auto hoods, love or hate?

[quasi]

have tried several from the drop in lenses for standard hoods to the fancy $300 offerings from optrel and speed glass. and even a couple of middle of the road jobs from miller. didn't like any of them. all of them regardless of price had a haze around the edge and it always seemed that for some reason i needed to look out of that part of the lens. has this problem gotten any better in the last couple of years? or should i just keep on using my good ol glass filter plate?

[mrmikey]

I like mine, a Miller something or other digital.
If I had to buy one myself, I wouldn't, it's a lot of bucks.
I will give you tho it's a lot more convient for tacking or assembling parts than the ole flip down kind, easier on the neck too.
I've had to send mine back for replacement due to a darker line running diagonally from right to left, other than that it works good.....Mike

[FluxThis]

Love my Miller hood and really can't live with out it! Matter of fact I have had 3 of them and thinking about buying another.

[rode2rouen]

97.5% of the time I really like my Jackson auto dark.


Rex

[Supe]

My Jackson NexGen has given me the best optics out of any hood I've ever used, fixed lens or otherwise. Not to mention I can't flip a hood down with my head sticking up through the trans tunnel of a double frame rail car.

[Fat Bastard]

Originally Posted by Supe

My Jackson NexGen has given me the best optics out of any hood I've ever used, fixed lens or otherwise. Not to mention I can't flip a hood down with my head sticking up through the trans tunnel of a double frame rail car.

I don't work an rail cars much, but for getting into those tight spots where movement is restricted ...
I had the pop in AD lens worked much like the OP said had some light spots and the clarity was not vary good.

I have the Miller Elite Pro skookem super delux wambat 95000 thing. It works well, could be better.
Having a button on the outside to switch it to grind mode would add a lot.

[Kangi]

Got a speedglas on some co worker recommendations, its ok but I just use my old huntsman and let guests to my shop use the speedglas, I might just be ignorant as to setting it properly but I just don't like it. Guess I'm just old school.

[rajun asian]

I was supplied a Hobart Hood auto darkening. It was OK but I got tired of looking through that small lens area so I bought me a Miller Elite and it is much easier to see out of. The extra area is very useful and has four arc sensors. Those are the only two I have any experience using and have had no problems with either. I'd buy a Miller again if I lost mine or something.

[Happy Bob]

I've got a 10 year old Speedglass and rarely use anything else. Worse thing about it (or any of them for that matter) is, that if you're in a weird position, it's not hard to block the sensors and get a REALLY bright light when you're not expecting it.

[weldrwomn]

I love my Speedglas! My Miller BWE is also pretty good! I have never had trouble with a "haze" around the edges unless my cover lens was scratched or dirty. You should ideally be looking throught the middle of your lens. There are usually multiple adjustments on the headgear to make the viewing angle better.

[lugweld]

I just bought a higher end htp/Jackson. I like it a lot. I am training myself to remember to turn the thing on before I use it. I am so used to the old HF helmet just doing its job, that I can't seem to remember to hit the on button. Maybe I'll learn before I go blind. But all in all, considering the issues with artheritis in my neck and the inconvenience of lifting it when spotting and tacking. And the fact that if you are on your back or undersomething, you don't have to worry about it coming down or getting too close to your work that the hood hits and your head has no where to go.

Back to the spotting and tacking thing. It makes quick work. You can see exactly where you place your weld. When you snap your neck, your hand moves, if ever so slightly.

Also, you are never caught by another welders flash. And you are less likely to be caught by your own.

[ironman715]

I LOVE my jackson Nexgen 3n1 hood. Its awesome and performs well under the harshest conditions. I have beat the hell out of that hood for 2 and a half years. Most of that time was heavy duty innershield welding. The thing performs like a champ.

'Mike

[Crickertj]

Anyone Have Any Luck With The Lincoln Vista? Im Gonna Buy A Quick Change Hood Soon. I Cant Decide Between The Miller Elite Or The Lincoln Vista.

Right Now I Have An Old Jackson Fixed Shade 11. The Amber Lens.

[DesertRider33]

I'm very happy with the Jackson EQC hoods I have. The two I use take 2 AAA batteries and have no solar panel. They work better than the solar EQC that we have here too. I had a Harbor Freight auto hood, for part of a day, when I returned it cause it had a haze. Not only a haze, but a very insconsistent haze. My Jacksons don't have any haze, untill the cover lense gets smoked.

[Crickertj]

Any ball park on the cost of a Jackson EQC?

[lugweld]

Go to HTP for the best prices. They have their Jacksons private labeled as "STRIKER".

I just bought mine for 200.00

[DesertRider33]

I bought my first one, the EQC Pro Variable for about $250 about 5 years ago. The second EQC Pro Varable I bought about one year ago for about $200. Both still work fine and both were bought at local welding shop. I also have another EQC, a different model, but I bought it used for about $40.

[mendoje1]

I started with a $49 HF AD hood, works great, but relegated it to backup duty when I got a Miller Big Window Elite. The hood and headgear far superior of course, far better lens adjustments, but the clarity was only slightly better IMO, and the buttons located at the top of the lens was annoying. I recently changed out the Miller lens with a Jackson Nexgen 3n1 lens, all it took was a little dremel work on the support frame. I really love this helmet now, great clarity, easy access to the buttons, lightweight hood. The Miller lens is now relegated to backup too, but now I can reinstall it upside down which solves the button access issue for me.

Jeff

[punkfreerider]

i have a speedglas 9000 xf and i wouldnt want to use anything else...the opics are fantastic, it reacts incredibly quick, the only downside, as said earlier, is that it is a little easy to block the sensor when welding in tight spots...but that can be remedied by turning the sensitivity up...i will never, ever go back to traditional helmets

[Crickertj]

I just buying a Camo Miller Elite hood. I paying $ 266.00. And gettin free sleeves with it so thatll be nice.

[reefera4m]

l also got a $49 HF AD about 6 months ago and I love it! It has improved my welding 10 fold, particulary the start. I'm just a hobbyist so investing in a $150 - $300 for an auto-darkening helmet didn't seem to make much sense. So far I've experienced no ill effects. In fact I seem to get much less eye strain than I did with a conventional lens. At $49 I bought by two sons one each. They like 'em!

I would really recommend trying a $49 HF one if you've never tried an AD helmet before and can't borrow one to try. It would be a real disappointment to spend $150 + just to find out you don't like the feature. You can always upgrade.

[Crickertj]

I Love my miller. its great. didnt get the sleeves tho but thats ok. it has a great viewing area.

[LooseNuts]

i love my miller as well. been using it 7 hours a day for the past 5 months with out a problem

[MarkBall2]

Have had my Hobart AD helmet for about 5 years now. I only use it occasionally, but I remember trying to coordinate flipping down the hood & striking an arc on the farm............ I never could hit the spot in the blind. I'm sure others are better, but for me this one does best for now.

Once I get a TIG machine, I may choose something different.

[daddy]

I have been very happy with my Jackson EQC that I paid around $160.00 for ten years ago. It gets new batteries every few months depending on how much I use it. I don't weld every day.

A week or so ago, I decided to try a big window fixed shade #10 gold lens, and so far, I am impressed. I don't know if it is the larger viewing area, or the gold, or a combination of both, but everything seems brighter, and more visible. I was running some Trimark TM-1101K3-M, which is a dual shield wire in .045 , at 27 volts and just under 300 amps. I think I am better able to see the puddle fill under the slag, and know when to move.

The auto dark can't be beat for fitting and tacking.

Maybe you should have both... now I do.