TACKLIFE Welding Helmet Solar Power Auto Darkening, Optical Class (1/1/1/1), Full Shade Range 3/4-8/9-13, 6Pcs Replacement Lenses, Grinding Feature for TIG MIG MMA Plasma - PAH04D

The first few days the helmet worked great but after that the sensor started to have a large delay. The gauge was set for quick sensing but that didn't make a difference. By the time I start welding, it took almost 2 full seconds to finally activate. By that point, I'm already half blind and feel like I have sand in my eyes.....4/11/19 Update - I increased the rating from 1/5 to 3/5 stars because of the very quick response from the seller. I was actually impressed with their concerns. Unfortunately the welding hood was accidentally misplaced (I work on a large construction project) so I couldn't find out exactly what the issue was. If you are willing to spend money, I would recommend purchasing a more expensive brand such as 3M, if not you can still go with this and know that the seller will quickly reach out if you have an issue.

I am a welding instructor for a volunteer organization. I wanted my own helmet instead of using the training center's equipment. I saw this deal on an auto-darkening helmet for $39.97. I ordered it and the first one did not work but I was offered the option to get a free replacement which I chose. The replacement came and I used it on a week long SMAW (stick) welding class. When I used the helmet to demo a weld and to review the students' practice I was pleased with how quickly it would darken. The features I like. The settings controls, the shade level, shade level range switch, sensitivity, delay back to light, are all on the outside of the helmet on the right and left sides. This makes it easy to reach the controls but on the other hand it could make it easy to damage those same controls. The helmet is stylish but still covers the face and neck effectively. It is nice that it comes with some replacement clear cover lenses, both for the outside and inside. It is also great that it has a stylish drawstring bag to put the helmet in with a zipper compartment to put the lenses and other accessories in. This helmet has an amazing shade range, from shade 4 to shade 13, split between two ranges. That allows for doing torch work with this helmet in the lowest shade numbers. There is a grinding setting on the shade range switch so you can protect your eyes and face to grind without the auto lens flickering on and off. The head harness has the unique feature of having a hinge at the pivot to helmet points so that to take it off or put on you just need to grip the adjustment knob and pivot the back strap up to lift the helmet off or put it on by slipping the helmet on the scalp and pivot the back strap down and thus no struggle to adjust the knob loose or tight just to put the helmet on or take off. There are nice thick spongy head band cushions that make wearing the helmet quite comfy with no red hat line on the forehead. This welding helmet has a lot of ingenious features and nice touches for the amazingly cheap price it is.Any cons? Well, I wish it was priced even cheaper. NAH! I'm joking. The price is actually unbelievably low for so many features and quality of the shell. I do wonder at the lack of an off/on button or switch. The instructions say that it turns off when it is not in use. How long does it take to do that? It has a fairly costly and large battery. How long will that battery last in typical use? Oh, and the battery compartment is a very poor design! The first helmet that didn't work, when I tried to put in the new battery, I tried to slide the battery tray into the battery compartment the battery cocked and popped loose and when I tried to get my fingers on it to pull it out it went even deeper into the compartment. I couldn't shake it out. I ended up using a plastic covered paper clip bent in a hook shape to fish it out of the compartment. Very, very, very poor design. Be very careful if you ever have to replace the battery. The little instruction booklet is just that; very little and very sparse in adequate instructions and obviously a poor translation from the original language to English. Also, the welding filter lens is not the standard 2" x 4-1/4" but is significantly smaller. However, I haven't really noticed any limitation in my field of vision. It is something to note, though.All-in-all, I am currently very pleased with the helmet but I am waiting for it's cheap price to catch up with me. I am waiting for this helmet to fail completely when it is one day past the warranty period, which how long that warranty is I don't know for the lack of info in the product description. I may have to update this review later when that happens.

Photo shows top adjustment strap latch doesn't hold. It catches on the visor and keep the helmet from going all the way up.The side latch doesn't fit for the right side adjustment.Really poor quality control.Update: Getting a replacement. Hopefully that resolves the issues.Excellent customer support. The adjustment snaps on the replacement all fit properly and do not catch on the top or sides as the one originally recieved.Auto dim works great. Fast and responsive.

I wanted to like this hemet. Optically it's great also I really enjoy the brightness of the non activated state it really helps welding in dark coffer dams. The problem is it's absolutely unreliable and inconsistent. It fails to shade often usually after several resparks. It also is often activated for no discernable reason regardless of settings and can only be deactivated by striking an arc. I was using another brand before this one and it functioned properly everytime. This helmet would be a winner if it worked properly. I would not suggest risking your eyes with this one. I'm stick welding daily for those that a curious

If you are looking at a lot of these auto dark hoods, you will realize that the lens rating on this one is the same as the ones at a higher price. It made me skeptical, but it is correct, so a very good lens in this one. It also has 3 ranges, DIN 3, DIN 4 to 8, and DIN 9 to 13. Which nicely covers everything from OA cutting/welding, to high current SMAW and GMAW. So far, I have only used it for shade 8 and 9, for low current FCAW, Welding thin tubing, and it works well for that, so I assume the other settings will work great also. To me this was the best I could find, without going to a true-color, or something else for more expense. I dont write alot of reviews, but this hood surprised me, and I just wanted to let other people know that the listing is not just a bunch of fluff, this actually is a good hood.

The optics are beautiful stunning even, viewing the weld puddle through this glass is nicer than almost every other helmet I've bought, second only to the true view with a larger viewing area. However when you try to put this helmet on you will wish you would have bought a better one. The headgear is total garbage In every way. As nice as the optics are is as bad as the headgear is it doesn't stay locked it doesn't pivot nicely it doesn't have any details that are usable it's a struggle constantly. So much so in fact I pulled the optics out of this helmet and threw it in the garbage.

This helmet has exceeded my expectations. It is very light and fits nice. Has a clear view, even in a dim setting, and flips up and down with ease. You can't go wrong getting this, especially for the low price, and quality level. Very impressed!