I began welding school like 2 months ago, and they gave us auto darkening. My instructor showed me his fixed lenses and was amazed because I was able to see more than just the arc. I already did much better on my 5g weld compared to when I had auto darkening on the first day
Have been a professional welder for more than fifty years. Still have a passion for welding as I did from the start. Enjoy each of your videos. Yes a person can learn from each one you put out. You are an awesome teacher, keep up the good work! Thanks!
I’ve been a trucker my whole life, done it all and I can’t see a damn thing under that stick lol I’ll keep hauling the heavy loads, you boys keep doin the good work.
I’ve been a Pipefitter/welder for just shy of 10 years now. I did general fab for a bit before that. Im just getting started breaking out on my own doing whatever welding work comes my way. It’s a side hustle for now but, my goal is to be fully self employed within the next few years. I appreciate all your content. Great tips and info 👊🏼
I had no idea how many lens are available, both fixed and auto darkening. I got my first auto darkening hood maybe 5 years ago and the reason I got was a friend was rep for someone and had a demo he gave me and I liked it well enough that I bought another one, it's been really nice to use. Thanks for showing all the different looks through the lens.
Radnor 24S drop-in autodark got me through welding school with ease. I dropped the pipeliner style hood a couple years ago for an Optrel and haven't looked back. Expensive, but absolutely worth it.
I have been using Optrel 2.5 and clear 2.0 for the past few years and I really like them. They weigh 17 oz. But I just bought a pipeline cloud carbon fiber hood that only weighs 9 oz. I am going to use this with a high clarity lens and also a wens fixed lens for backfeeding tig root while looking through the gap
Shade 11 was my go to for most thin wall to heavy pipe applications. A shade 10 would give me a headache after a full day. Wouldn't recommend using anything less than a 10 for most arc welding applications. To each their own, but most the welding I did was doing had at least a TIG root and hot pass and then either a 7018 filler and cap or just TiG the rest of the way out.
I've worked mainline construction, compressor stations, refineries, power plants and even built miles of pipe fence, all I know is welding just like my dad and my grandpa. All I've ever used for 16 years is a fixed shade, usually 10 or 9. I've always preferred a gold lense or a Lincoln Super-vis, I tried an auto darkening lense once but I didn't like it because we were heli-arcing 8" and when I went to look through the bevel to put my bead in guess what didn't happen. The sensor was blocked by the pipe and it didn't activate, after that I said never again. I know a lot of hands like the auto because it lessens the chance of arc marks but the old hands welded for 100 years without them and they did just fine. But what do I know? I'm just a broke toothed welderer. Good job on the video Austin, keep it up hand.
hey austin good videos but ive been welding since i got out of high school in 1975 and been always told that you should never use anything less than a #10 when ever you do any kind of electric arc welding that means mig tig or stick. are you sure your not messing up your eyes.? im 62 now and still dont need glasses. been using a#11 shade whether auto dark or fixed gold coated or even old school green glass love your channel bud and keep that shield down and your making money
I’m currently in a welding program at my local community college, and the textbook, if I can remember correctly, states to run between a 9-13 shade. But my teacher personally recommended nothing less than a 10
The trouble with gold or silver fixed lenses is scratching the coating. One tiny scratch and you are asking for flashburns. I found that using two gaskets in front of the lens to make more space helped prevent the clear resin lens from warping and scratching the gold coating when it got hot. Once I got my first electric lens, I never went back to a fixed lens unless I needed to use a sock hood or it was raining heavily. I was a journeyman shipfitter since 76 , certified structural and crane boom repair welder before I retired.
I'm an Ironworker. I normally use what is provided Crap #10-12. If I have a gravy OT gig I'll break out my gold, in a fiber-metal hood. 30 years welding. I'm currently flux core welding 1-1/4" moment connections, so I'm using a #11 gold.
They haven't made them in years, maybe decades (for modern safety standards) but if you can get yourself a red/rose lens you will be blown away by the clarity, even better than gold.
