Designs for women

[jina09]

I'm pretty disappointed with the results of the Hood Hysteria contest. I was really looking forward to something fresh. I don't want my helmet to match my machine let alone more flames!! Come on Miller!! Will there ever be something that a female can relate to besides skulls and flames? When I saw the top three, it wasn't a surprise. In fact, it was predictable as to what was chosen. What do I have to do to get a shell made in a design that's more appealing to someone like me...A LADY WELDER!!! I am serious and I do mean business. I'll be welding in the shop and someone will come up to me and say, "SIR". No, actually it's a Miss under this flame-designed helmet!! I'm not looking for my design to get picked but I'd like to see something that roars, "I am female, watch me burn!!!"

[fjk]

I'm pretty disappointed with the results of the Hood Hysteria contest. I was really looking forward to something fresh. I don't want my helmet to match my machine let alone more flames!! Come on Miller!! Will there ever be something that a female can relate to besides skulls and flames? When I saw the top three, it wasn't a surprise. In fact, it was predictable as to what was chosen. What do I have to do to get a shell made in a design that's more appealing to someone like me...A LADY WELDER!!! I am serious and I do mean business. I'll be welding in the shop and someone will come up to me and say, "SIR". No, actually it's a Miss under this flame-designed helmet!! I'm not looking for my design to get picked but I'd like to see something that roars, "I am female, watch me burn!!!"

What makes a helmet "appealing to ... a lady welder"?
As opposed to a male welder...
Perhaps you could start a business designing & selling 'em?

Btw, I don't mean it as a put-down -- I also don't understand the
attraction of skulls and flames and camo. I guess I'm just fashion-
challenged

Frank

[yorkiepap]

Hey Miss jina,
Disappointments are a part of life. If you really need gender identification with a visually depictive helmet, simply take yours to a good air-brush artist & have it painted neon pink w/flowers & possibly the female gender *** designation. Then you can submit it to Miller for their contest. Since the total sales of welding helmets are 99% bought by male, you will find a companys' marketing team will lean towards those sales that produce a profit......1% overall sales figures do nothing to enhance the profit margin of any company. Simple economics....

Denny

[RobTech]

Funny that you bring that point up. My wife and myself have had that same conversation before. Although she is not a welder, many times she'll throw on my spare hood and help me out. She's pointed out that she'd like a pink hood, as opposed to the black one she has on or my designed one.

I can understand your point, most of these designs are played out.

[Desertrider33]

Buy a plain black hood and paint it yourself to your liking. Like said above, maybe you could make some money selling them to other girl welders. Personally, all I have is plain black hoods, as mine get all scratched and spattered up anyways. Plus, I'm a basic, no-frills kinda person so a plain black hood suits my taste best anyways.

[SmokinPRanch]

In my opinion it should be federal law that all manufacturers sell is black or some other plain color (pink?) helmets. A few "hazardous waste" stickers and your good to go.

I'm surprised all this effort is put into figuring out what kind of graphics to put on a hood. I guess they look good hanging in the lws. Why not paint relaxing ocean scenes on the inside of the helmet so you can be in your "special place" while working.

How bout put some effort into changing the structural design? Basically they been the same since Moses wore one. There has to be an ergonomic engineer or a welder out there that has some ideas.

I have a Miller hood....in black, thank you. But I often wonder why it costs 7 or 8 times as much as a HF hood that from what I've read work pretty darn well. Maybe a little too much overhead for graphic designers and marketers?

Jina, your slogan sounds good. Get yourself a paint marker and write it on your helmet. Definitely keep the boys from borrowing your helmet.

Al

[Desertrider33]

I agree the prices have gone up. Used to be you could buy a plain old fixed shade hood for $20. The last 2 plain fixed shade hoods I bought cost almost $50, no graphix either!

The Harbor Freight hood shells seem to be fine, it's their cheap auto lenses that I don't trust. I tried one several years ago and it didn't work right and was wavy to see through. I'll stick to my Jacksons.

