THSCC Forums

So I have a Hobart auto-darkening helmet (probably a good five years or more old) that is not supposed to need batteries, but also doesn't work (I have set it out for a few hours in the sun). After some Google searching, it seems like in reality, while they will use solar power, they also typically have non-rechargeable batteries that eventually fail. I am seeing that some will pull the unit apart, remove the old battery and put in new, or even add an external housing to make battery replacement easier. Here is an example...

http://www.pskl.us/wp/?p=648

I am curious what other forum members experience is with auto-darkening helmets. Has yours died? Have you tried to fix it, or did you just buy a new one?

I am likely to buy a HF unit (they seem to get good reviews and are cheap) for immediate use and will try to fix the Hobart.

Richard

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

I have a el-cheapo helmet that doesn't have batteries, just the solar panel). I bought it on Ebay about years ago and it still works.

I later bought a much nicer Miller helmet (wider viewport, lighter, more comfortable, adjustable delay settings, etc) which also has the solar panel, but also has two batteries. The helmet is indeed much nicer (and expensive to match) but the batteries don't last long. It seems the solar panel isn't really doing much since when the batteries go the auto-dark feature is very slow to respond.

Depending on how often you weld the HF helmet would probably work for you. I find myself welding more and more so the nicer helmet is worth the expense to me.

Here's a gate I built a couple of weekends ago:

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

My 8-year-old HF helmet served me well but got slow to respond, and I replaced. For $40, why bother fixing?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G2S0WW/ref ... 25410_item

Got this and like it. The old one was just worn out.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

I saw that one on Amazon and was thinking about getting it. I will pull the trigger on that given you like it. I can't see spending the money for a large viewport model right now. Regarding fixing the old one, I would like to have a working second unit (likely to teach the kids to weld) and I am also just curious to see if I can fix it.

Richard

_________________
Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.