Opticool sells scarlett. Best custom lenses I have ever used. I am speaking of the 2 piece lenses he makes. Although I don't have the red I have a white and a gold. All the same quality though just whatever color you prefer. I am color blind so I pretty much have to stick with white and gold or else I can't see where I am going very well.
Nice demonstration Ross 👍🏻👍🏻. Im wondering if the Wens lens has a (sensitive coating) that if it gets scratched? It would be (render useless) and have to be thrown out? I been using the standard gold coated lenses for about 20+ years now and they have that sinsitive coating 🧐 The manufacturer recommended to discard if scratched! Got to protect those eyes!
I'm in Iran. i was browsing in the internet about auto darkening helmets, if i convert to us dollar a whole helmet with a spare lens was something between 25$ to 50$ in different brands. And everyone was happy in the reviews.
Man. I love your video. I've been a combo welder for 25 years and in the past three years, been able to see the puddle has gotten harder and harder. I wear progressive/transition glasses plus a cheater in the hood but wearing 2.50 reading glasses and a 1.00 cheater lense seems to suit me better specially putting the root. keep up the good work.
Only need 3 lenses in your career. The wens lens if your doing process pipe or mirror welding, and the tradesman and single 240 for anything else. I’ve had all three for 5 years and I will never go back. Great video. Sorry I’m a little late
I usually use a shade 10 or 9 but I want to start learning how to tug weld a root by looking through the gap but I know you have to use a standard lane or else you will get flashed. Would you recommend a wens lens for this? I know you said you use a shade 8 ? What would you recommend for backfeeding a root looking through the gap?
Have you tried the Miller auto lens? I've use Shade 10 I like it. I thinks it's a little darker which for me I like. I also have blue eyes which I've also been told are more sensitive. I also have a singles #10 model 240. It's much lighter also a shade 10 much much lighter than the miller. For me the older real glass shade 10 fixed static lens has the clearest view than any other. I like it best for Stainless TIG welding.
Just bought an arc one singles HD shade 10. I absolutely love it. I usually use a 10. I stick, mig, tig, high frequency tig aluminum. Everything from stainless pipe to car body panels. I have an old technology automatic shield. I have heard good things about the Miller lens also
Love the videos man. Just starting out doing stick. Have autodarking and this makes me want to try a fixed. I was a bit nervous about trying them and this cleared a lot of things up for me.
Phillips glass lens works for me. I love gold lenses, but they never last. The gold flakes off the plastic gold lenses and the gold rubs off the gold glass lenses. I have used the Phillips super magenta and their blue filter too, and I like both of them. I really like the super magenta. However, I find the standard Phillips glass to be my go to lens. My opinion auto shades are only good when you are in a tight spot and you cannot flip your hood, otherwise a good glass lens cannot be beat.
Structural Ironworker local 378. I weld flux core NR 232 so it's really bright and hot. I use an 11 shade auto lens. My puddle looks orange or amber through my auto lens. Was hoping to get a different color auto lens, maybe a green. Just figure it would be a little softer on the eyes and look cool. Been trying to get my dual shield flux core cert lately and it actually seems brighter than 232 flux core. Maybe I'll go for a shade 12.
Thanks for making this video. Gives us our best guess to what we want without spending 500$ to narrow it down. I can't believe you use a shade 8, I use a 10 and want to go to a 11 lol
I use a a shade 10 stick welding no problems there but have trouble seeing outside the puddle mig welding. Been using a shade 9 for mig and still difficult, looks like a green blob when welding. I try to stick weld when i can. Both are auto darkening. Both are low cost hoods. I like a yellow or red lens . Mine are green and blue. Great video.
The brighter the ambient light, the lighter the shade you need due to your Iris constricting reducing the amount of light entering your eyes. High frequency has nothing to do with brightness as you can watch with no lens... but not for long as uv and infrared is admitted. Hope this helps. Like the tip on glasses under pancake.... keep up the good work...
