I have used the auto darkening units for many years. Started off with a Speedglass unit, then a Miller Elite which worked fine for awhile. When I was learning to TIG, I found I had an issue cooking the carbon out of steel, or chrome out of stainless. Even on the lightest setting, by the time I could see the weld pool, it was pretty much too late. Aluminum was easy. When it gets shiny, it's time to move. I borrowed a new, at the time in 2016, Lincoln helmet from one of my classmates. It was marginally better. The substitute instructor had an older Speedglass unit. Tried that one, bingo! I did some research and found the usual helmets, even on the lowest setting, filtered too much light out. Old eyes need more light to see. I asked the people at USA Welding about this and what could be a remedy. They turned me on to the Optrel Vega View 2.5. Swiss made unit. You still have the UV protection but you get way more light through it which makes the weld pool much easier to see. Even though I'm mostly talking about TIG, same situation goes for MIG. I currently have their E684 which was their top dog unit at the time and is better than the VV2.5. They currently have a couple of newer ones that sound better by the info on them. Not cheap but worth the expense in my opinion. Before you plop down money, see how many different units you can borrow to check out. From there you can make your choice.
