I've owned/used a couple of cheapie auto darkening helmets, and the single thing that has pi$$ed me off about them hasn't been the speed or reliability of the tint, nor the weight, nor the general visibility - it's been the dreadful adjustment mechanism that means the thing flops around, won't stay up, needs constant tightening, and then the side fitting pops out of its tenuous grip requiring a whole disassembly and reassembly of cheap crappy plastic parts.
So I'm looking at buying something a bit more decent, but a couple of things bother me - firstly, it looks like they all share a pretty similar design in this area, so it is difficult to see any clear superiority. And secondly, my cheap crappy one just works. I don't have to remember to turn it on, or off, I just don the thing and when I weld it goes dark. Most of the more expensive ones seem to need this extra bit of input from the user, and honestly I'm flat out remembering to turn the gas off, my memory is not a good thing to rely on.
So I guess I'm asking - are the more expensive helmets actually better in terms of their adjustment and fittings (and is there anything I should look for in this regard), and are there any decent models that are still fully automatic operation - if not, why am I wrong in thinking this is a big deal?!
Obviously actual model recommendations would be appreciated too
So I'm looking at buying something a bit more decent, but a couple of things bother me - firstly, it looks like they all share a pretty similar design in this area, so it is difficult to see any clear superiority. And secondly, my cheap crappy one just works. I don't have to remember to turn it on, or off, I just don the thing and when I weld it goes dark. Most of the more expensive ones seem to need this extra bit of input from the user, and honestly I'm flat out remembering to turn the gas off, my memory is not a good thing to rely on.
So I guess I'm asking - are the more expensive helmets actually better in terms of their adjustment and fittings (and is there anything I should look for in this regard), and are there any decent models that are still fully automatic operation - if not, why am I wrong in thinking this is a big deal?!
Obviously actual model recommendations would be appreciated too