Which welding helmet

[Porschedave]

Howdy
I have a MIller MIG welder and I use it regularly in the rebuild of my 1965 Notch - yes I know this has been going on for a long time. Anyhow, I am looking for a new welding helmet. I have a generic sale-priced one from KMS but am not overly pleased. I see they sell a model from Optrel that looks pretty good and a whole range from Miller. Does anyone have views on which ones are best? I saw a posting here recently for a $600 version but that seems very pricey. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

David Sanderson

[dods1600]

What are the problems you're having with the helmet now?

[Porschedave]

I find the one that I have now does not always keep the same degree of visibility through the lens where I'm not welding and at times when I strike an arc it remains darker than the setting. So it is difficult to see what I want, both when welding and when looking at where I want to weld. I have to keep fiddling with the settings and so far have not been able to figure out exactly what conditions cause the change.

[dods1600]

Alright sorry it took so long to reply, but this is the welding helmet I use at work and I have no complaints so far http://www.millerwelds.com/products/weldinghelmets/elite.php It's not to expensive either. Other then that it sounds like there is something screwy with the helmet you're using now.

[doubledoor]

I have both at work. The optrel is good because of the grind button on the outside. The miller is also good because of the size of the front window. The only thing I dont like about the miller is the grind switch on the inside.
I weld for a living and these are just my two cents.

[Krautbucket]

Ive got two cheapo auto darkening helmets from Princess Auto they cost around $50.00 . They work great . I think the pricey helmets are no doubt better but I cannot see spending 3, 4, 5 or even $600.00 for a helmet when not that many years ago a black tinted glass was all we had and nobody complained because nobody knew any different.

[Thomas]

I have both the Miller and Optrel Helmets. Both are great helmets but I do like the Optrel better as the grinder mode is on the outside of the helmet plus it turns on automatically when you start welding. Cheers Thomas