Optrel e684 Automatic Welding Helmet
	When I decided that I wanted to get back into welding after many years away I thought that a cheap auto darkening helmet would be all I would need. After all, last time I did any welding you either held the mask in your hand or mastered the welders nod if you had one of the better ones. I bought one of the cheapest helmets available from CigWeld. I didn't realise just how much this decision would handicap me in learning to TIG weld. When I got home and read the manual I was annoyed to learn that the batteries couldn't be replaced so you were expected to dump it and buy a new one when the time came. I didn't see any mention of how long the batteries are expected to last. The salesman also failed to mention this feature. I figured it would be ok because I would have learned to weld by then and would probably want a better helmet. It wasn't until I got flashed a couple of times that I decided I needed a better helmet now. Getting flashed may have been my fault in not having the settings right but I fail to see how. In fairness it only happened twice in the month I used it but I have good eyesight and really want to keep it that way. I shopped around a bit and the Optrel e684 with its automatic light adjustment caught my eye. In automatic mode the helmet will adjust its darkness level to allow the same amount of light through regardless of the amperage you are using to weld with. Coupled with the almost universally good comments I had seen for it in the welding forums convinced me to give it a try. Best single move I have made to date towards improving my welding ability. With the old helmet I was almost convinced that welders has vision like superman's in order to see and control the puddle that way they described. I could barely see the puddle let alone get it to do what I wanted it to. Now, with the Optrel helmet, I too have superman's vision. Incredible. Excellent. Improved my TIG welding from the moment I put it on. While you can weld with a cheap helmet (a lot of people will probably be able to do it better than I can) I am now convinced that a high quality helmet would improve anyone's welding. Whether its an Optrel or some other brand I would recommend anyone with a serious interest in improving their welding abilities to invest in a top-of-the-line helmet. Check out the video link below for the full review.
Get your very own at one of the links below:
Optrel E684 Helmet on EBay AU	Optrel E684 Helmet on EBay CA
Optrel E684 Helmet on EBay US	Optrel E684 Helmet on EBay UK
Optrel E684 Helmet on Amazon
Check out the video comparison: