Blue Demon helmets

[frugalguido]

Wow! I was not familiar with Optrel. If that lives up to the hype I may need one. With any helmet I need magnification at my age.
Robert

Yes, they live up to the hype! They are a great helmet, if you weld a lot and have old eyes like me. If you get one, order some magnifiers too.

 

[Reddinr]

I've also been looking for a new helmet. The miller one I have no longer works. I already have a 3M vented hood. I wonder if the Oprtel air hose on their papr version would by any chance work easily with the 3M versaflow air pump/filter. Otherwise, the cost for the whole setup is too high for me.

 

[Aaron_W]

I've been at 9 for MIG

I set mine at about 9-1/2 for MIG. I rarely weld anything heavier than 1/8". If you look at the charts for shade most of us home welders fall into the 10-11 range, but those are just recommendations, eyes and helmets differ. TIG is basically +1, as it has a brighter arc.

I basically do what you do, turn it down until I can see what I'm doing, then turn it up if the arc is too harsh on my eyes or I'm getting a ghost image of the arc. Something I only recently found out is even on grind mode (no darkening) the helmets still provide full IR and UV protection, so only visible light is getting through. Just nice to know we don't have to worry about light we can't see hurting our eyes.

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

I have an old Speedglas (9300?) an Optrel Panoramaxx & a Blue Demon True View. The BD hands down has the clarity I think the Optrel Crystal would be close, but a lot more money. Get the BD, you’ll be happy...it’s my fav, my Optrel was only about a year old when I tried the BD & bought one.

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks @GunsOfNavarone, really appreciate the positive feedback. I just cannot justify the price of the Optrel regardless of how awesome it may be.

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

Make sure it's true view...
Pano True View

 

[DavidR8]

Make sure it's true view...
Pano True View

It will be either this one:

Blue Demon True View 9300 Welding Helmet

Blue Demon True View 9300 Welding Helmet Blue Demon's True View 9300 welding helmet takes the True Colour ADF technology from the True View Pano and places it in a classic design welding hood. The auto-darkening filter is designed for all processes; TIG, MIG, ARC, Plasma Cutting and Grinding...

canadaweldingsupply.ca

Or this one:

Blue Demon True View PANO Welding Helmet

Blue Demon TrueView PANO Welding Helmet Blue Demon's TrueView PANO is one of the hottest new welding helmets on the market. The only helmet with three filters giving the user a true 180° panoramic view. The auto-darkening filters are designed for all processes; TIG, MIG, ARC, Plasma Cutting...

canadaweldingsupply.ca

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

The PANO for sure! It’s the same price as the 9300 on Amazon....you Canadians have Amazon...right? (Don’t cha know?) Is there a reason your on the fence?

 

[Gaffer]

I replaced my 15+ year old Jackson with a Lincoln Viking 3350. It is super clear, has an easy access grind button and can be had for a little over $200. I bought my from Baker Gas. It's worth a look. I'm just a hobbyist.