I run a fixed shade 11 silver doesn’t mess with my eyes but at the same time under a roof or in the field I can see the outlines so I don’t run off track really recommend I’m gonna try a gold one soon
Generally I like a shade 12, but I have 9-12 and a couple auto darkening helmets, and run at 12-13, only time I drop to 9 or 10 is ooutside with too much light getting Into back side of helmet, uunfortunately most of what I do is sheet metal on cars, whether panel replacement, or fixing rust. 1 thing I notice on auto-darkening, is if I use a 1/20,000 second response time, doing hundreds of tack spot welds, it will burn my eyes, but a 1/25,000 wont burn my eyes? I always adjust to fastest response time. For your video, the ice blue looked awesome, but a little skeptical on using a #8 lense
Same thing I was thinking with the shade 8, I normally go with a shade 11 because I'm young and still want my eyes to last a long time so I was hearing about using a shade 8 and was skeptical.
Hey Ross, I am a hobby welder who bought a miller 220. I weld 16 gauge mild steel square tube for fun projects around the house. One issue I have is I feel like I cannot see the "path" on the miller auto set for 16 Gauge, .23 wire and shade 9 on my cheapie 50 dollar auto hood. I can sometimes lower the wire feed speed which makes a brighter arc that illuminates the area around the puddle sometimes too bright! Should I go all out on a helmet? Or buy one of these pipeliners and get the autodarkening 2x4 lens. I spent a small fortune on this hobby and and getting tired of trying to mentally follow a path/line I can barely see or lowing the mig speed only to have blowouts because its too hot. I often wonder if using thicker wire, or something else I am missing. Thank you Ross or anyone else for a comment.
You might try a lighter shade of lens, like an 8 or a different color of shade 9 You may even try to take some soap stone and make a line along where you want to weld. It may show up better.
I've ran stick @ up to 145 amps and mig @ 240ish with Lincoln viking passive hood shade 10. Always comfortable, Eyes never hurt , and no redness fer over 29 years now
I’ve got the wens electric ice and I like it. I will say the camera doesn’t show the clarity well but you get a good idea of the color. It’s the clearest lens I’ve ever used. My only complaint is when you’re tig welding, if you dip the tungsten, it’s hard to notice if you’re not paying attention and you’ll wonder why why the puddle isn’t doing what you want it to. But for stick on pipe it’s my favorite. I’m ready for this auto cool blue lens
Austin my welding back ground is like a carbon copy of mine.I had a bag teacher named mr.Roberts ya know all we had was the 50 lb. Boxes of 1/8 inch 6011 which is my opinion made for rust and old farm equipment. BUT I LIKE THE WAY YOU LOVE TO STRIKE AN ARC IN 03 I WAS TUNED LIKE A PRIZE FIGHTER MY SPECIALTY WAS FITTING PIPE AND ROOT BEADS.But I got addicted to pain killers and burned talent instead rods I'm catching up with the products and equipment its come a million mile.
I watched this video and purchased one of the wens lenses and I run 1/16 dual shield and 7/32 dual shield wire and I got a shade 13 because I run 400-600 amps and I love it it is amazing I also do A LOT of gouging at 600+ amps and it’s the best lens I have ever used thank you
well, stick welding outside in the bright sun, you'll see why some weld that low, even a shade 10 and 9 is too dark, but i wont go less than what miller and lincoln recommends
@@Mikey-ym6ok You're still damaging your eyes. Instead of using such a light shade lens, you should shade your work area with either an umbrella, tarp, pop up, etc. Or more convenient is a pancake hood, or tape a cape over the back of your hood. Not trying to be preachy, but shade 8...man, you GOTTA be scarring up those eyes!
