Helmet seems to not dim enough

[etornick]

Hi: I am a hobbyist welder and am using a Diversion 180 Tig Welder. I hadn't noticed this before today so I was wondering if something may be bad with my helmet.
I have a Harbor Freight Auto Darkening helmet with variable shade control and today when I was welding I noticed that when the puddle started forming the brightness seemed too bright and I couldn't see the detail in the puddle like I used to. I tested the helmet by looking into my Halogen shop lights and turned the dial on the helmet through the shade ranges and at 13 it dimmed the most where I could look at the details of the filament in the shop light so I know it is dimming, just didn't seem to dim enough.

As a last test, I formed a puddle and when it got going I held my oxy- acetalene googles in from of my helmet and it dimmed it such that I could see the detail in the puddle and it wasn't too bright anymore.
Is the helmet no good anymore? It was a cheap one and maybe it is a mistake to get a cheap helmet.
Thanks in advance for any advice,
Ed

[H80N]

You only have one set of eyes

it is worth your while to protect them..

I would suggest that you invest in a quality name brand ADF helmet like Speedglass, Miller, or Optrel...

If money is tight you might get a fixed #10 shade helmet to tide you over till the finances ease

the fixed glass will protect your eyes from anything the Diversion can generate... plus be a useful backup for later

just my 2cents worth..

[ryanjones2150]

+ 150,000,000 on that H80N.

You can't weld if you can't see. You, at least, invested in a quality machine, so why go cheap skate on the hood? I know, it's just dollars, but it's money well spent.

Attending to your issue...there maybe be a "sensitivity" adjustment on your hood. This is not the same as the tint level. Some hoods need the sensitivity turned up to sense the softer arc of the inverter type TIG welders. I know I have to adjust the sensitivity on my expensive miller hood regularly depending on the machine I'm using. Also, cheaper hoods, depending on how old they are, could have weak batteries. Many of the more affordable hoods don't have replaceable battery cells, which is something to pay attention to in the future. You want a hood with a lens that has an easily serviceable battery cell.

Food for thought.

Guys...what's your preference on hoods?

[Ironken]

Speedglas 9001xx here. I love it! But, Speedglas is all that I have used for the past 16 years.

[Bls repair]

I had a problem when I was using my 160,with an older Jackson helmet .Would change off and on .What I found out was that at low(5-20) amps it would not work right .Bought new helment that had low amp rating .all is good now

[Bls repair]

I ran into this problem when I got my diversion 160 .the helment would turn off and on .The problem was the helmet was rated at 20 amps low end .below that it would not work right .Bought new low amp(5) helmet all is good

[cwgrizz]

I don't TIG, but I recently purchased a CSV Stryker from USAWeld. It is in a nice hood IMHO.

[H80N]

My old faithful is a 10+ year old Miller Big Window Elite.... darned thing keeps on plugging... just have to replace the batts every couple of years

has served me very well as my primary TIG welding hat...has multiple sensors .... making it great for low amp inverter TIG...

Know that the technology has improved radically... over the years.... guess I will get a new one sometime..

For lnverter TIG... you will want a helmet with adjustable sensitivity and multiple sensors

many new ones advertize low amp inverter TIG capability... buy a quality name brand with good optics and comfortable, durable headgear...

Expect to get into the $200+ range for quality.... what is you sight worth...??

[Ironken]

Well put H80......."what's your sight worth?" Around my house PPE is not negotiable. You can't buy a new set of eyes or hands sooooo whatever you spend on that equipment is always money well spent.

[Ironken]

Well put H80......."what's your sight worth?" Around my house PPE is not negotiable. You can't buy a new set of eyes or hands sooooo whatever you spend on that equipment is always money well spent.