Great thread! I guess i would be considered a "pro" Although i never like to ring my own bell LOL. I am a licensed ABS certified and have passed numerous cert's. Im 64 and still weld constantly,so let me add my 2 cents. I have a jackson auto helmet. I won't go cheap on a auto for several reasons,one of is i don't know how fast they go dark,so you could be flashing yourself without knowing it. The other reason is i doubt the cheap ones will hold up under heavy use. Many of the guys i worked with are excellent welders and do use auto helmets,i don't like them because when I'm done welding and pick up a grinder the sparks make the helmet go dark. Also the shield itself is dark when the lense goes clear. As i get older i find i have to change my clear lenses very often so i can see better and those lenses are expensive on a auto. Still i think they are very helpful in certain areas of welding
Myself i don't use mine,its sitting on a shelf and i doubt it will ever be used. The reason is mainly were your welding. Go to a shipyard/new construction/boilermaker/steamfitter job and you'll see most use a non auto conventional shield. These auto shields don't hold up,have parts that fail and can be difficult to locate. As of now I'm doing a lot of work on a dirty environment, my shield gets dropped,dirty. If it doesn't crack the only thing that breaks after a while is the head gear. At one time i instructed apprentice welders,no auto shield allowed. You learn to focus on where your about to strike a arc,be it stick/tig and flip your shield down.
