25 replies to this topic

[Daz1968]

I bought a similar priced helmet and have used it for a few years without issue

[rodandtom]

Hi,

 

I think this has already been said but the disposable bottles are about 12-15 inches in size and the 9L bottle from Adams is about 3 feet high - you work out which contains more

 

Seriously dont bother with the disposables.

 

On the auto dimming welding masks I bought mine from Machine Mart. They aren't cheap but they are well worth it. If you are worried about the cost - ask yourself what it will take to get yourself some new eyes when you screw them up buying cheap stuff. With something like that I dont think you can take the chance. look to see if your ebay items confirm to the right standard and where they come from - I wouldnt buy a cheap import on an important safety item like that.

 

Rod

 

RodAndTom

[rubinio]

I bought a similarly priced helmet off ebay(made by falcon or eagle something like that) its good enough for occasional stuff however if i was using it more regularly id defo get a more expensive, it works fine but feels a touch flimsy around the head band area.

[AVV IT]

As has already been said you really ought to think about spending a little bit more on a half decent helmet/mask, after all it's your eyes and face we're talking about here!!

 

There are usually some pretty reasonably priced examples on amazon, I got mine from there: http://www.amazon.co...ds=welding mask Whilst I'm not convinced it was ever worth the £200+ RRP, but at the current £45 sale price, it's a really good piece of kit!! 

[HarrysMini]

Thanks for all the opinions on the mask. AVV IT, I think I might go with the one you linked as I'd rather get a branded one and I wanted to pay more than £20 anyway.

[alex-95]

I was just going to post the link the sealey one, I Have one and it is good.

[sledgehammer]

At work I use a Lansec Translight with respirator pack  - ££££ - but I weld 8+ hrs a day so worth it

 

when looking at masks ,look for several things ... 

 

Battery powered ones - the battery's can leak , but worse , quite often they need switching on - you will forget & get green eye - I used to

 

look at the front & rear clear protector sheet - find out how much they cost - fancy shaped ones usually cost a lot more

 

also look at head band mechanism - some are weak and break easily 

 

at work we polish the front clear protector sheet with furniture polish - they last a lot longer

 

annoyingly the price don't always mean quality - we had expensive swiss made lenses at work for a while , they were supposed to be the dogs -

 

they were carp & failed mid weld , when they got hot - not good for the eyes

Edited by sledgehammer, 02 July 2013 - 10:02 PM.

[ANON]

grab one of these...http://www.ebay.co.u...=item20d4593ff5

[Marco1972]

Hi

I was using the small bottle of Co2 that came with my welder Boc have just brought out a small argon shield light £18 rental per year and £16 for the gas and what a difference it makes to the quality of welding now don't get me wrong I'm no expert welder far from it but I would not use Co2 again
As for the mask I got mine off amazon it's auto darkening and was around the £20 mark good bit of kit for a cheap mask makes welding so much easier

[Dark Angel]

I have a dual gauge regulator if you need one cheap. Pm me.

[ibrooks]

The masks all have batteries. They need an initial surge to switch the LCD so the battery does that. The solar panel is used as a sensor (as the voltage rises it triggers the switch) and it then re-charges the battery. After some years the batteries stop holding charge and you find that they get sluggish to change (especially if the helmet has been left in the dark). The ebay one has two coin cells in the cassette - they aren't designed to be changed and when they go dud you get a replacement cassette or throw the helmet away. I do know people that have carefully split the cassette open and replaced the cells - I did have a go with an Esab helmet but the whole innards had been potted with resin and I ran out of patience since I'd already got a replacement lid.

 

The £20 ebay one is the same as mine and it does the job just fine - it doesn't have an off switch just the grinding position (which is great for using the plasma cutter) so you just need to remember to switch it back. If I was in the market for one I'd buy one of those.

 

When I pick it up to start welding the first thing I do is hold it up to the light in the workshop (or the sun if it's a sunny day) to see it change. If it doesn't I know I've left it on the grinding setting (or in a few years I'll start suspecting batteries). It's a basic safety check and a good habit to get into.

 

 

Gas..... There are two factors you need to consider when working out comparative prices. The size of the bottle and the pressure that the gas is at inside. A smaller bottle at higher pressure might have more gas inside than a bigger one at lower pressure. The dinky little hobby bottles are a bu@@er for quoting different number to make it hard for you to compare (size of the bottle in litres, number of litres of gas contained, pressure in PSI, pressure in BAR). Different suppliers will also do their best to confuse you by just not advertising their filling pressure (which aren't all the same) so unless you specifically ask them you have no idea what you are actualy getting. Pay attention and do the sums to avoid paying over the odds.

 

Iain