Miller Digital Elite vs Lincoln Viking 3350 4C

[SLP82]

I'm sure on a Miller site, I may not get a unbiased answer, but it's worth a shot... I have narrowed down my next helmet to either the Miller digital elite, or the Lincoln viking 3350 with 4c lens. Has anyone used both? Why would you recommend one over the other? Not sure if it matters or not, but all of my welding is done in a shop, not ever in the sun.

[Olivero]

Lincolns and Millers helmets are both the highest rating lens, Miller does not mention it in their overview on their website where Lincoln does. But in terms of Quality in lens I am sure they are the same, I have not seen Lincoln come out with a new headgear recently but Millers Gen 3 headset with the big pad is awesome, got it for my helmet and its 100 times better than the regular smaller pad.

I have never used a Lincoln helmet so I can't say but I have used a lot of different miller helmets and other cheaper brands.
I have the Titanium 9400I with all the bells and whistles and I love it.

That's about all I can say for an unbiased answer

[aametalmaster]

Here's I know about helmets and I sell lots of them. Get whatever suits you and you can get replacement parts for. I see guys a few times a week looking for oddball parts that were in "style" a few years back...Bob

[Aeronca41]

I've used both-no real preference.

[davidmelley]

I have a Miller classic and like it. Only complaint is doesn't cover neck and i get burned if i'm not suited up. What made a huge difference to me was a 2.5 magnifying. lens can't see crap over 2 ft away but close up it's great for watching the bead.

[Olivero]

I tried the magnifiers too, didnt do much for me except I feel like my helmet is touching the bead before I can see it, without it. Its fine.

[Can You Weld This For Me?]

I've got an older elite. It's a pretty lightweight helmet and overall I like it. But the thing that hacks me off is the darn Panasonic batteries it requires. Never fails they'll die and the only thing available locally is Duracell or Energizer that really don't fit.

[ryanjones2150]

I have the Miller digital elite. I really like the headgear that comes on it, I can get parts for it locally 6 days a week and it's very adjustable. <br />
<br />
When I got it, I too was deciding between the digital elite and the Viking. What swayed my decision is the Viking is very front heavy. The lens is so big that the hood felt like it was pulling the hood down. The headgear is also not near as nice. But I did very much like the large lens. <br />
<br />
Try them both on and see which one feels best to you.

[Danny]

The 4C lens has a very nice crisp clear view through it. The tint is a lighter blue, possibly even maybe a light blue\ gray. The Elite lenses I've used have a green tint to them . I am not a fan of the green tint. The bluish tint of the 4C gives me a much sharper more defined view, especially with MIG.

[ryanjones2150]

I've heard that same praise for the Viking before. Makes me want to try one out.

[SLP82]

So I went by a very large welding supply house today, and they had both the Miller elite and the Lincoln viking 3350. The guy behind the sales counter took me over to a different section and told me these two other hoods are his best sellers... one was Weldcote Auto with a large viewing area like the Lincoln viking, and the other was made by Astra which was also a auto with large lense like the Lincoln. I looked up both today on amazon and read a bunch of reviews and both the Antra and Weldcote had 4.5 stars out of 5. The Antra is actually the #1 selling welding helmet on amazon with over 900 reviews. Both the weldcote and the Antra have 4 sensors like higher end helmets. The Antra has a 2 year warranty on the filter, and weldcote has a 3 year warrant. The Antra is $80 and Weldcote is $100. I tried on the weldcote in the store and it was very comfortable. Didn't try on the Antra. I just have learned that most of the time in life, you get what you pay for... the price of the Lincoln and Miller helmets are about 3 times as much... on paper I don't see a lot of difference, but in the back of my head, I feel like there has to be a difference at 3 times more the cost... anyone have any experience with Antra or Weldcote?

[aametalmaster]

Never heard of them. Just remember parts like cover plates may be scarce someday...Bob

[aametalmaster]

There are Millers for 95 bucks. I sell them. I used mine for over 6 years...Bob

[Olivero]

I paid $400 for my helmet, never had a single issue.... except for me love tapping it with a flap disc, that kind of sucked. Got it resprayed after that -.-

[ryanjones2150]

Another to look for is if the batteries are replaceable. If they aren't, when that battery dies, her chooch factor will be zero. And then you'll be sad.