Just changed my mind about those cheap welding hoods

I always bought the $40 auto-darkening hoods from Harbor Freight. Figured they all did the same thing. Then I saw a guy at the union hall last Tuesday with a Jackson, and he let me look through it. The clarity was night and day. I could actually see the puddle without squinting. That $40 hood was probably why my beads looked like crap. Anyone else notice a big jump going to a better brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_perez6222d ago

That part about "night and day" really hit home for me. I was exactly the same way, always went for the cheapy $40 ones because I figured darkness is darkness, right? But then I tried a friend's Lincoln hood last year and man, I felt stupid for not upgrading sooner. The difference in how clear the puddle was made me realize I'd been fighting my equipment for years. Now I can actually see what I'm doing and my welds cleaned up a lot. Did you feel like yours improved right away after switching?

kaimiller22d ago

Honestly, I gotta push back a little on this. I've been using a $50 generic hood from Harbor Freight for like six years now and my welds are pretty clean. @zara_perez62 I think a lot of it is just getting used to your setup and dialing in your settings right. Sure, a nicer hood might show the puddle a bit better but it's not like it magically fixes your technique overnight. People act like you need a $300 hood to be a good welder but that's just gear talk.