@@AZ-kr6ffI've welded with just mirrored googles on and covering the arc with the nozzle. Had my eyes checked after years of doing it here and there and my optometrist said my perscription has pretty much been the same. Then again the goggles have uv protection. Pretty sure that has something to do with the lack of damage on my eyes. 🤷🏿♂️
Have always used 2 clear lens in the front. People think I'm stupid for doing it. Good to know others welders do this too. Love my Wens Lens Cool Blue. 😁
I always wanted a variable shade lens to throw in my pipeliner, can’t wait to try it! I use Wens lens shade 10 for Tig and Arc-One HD shade 11 for everything else🤘🏼
I really like the old school Lincoln super visibility lens in the blueish paper sleeve. Shade 9. Super clear you can see literally everything going on in the puddle and around it. I used it welding in power plants on all processes. I used a miller elite before and a guy let me try his lense and I never went back.
I use a Jackson Shade 11 in my Pancake hood, mainly I'm welding outside so it helps me see alot of detail on the puddle and where I'm at in regards to the weld that needs to be done. I also like that Gold shade lens that comes with the Pipeliner hood. It very detailed as well and makes the puddle reddish orange, only if it came in auto darkening would be awesum.
I weld 18-20 ga sheet up to 3/16" and I am happy with my Antra X60-6. Setting 9 for mig 10 for tig. I almost always require an external light while working indoors.
What hood would you recommend that is comfortable and doesn't overheat quickly? I'm new to this and I don't want to get a bad one I like the one on your wall with the bib but I can't find it anywhere
I doubt you need em yet but what about cheater lens? Do these lens come in different strengths for folks with bad vision to begin with? Also you mentioned contacts ... I've always heard that it's a real bad idea to wear them anywheres near an arc since they can actually fuse to your eyeball, helmet or not. I'm not a welder by trade but thinking about trying my hand at fixing a couple things around the house.
Hello there friend (-: the best part of the video and often the hardest examples to find was the actual showing of the lens color in use. thank you and great job man!!
hey, do you pick a different lens or color of lens for either MIg or TIG? And also have you tried Phillips safety lens allow weld? Im told its exzcellent for TIG, but at $200 its an investment.
I do a lot of pipe and structural fabrication and I use a Lincoln Electric 3350 hood, but I am looking. I want a good pancake hood with a good lens because I work in the heat all year. Thank you for your video
The 4c is an amazing lens, it's what I've been using on my pancake for almost ½ a yr now but I have to say they're a bit pricey. The armor guard lenses are pretty darn good and usually around 40 here in Texas
Aye no damn doubt about that 4c lens they made,I got a Lincoln helmet of one and I can honestly say the light blue arc helps light up so much more stuff around your plates or pipes.
@@JustinRolfe gold lenses? Yes. Get them at a welding supply place or there's glass ones on amazon. Clearest lens I've ever used, but you pay for em. Not as much as an autodark lens though
I firmly believe in a variable shade and don’t know if I could weld without one. Why buy multiple lenses for different processes, when you can just use one lens for multiple light settings and welding processes. Seems like a no brainer. Now I’ve got a Viking 3350 and it’s a great hood, lots of POV, but it is not an out of position welding hood, But I love the Lincoln 4c lens it’s got so I’m thinking of just slapping one of those lens in a light cheaper hood like a fibremetal pipeliner for out of position welding.
Austin great stuff! I am having trouble outside welding some 7" pipe . using a auto darkening helmet. The sun creates havoc with such. I like your lens demonstration. Will these lens solve the problem I am having with the sun overhead turning off the auto darkening.?? I have a hood I can use but am rusty with arc starts using shade 10.
I have a automatic Wens Lens, think it's called the blink blue or something like that. I don't know if they're still available, but I love mine and it's kind of between the electric ice and original blue. I have both of those also as well as an American Optical that's older than me and I'm 40.
