Of all the helmets I have used, my favorite is the Miller Digital Infinity. I have used Speedglas and Lincoln helmets too and they are nice. The Lincoln 3350 is a nice helmet. I like the Miller because of the wide viewing area and the x-mode. Very nice helmet and can be had for less than $300.

 

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-u...mpaign=4c-helmets&utm_source=safety411&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4c-helmets

 

What is best for someone might not be best for you. Try your possible favorites and see what you like.
It could depend on what type of welding and where you are welding at. I wouldn't use my Miller Elite welding in a ditch but would use my Huntsmen . :laugh:
I worked with guys that still use the small window hoods while others wanted the largest window you could get.

 

For years I used a Pipe liner. Very tough, and the rain doesn’t effect them. Since being retired I’m back to a Huntsman.

 

+1 on the pipeliner, I've left mine out in the rain with no problems just had to dry my gold lens off. There super tough and light weight.

 

They're all the best.
Just depends if you like um or not.

 

Heard a lot of good things about the Jackson TruesightII. In fact I am getting myself one for Christmas.

 

The best helmet is the one that fits the best. You can most times change lens and head gear. always buy one with a good sensitivity setting and learn how to use it. Large lens or small lens don't matter all you are looking at is the weld puddle not whats going on around you. BTW I use the Miller Elite

 

Any hood with a wens lens electric ice blue fixed shade, clearest lens Ive ever used.

 

There really is no one "best" hood. Some folks like auto darkeners and others swear by standard ones. Two good ones that I own are Speedglas and Rhino. I like them both because of the large windows and lightness. I've used the Speedglas for more than 15 years and it's still going strong. I got the Rhino about a year ago and it works very well.

All that said, Millers, Huntsman, Jackson are very good. Try them all before you buy.

 

I'm using a very inexpensive helmet from Northern Tool, about 7 years old. I fight it all the time. Its not comfortable. The narrow vision is never where I need it to be. I wear corrective glasses; the lens never lines up with my close-vision viewing. So I'm really strongly considering spending some bucks for a auto-adjust with a taller view. (and will also get some drugstore single-vision reading glasses so that I don't need to look through the bottoms of the lenses like with my current glasses).
The Lincoln 3350 series looks like it'll really do the job. But is it worth almost $250 (for a black one)? Or should I go cheaper?

 

I would suggest getting a cheater lens from your LWS instead of trying to wear readers under a hood. Mike

 

I've had a speedglass for over 15 years and like it. My son bought a save phace a couple years ago - it's pretty and he likes it better than mine which is good 'cause I sure don't like his.

 

Miller digital elite is the best one I have had so far I have used Hobart's , Lincoln Vikings, speed glass and Jackson. The digital elite works great for all types of Welding and under any conditions as far as lighting.

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

 

I've been thinking about trying the fiber metal, or Lincoln white pipelines helmet with the Jackson small window lens, sounds like a decent deal for maybe $120-130.00 for helmet lense.
I have a fiber metal like the huntsmen, but they don't make it anymore I also have the Jackson red flamed Nexgen, very good helmet I bought because of repaititous work small tacks. But it better be for the $350 it cost.
The reason I went to a large windo years ago was because of working in tight places, machinery or twisted up under tractor trailer axles the small window would limit my vision if the helmet wouldn't twist into position for me anymore.
But no matter what you choose make sure it's got good lense and don't fall off move around I like a solid feeling fit. Good luck:waving:

 

Oh and the other thing I always look for is a helmet that DOES NOT REQUIRE ME TO BUY SPECIALLY MADE LENSES FOR IT, curved odd shaped and so on.. You wanna make sure you can walk into any store and say standard lense, 2x4.25 and so on.

 

I bought 1 off the snap on truck 1 year ago. it's made by save phace. the lens has a flash problem and will momentarily flash off....then your blind for a minute and ruin your bead. replacement lens is on backorder...now week 5. the nuts on the side are super cheesy and break. worst plastic nut design ever. I hate it. I paid 469 for it. made in china. snap on promoted it and I didn't research it before buying...bad mistake. beware of that brand.

