What's the best auto-helmet of the moment?

[Dougie Main]

Using the Parweld ones at college, and they seem pretty good...decent comfort and adjustability.....setting for 'grind' mode, etc.
Even if the auto-darkening feature fails to kick-in when striking the arc, the base shade filter still offers enough protection to avoid harm to the eyes......do all brands offer that same protection?
I've seen loads for sale, some with very ermmm 'exotic' paint jobs :-)
Question is, does the quality of the most important bits get compromised in the name of fancy paint?
I don't really mind the plain black ones....not like I'm going to be wearing it to party's! :-)

I've just bought Aldi's latest inverter welder and will be testing it this afternoon with the cheapie helmet that comes with the kit.

Budget for helmet is 30ish quid. Your advice please?

 

[JayRS4]

I was given one of the “True Fusion” ones as a xmas present a few years back. It’s not the best quality in the world, the adjusters for the headband all broke, easy repair with small nuts and bolts. Other than that, it works perfectly for me as a back up.


The only thing I will say for me personally, there’s some odd about the fit of the headband, if I wear it for more than a few hours I get the most horrendous headaches, think it’s a pressure point thing, as my old Esab doesn’t do it. (It’s not the filter, I can swap them between hoods)

For the money, i’d highly recommend it, I may even buy another as a “just in case”

 

[Dougie Main]

pdg....fair point, well made. I should of course have expanded the statement to "Best of the moment, on a budget".
Being a hobbyist I can go to around £50.....and if the advice is that'll give the same protection as a £300 unit, I'll be happy at that.

 

[Dougie Main]

Got fixed up ok. Bought a Siegen (a division of Sealey I believe) model S01001.V2. £31 to £36 quid depending on where you buy.
Just set it up and tried it....all seems pukka.....good 3 way adjustability, and feels relatively comfy to wear / use.
Usual features incl..... Grind setting and a shade variable from 9 to 13. Spare lenses too.
No fancy paint mind....just a couple of transfers on the side! :-)

 

[Tinbasherdan]

pdg....fair point, well made. I should of course have expanded the statement to "Best of the moment, on a budget".
Being a hobbyist I can go to around £50.....and if the advice is that'll give the same protection as a £300 unit, I'll be happy at that.

the protection is the same, but in the same way a 150 quid car does the same job as a rolls royce. both do the same base job, just one does it much, much better and in much more comfort than the other.