9 replies to this topic

[GreaseMonkey]

Hey,

Just wanting peoples opinions on welding masks they have used ? Ive been thinking about getting a auto darkening one like a parweld one or a siflite one off the mig welding forum which are real good quality ones not the cheapy ones off ebay but then ive been thinking to stick with a normal one ?

What are your experiences with welding masks ? which one do you use ? any ones i should stay away from ?

thanks

[Retro_10s]

Stay away form cheap ones!. I think it was TurboPete that spent around £600 (?) on one,.. now i know that might be over kill for your use of it,... But if it was me, and if i was to be doing a lot of welding... then I'd be spending £150-200ish on one from a reputable dealer.

Edited by Retro_10s, 02 May 2008 - 02:17 PM.

[GreaseMonkey]

thats why i was looking to stick to a normal one, because batteries can fail and you cant rely on it when its protecting your eyes !

So what normal masks do you reccomend ? are the wrap around ones from machine mart any good ?


edit- just been looking at the parweld auto masks and loads of people have been reccomending it saying its a good quality mask and it isnt a cheapy made one even though the price is cheap, even with the siflite one ? Anyone on here had any experience with them ?

Edited by GreaseMonkey, 02 May 2008 - 02:01 PM.

[Geehawk]

I was under the impression that with auto darkening helmets its the batteries that make it go light so you can see and switch off when the arc strikes so if the batteries fail it will just stay dark and not damage your eyes. Even if it was the other way I'd think you'd notice pretty damn quick that it was not darkening, certainly long before damage could occur.

I have had a cheap(ish) CE marked one for over a year and do a moderate amount of welding, with no problems.

[Sam]

I love my Speedglas helmet, would recommend it 100%

so much better then the cheap C**p auto darkening helmet I had before, and it really shows in the quality of the welding too

[GreaseMonkey]

I love my Speedglas helmet, would recommend it 100%

so much better then the cheap C**p auto darkening helmet I had before, and it really shows in the quality of the welding too

How much did you pay for it ? They are expensive arent they ?

[Pooky]

I'm an beginner welder and have never used an auto darkening mask

I started off using the awful mask that came with my welder, one that has a handle underneath that only gives you one hand for the gun. Then I bought one that straps to your head and although better because it gives you both hands it's hard to see where you're about to start welding because you have to move one hand to flip the eyeshield down.

Wish I had an auto darkening one *jealous*

[Sam]

I love my Speedglas helmet, would recommend it 100%

so much better then the cheap C**p auto darkening helmet I had before, and it really shows in the quality of the welding too

How much did you pay for it ? They are expensive arent they ?

I got mine second hand , which was about £90? can't remember..

But if I ever damage it or lose it, I'll have no probs paying £200 for a new one, worth every penny

[GreaseMonkey]

Im starting to think of settling for a siflite mask, loads of reccomendations for it on the mig welding forum and its said to be better than the parweld unit ?

any help ?

Edited by GreaseMonkey, 02 May 2008 - 05:07 PM.

[panelbeaterpeter]

I know it's probably out of your price range Mr Monkey, but the speedglas one is great, Look on ebay there are some on there sometimes.