Looking for some advice

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by Stukas

The HF hood cant do tig and im going to be learning tig this summer, ill check out the Jackson.

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wut ya mean it can't do Tig?

They go as low as 9 and even more $$ hoods stop at a shade 9

[jbyrd]

He's refering to the HF hood intermittently kicking on and off while TIG welding. My students run into the periodically, the sensitivity of the hood varies from hood to hood. Its a crap shoot with those hoods, I have guys that they have lasted years with some abuse, and other you look through them wrong and they break.

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[killdozerd11]

The thing i like about an AD helmet is when your doing work that requires both of your hands
No having to flip the hood when doing small parts

The thing i like about my digital elite is having the X mode which senses the magnetic field when the arc is struck instead of the light sensors....Great when doing low amp tig or inconsistent light or bright outdoor sun light

But that is an expensive helmet

[Stukas]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

wut ya mean it can't do Tig?

They go as low as 9 and even more $$ hoods stop at a shade 9

On the website and the helmet it says not for tig welding.

[usmcruz]

Ive used both pipeliner types, and ad types, and I have to say hands down, nothing beats a miller elite, or a speed glass. Nothing wastes more time then having to keep flipping your hood up and down between arc strikes using a fixed shade, plus certain jobs, arc strikes just outside the weld area that sometimes happens with fixed shades are considered defects. I like to see where im striking an arc. Ive beaten the dogsh$t out of my miller elite for 5 years now, and it has never failed me, plus it has grind mode, so I can leave the grinding shield at the house.

[Stukas]

Originally Posted by usmcruz

Ive used both pipeliner types, and ad types, and I have to say hands down, nothing beats a miller elite, or a speed glass. Nothing wastes more time then having to keep flipping your hood up and down between arc strikes using a fixed shade, plus certain jobs, arc strikes just outside the weld area that sometimes happens with fixed shades are considered defects. I like to see where im striking an arc. Ive beaten the dogsh$t out of my miller elite for 5 years now, and it has never failed me, plus it has grind mode, so I can leave the grinding shield at the house.

The miller elites are like $270 that's ALOT of money for a 15 year old. I think I might be willing to spend that if it is really truely worth it. The grind mode sounds cool, but I don't know if its $270 worth of cool.

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by Stukas

On the website and the helmet it says not for tig welding.

if you can use it for mig welding you can use it for Tig welding.

Can you post up a Link? Not that it really matters because you can use the HF hood for TIG welding.

They probably mean for low amp tig welding and just state NOT for tig welding since the import products are not known for their manuals and directions.

[Stukas]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

if you can use it for mig welding you can use it for Tig welding.

Can you post up a Link? Not that it really matters because you can use the HF hood for TIG welding.

They're probably mean for low amp tig welding and just state NOT for tig welding since the import products are not known for their manuals and directions.

As much as I hate saying this, I was wrong. You were right. On the website it says not for low amp tig. Here's the link http://www.harborfreight.com/welding...met-46092.html.

[Stick-man]

Originally Posted by farmall

The Fibre-Metal Pipeliners are very light and very comfortable, and are traditionally trimmed where they contact the throat when you bend your neck. Mine has a leather flap glued (3M Marine Adhesive) on top so I don't get glare from the rear.

Some folks run fixed lenses, others run autodark inserts, but the helmet itself is very comfortable.

I looked at one at Grainger, and yes, it is VERY light. Do you use that funky rubber band headgear? If so, do you like it? Pro's / con's?

Originally Posted by Stukas

I was concernced that if I used an A/D lens the veiwing area be too small

I was looking into getting a Miller or Airgas A/D lens, but the listed viewable area seems really small. Anybody have input on this?

[mb_welder]

Pipeliner is nice...it won't break! It is lightweight, but unless you hack the bottom off, you'll constantly be smoking yourself in the neck everytime you flip it down. Of course, if you do a LOT of welding, depending on the shirts you are wearing (based on temperature and position and process), you'll find that you sunburn your neck a lot (not fun in the shower!) Good as a backup helmet and I used to use one all the time!

My new helmet of preference is the huntsman 411p as I wanted something lightweight. In terms of an auto lense, a shade 10 is fine but then again I don't use the auto for everything. Fitting and low amperage mig/smaw and that's about it! Everything else I use a fixed shade 11 (I had this beautiful Phillips aethermal lense, loved it until someone crunched it...still don't know who...I keep all my gear in my greenlee box now! Havn't got around to ordering a new lense yet, but they're much nicer than other glass lenses) I don't do a lot of tig (if any...), but the Arc One auto lenses can be used for it. If you get an Arc One, don't gouge with it.

It isn't fun!

I don't have experience with other auto's except for Optrel (HOT D*MN DO THEY WORK GOOD!...but I wouldn't want to have to be the guy that has to foot the bill to replace the cover plates for them! If Optrel made an auto lense that fit into a standard helmet, that would be my auto preference!)

[ThorsHammer]

I haven't read all the posts, so this may have already been said, but have you talked to your instructor yet? I seem to remember him sticking with fixed. Probably for a good reason.

[weldbead]

dont take shrtcuts until you know the long way home

[RodJ]

If I were 15 years old and just learning, I'd do what I did - start out with a basic Jackson fixed, upgrade it with the 370 headgear ($12 online). Then you're not out much money and you can always buy AD if you find the fixed is holding you back or you want to reward yourself. I haven't rewarded myself but I would if I was doing it for a living (I'm not). Even so, I would make sure I could work with a fixed shade, too.

You can either get a second helmet and have a spare / loaner, or just get the AD lens and pop it in.

A lot of this country was and still is built with fixed shade, but then a lot of cars were made without seat belts, air bags, etc. Fun problem to have. Good luck.

[downhand5p+]

Hey Guys, I have to tell you I have been welding pipe since 1979, Hey don't make fun of me for being one of the seniors here, and have been teaching pipe welding for about 8 years now after work. I must say that whatever makes it easier for the welder at any stage of the game is good for the individual. My helmet of choice is the Miller digital elite and I will tell you why. I do a lot of welding in different environments, IE. inside boiler rooms one day and the next day outside doing x rayed gas lines in the street. The miller has a mode called "X MODE" this mode switches by the electrical impulse of the arc. what that does for me is that i could be underneath a pipe looking into the sun and the shield does not activate until I strike an arc, so I can see exactly where I am striking. Don't want those stop starts to fail you on an x ray. And it also has a grind mode that works well.
Just my 2 cents