Customer Reviews

Auto-Helm AH88BK Pro Series Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Black

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been stick welding for years and this is the best invention I've seen so far. You can actually see to strike an arc and then within a second see your work after the arc has stopped while both your hands are free. It eliminates exposing your eyes to the arc and eliminates neck strain during flip-down. For the price it's a great value. The quality of the helmet material is a bit thin, however that makes it light. Thank you Auto-Helm

My old Jackson helmet gave up the ghost after ten years and I was having trouble seeing the welding area with it. I ordered this helmet and it is great! Large viewing area, ratchet adjustable head piece, grinding mode, adjustable darkness and sensitivity. The best thing about it is the large, clear viewing area. It's so much clearer than my old helmet ever was. I don't know how long it will last, but for the price, I'm sure it's a great deal. Apparently, great technological strides have been made in these things in the last 10 years. My old helmet cost me $125 and it was never the helmet this one is! It's a great buy!

I bought this helmet from MaxTool.com (beware-these guys are tricky) and the first time I used it at a job interview during my weld test, the entire face plate and surrounding area melted-yes, MELTED. I was MIG welding 1 inch thick V-groove steel plates in the horizontal position. The amps and volts were adjusted accordingly and in the middle of the second pass, the lens started to go black. The auto-dark sensor died and I completed the test the best I could. Trying to get MaxTool to replace the helmet was a nightmare; I argued that it might be defective but they didnt want to hear it because it was past their 30 day policy.
I suggest if you're shopping for helmets, go with Lincoln, Hobart, or a trusted name thats been in the business. It may cost more, but it won't cost you a job. There's a reason why these auto-helm brand helmets are cheap, keep that in mind.

I have been stick welding for several years. I have had trouble seeing the work area when I closed the standard welding helments window.
So I purchased the automatic Darkening Welding Helment and found out it was flawless. You can see the welding area quite clearly when you are stricking the area to start welding. Then when the arc starts the scene is electronically dimmed just enough to protect your eyes and yet you can still see the area you are trying to weld. This automatic helmet also keeps both hands free during start, weld stricking, and after the arc stops the weld scene is again visible. The helmet automatic dimmining is a great invention. I give this product on a 1 to 5 rating a 10.

I am writing this review after i have been TIG welding for about 2 months in a class at the community college. This helmet works well overall although i would not say it a "Pro Series". Its light weight and has useful adjustment settings for an affordable price. It has darkness settings from 9-13 give you a good range of lenses. It also has a grinding setting and speed of darking setting. I love the ability to drop the mask down over my face and still see the metal I'm about to work with. Being able to get both hands in place or adjust the metal with the mask down is a huge win. Compared to a few other helmets i tried in the class it does seem to have a larger viewing area then most. However I found that the having the adjustment on the outside if the helmet make them easy changed when you take it off and set it down. So double checking your settings before you put it back on is a must. I'm in a evening class and have found that light sensors are easily triggered by the over head light in the class room the later in the evening it gets. This causes premature darkening of the lens. I've tried to adjust the sensitivity to correct this only to have it not darken at all when i would strike an arc. This adjustment balancing act has been a pain. Have been told and read some reviews saying the larger name brand(and more expensive mask) do a much better job with the light sensitivity. I would recommend this for beginner welders, or a backup mask but know you need to save your money for a better helmet if your going to do a lot of welding or make this your trade.

This helmet works well, but the tags of the adjustable Limitation Washer(13) were sharp and pressed into the back of my ears----fine after rounding off the sharp corners with a small file.

This Auto-Helm AH88BK Pro Series Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Black works well. Its light weight and has nice useful adjustment settings for a modest price. It has darkness settings from 9-13. It also has a grinding setting plus a speed of darking setting. Its great for the occasional welder. I'm not sure how it will hold up under Tig and other high heat welding in daily use do to its light construction.
I love it and use it for occational stick welding.

Only issue I have with it is that there isn't a shield to hard hat adapter. Had to modify my Miller adapter to fit. Shield works great, no issues. Nice to finally have an adjustable auto-dark helmet.

Great welding!

helmet has 4 sensors, is spot on when changing, is comfortable and easily rivals 200$+ helmets.

I like this. After using for a month or so. It really helps in welding. No batteries required and just keeps working