I GOT INTO WELDING IN DALLAS,TEXAS IN 1980 AT A TRADE SCHOOL.WE ALL STARTED OUT WITH SHADE 10 IN STICK WELDING,E-6011AND 7018 1/8 .I ALSO GOT INTO GMAW(MIG)AND GTAW(TIG)WELDING ON ALUMINUM AND STAINLESS.BUT SHADE 10 GOT ME THREW THE COARSE.
I’m new to the welding world and I need some help in choosing a cheater lens. I have a Miller digital elite hood. What magnifying lens do you guys recommend ?
Having trouble seeing the puddle while Mig welding with a Yeswelder helmet set on 10. I have Macular Degeneration and It's black around the arc with no puddle visible. I'm trying to complete a couple of projects on my Hot-Rod that are non-structural. Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Great video! Speaking of lenses, what are your thoughts on eye fatigue recovery? Years back when I did a lot of welding, I would use Visine. They have a formula for tired/overworked eyes. Thanks
If you aren't used to blue I would stick with 11. Blue tends to be much darker than standard gold and green. Before you buy wens lens check out opticool they are SO much better. Much more color options as well. Check out his FB and message him on there if you have questions he is the most knowledgeable welder I have come across when it comes to lenses. His mellow lens is the most popular and used for all processes but if you are strictly running core the magenta madness is what I would recommend. Nothing comes close to it for that specific process in my opinion. Also on his FB he has short videos showing the colors for each. They aren't very detailed but at least it gives you a good indication of what the color is like. Also all of his 2pc lenses have a gold/silver plating sandwiched between the lenses so it will never scratch off. I dove deep into finding the perfect lens since I am color deficient and I can tell you right now with all my research and money spent opticool is the absolute best custom lenses on the market. Hope this helps just trying to save you money in the long run.
Hey Austin would you be willing to go over your welding machine and discuss necessities and preferred machines for pipeline work. Keep up the great job I’ve learned a lot from you and I just found your channel!
Hello Austin, you use the #9 outside because the lens is not as dark correct and you can see under the hood right? You get enough protection? Do you like the new lincoln ADF orArc one hd? I have the Arc one and I like it a lot Thanks Augie Thanks Augie
Looks like welding is becoming like bass fishing. I had a blast as a kid with just a cane pole. Went the bass boat, five tackle boxes and a thousand lures route. That took all the joy out of fishing and I'm now back having a ball with a cane pole and worms.What does a foreman think when one has to stop and start changing out lenses? :-) I may go back to a buzz box only.
I got a pipe liners cloud carbon fiber chopped top I have a tefauae lense shade 12 I weld aluminum all day long any recommendations on any other lense? You should do a updated lense video too!
I'm nota pipeline welder just a mechanic and I have a hard time with regular hoods because off my fat head. Just bought a pancake hood got it trimmed down to fit my Mellon and this was a great video on picking a lense. Definitely going to but an assortment of them
Where did u find the ultra cool blue lense? I used to have a blue lense similar to that yrs ago but havent been able to find them since. I really liked it.
Welding 1".065 pipes into .120 manifolds @145A ~200\day Radnor lite60 auto set to 10 Started with a harbor freight auto no flash burn after covering the backside of my hood (not hoods falt but the wight gloss painted walls) but experienced noticable loss of night sight (more difficult to see in the woods at night w/o flashlights ) that was getting worse till I made the change.
Love your videos dude! So informative! I’m a proud owner of an original American Optics weld cool shade 12(hand me down) and I’m looking to retire as a backup and dude the wens lens is the only thing I can see myself spending my money on that’s in ballpark range of clarity and color as the AOWC12! Think I’m putting it on my bucket list!!
Hey Austin. I passed my 3G SMAW test at the end of january and am waiting for the apprenticeship to open back up at my local UA. Does having that cert help your chances?
The demos are worth the click. The Wens Lenses have more color but don't filter out the haze from the smoke very well. Looking through smoke while welding is a headache.
