Anything welding

Nice stair!!

 

Just picked up a used Lincoln 180 weldpak at a used tool store for $250 out the door. I'm pretty excited to get this set up, but I've got more goodies to buy and a breaker to install before I can get it up and running.

I've read quite a few times that the Harbor Freight helmet is pretty decent and low cost. Are their other welding bits worth while? like tips and wire? I saw some damn cheap leather gloves and blankets last time I was there, maybe even small cans of gas. Should I stay away for their products and order through weldusa or cyber weld?

I am planning to take a one day welding class to get me started, then just practice in the garage / driveway until I feel confident to weld up these sliders.

 

Just about everything else can be found cheaper on Amazon or EBay.

Example: HF has 1 pound rolls of aluminum welding wire for $18. I can buy 5 rolls for $35 on Amazon.

 

Everything besides a helmet? I see the Antra AH6 for $40 listed in the thread products below.

 

With a 20% coupon, it might be cheaper.

 

The auto dimming helmet might not be the thing you want to take the least expensive route with, unless you are just going to use it a few times. Your eyes can get burned pretty quickly and that is not something you want to have happen, just my $.02

 

And that hurts like hell, know from experience

 

Me too! Woke up in the middle of the night after welding the previous day and my eyes were swollen shut and on fire! Couldn't fall back asleep for hours cuz the pain was so bad

 

I do appreciate the feedback about safety and it is a concern for me.

I see an Antra, a Servore, and a Thermadyne/Tweco mask linked below here. I read many people saying that the HF helmet was pretty good, all things considered. You guys think otherwise?

The $40 Antra has good reviews on Amazon and hundreds of reviews while the more expensive $150 helmets have good reviews as well, but only a handful of reviews. Are you guys worried about the auto dimming feature to break on the cheaper helmets? Seems like only differences between helmets are cool designs and more comfortable headbands(?). Arn't all the dimming speeds nearly the same?

 

I bought a Miller helmet when I bought my welder a year ago. It was on sale, but still $200.

I have heard stories of sunburned eyes, and it is not something I want to experience. Spending a few dollars to avoid future pain seemed like a good idea to me.

The Milller also has a larger screen than the less expensive ones, making it easier to see what you are welding. But the kicker was the shorter darkening time. Still not as fast as the speed of light...

I suggest to not "cheap out" on the helmet - you only have one set of eyes.

$0.02

 

Exactly what happened to me as well. Ended up going to the ER and they had to use numbing drops so I could open them. Got some pills to help sleep.

 

Suuuuuucks!! Haha. Lesson learned right?? I try to drop my hood or at the very least look away even when I tack stuff. Not worth the damage to your eyes!

 

Definitely!

 

It takes a lot of welding to flash burn the eyes using a HF helmet. You won't have any issue welding up a bumper or sliders. I'm talking 4 hours of actual welding to see any difference between the high dollar hoods and the HF hoods.

It is very hard to get more than an hour or two of actual welding in an 8 hr shift.

The HF hood changes shade in 40,000 of a second. A Miller Elite changes in 50,000 of a second. Neither is faster than the speed of light. Both block 100 percent of ultraviolet light.

The only way one helmet or the other will be a better choice is how much welding you think you will be doing.

 

I agree. If you're fabricating something, you don't usually weld straight for a long long period of time. One entire set of sliders for me is about an hour and a half of actual welding time and that's not all at the same time. I have the $40 Antra hood in the products discussed area below and it works exactly how I need it to

 

The main difference I noticed between a cheap helmet and my truesight is visibility. A good helmet is much clearer and has a bigger viewing area. My welds in odd positions greatly improved once I bought a nice helmet. Only if I'm teaching someone to weld do I put on the cheap helmet anymore.

 

What's nice is that a lot of them come with extra expendable lenses. Once one of mine gets gunked up and gnarly I throw a new one in and I can see clearly again and it makes a world of difference

 

Interchangeable outer and inner lenses is the ultimate reason to get a good helmet! Totally forgot that. My old cheap ass helmet didn't have that option.

 

I disagree. My HF helmet has a bigger viewing area than the Elite.

I do agree that the Elite comes with an add load of replaceable lenses.

I find myself using the HF unit more often because it is lighter.

If I have a big, big job, I'll use the Elite.

I still find myself wondering if the Miller Elite was a needed purchase.

 

Ive got the Antra helmet listed below. I like it. But I'm also not welding every day nor for hours and hours at a time. Usually its a couple minutes here and there followed by fitting up/grinding. Its not as fast as others though (1/25000 of a second).

One thing I do prefer is a grinding helmet/mask instead of using the welding helmet. No tint and a totally clear field of view. Plus no debris hitting the mask.