I’ve not used one of this Mfr hoods b4 so cannot comment on them specifically. But, once I got an auto darkening hood, I’ll never go back to my old flip hood.
I have two auto-darkening hoods from HF. They actually work quite well, I did find that the darned things were too sensitive, even with sensitivity turned down. They would trigger from the arc in the fluorescent fixture above my welding bench. I TIG mostly SS and steel & some AL.
I covered the arc sensors w/ scotch tape and then still had to color the tape w/ a black sharpie. The hood is still so sensitive that it will darken if I have amperage down real low and trigger the A/C starting w/o actually starting an arc.
I assume all of these masks use similar or the same suppliers and manufacturers for components such as the arc sensors & most probably trigger more than fast enough to be vision safe.
these are probably good hoods. But, I got mine at HF for less than $50. I could go and buy a Jackson or some other for more than $300… So, these sit somewhere in the middle and do have a bit larger viewing area than mine, but not as large as many that now have over 10 square inches.
Thanks for the info! I’ve been seriously considering an HF helmet because of the low cost and reasonably good reviews. Sure, I’d rather have a Jackson or Miller, but I spent all my money on my welder. Ha!
After looking at the 5000v, I was sold. One thing the HF helmets can’t offer is the made-in-America aspect. Sure, this one is assembled in America, so it’s no doubt made of foreign components, but at least someone here gets a job. For that reason, as well as the good price, they get my business.
Wow! Awesome deal for such a great quality welding helmet! You’d be crazy to bypass this for an HF helmet. For a price like this, you won’t have to keep replacing the AD filter and these have way cooler designs. Great deal!! As always, glad to see good products as reasonable prices. I’ll be getting one for both my Dad and my brother.
Go get one of the Miller helmets. The electronics are much better and they weigh almost nothing. I’ve used mine for everything from heavy pipe and structural fab to TIG with single digit amperage and I can dial the sensitivity and shade in perfectly for whatever I’m doing.
I’m just glad to see that they have camouflage helmets. I can’t tell you how many times I have missed bagging a really nice deer because it caught sight of my welding helmet and bolted before I could get the shot.
That’s because you’re doing it wrong. The trick is to strike your arc quickly, and then they stand there in a daze. It’s like a spotlight. It takes talent to weld and shoot, though.