Optrel Satellite Welding Helmet

[1105]

Well we had out christmas tonight since my brother has to work tomorrow (firefighter) and my parents got me a new autodarkening welding helmet. This thing is sweet, changes instantly as in I can't even see a bright flash of light even for the little fraction of a second it takes to switch over unlike my old boss's jackson helmet where you got flashed at first for a fraction of a second. It has a good field of view, can adjust the lense darkness from 9-13 and anywhere in between, push a button to turn the lense off to do some grinding, adjust the sensitivity of the sensors to switch from light to dark. Can move it closer and further away from your face, and can also tilt the helmet with a knob to how you like it. Hands down probably one of the best helmets out there My g/f also got me a nice lincoln electric cover to go over my welder.

Anyother welders out there try one of these helmets, and if so, how do you like them?

 

[DFG 5OH]

i've got an auto dark helment and i LOVE it.

 

[SeventyMach1]

Is it NHRA approved?

 

[loudpedal99]

Never tried one of that brand; when I welded for Tracker Marine I used a Speedglas. Autodarkening is the *****, unless you're TIG welding. . . sweet xmas present

 

[OrangeMustangGt]

oh man....i need need a new helmet. Mine is soo dark, from being dirty, that i can barely see when i weld, and its the old flip down style.....i bet i could burn some nice beads if i had oen of those.

 

[1105]

loudpedal99, why do you say unless your TIG welding? I love the autodarkening helmet for both TIG and MIG welding.

Kyle, that sounds like my old helmet It was a $15 helmet from the Tractor Supply Co. that my dad bought for me when I started welding. It worked fine, but I'm much happier with this helmet for some unknown reason. The feature I like the most is that you can adjust the darkness to whatever level you like it at.

 

[nmcgrawj]

While we are on helmets, what kind of welders do you guys have? I was looking at Sears for one...along with air compressors. Thinking about taking the plunge but i dont know what is what....whats good for this and whats good for that. Any tips?

(dont mean to hijack )

 

[stprorolla49]

we've got a cebora 130 TIG (i think its 130 cant remember)....its an awesome little welder for the price and can go up to something like 1/4".....for only like $680, you cant beat it.....

helmet wise, we've got a lincoln electric auto-darkening one similar to the one 1105 has....pretty sweet helmet if you ask me....so much better compared to the WWII solid metal helmet we were using before....seriously......

 

[loudpedal99]

loudpedal99, why do you say unless your TIG welding? I love the autodarkening helmet for both TIG and MIG welding.

The only reason is b/c I only TIG welded aluminum (pretty thin too, down to .060) and I would trigger it a lot. The welders I used did not have on-the-fly amp adjustment, so towards the end of a long weld I'd be triggering to keep the bead width down. I've welded some stainless steel too, and I could definately see using the autodark on that stuff.

Edit: Noticed the welder type question. I have a Millermatic 135 that does pretty much everything I want it to do, welds up to .250. My dad is using it to build the chassis for his 10.5 car. I've REALLY been wanting to buy a Miller Syncrowave 180 SD. Just a little hard to shell out the ~1800 bucks on it when I could buy more go-fast parts.

I'm pretty biased towards Miller

 

[1105]

This helmet is really sensative when it comes to light. Just being close to a lmap thats turned on and looking at it the helmet will darken.

As for the welders I have a Lincoln Percision Tig 185 which has been a great welder so far and pretty easy to use on steel, but aluminum is hard (still practicing) and my dad has a Cebora MIG 130 and it's alright, not the best but for the price its a good buy. We also have a Miller MIG 210 in the garage as well. Only complaint with it is you cant weld thinner metals, but other than that its a very nice welder.

Basically any miller or lincoln are going to be top notch products, but be looking to pay top dollar for them too.

 

[diablostang]

While we are on helmets, what kind of welders do you guys have? I was looking at Sears for one...along with air compressors. Thinking about taking the plunge but i dont know what is what....whats good for this and whats good for that. Any tips?

(dont mean to hijack )

Check out the Clarke Mig-Welders... I have this one, and it's a great starter kit..

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...?storeId=6970&productId=200311005&R=200311005

Very easy to use, has a vid included on how to set it up, which was very painless.


I want an auto-darkening mask too..