[TheForge] Automatic welding lens

[Ralph Sproul]

Hi Bill,  Sounds like a wise investment.  I've been running the Jackson auto
darkening helmets for about 10 years now and they have held up really well.
I liked the heavier helmet frame as it would take falling off an excavator
boom and not crack when out in the field doing repairs - so I stuck with
this pair of helmets until last spring.  I still have the better Jackson
helmet (with the wider view panel like you mention).  I keep that in my
truck for repair work, which I'm thankfully doing much less of this year.

Last spring someone came to my shop for a workshop on table and forge
building and he offered me this new Miller Elite helmet to try.  I figured
it was thin shelled so it would be lighter than the Jackson - so there was
good point number one.  The helmet came in it's own nylon bag for protection
and with storing mine in the truck the outside full face lens was always
scratched - so I thought this was a pretty good second point.

The reason I went out and ordered my new Miller helmet was when I tried it -
I found my Jacksons were permanently set on a shade #4 when on and not in
use, so yes, you could see but it was shadowy like looking thru a torch face
shield.  The Miller had a shade 2 when on, so it was like looking thru cheap
sunglasses with perfect clarity in dim light in the shop......... I just
muttered to myself - "time for a change" and went to the welding shop and
ordered one.  If your helmet has this number 2 shading for clarity - you'll
be loving life.  It is so much better than the 5-10 year old helmets with
the darker shading when not activated.

I thought Jackson helmets were made in the USA, but the optic panel was made
in Isreal??  At least that's what my two helmets have on the optic panel
insert.  No matter, they are a good quality helmet and now the competition
has made helmets like you own now for $275 instead of the $375-425 they cost
a few years ago.

That's my input on self shading helmets in general, but Good investment,
congradulations.

Ralph Sproul - Bear Hill Blacksmith
Webster, NH
http://www.bearhillblacksmith.com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Woolley" <wjande at erols.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 9:12 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Automatic welding lens


> Greetings,
>
> Just thought I would engage anyone on the fence about buying an
> automatic welding lens.  I thought I would never have much use for one
> until a couple of stair railing jobs ago it dawned on me that it might
> be more than useful for welding/tacking pickets to bottom/top rails
> without having to lower and raise my shield everytime I moved my
> electrode 4 inches. ( I had been using 6010 to tack, then finish with
> either the same rod or 7018 since I don't have a decent MIG machine)  I
> probably should be using my 110 volt MIG for this but can't seem to get
> in the groove of turning to it for this application. Anyway, having the
> automatic lens has greatly eased the process of making these simple
> railings.  The fact that I can start and stay with 7018 is a blessing.
> (Since I don't have to mess with my shield, the rod end never fully
> cools in between stops and starts, thus making the problem of restarting
> this rod cold without sticking all but solved)  I like the appearance
> and control I am used to with this rod.  I looked at most of what was
> currently available in a  mid to high quality lens before I chose a
> Jackson NexGen which came with their Shadow shield (sorry I just can't
> call it a helmet), which  spec wise is pretty much state of the art,
> American made, available on line for $275 total.  I was looking into a
> Jackson EQC Master which was $240 but decided to go the extra mile to
> gain a larger viewing area (lens size).  For what it's worth, I thought
> for a long time that it would be a frivolous purchase, or a luxury to
> have one, but from just a couple weeks of  use I can tell that it is
> going to be a valuable tool for me to have in the shop.
>
> Regards,
> Bill Woolley
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