Welding Helmets
Anyone have input on the Miller Digital Elite VS the Lincoln Viking 3350 series?
Any input would be appreciated.
>my main question
I don't understand why the Lincoln is "rated" for overhead welding and the Miller is not. Can the miller not handle getting hot metal sparks or globs bouncing off it or something?
The only other thing is the miller takes non standard lenses but it has that sweet arc magnetism sensor that eliminates getting flashed outside as extra protection along with the 4 sensors.
The Lincolns big bonus is visual clarity I guess? They claim 4C technology makes a great puddle view.
>I mainly tig weld
>>938739
Also anyone know if that Jackson safety helmet that is yellow and black is any good for tig?
>>938739
http://www.weldmyworld.com/blog/2012/05/comparing-the-lincoln-viking-and-the-miller-digital-elite-welding-helmets.html
Not super specific but its a rundown. Anyone else know anything this article isn't saying?
>>938739
You can overhead with the elite just fine, the curvature of the lens makes the globs roll off. I have the standard elite and it's great. Call me a shill but I think miller makes a superior hood between the two of them. And the clarity is roughly the same.
>>938812
my thing is that for tif welding on the lower settings that X setting the miller digital elite has is good because it would stop me from getting flashed you know?
>>938831
The elites better for tig, miller is the top dog in the tig ring for a reason
>>938836
Thanks for your input buddy. I'm probably going to get both eventually and those welding hood goggles muller makes
>>938739
Bump
>>938748
>>938739
Honestly, these are all high end welding helmets, so they are all good. I wanted to try the Jackson, but ended up with a Miller Elite instead. I think it's a great helmet, I can see my weld pool great. I have not had any issues with it melting since the plastic has safety standards. The Jackson would likely be better because the curve of the helmet allows the slag to bounce off if doing over head, but if I were I'd get a cheap helmet for overhead because it's lighter and going to get destroyed regardless just because metal will drop on it, especially with stick.
>>939074
>but if I were [you] I'd get a cheap helmet for overhead because it's lighter and going to get destroyed regardless just because metal will drop on it, especially with stick.
Typo.
>>939074
think its worth bumping up to the infinity with more view for another 50 bucks?
Cant the miller's handle low amp tig welding?
>>939305
I'm not sure to be honest.
Yes, they can handle TIG.
We have a whole bin full of these at site. They work just fine.
>>939318
What about low amp tig though? It says they are rated only down to 20 amps but does the x mode setting make it safe for 3 and 4 and 5 amps?
>>939321
What the classic pipe welding one with the elastic back strap? That looks like it's a regular tip down though with a normal head strap. I don't doubt they work fine but I want to get something nice. If I was outside all day or doing pipe with vertical stick I would get one like that
>>938739
The reason the Miller isn't rated for overhead is because the retards at Miller decided that leaving a bevel where the safety lens meets the helmet was a good idea.
All that does is catch bits of slag and molten metal which will fuck up your helmet in short order.
>>939374
Like almost every helmet has some space that could catch a hit like that. Even the Viking 3350 by lincoln has some space to catch shit.
>>939404
But it's more egregious on the Miller Pro, Elite, and Titanium hoods. I know firsthand from my Pro hood and I knew a guy with a Titanium with the same problem. If you look at their new Infinity hood they gave the a bevel a bigger angle so it wouldn't catch so much shit.
I don't mean to rag on Miller, the filter lenses themselves are fine I suppose, but their ergonomics are shit.
>>939416
Fair enough.
I think I'm stuck between the miller digital infinity and the Lincoln viking 3350.
Hopefully I can try both on tomorrow and then order online because duck paying retail price when weldersupply exists
I am not a welder by trade. I picked up a lincoln 3350 when I got my tig. I think it is amazing. I've never gotten flashed with it, but I do always test it after pulling it out of the bag.
After I bought it, I was walking though the machine shop I normally use, and the welder there (who is a big miller guy) had the exact same helmet. He is say 50, and had some cheaters installed inside the helmet. When I asked, he said he loved the helmet.
The glossy black finish scratches easily.
>>939512
thanks for the input friend, I am going to the store today to try on the viking, the digital elite, and if i can the digital infinity.
I think it is going to come down to comfort for me so we shall see.
>>939588
Got the lincoln. Price was right.
Came with stickers to put my name on the inside with so that was kind of cool I guess.
>>938739
Anyone got an opinion on these Tillman gloves?
>>939757
Solid, I own a pair.
They've lasted me a little over a year, which isn't bad considering how careless I am with them.
The only con is they are $30~ but I still plan on getting another pair when my current one finally gives out.
