HF auto dark helmets - a fix for designed-in life limit

professor

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I went and got a new one.

The old one lasted maybe 5 yrs, it gradually lost the ability to darken immediately.

Was talking to a bud at work and he said they have to have batteries in them. But they are sealed- glued shut.

The lens holder can be pried out ( work on opposite side of darkness dial).
The big trick it to NOT cut yourself with the box cutter tool you need to use. ALWAYS aiming the blade AWAY from you!!
I lightly set it in in my vise so I could score the parting line and do some prying.
This worked.

The batteries have spot welded tabs that need to be broke off ( both sides).
Again, the cutter goes under the tabs and twists each side until they break.

If I did it again- I would test each batt. because one of them was still good- had 2 something volts.

I found a watch battery in my drawer close in size to put in place of the bad one.
The tabs that were on the battery make decent contact leads for the replacement juicer.

Held the thing near a bright light and presto- it works.
Taped it back together and re-installed in the old helmet.

I really have liked the HF helmet.
Am a pro welder and have expensive ones at work.

The Miller hood at work has 4 sensors ( a big plus) but needs to have the reset button pressed or U get flashed first strike, (supposed to be auto start) and the other one has a manual on off (but can be used for cutting torch work- a plus) .
Both of these guys cost hundreds of bucks, yet I like the HF just as well.

The design devils did real well making the HF only last several years and you gotta buy a new one.
This is one guy that beat them. Now you know their trick too.

They easily could have made these batteries changable.
Oh well.
 
I love hf, I bought a step drill bit for $5 there just today. I know not all of it is good quality but you really can't beat those deals

I might pick up one of these auto darkening helmets, my old flip helmet is a pain in the ass sometimes
 
old timers trick for flip helmets....remove the springs from the visor. then you simply have to nod to close it. how do you think tigwelders got on before auto darks?


and seriously, i like auto dark, but when i know i have a full day or two, especially at 250+Amps... nothing beats REAL tinted glass. theres still a lot of UV getting through polarised filters, which is all autodarks are. an LCD screen that doesnt "display" anything. they work on polarisation. tinted glass is actually TINTED. opaque. the difference is huge...


a miller helmet that needs resetting? wtf? id throw it out, name tag or not!

i can accept having turned them off, being in "grind" and then the flash is your own fault, but something that necessitates the pressing of buttons... BIN MODEL NO.1!!!!!

speediglas is the best autodark in my experience.
 
Speedglass is the one that you turn on and is the helmet the company buys for the welders.
Thanks for the tip about the auto dark lenses.
 
Accu-strike helmets look pretty good for a lot of situations. It's chin-operated, which is a pro and con. I would think my chin would get tired if I used it all day long, but I have no experience with it. Harbor Freight shield for me, but I know for a fact that Miller auto-darkenings are better in low-light situations. Which they should be. But it would be neat to try the Accu-strike chin shield, for sure... http://www.accustrike.com/
 
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