Another Welding Mask Thread

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

Got my Clarke 160EN arriving on Tues and I need to buy a Welding Helmet, Iv'e picked three below from searching around this forum, anyone offer help in choosing.

So far I like the look and price of 3:
1. Siflite
2. Sealey
3. No Name

Siflite
First Up is the Siflite - looks good (and not flashy like the others) all the specs look impressive 9 - 13 shade settings and 0.0001 (1ms?) switching time, There's no shipping on the helmet. The add says its not suitable for Low Amp TIG but I'm Mig Welding so that is not an issue.
Solar powered.
12 Month Warranty on the filter unit (Is that the lens?)
Weight 500g
Cost £45.95
Shipping £0

Sealey
Next is the Sealey, similar specs as the Siflite 9 - 13 shade setting and 1ms switching time.
12 Month warranty (not specified on what)
Cost £44.99
Shipping £2.25

No Name
9 - 13 shade settings and switching time of 1/25000s
Says its suitable for Mig, Tig and Arc.
The No Name has a Grinding Switch on the control panel which would be a bonus but as you would have to take the helmet off to activate it you just as well at the same time just stick on your safety specs!! Plus a welding helmet for grinding is a bit of overkill (but would protect your face) but grinding could put unnecessary wear and tear damage on the helmet. So isn't the grinding switch pretty pointless?
12 Month Warranty (not specified on what)
Weight 495g
Comes with 6 front and 2 rear lens protectors
Looks a bit plasticy
This helmet appears twice in two colours from the same seller one with postage and the other without.
Cost £30 for the Blue one free shipping, or £23.50 for the Red one with £5.50 postage!!!

Extras
I have read that lens protectors are essential, the Siflite cost £7.45 for outers and £6.50 for inners, (pack of 5). That bangs the price of the Siflite up to £61.85 (Shipping included).
I can't locate screen protectors for the Sealey and as shown above the No Name comes with 6 front 2 rear.

I will be working on the outside and inside of a mini (and in the boot) so size is optimum but these all look similiar. I wear glasses for detailed work, not sure about welding but does anyone know if you can wear glasses in any of the above.

Also like this one but its a bit pricey:
Clarke
But I'd only wear something like that if I could actually weld!!!
Again though no lens covers.

Any help choosing or alternatives would be great.

Ta

 

[pedrobedro]

They do come with a set of lens covers fitted, you need to buy more when the current ones get dirty/scratched. I wouldn't wear a welding helmet while grinding as the viewing area is a bit limited so I don't see that as an essential function.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Got mine from Ebay £25 with a load of lenses free, good helmet with no probs at all, suppose I would have spent more if I was welding for a living but it does the job.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

They do come with a set of lens covers fitted, you need to buy more when the current ones get dirty/scratched. I wouldn't wear a welding helmet while grinding as the viewing area is a bit limited so I don't see that as an essential function.

Are you talking about the Sealey or the Siflite? Or another helmet?

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Got mine from Ebay £25 with a load of lenses free, good helmet with no probs at all, suppose I would have spent more if I was welding for a living but it does the job.

Can you send me a link for evaluation purposes.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Can you send me a link for evaluation purposes.

Was 9 months ago, its a bright red one with filter adjustment knob on the side, got grinder option too, its probably lighter material than the more expensive, the benefit is it can be worn for ages without feeling heavy.

 

[pedrobedro]

Are you talking about the Sealey or the Siflite? Or another helmet?

Any helmet you buy comes ready to use, you don't need spare screen protectors till the ones on it are scratched or spattered up.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Couple more questions to help me choose which mask to buy. I'm looking at the Siflite

Like many others the Siflite is Solar powered, some of the more expensive ones I have seen have are solar powered but also have Lithium batteries.

My question is will a solar powered Welding Helmet operate in a darkened area if it doesn't have a lithium battery power supply.

Also I see the masks replacement cover lenses, do these need to be fitted before use like phone screen protectors or do you simply replace the existing screen when it becomes scratched.

Thanks

 

[scarecrow]

thay are replacement lenses

 

[keith19]

I have a cheapo helmet like the one in your 'No Name' link, except it's red. Works fine, probably wouldn't stand up to regular everyday use in a busy workshop, though, getting carelessly chucked about, etc. Glasses fit okay inside with about 20 mm spare each side. Very lightweight helmet and nice to use.

"My question is will a solar powered Welding Helmet operate in a darkened area if it doesn't have a lithium battery power supply?"

If you stick it in a well-lit place for a couple of hours beforehand, if it's been stored in the dark, this will get it started. If I leave mine for weeks in the dark unused I generally put it on the windowsill in the light for awhile before welding. Then give it a quick flash to check it's reaction. Your arc light should keep it powered up after that.

 

[NeilH]

sealey out of those three.

its a quality, well built helmet.

i hate the sealey brand, but credit where its due.

 

[PTvor]

Like many others the Siflite is Solar powered, some of the more expensive ones I have seen have are solar powered but also have Lithium batteries.

My question is will a solar powered Welding Helmet operate in a darkened area if it doesn't have a lithium battery power supply.

Also I see the masks replacement cover lenses, do these need to be fitted before use like phone screen protectors or do you simply replace the existing screen when it becomes scratched.

Thanks

I think they've all got some sort of battery apart from the solar cell. Mine's got two AAA cells with a claimed life of 3,000 welding hours. The lithium batteries are supposed to last for ever, so as the intention is that they'll never have to be replaced, if they go wrong, it's sometimes a nightmare to replace them.

The mask should darken within a very short time (less than a 1/1000th of a second) of the arc striking and is activated by the arc regardless of the ambient light. Mine darkens with quartz halogen kitchen lights but the sun will only darken it momentarily. It needs a flickering light source to darken and stay dark. I think they need working batteries apart from the solar cell to darken, but I haven't tried mine with the batteries removed. It works and I'm not inclined to experiment.

When the mask is turned on and not triggered it's about the strength of three pairs of sunglasses, so oddly enough you need a fairly good light to weld by or you can't see what you are doing to position the rod. Outside in the daylight is no problem. In a dark shed you'd need a fairly strong light for the work. I think it's better to weld outside if you can because it brings you into less contact with the fumes.

The outside cover is to protect the auto darkening cell and the inside cover is to protect your eyes should the auto darkening cell break. With ordinary masks some people manage to spatter the glass very fast and others not so often. It must depend on what you are doing and personal style. It's certainly worth having spares but they're not consumables to the extent that you can expect to get through one once every welding session. If you were using it to weld overhead it will be different.

As for your dilemma about which one to choose, I can't say. You'd expect that price went hand in hand with quality but some people on here seem to have perfect satisfaction from the £30 ebay numbers.

I'm pretty sure they all come with inner and outer covers, ready to weld, so presumably you are talking about extra covers.

 

[JonnyAlpha]

Many thanks for all the replies:

So in summary you can usually assume that solar powered Welding Masks usually come with lithium batteries fitted and protective inner and outer lenses, but its always worth confirming with the seller.
I emailed weldequip and the Siflite is supplied with protective covers and a lithium battery.

Interestingly the Sealey on Amazon has gone up to £52.95 from its original price which price wise makes it the same as the Siflite when shipping is taken into consideration.

Just orfdered the Siflite from Weldequip for two reasons:

1. Its matt black and wont show scratches so much.
2. Its supplied by Weldequip on this forum so I'm buying in confidence.

Thanks