Upper end of the hobbysits masks

[BrokenBiker]

they are all junk. op by his own words said he went through several china crap cheap helmets. now he wants to buy another ? that strategy makes zero effing sense what so ever. obviously he doesnt learn his lesson. should of bought a speedglas in the begining

not once did i say they had failed though...i have lost a few, dropped a few causing damage, one got melted in a garage fire...the SIP i have now has been left out in the rain and still worked after being blown off with the air line...the only one that is failing so to speak is the current one and to be honest that is probably more to do with the abuse ive given it than the quality of the item...with that said, the lads in work use optrels and one of them failed immediately after being thrown relatively gently onto the bench...so i fail to see your point here...i also dont know what lesson i need to learn...i still have the 2nd or 3rd mask i ever bought, which was around 12 years ago now and while its not true colour and is only shade 9, it still works just like it did when it was new. its the mask i lend out to people that want to help out or watch me weld...the sealey i had was good and is my back up mask and when i buy a new one this week the curretn one will likely be stripped to see what the issue is, and if i can fix it, it will also become a back up as its been absolutely perfect until now. it may just need a few hours in the sun as its stored in a dark shed when not in use...

 

[skotl]

if you guys were smart ...

Feel free to find an alternative forum where your wisdom and superior intelligence is lauded more than here

It's ok to have an opinion - it's not ok to keep banging on about it and constantly implying that everyone else's opinion is invalid or plain wrong.

 

[Pete.]

I dropped my 30 quid Chinese mask in the Thames. It didn't work afterwards but it was only 30 quid, so yeah there are times when a 30 quid mask makes sense. Also damn handy for burning out on site.

I have a GYS Spaceview for tig work it was 99 quid when I got it and has a decently large screen plus goes down to shade 5.

My current 'cheapie' is a Ginour true colour and though I didn't like the headband at first I've got used to it and its the one I use for crashing about on site and much better than the one that went in the sea.

 

[trigger3]

I bought my Speedglass over 20 years ago now (probably 25), and it's still going strong.

It was a lot of money even back then but it's more than paid for itself over the years.

thats how i feel about it. a mask that can last decades will easily pay for itself. you must be proud eveftime you put that old speedglas on

 

[BrokenBiker]

thats how i feel about it. a mask that can last decades will easily pay for itself. you must be proud eveftime you put that old speedglas on

Proud? That's a weird emotion for a tool...

 

[Turbo]

if you guys were smart you would listen to the people that use welding equipment every day. theres a good reason i only use speedglass stuff. i dont have time to mess around with cheap crap that doesnt hold up. $180 seems like a bargain for a mask that lasts 10yrs.

I have had 3 chinese masks in the past 20 years. The first one was unbranded off ebay and saw a lot of use at home and work and never failed. I still have it and I've no doubt with a fresh pair of aa batteries it would still work.

Its replacement from Lidl also got a lot of use and failed when I left it in a drawer too long and the internal battery failed.

The current lidl mask will hopefully last for a good few years.

So that's £70 spent on masks in 20 years. I'd call that good value.

I have used a speedglass mask and I appreciate the quality but for the amateur use for most of the members on here a cheap mask is more than adequate. If looked after it can last for years and the latest ones have a crystal clear view to rival pro masks.

If I was a pro welder doing it full time I would probably have a pro mask like a speedglass. But for my use I can't justify the cost.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I have had 3 chinese masks in the past 20 years. The first one was unbranded off ebay and saw a lot of use at home and work and never failed. I still have it and I've no doubt with a fresh pair of aa batteries it would still work.

Its replacement from Lidl also got a lot of use and failed when I left it in a drawer too long and the internal battery failed.

The current lidl mask will hopefully last for a good few years.

So that's £70 spent on masks in 20 years. I'd call that good value.

I have used a speedglass mask and I appreciate the quality but for the amateur use for most of the members on here a cheap mask is more than adequate. If looked after it can last for years and the latest ones have a crystal clear view to rival pro masks.

If I was a pro welder doing it full time I would probably have a pro mask like a speedglass. But for my use I can't justify the cost.

Well said...I suppose the speedglass rep thinks everyone that has a car should all have a Bentley or a rolls Royce because, you know, the cheap ones aren't as good...

 

[trigger3]

actually i didnt recomend a rolls royce. i recomended g5-03e which basically is the least expensive mask spdedglas offers. ya it might cost 2x more than the china version but the china version cost so little that even doubling its price is still only peanuts if you ask me. and who has time to fuss about with masks that dont work after sitting in a drawer to long. sounds like a low qaulity mask to me

 

[Turbo]

actually i didnt recomend a rolls royce. i recomended g5-03e which basically is the least expensive mask spdedglas offers. ya it might cost 2x more than the china version but the china version cost so little that even doubling its price is still only peanuts if you ask me. and who has time to fuss about with masks that dont work after sitting in a drawer to long. sounds like a low qaulity mask to me

I have a very expensive Miller Elite that has failed due to being left in a drawer too long. The internal battery is charged with solar power from either welding or the sun.

