BLOZ UP Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) I ended up chickening out and getting a Miller Performance Series. The plain black one. 3 sensors, ~5 amp sensitivity, grind mode, replaceable batteries, about $200 out the door. A fine compromise. Came with a bag and 5 extra covers. Tried it out the other day to add a resonator to my exhaust. The headgears works better than the HF one, seems sturdy enough to me (I've heard of complaints of cheap headgear, at least on the Elite series). It's so nice to weld without worrying about flashes or having to lower my manual helmet down. Edited March 9, 2011 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I ended up chickening out and getting a Miller Performance Series. The plain black one. 3 sensors, ~5 amp sensitivity, grind mode, replaceable batteries, about $200 out the door. A fine compromise. Came with a bag and 5 extra covers. Tried it out the other day to add a resonator to my exhaust. The headgears works better than the HF one, seems sturdy enough to me (I've heard of complaints of cheap headgear, at least on the Elite series). It's so nice to weld without worrying about flashes or having to lower my manual helmet down. nice, I'm sure it will work well for you. Glad you didn't get one with ugly graphics on it The adjustment knob strips out on the Miller hoods I have seen break. I'm sure it's not that common though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 It's got a year or two of warranty and I intend to use it a lot within that time. Viewing area is bigger than the HF, and I noticed that the HF has a line of darker shade going horizontally through the middle of the lense. Not so here. Welding is easy now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotdamn Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) KT industries, leather forehead band, fully adjustable settings without having to remove helmet. You can adjust; shade, sensitivity, and delay. http://www.ktindustries.net/products/SAFETY/HELMET/AUTO%20DARKEN%20HELMETS.aspx Edited March 12, 2011 by hotdamn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutantZ Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I have the Miller Pro-Hobby and haven't had any problems with it. I got it for $139. I have found some reviews about some people complaining about the sensors getting covered (since there are only 2) but no problems for me thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I have the Miller Pro-Hobby and haven't had any problems with it. I got it for $139. I have found some reviews about some people complaining about the sensors getting covered (since there are only 2) but no problems for me thus far. I looked at it, but since it said it was only rated down to 20 amps, I decided to go a step up. I heard that 3-4 sensors are nice, and the extra low rating is ideal to me since I do a lot of ugly artwork that's low amperage. I've heard that the Pro-hobby can be used with <20 amps, but it's not rated so I just decided to play it safe since I was spending money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZT-R Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 i have a miller digital elite too and i love it. a bit pricy but so is argon. i have had about 4 other auto darkening helmets and they cant hold a candle to this one. like all the adjustments and modes and the headband isnt a total piece of crap like most others are. it is expensive but i dont regret it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmer765s Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Personally my favorite out of the 3 I have (Kobalt, Harbor Freight, And my buddies 2 year old 600 dollar helmet) all auto dark and hands down I love the Kobalt its only $100 and works amazing and they just came out with a new one that's just a little more sensitive with the controlls ( flash delay sensitivity ect.) I have the blue Kobalt and I think the new one is black I'm just kind of a Kobalt nut, all my hand tools are kobalt even my carpentry tools for work are Kobalt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
str8pipez Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Speedglas, Speedglas, Speedglas. I sold them for 12 years. NEVER had one come back. I have 2 now that are used and abused daily. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-PPE-Safety-Solutions/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Products/Product-Catalog/?N=5658997&rt=c3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Just picked up a new Miller Digital Elite in solid black for $253 shipped. Two things make me like this one more than the old Elites or my Speedglas. One, the headgear has all kinds of adjustment and is very comfortable. Two, the X Mode is awesome. It senses the electrical field rather than relying on optical sensors. I am always having to weld with my hood up against something or with tubes running between my eyes and the weld. The X mode solves this perfectly and the outside of it being a solid color helps you not look like a clown while welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Agree with the Speedglas. I've been using them for 12 years and only had a headgear setup break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nacitar Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Speedglas, Speedglas, Speedglas. I sold them for 12 years. NEVER had one come back. I have 2 now that are used and abused daily. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-PPE-Safety-Solutions/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Products/Product-Catalog/?N=5658997&rt=c3 Agree with the Speedglas. I've been using them for 12 years and only had a headgear setup break. I think I know where john gets his! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I'm shopping for one myself. Would this be a good start for a amateur welder like myself? http://www.ebay.com/itm/140505891786?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 3M SPEEDGLAS 100V BLACK WELDING HELMET 07-0012-31BL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen C. Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I weld professionally and I have used what is now called the miller hobby pro for the past 7 years. Changed the battery once and have put it through hell. My only complaint is the sensor is at the top of the panel and becomes obscured if doing welds in tight areas. I've used the digital elite and was not impressed. It's heavy and uncomfortable. The first time I flipped it down it slammed me in the nose. When my hood finally dies I'm leaning twords getting an old school hood. Most of the other welder a at my shop use the elite and all have had major problems with them flashing them or just outright not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I have an expensive Miller Elite and i am NOT happy with it. If you google miller elites you will find that a lot of people are not happy with them. There are a lot of issues surrounding the batteries and auto function when tig welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 The Speedglas does go through batteries. I replace them a couple time a year. It seems at low welding power levels the helmet uses more power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Just bought this Speedglas 9002X for $200 http://www.ebay.com/itm/271191915318?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 I was going to just replace my dead HF cheap-o helmet with another cheap one, then I ran across this nice, slightly used helmet. I think I made a good decision.. 'Speedglas 9002X I eBay'.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 A couple of things about the harbor freight helmet...... If the batteries are dying, it will do odd things such as flashing or a delay before it clamps down as well as go full dark regardless of the knob setting. The flashing I can deal with by simply blinking when I strike the arc but it gets so dark you can't see your work even if you use some pretty intense lighting on it. It's fine when you have no arc going........can see the work......but when the arc starts, it's almost completely dark. I took mine apart to replace the batteries because it lacked the access panel to do so and it wasn't fun cutting the welded plastic or cutting the tabs which are remarkably strongly spot welded to the batteries. I can't imagine they use quality batteries on the harbor freight helmet so I wouldn't trust one longer than 2 years if the batteries are not replacable. Don't look at the sun with an auto darkening helmet because many sense the pulses of light to determine when you have an arc going and the sun does not have this which means you aren't activating the lcd. Sometimes when welding lower amperage with tig, you can end up not triggering the helmet but remember that the helmet doesn't react to steady light and a super high frequency might be read by the helmet as steady so a little fiddling may be necessary to find the sweet spot where you can trigger the helmet even with low power tig welding. Another issue I find with the some of the cheaper helmets is the sensors being buried deep in a "tube" which means you are obscuring them from the arc if you aren't pointing the helmet directly at the arc so be careful when you weld in tight spots.......especially if you only have a narrow line of sight which could very well obscure all sensors from the arc and you get flashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winstonusmc Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 My harbor freight helmet is the solar one and it seems to do good. I just forget to turn it back on after grinding and cutting, what a surprise when I strike the arc. Does the solar powered helmets have a battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Yes, they have two cr2330......one on each end of the circuit board. You can't simply replace them with a single battery as there is circuitry to ensure they coexist with the solar battery. The two batteries also seem to be in series with each other and kinda parallel with the solar cell though there are diodes in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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