My Eyes ! - Welding Helmet Suggestions ?

So what about the Eastwood autodarks?  With "true color" or whatever their non-green lens is, at $110 for a large window it seems pretty nice.  The Lincoln is $250.  
 

I don't like the Eastwood's buttons on the outside  (on the side is bad enough but their panoramic has them on the top - no way for me will that work, crawling around a car). 
 

id do $250 if it is better for my eyes but I think of Eastwood's stuff as pretty good so I'm stumped. 
 

I haven't seen the creator one yet.  I have the 2x that cost hobart one, that probably has the same mechanisms but (sorry trent) has skulls and flames.  

Fitzauto said:

I really like the HF Vulcan helmet. Have 2 of them and they haven't let me down yet.

After using my old HF and one of the new Vulcan ones back to back, I'm going to buy a Vulcan.

I just wish the controls were on the outside.

Just received the Lincoln Viking 3350 yesterday.

It is a game changer when it comes to being able to see while welding. Probably as big a step as Auto Darkening was back when I first bought one of those.  No more green with a bright light, you actually see the wire and the puddle.

About 2 years ago I was buying welding gas and I asked the welding supply store for a good high quality helmet. It was spendy (like $400 or so iirc), but you only get one set of eyes.

I haven't regretted buying it yet.

Profound canoe is profound.

Good timing for a thread resurrection anyway. I was grumbling about my old Lincoln auto unit just today. I can tell which welds I did when I was blinded from multiple flashes and a slow reacting lens. After I've done a few welds I have to stop so I can even inspect my welds.

I had one of my HF stop responding properly.  A new battery did wonders. You have to take the face plate apart to replace it, not terribly hard.

If you have issues, make sure to check the battery!  

I wonder how many are tossed with just bad batteries?

I have a HF helmet that is several years old and still works like new and another one at work just like it.  No problems with the response but the problem I've had is that all I can see is the arc and puddle, even on the lowest setting.  I can't count the number of times my welds have gone "off track".  Are any of the newer helmets better on not blacking out everything I need to see?

I have what ever was the most expensive HF helmet was about two years ago.  I needed it ASAP as my old one died in the middle of a semi emergency "need it done tonight repair for a friend" repair.   It has been a very good helmet. Much better than the small port auto darkening one I had that I think I got around 2002 or so.  The friend actually purchased it for me at the time and ended up keeping it. I purchased the same one the following week (I had got a discount code making it a very good deal). 
 

I have not had any visibility issues with it. I can see around the puddle to keep the welds where they need to be.  

I'll put in a good word for the Eastwood L6700. It has a good sized lens and is "true color." I'm not sure how it compares to some of the more expensive true color lenses mentioned above, but it's a huge improvement from the "everything is dark green" Hobart it replaced. The controls are all on the inside.

Being able to see what I'm doing made such a difference in my welding. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not that good, but I was missing a lot by using a crappy helmet.

I ended up with that Eastwood true color large window and it's great.  I haven't used it more than maybe for 10 projects but for the price it's great.  And I trust it more than I would a harbor freight one.  But that might be immaterial.