My is a diy guy and has expressed that he'd like a auto-darkening

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I bought this Optrel E680 and I fukken love it. Made in Switzerland. The controls for the lens are on the outside so you don't have to remove it to change settings. Also the only auto-darkening hood you can safely weld overhead with because of the rounded cover lens.

>>1101048
>What makes a helmet good? Money is no object

There arent that many real features to an auto dark helmet.
Solar panel probably being the biggest one so you dont run out of batteries when using it.

I mean they all have sensitivity and delay settings. You are paying for clarity.

I have the Jackson Balder and its one hell of a hood.
SpeedGlas is really popular, Miller makes some decent ones.

there's really not all that much to them and a lot comes down to personal preference. higher end ones will have more shade settings so you can really fine tine how dark they get.

personally i look for a decently large viewing area, shade control on the outside of the helmet and a padded headgear. the headgear itself is pretty important as that's what will usually break

>>1101055
>>1101056
>Optrel E680
>Jackson Balder
>SpeedGlas
>Miller

Okay, I'll take a look at those.

>>1101061
Is there any sort of marketing that I should straight out ignore (like "gaming" for computer parts or contrast ratio)?

>>1101065
None that I can think of. theres some weird helmets out there that claim to be better but you're not likely gonna come across them unless you go looking

Hell even helmets that are all painted up with cool looking shit tend to actually be cheaper then just a plain old black helmet

One thing worth considering is availability of replacement lense covers as they do get fucked up over time. You can always order them online but if you need them right away it can really suck to wait a few days or even weeks for delivery. Usually pretty easy to find a store that carries a major brand but for smaller brands it could be hard to find locally

Most major companies also sell replacement headgear and the entire lense if needed. when you're replacing the more important things like that it's likely not worth it but some people do like to customize their helmets with stickers or even their own paint job and would rather replace parts then buy a new helmet

>>1101065
There's also Hobart which is Millers budget brand but still very good products. Their helmets are built to the same specs

>>1101048
Also consider Lincoln 3350 with 4c. The headgear is really comfy and the lens clarity is top notch.

>>1101048
i use the exact same model i got from amazon and its really good. i accidently leave it on all the time, for weeks at a time, and it still has power when i test it (it auto darkens for a second when you turn it on). welding is quite dark aside from the arc itself which is probably as bright as staring right at a little led which is to say bright but not nearly damaging.

>>1101061
>shade control on the outside of the helmet
For my use, I don't need to adjust the shade often, and I often need to get into tight spots, so I prefer to have the controls on the inside to avoid having a dial that can bump things and change the setting or break. Most have the shade control on the outside, but it may be something to consider.

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>MIC welding

>>1101171
Drink bleach faggot

I have a friend with a miller auto darkening that was like 200 bucks or so and its really nice. I'd go for that as a present but its not really gonna do more than a 60 dollar Hobart either. Honestly once you get used to it a regular old fixed shade is pretty great for almost everything but i digress.

>>1101048
i work at a shop thats heavy industial and mainly just used a fixed #12 shade. i just use what they give me because those helmets are expensive.
but the speedglass or helmets work good if you wanna spend the money. also look into what the replacement plastic lens covers cost.
dont buy the Hobart one i bought one for light home use and it would switch off mid weld. arc eye sucks,i had better luck with the harbor freight one

I like the speedglass helmets. They are a bit more expensive but they fit my head perfectly and the weight is alot lower then other helmets I have tried. Also I would recommend to find a helmet with a XL glas. I am a bit distracted to can't really find what models right now. But a big glas and light weight is what you want for a helmet

>>1101554
This, plus the side panels on the SpeedGlass makes ithe feel more natural as you can see where you are in space during welds

>>1101444
you must have got a dud or something then. even off they still have UV protection just you can't actually see the work because it's bright. of course it will still make your eyes sore due to the brightness but it should NEVER actually let you get arc eye

>>1101444
I have a ~100$ Hobart "Hood" branded one. Ive never been flashed with it, I bought it like in 08,
I did however get flashed a ton of times with the Harbor Freight piece of shit. I returned it and bought the Hobart.

I moved up to the Jackson Balder about a year ago, got it on sale at the local welding shop.

Get a Mille elite. They are lite and Miller has very good service and warranty

>>1102048
>Money is no object

Check welding forums like Miller and Weldingweb.

Both Miller and Hornell are excellent. Since ya have the cash, be memorable and get a badass helmet AND a couple packs of spare clear cover lenses because it sucks to have to swap one out and not have it handy.

You are a righteous friend.

>>1101048
disappointed nobody has mentioned amount and location of sensors.

this seems to be the key difference between a 50 dollar and a 400 dollar hood. the best ones have 4 sensors, one each located at the corners of the viewing area for quadruple redundancy. they dont install multiples in case they fail (which I don't see how they ever could) but in case you block a sensor in the middle of the weld. i had a harbor freight one and i loved it for a long time until i started doing a lit of tig welding on bicycle tubing, i would constantly be either getting the torch handle infront of the sensor for just one second or the actual work infront of it and all of a sudden the hood thinks the arc ended and you get flashed. real fucking annoying.

you probably dont need one with 4 sensors but 3 is great and 2 is probably fine, especially if hes just mig welding

>>1101048
Probably too late but what matters is comfortable head band, "optical clarity" usually rated by 0/0/0 formate. 0s being the best, replacement protective lenses, and last but not least if he works outdoors or not

>>1101048
> Fibre metal pipeliner
> Arcone AD tradesman lens
> Jackson ratchet suspension
Cheap and durable, done.

>>1104734
The Jackson suspension is worth adding. I have a couple of Pipeliners and they are light, conformal, have room for glasses and very pleasant to wear. They are very common pro helmets for good reason.