I disagree we need a federal law requiring only black hoods be sold. They can do that in communist China if they want to, but here in America, we have the freedom to be who we want to be and wear what we want to wear and buy what we want to buy. Many have died defending that right. I will keep wearing my plain old black hoods cause that's what I like, but I won't support the idea of forcing someone else to wear a color they don't like. Variety is the spice of life.

[Daniel]

I can recognize a female just by the body style, I wouldn't need a helmet.

[jina09]

Hey Miss jina,
Disappointments are a part of life. If you really need gender identification with a visually depictive helmet, simply take yours to a good air-brush artist & have it painted neon pink w/flowers & possibly the female gender *** designation. Then you can submit it to Miller for their contest. Since the total sales of welding helmets are 99% bought by male, you will find a companys' marketing team will lean towards those sales that produce a profit......1% overall sales figures do nothing to enhance the profit margin of any company. Simple economics....

Denny

I expected some kind of chauvinist, sarcastic response. To correct you, yorkiepap, the design I submitted didn't have flames or skulls, let alone neon pink and flowers, that's what you would expect from a female, I'm sure, but too cliche for me. They may have 99% male customers but there's NEVER been a design directed towards women to begin with so how are you to know if it would sell or not? There's no NEED to have gender identification, it would just be refreshing to see change. Even something uni*** would satisfy my hunger for something new. Women are taking over male dominated fields and vice versa. Not to mention, I've put some supposedly "30-year experienced" men to shame when it comes to welding. Women can do the same job, and even better in some cases. Considering the baby boom generation is retiring (you're in that category, right?) and times are indeed changing, I'm sure shell designs will change too!!

I'd say my design is far from neon pink and flowers...

[SmokinPRanch]

I disagree we need a federal law requiring only black hoods be sold. They can do that in communist China if they want to, but here in America, we have the freedom to be who we want to be and wear what we want to wear and buy what we want to buy. Many have died defending that right. I will keep wearing my plain old black hoods cause that's what I like, but I won't support the idea of forcing someone else to wear a color they don't like. Variety is the spice of life.

Just kidding about the federal law thing. In reality, I'd like to see a federal law banning federals laws........

Old cowboy saying..."it's not what you're wearing, it's what you can do." If the job gets done it don't matter if you're wearing a frilly lace welding jacket and high heeled steel toes. Of course that outfit probably would look better on a female welder. ...but who am I to judge?

Al

[slicktoptt]

I'd say my design is far from neon pink and flowers...

Let's see it. I posted mine in my thread asking where the finalists were. I would like to see what others came up with.

[jina09]

Let's see it. I posted mine in my thread asking where the finalists were. I would like to see what others came up with.

Go check it...if anything the colors that fade could be transposed. I'm no artist but that's the general idea I was going for.

[SmokinPRanch]

I expected some kind of chauvinist, sarcastic response.

I haven't really seen this in any of the posts. Yorkie was just stating the economic facts of supply and demand. Maybe pink and flowers hit a sore spot but I don't think it was meant harmful.

If you're in the trade, I'm sure you are used to some less politically correct attitudes. If you're as good as you say you are nobody that really matters will care what gender or what planet you come from.

Yes, I've worked with women that can get it done. I've also worked with some that were on the job site for other reasons.

Al

[just_a_girl]

I feel your pain when it comes to women in welding. In case you are not familier with what is available for women, I will let you know. I took me years to get these in production however, I am lucky enough to work in an industry where I meet people that can make this type of change. Also, about 10% of this industry is women not 1% according to the AWS. They don't have the two attachments on their webpage because they came out two weeks ago so I attached them.

Check out:

http://www.angelfiregear.com/

[jina09]

Maybe pink and flowers hit a sore spot but I don't think it was meant harmful.

Al

As much as I've dealt with and been through, I don't have sore spots anymore! It may not have been meant harmful, but the statement in itself was unnecessary and was probably meant to show where he stands, maybe even try and knock me down a notch. It's attitudes like that that I write off from the get-go and call it like I see it.