>>939829
This particular store has them for b 19.99 and I am cosidering them. Only concern is maybe getting a over built pair or thicker pair but I'd
>>938739
The Jackson BH3 is the best hood I've ever worked with. Clear as fuck and the puddle sight is amazing. The wel-bilt only cost me thirty bucks and works better than a good number of the higher models I've fucked with. I use it now mainly when I am just fucking around or working with scumbags that I don't trust. Although I mainly do underwater and salvage diving now.
>>940066
Good info.
I got to say working with scum sucks.
Hope you don't mind if i turn this into welding general for a bit.
I'm just beginning welding, i took welding in highschool years ago and got fairly good at stick.
I bought one of them Lincoln weldpack MIG (flix core) recently to relearn and repair/make stuff.
Long story short i can't get this thing to feed worth a shit, i maxed out the wirespeed to 10 and its basically just doing a string of tack welds. The feed wheel is spinning fine from the looks of it, i'm not sure if the wire is just slipping (Its the freebee wire that came with the kit, i haven't switched to this nicer one i bought for getting serious) or if the spool is just giving too much resistance (its feeding downward, does it go over the top?)
>>940937
either turn your amps up or your wire speed down, you don't have enough heat going on to melt the wire in time.
I'm going to guess you need to turn wirespeed down.
Just get a fiber metal helmet. If you are gonna be doing over head welding you are going to mess up your pretty Miller Elite or Lincoln Electric Viking series helmet.
You can get a Fiber Metal cheap. You can also get auto darkening lenses for them, they only have one setting for 'dimness' though Used one once it was ok. Prefer Fiber Metal with regular lens for in the field work.
Also, I have tried on one of those Lincoln Electric Viking helmets, the harness is fantastic.
>>940937
Check your rollers and their tension
>>941052
well, if the amps are too low for the wire speed and material then you will only be able to melt the first little bit of wire before the wire advances further and it "skips", then the amps catch up and you get another little tack weld.
you could also be moving your hand too fast, when I was first learning wire feed I had to remind myself to move my hand a lot slower than I thought I needed.
what material and thickness are you trying to weld?
>>941038
Mostly do tabletop tig
>>941066
It was just some scrap steel i ground flat so i could just practice doing a line. It was maybe 1/10 of an inch thick.
I didn't feel like the wire was skipping it was more like it would tack at the start and the entire length i had would vaporize and i would have to wait for more wire to feed itself to the same distance which would tack again. the cheapo lincoln only has low and high amp settings and it seemed like the puddle would cool before the wire could reestablish contact. Low setting did the same thing really. I'll try slower speeds, maybe its just not arcing right and just slamming into the metal vaporizing itself when it makes contact.
>>941075
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/wire-speed.htm
>>941075
your wirespeed determines your amperage
>>941075
Did you clean the metal dude? Like are you trying to weld through pure rust? You could get away with this with so 6010 rods on high amps I guess.
Also it sounds like your amps are not matching the wire speed according to the metal you are welding/possibly wrong wire. Run the wire without touching to metal and watch to see if it's feeding smooth. (These are my main guesses as to what the problem is)
Other problems could be your gas mix is wrong or off.
Seems like you're not explaining something or saying what is wrong. The cup/nozzle of the mig head could be dirty and not letting gas out as well.
Hold the fuck up here, I have read around 50% of this thread and you are talking about £250 (UKfag) on a fucking helmet?
I have a £50 one that works fine and the replacement screens are around 70p, not that I've had to replace one in the 9 months I've been using it, just clean it once a week.
I tig, mig, mma in all positions and cut with it oxy/plasma.
What are the benefits of spending and extra £200?
>>941285
I'm op and just got the helmet you're talking about. It has very very clear picture and can adjust from a shade 5 setting up to 13. It has a 4 strap head harness and big viewing area and r sensors and is rated for low amp tig welding. Like very low. So it won't flash you. It also has grind/cut mode so you can use it as a safety hood as well along with its 4 sensors.
It is way more comfortable than other helmets I have used. If I had the extra cash I would have gotten that miller digital infinity. The head harness on that was fucking great
That being said I plan on getting some cheaper ones for overhead welding and stick pipe welding.
>>941175
This us great, speed 9 and 10 look exactly like my mess.
>>941272
Flux cored. None of that gas nonsense.
I'm 99% sure I just have the wire speed too high, something the instructions failed to mention past they recommend speed 9.
It was bare metal I ground the top layer off of. Nozzle is fine no clogs and its usually smooth feeding except when the spool starts free spinning and unraveling
>>941345
What wire is it? You need to know what number it is so you can account for polarity, WFS, trim, all of that. Also assuming you know that some FCAW is selfshielded and some is not.
