Blew $150 on a cheap welding hood and it almost cost me my eyesight

So last month I was working a job up in Gary and figured I'd save some cash on a new auto-darkening hood from Harbor Freight. First week it seemed fine, but on day 8 I'm doing a vertical bead and the lens flickers wide open while I'm right in the arc. Saw spots for two days after that. My old foreman warned me years ago about skimping on PPE, but I thought he was just being dramatic. Has anyone else had a cheap hood fail on them mid-weld?

2 comments

2 Comments

caleb_gibson23d ago

...and that's exactly why I don't trust anything that's under 200 bucks from Harbor Freight. I had a buddy who bought a cheap grinder from there and the guard fell off on the first day. But your story is way scarier, man. I've been using the same Jackson hood for like eight years now and it's never flickered or failed on me once. I know it's tough to drop the cash, but your eyes aren't worth saving a hundred bucks.

river_rivera4522d ago

Double down on keeping the good stuff. I've had the same Miller auto dark for like ten years now and it's never let me down. The cheap ones just can't handle the heat or the constant on-off of production work. Your eyes will thank you for spending the extra cash, especially when you're doing overhead stuff. Have you ever had to replace a lens on your Jackson?