cheers

    DJ


    ​ADMIN

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Kentucky NSW near Tamworth, Australia
    Age
    85
    Posts
    282

    Default

    I have a Tecmen whatever and bought it 12 months ago and hadn't used it up until about four weeks ago. It had been sitting in the dark all that time but when I first read Grahame's post about being charged by the sun I sat it in the sun for about 3 hours.

    When you come from using an old standard welding helmet and then use an auto darkening helmet it is scary when you strike your first arc and the relief when it darkens instantly is fantastic.

    I have not had any delay in darkening with the Tecmen.

    The only criticism I have is the fact of where the pivot for helmet has a little sharp screw rubbing on my ear when it was down but a file soon remedied that.
    Regards Bazza

    Skype Username: bazzabushy

    "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."
    -Vernon Sanders Law

    The views expressed by the poster are general in nature and any advice should be taken in this vein. The poster accepts no responsibility if this advice is used. When undertaking any work personal professional advice should be sought from suitably qualified persons in the field of work being undertaken.


Similar Threads

  1. Auto darkening welding helmets
    By scooter in forum WELDING
    Replies: 124
    Last Post: 21st Nov 2008, 04:35 PM
  2. CIGWELD Transmig 135
    By monkey metal in forum WELDING
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 1st Sep 2008, 07:05 PM
  3. Auto darken helmet didn't
    By Grahame Collins in forum WELDING
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 23rd May 2008, 10:55 AM
  4. Weldskill 140 turbo manual arc welder
    By Unit_01 in forum WELDING
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 14th Sep 2007, 09:33 PM
  5. Bunnings Auto welding helmet
    By MrFixIt in forum WELDING
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 22nd Jun 2007, 08:51 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •