HF - Big lens Helmet - Flourescent Light Issues

[Jdawg]

I've had one of those 'big lens' helmets all summer. Sunday I went out to the garage to do some welding and the lens was dark. I left it in the sun to charge and replaced the battery - no good. By chance I flicked off the overhead flourescents and clear it went. Lights on = black / lights off = clear. WTH? I even went back to HF and they exchanged my helmet for a new on, no change. I know I have welded with the lights on before, the only thing I can think of is the cold is causing the flourescents to screw with the sensors? I turned the heat up in the garage (50 deg f) and it was managable. If you were looking at the work (head down) it was clear until you pulled the trigger. If you looked up from the work it went black.

Anyone else have this issue?

[Rick Moran]

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for....

[yellow]

Those photocells are very sensitive to extreme temperatures. They work well within a decent band of temperatures but it they are exposed to extreme heat or cold it throws the the cell off.

[tommyj3]

By the Harbor freight web site this helmet has a high/low sensitivity knob, have you tried to adjust the helmet to work with the shop lights on. I know on my Speedglas if you use it outside in the sun light, you have to readjust the sensitivity of the sensors to work inside with flourescent lights.

[canyoncritter]

I don't have any issues with mine. I can MAKE it go dark from the flor. lights if i turn the sensitivity almost all the way up. If I turn the sensitivity down alittle work's great and dont have any issues with it going dark at the wrong times.

[yorkiepap]

Hey Jdawg,
I don't have any problems with mine either. When I'm not in the shop, I keep the thermostat at 50 and up it when ready to start work. The sensors probably are the culprit with low temps and the adjustment on the sensitivity may cure it.....Denny

[ltklein]

Ditto-sensitivity control fixes mine just fine. Love the helmet...

I also bought the Kolbalt helmet from Lowe's. Not a wide-view, but a bit better fit on the headgear.

For standing and easy welding situations I put on the Kobalt. Twisting under my Jeep, the wide-view HF is excellent when I can't look dead-on...

[hytekredneck]

Is this the helmet your speaking of?

[tom37]

I also have one of these helments. I also have one set of flourescents that I think has a different type of bulb in them because when that light is on I have the same problem even when I turn the sensitivity all the way down. I havent changed the bulbs since the problem light is used only when I need extra light.

I know this is a cheep helment but I only paid like 30 bucks after coupon. Now the gear is junk for sure, tonight I took a radnor ratchet gear and made mods to the helment to fit Radnor. At least now the helment will detent when up and the knobs dont have to be cranked super tight. So now its a decent helment for a helper or a courious watcher.

BTW I love my Hobart XVP patriot almost as much as my new plasma.. Just for the info I paid $169.00 at TSC. The cheepest I found it online for was 199.00. And if the gear takes a dump after warrenty then it will get a radnor too.

Good luck with the sensor, maybe its as easy as changing a few bulbs.

[Knotbored]

I have a HF helmet I haven't tried yet. I am concerned because it doesn't darken even when I look directly at the sun. It has been left out in sunlight for several hours, I thought perhaps it wasn't charged up.
Can someone with a HF helmet tell me if this is normal? Does your helmet darken looking into the sun or does it take a welding flash to make it work?

[tom37]

I have had 2 different ad's from HF. The first had issues in the store not changing, I took it home and still didnt change. A quik exchange and I was good to go. The second has a sensativity knob. When its cranked the sun will not change the lens but the arc will.

[TwinClone]

I have one from HF that I paid $59 for several years ago. It has a sensitivity knob. The knob on #13 seems to work best for me. Not sure if it's the Big Lens version, but regardless it's plenty big enough. Works Great! One modification I did was to heat up the top and bend it down lower to my head to restrict light coming in from the rear when bending over work. Very happy with the helmet, how'd I get along with the "Nod" version before?

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