I used a HF model for 4+ years before it just died on me one morning. Picked up a low-end adjustable darkness Miller for $73.00 from cyberweld.com that I have been using for a little over a year now.
The HF helmet worked great when I was just doing minor rust repairs on the zed. The Miller helmet is lighter and I feel like I can see the arc better so I prefer it now that I'm doing more TIG welding and heavy rust repairs. But, for a beginner (I'm assuming) doing some straight forward welding, the HF helmet works great.