Welding helmets: auto darkening

My wife was quizzing me about gifts and this came to mind. Any good recommendations for up to $150 or so?

My wife bought me the hobart helmet from cal ranch for my b day. I think it was 150 and i friggin love it

I too have the Hobart (Impact Series). Bought it on line from Cyberweld, I believe. It was the best price I could find. I love it.

I have had my HF for about 5 years. Love it. I'm working with a professional welder at this very moment who has all HF helmets. Says the more expensive ones aren't worth the extra cost.

I like my HF helmet. I can't compare it to other auto helmets, but it's five steps above a normal one.

jeeper said:

I have had my HF for about 5 years. Love it. I'm working with a professional welder at this very moment who has all HF helmets. Says the more expensive ones aren't worth the extra cost.

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I've had both, and I respectfully disagree mine was only $320 so its not top of the line, but it's no contest compared to the HF's. And any body with a HF is welcome to borrow mine and decide for themselves.

Chocflip201 said:

And any body with a HF is welcome to borrow mine and decide for themselves.

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No thanks. I'm cherishing my ignorance.

I like my HF helmet (it was a great gift) but I think having a larger viewing window would be great! I have heard the HF glass can vary wildly on the the tint ratings but I haven't experienced any problems with mine.

I had a HF helmet but threw it away because it was extremely dangerous.

I kept getting headaches after using it and I found out why. They do not block light that passes through at an angle. Look at a light source with it dimmed (someone welding, the sun, etc), then tilt the hood to like 45 degrees to the right or left and see if the light source gets brighter. There's a whole lot of high intensity light, IR, and UV bouncing around every direction when you're welding. Your eyesight is about the most important thing in life, it's not worth losing when you get older due to a cheap Chinese product like this. It's your eyesight FFS, you can spend a little more on a one time purchase and actually get something with resale value so you're not out all your money like with a HF hood.
I upgraded to a Miller digital elite and would definitely recommend it, and it's so much better than the HF hood its insulting to even try to compare them; they are fundamentally different in how they are built as far as layering of the filters/lcd in the optics.

It's the same mentality of buying the $20 HF cordless drills, and just getting another when it breaks and so on vs. buying a good dewalt or milwaukee drill and not messing with it for a decade or more. One way you're stuck with 10 broken tools, the other way you're left with your sanity, and a nice tool you can still re-sell and recoup some of your money.

Well said Mike. I also have the same Miller hat. I don't think I have ever been flashed with it while welding, because of the many sensors it has. I also have a cheaper hat, that is still better than the HF, and I get flashed with if often. It only has a couple of sensors.

I have a Miller Elite that I picked up from the guys at Airgas.

Love it, makes me a better welder than I am

(Which translates into I suck at welding and my skill level doesn't justify me owning a helmet like this, but I really enjoy it)

Cheap auto darkening helmets are fine, eventually eyes will auto darken themselves…..….forever.


I have a relatively cheap one. I got it for present and the reviews were good. I haven't noticed any headaches or anything like that.

I've been pretty happy with my Northern Tool helmet--it has a larger window than most, and it's WORLDS better than the HF helmet I used to have. If you end up ordering one, let me know first--I need some new lenses for mine. (I bought some with the helmet originally, but can't find them now. )

We've been using Elites exclusively for the last few years. We do a decent amount of sanitary welding in an environment that is pretty demanding on auto-shade helmets (LED lighting, bright interior, reflective walls/equipment, etc) cheap helmets do not hold up here. I realize home use is much different but fwiw I think the Elites are money well spent no matter what you're doing. That said I have both auto and non-auto Elites and I prefer the non-auto. It was a whopping $38, the lens is huge and hasn't killed a battery yet

very happy with my miller elite going on 8 years now

I have a harbor freight that I use in weird out of position places. Its not the best. I prefer my old school large view helmet. I'll probably buy a proper auto dimming helmet someday. I just don't find myself doing as much fabrication these days. I'm getting old and lazy.

I have a nice miller one I used forever but hated how beat up it was getting after a few years of welding underneath rigs in odd positions, So I bought a new lincoln (chip foose) welding helmet and I am scared to use it.... I keep it in the house and only use it when I am welding on the bench so there is no chance of bumping it

I've always used a HF one and have never had if flash me or give me a headache. I keep fresh lenses on it and make sure it's clean. That being said, I don't doubt that the more expensive ones are worth the coin... I just don't have said coin.

i am throwing out my second HF helmet due to failed electronics, i purchase a large window Jackson and i like it a lot. in my old age I have added cheater lenses and i can’t stand them, do they make the full size lenses with the bifocal build in?

I find myself constantly wanting to buy a welding helmet. I could easily get addicted to new helmets

I want a welding helmet collection that rivals my wifes shoe collection