A little bit of welding I use shade 10 like for small detail work that is in dark areas if I’m Welding all day I use a shade 11 so my eyes don’t hurt at night I use a shad 8 for cutting torches
You really changed my mind on fixed lens vrs auto I ordered both the wens lens can’t wait to try em out thanks for the help you’ve really help me come along way in my fitting and welding
Not a welder: The one thing I like is your always dressed with Ironed clothes, shows you hold yourself to a higher standard. Started watching welding videos a month or so back, not sure why, maybe because my brothers were rig welders in south east Texas. I also do taekwondo with one when he's home, think he just left going to Minnesota or somewhere. Thinking about taking a class this fall at the local North Arkansas community college, was told it's free for old guys like me 69, but think you have to pay for and have your own helmet and other stuff. Keep up the good work.
I began welding school like 2 months ago, and they gave us auto darkening. My instructor showed me his fixed lenses and was amazed because I was able to see more than just the arc. I already did much better on my 5g weld compared to when I had auto darkening on the first day
Have been a professional welder for more than fifty years. Still have a passion for welding as I did from the start. Enjoy each of your videos. Yes a person can learn from each one you put out. You are an awesome teacher, keep up the good work! Thanks!
What he said... Here's to the men of steel!
I’ve been a trucker my whole life, done it all and I can’t see a damn thing under that stick lol
I’ll keep hauling the heavy loads, you boys keep doin the good work.
Thinking about a shade 8 makes my eyes hurt
Even a 10 hurts mine
I think shade 11 is best all around on steel for me. Aluminum Tig however shade 13 seems to be most comfortable
I agree ouch
Gold 9 lens basically shade 8
I go shade 12 green
I’d go blind with that shade 8, I hurt my eyes with shade 9 before so I only use shade 10 or 11
I’ve been a Pipefitter/welder for just shy of 10 years now. I did general fab for a bit before that. Im just getting started breaking out on my own doing whatever welding work comes my way. It’s a side hustle for now but, my goal is to be fully self employed within the next few years. I appreciate all your content. Great tips and info 👊🏼
10:45 for the lens footage
Thanks, this dude talks mass shit.
MVP
Cheers
You sir deserve an upvote to the top IDGAF about his opinions, show me tangible facts
Fun to watch your videos, Austin. You do yourself and your trade proud. Thank you!
I had no idea how many lens are available, both fixed and auto darkening. I got my first auto darkening hood maybe 5 years ago and the reason I got was a friend was rep for someone and had a demo he gave me and I liked it well enough that I bought another one, it's been really nice to use. Thanks for showing all the different looks through the lens.
Radnor 24S drop-in autodark got me through welding school with ease. I dropped the pipeliner style hood a couple years ago for an Optrel and haven't looked back. Expensive, but absolutely worth it.
I have been using Optrel 2.5 and clear 2.0 for the past few years and I really like them. They weigh 17 oz. But I just bought a pipeline cloud carbon fiber hood that only weighs 9 oz. I am going to use this with a high clarity lens and also a wens fixed lens for backfeeding tig root while looking through the gap
Shade 11 was my go to for most thin wall to heavy pipe applications. A shade 10 would give me a headache after a full day. Wouldn't recommend using anything less than a 10 for most arc welding applications.
To each their own, but most the welding I did was doing had at least a TIG root and hot pass and then either a 7018 filler and cap or just TiG the rest of the way out.
Where can I buy a shade 11 lense im currently in highschool and I have shade 10 but I’m tryna got a shade darker
@@osbaldohernandez9174 the Lincoln one on the video is adjustable. Its decent. I have it.