 

my Optrel e684 is awesome. But I hear good things about the new Speedglas 9100xxi. I'm gonna buy one just cause I can.

 

I'll check both of those out...I don't mind paying good money for one. already partially blind in one eye and gotta take care of both best I can. thanks oscar..I'm searching now

 

I'll have to really research to decide...that optrel sure does look impressive and I'm liking the auto adjust..I have 3 welders at my work bench and on some projects I'll switch machines on the go if you know what I mean. I have always been happy with the 3M products, I know they may be different categories but all the 3m auto products we use are always top notch in performance and durability...those are nice. I'd like to hear how you like the new speedglas. thanks again

 

BEST? That's a hard one.

My bests:

Fiber Metal Pipeliner - practically indestructible, and if you wear one, real weldors think you're one of them.
Huntsman Fiber Shell - lightest, also good for making real weldors think you know what you're doing.
Miller Digital Elite - The BEST headgear, fast switching, 4 sensors, X-mode so you can actually use an ADF outside.
Optrel e684 - External controls, ADF that you can use overhead, continuously variable auto shade SWEET for TIG.
Miller Weld Mask - Any space you can shove your head you have an ADF head bag.

They are all the best, just for different APPLICATIONS.

 

thanks for the info...I'm kinda liking that optrel e684. I'm going first thing in the morning to the lws and check a couple out..I know they have a few of the ones you mentioned. I'll post pics of that save phace I have tomorrow...it's poor quality and it's pretty obvious. should have done my homework or at least taken it out of the box before I bought....I know that was my fault

 

I like the old pipeliner helmets but I do lots of moving around or under cars and the adf is what I need.

I don't mind telling everyone that I'm not a professional welder so I won't fake it with a real helmet...or maybe I will

 

I've never owned what I'd regard as a properly designed helmet, including the expensive Miller digital somethingorother I used today. My gripe is with the suspension system. I have to admit that they are better than they used to be since they made the ratcheting band contact the back of my head lower down than before, and the helmet is less apt to fall off my head. But the bad part is what I'll call the "drag" or "escapement" parts where the headgear pivots next to my temples. There are adjustment screws on either side, but I can fiddle and diddle them until the helmet is flipping down when I nod and not falling down when I put the helmet up. Well, they SORT OF work right. More or less. For a little while. But the adjustment of those two screws is touchy, hard to get in the sweet spot, the very small sweet spot.

The problem is easily solved, as should be obvious to any engineer or mechanic with any brains or experience. Those escapement sections with the adjusting knobs have a working diameter about the diameter of a quarter. If a decent engineer or mechanic were told to redesign them to make their operation less notchy and touchy, he would increase the size of that escapement to the diameter of a half-dollar, or better yet the diameter of a silver dollar. Since that section would not get any wider, there would be no problem fitting it under the same helmet. The added weight would be next to nothing. It would be FAR easier to dial in with the adjusters, would STAY in adjustment much better, would be far less subject to wear. The helmet would stay up until you wanted it down, then would come down all the way to the selected stopping point every time with one good nod of the head. Since the wearer no longer has to be pushing up the helmet because it's falling down, and/or no longer has to nod twice or pull the helmet manually down the last notch, the helmet no longer is falling off his head at unwanted moments. He wouldn't have to tighten the headband until his skull is compressed, just to keep the heavy helmet in place.

An utterly simple, cheap, and obvious tweak in the current suspension design would solve or at least hugely improve the decades-old problems of welding helmets.

But NOOOOOOoooooooo . . . . !!!!

 

believe me, I've been thinking about that same thing but at our shop we stay so busy it's hard to find time to do little projects like that. it's not that we are missing common sense or brains...it's just I would rather be working on something fun instead of fixing an engineers screw up especially on my time.