A Tale of Two Helmets

You will recall from an earlier post that I was having some difficulty with my welding helmet.  It turned out not to be the helmet's fault.

Welding helmets come in a variety of styles, features and costs.  You can get an auto-darkening helmet for as little as $40.  I looked at one today that was over $500.  One needs to shop carefully.

The helmet on the left is the first welding helmet I purchased.  It was advertised as being suitable for TIG and, if I recall, was about $80.  It worked fine while I was learning to weld.  Most of what I was practicing with was 1/8" mild steel. In the learning process you start with thicker materials and work down. When I first started welding actual airplane parts I started having trouble with it "flashing" from dark to clear and back again.  Very annoying and not a good way to protect my eyesight.

It turns out that one of the specifications that affect the price of a helmet is how sensitive it is to the TIG arc.  That sensitivity is expressed in amps, as the amperage level that one is welding at determines the size and brightness of the arc.  The helmet on the left has a minimum sensitivity of 40 amps.  In welding aircraft parts one rarely applies more than 30 amps.  Therefore, the flashing. But the helmet would work fine if you are working on heavier materials, such as farm equipment.

The helmet on the right is the new helmet.  It is a Miller Digital Pro and it is about the minimum helmet I would acquire if I am working on airplane parts.  It has three sensors and is sensitive to TIG arcs down to 5 amps.  The kicker is that this helmet set me back about $250.

I really wanted a black one.  I am not that fond of the graphics, which are pretty tame here.  They can get quite wild.  But the local shop didn't have a black one and knocked a considerable amount of money off their tag price if I would take this one, the floor model.  I like to buy local if I can, and this worked for me.  At least it is not painted up like skull.

THE HELMET PROTECTS YOUR EYESIGHT. Get as much helmet as you need.  If you are working on heavier materials, or, at least materials that are not as light as what we work with building airplane parts, the $80 helmet would probably work just fine.  If you are working on lighter materials, as I am sure most of the folks visiting this site are doing or planning on, you are going to have to tighten your belt and loosen your wallet.