need a little feedback on auto darkening helmets...i'm really interested in the optrel satellite and the hornell 9002x...between these two which would you consider the better helmet...i will be using to make mig and tig welds...and since the optrel can be adjusted all the way down to 4/5 it could be used for grinding, plasma, and oxyacetylene cutting also which makes me lean towards it...my roommate has one and has no complaints at all about it...but if you guys have any input on these helmets or others u've used and have had no issues with...i also noticed in a search that a couple of you guys liked the jackson nexgen...how does it compare to the two mentioned above? bout the same? better?...let me know...thanks for your time

 

Havent used any of those, but I love my miller big window elite. Works great

 

I race with a guy who owns a welding supply business.

I asked him about auto darkening helmets as I had no experience with them either.

He said the guys who build and maintain rides at large theme parks prefer the Jackson over anything else he carried because of the weight, view area and adjustability.

 

I dont use them. I had to have retnal surgery and retna steroids (sp?) because of a faulty auto darkening helmet.

They are not as bad *** as most people make them out to be. I just stick with the old school Jackson manual helmets for 30$

 

Damn Louis you had retinal hemorroids.

Louis - What was faulty about the helmet that caused problems. I have a auto helmet now and don't notice any ill effects after welding so I'm just wondering what I should look out for.

 

I use an auto Hobart that is four years old and still working VERY well, my wife likes her Optrel, she says it's the most comfortable one on the market.

 

i have this one.....and i love it........kind of bulky if you want to fit your head into tight spots, but overall it's really versatile, as far as adjustability and what you can use it for.........and i've never flashed myself with this one, unlike my speedglas.......

 

A lot of auto darkening helmets have longer "reaction" times than others.
Couple that with the length of time one spends welding, it can cause problems.

Also, older helmets had a single sensor. If you got something between the arc and the sensor, like a header tube or a part of a roll bar, it would definitely "react". Sensitivity was fixed as well.

The Nextgen has 4 sensors and can be adjusted to go dark with sparks from a grinder.

 

No experience with the helments you're asking about, I've been using a Jackson Journeymans helment for over eight years now with no problems...it has auto darkening 9 thru 12.

Al

 

Same helmet i have.

 

What brand helmet is this? Was it a solar powerd? What was the reaction time for this helmet? I do allot of welding and would like to know.

 

Our Jackson battery powered auto-darkening helmet works really well for stick and MIG welding. But it absolutley sucks for TIG welding. It would not darken for me on several occasions. I guess it depends on what you want to use it for.

 

im old school to, i tried an auto darkening but didnt like it, as well as the manual.

 

i've never had a problem with my jackson or my speedglas with tig welding....sometimes you have to play with the sensitivety cuz the light's more concentrated......i don't mind using the old style helmets, but they aren't so sweet when you're trying to do something with an accurate starting point....going back and forth between the two style sucks too flashed myself a few times forgetting which helmet i had on and not flipping down the lens....