 

[BrokenBiker]

actually i didnt recomend a rolls royce. i recomended g5-03e which basically is the least expensive mask spdedglas offers. ya it might cost 2x more than the china version but the china version cost so little that even doubling its price is still only peanuts if you ask me. and who has time to fuss about with masks that dont work after sitting in a drawer to long. sounds like a low qaulity mask to me

it was a metaphor...but i wouldnt expect a speedglass expert to understand that...do you only have the 1 drum to bang or is it some sort of fetish to post repeatedly unwanted opinions online to an audience that is laughing at you?

 

[Agrismith]

Something that seems to be forgotten here is value for money and the fact this varies greatly from application to application.
The mid range Chinese masks are as far as I see incredibly good value for money unless you are welding 8hrs a day 5 days a week.
We also have the law of diminishing returns. A mask at twice the price will not be twice as good. Infact for a lot of hobby welders the difference would be pointless.

 

[BrokenBiker]

i got the chance to look at a parweld 942 in person earlier at the xtreme plasma stand at south cerney...felt like a good quality mask and i was quite impressed with the panoramic type view as well so think ive found the one for me. didnt have the cash with me to buy it there and then but will be having a look around tomorrow to see what deals are available

 

[tom2207]

Just as an aside ,,, I have a speedglas 9002v [ from memory the older pointier one ]I bought it twenty years ago and its still going strong , I also have the newer speedglas I bought as a tig only mask , the newer support system isnt as friendly by far as the old one , the new headband is fussy and wont flip as wide or stay up ,,, more expensive is not always better ,,, masks are in my opinion a bit like crash helmets ,,, you need to go to a shop that has them and try a few on , find out what you like and whats comfy , then buy what you like and what pleases you , have a few ideas about what features you want and what you dont , start there . I picked up a cheapie at work a few months ago and found it to be outstanding , I didnt take notes of what it was but I certainly wouldnt hesitate to buy one.

 

[Cobbler]

i got the chance to look at a parweld 942 in person earlier at the xtreme plasma stand at south cerney...felt like a good quality mask and i was quite impressed with the panoramic type view as well so think ive found the one for me. didnt have the cash with me to buy it there and then but will be having a look around tomorrow to see what deals are available

If you are there tomorrow, I will likely be on the programmes just inside the gate. Give a wave as you go past Been on the programmes yesterday & today

 

[Onthespotwelding]

I have a esab sentinel a60. Not cheap but it's a good helmet.

 

[BrokenBiker]

If you are there tomorrow, I will likely be on the programmes just inside the gate. Give a wave as you go past Been on the programmes yesterday & today

i was only there today...was ushered in pretty quickly as the queue for the pre paid tickets was quite hefty when we arrived then got whirled away by my boy ot check out the steam engines

 

[trigger3]

I have a very expensive Miller Elite that has failed due to being left in a drawer too long. The internal battery is charged with solar power from either welding or the sun.

many years ago there were a couple masks with nonreplacable batteries but this was a terrible idea as you know. the only modern helmet with nonreplacable battery that im aware of is a couple of the optrel models. they are rechargable but a battery is only good for a certain number of charge cycles. so eventually at some point theres going to be some optrel customers tossing a $500 mask in the dumpster. not very good engineering in my opinion

 

[northwest]

Proud? That's a weird emotion for a tool...

C'mon now mate, you can't call the man a tool in this day and age.......

I have a esab sentinel a60. Not cheap but it's a good helmet.

It's not a good helmet, it is a brilliant helmet. easily in the top three.

many years ago there were a couple masks with nonreplacable batteries but this was a terrible idea as you know. the only modern helmet with nonreplacable battery that im aware of is a couple of the optrel models. they are rechargable but a battery is only good for a certain number of charge cycles. so eventually at some point theres going to be some optrel customers tossing a $500 mask in the dumpster. not very good engineering in my opinion

A pal of mine had a nice sideline back in the day soldering batteries into these helmets and I would imagine someone is going to have a nice sideline going repairing these newer helmets too. Every cloud and all that.

 

[trigger3]

It's not a good helmet, it is a brilliant helmet. easily in the top three.

brilliant ? LOL . not even close. infact the one off , very expensive front cover plate (3x more than other mask plates) , is a huge design blunder. for anyone doing stick , fluxcore , carbon gouging , your wallet will cry replacing that front plate every few days/weeks

 

[northwest]

Okay, you made the list.........