I've worked mainline construction, compressor stations, refineries, power plants and even built miles of pipe fence, all I know is welding just like my dad and my grandpa. All I've ever used for 16 years is a fixed shade, usually 10 or 9. I've always preferred a gold lense or a Lincoln Super-vis, I tried an auto darkening lense once but I didn't like it because we were heli-arcing 8" and when I went to look through the bevel to put my bead in guess what didn't happen. The sensor was blocked by the pipe and it didn't activate, after that I said never again. I know a lot of hands like the auto because it lessens the chance of arc marks but the old hands welded for 100 years without them and they did just fine. But what do I know? I'm just a broke toothed welderer. Good job on the video Austin, keep it up hand.
hey austin good videos but ive been welding since i got out of high school in 1975 and been always told that you should never use anything less than a #10 when ever you do any kind of electric arc welding that means mig tig or stick. are you sure your not messing up your eyes.? im 62 now and still dont need glasses. been using a#11 shade whether auto dark or fixed gold coated or even old school green glass love your channel bud and keep that shield down and your making money
I’m currently in a welding program at my local community college, and the textbook, if I can remember correctly, states to run between a 9-13 shade. But my teacher personally recommended nothing less than a 10
The trouble with gold or silver fixed lenses is scratching the coating. One tiny scratch and you are asking for flashburns. I found that using two gaskets in front of the lens to make more space helped prevent the clear resin lens from warping and scratching the gold coating when it got hot. Once I got my first electric lens, I never went back to a fixed lens unless I needed to use a sock hood or it was raining heavily. I was a journeyman shipfitter since 76 , certified structural and crane boom repair welder before I retired.
I'm an Ironworker. I normally use what is provided Crap #10-12. If I have a gravy OT gig I'll break out my gold, in a fiber-metal hood. 30 years welding. I'm currently flux core welding 1-1/4" moment connections, so I'm using a #11 gold.
They haven't made them in years, maybe decades (for modern safety standards) but if you can get yourself a red/rose lens you will be blown away by the clarity, even better than gold.
Opticool sells scarlett. Best custom lenses I have ever used. I am speaking of the 2 piece lenses he makes. Although I don't have the red I have a white and a gold. All the same quality though just whatever color you prefer. I am color blind so I pretty much have to stick with white and gold or else I can't see where I am going very well.
Way to go Austin you're always up you're always thinking and added to our industry and taking care of our 798 work and represent it well! good job
thank. you. austin. 17 years old getting into welding, just got a pipeline industrial honeywell helmet and am looking for lenses, this helped so much!
Nice demonstration Ross 👍🏻👍🏻. Im wondering if the Wens lens has a (sensitive coating) that if it gets scratched? It would be (render useless) and have to be thrown out? I been using the standard gold coated lenses for about 20+ years now and they have that sinsitive coating 🧐 The manufacturer recommended to discard if scratched! Got to protect those eyes!
I'm in Iran. i was browsing in the internet about auto darkening helmets, if i convert to us dollar a whole helmet with a spare lens was something between 25$ to 50$ in different brands. And everyone was happy in the reviews.
Man. I love your video. I've been a combo welder for 25 years and in the past three years, been able to see the puddle has gotten harder and harder. I wear progressive/transition glasses plus a cheater in the hood but wearing 2.50 reading glasses and a 1.00 cheater lense seems to suit me better specially putting the root. keep up the good work.
You're like me,long time welder with glasses .If I can see it,I can weld it!
Only need 3 lenses in your career. The wens lens if your doing process pipe or mirror welding, and the tradesman and single 240 for anything else. I’ve had all three for 5 years and I will never go back. Great video. Sorry I’m a little late
I usually use a shade 10 or 9 but I want to start learning how to tug weld a root by looking through the gap but I know you have to use a standard lane or else you will get flashed. Would you recommend a wens lens for this? I know you said you use a shade 8 ? What would you recommend for backfeeding a root looking through the gap?
Have you tried the Miller auto lens? I've use Shade 10 I like it. I thinks it's a little darker which for me I like. I also have blue eyes which I've also been told are more sensitive. I also have a singles #10 model 240. It's much lighter also a shade 10 much much lighter than the miller.
For me the older real glass shade 10 fixed static lens has the clearest view than any other. I like it best for Stainless TIG welding.
Interesting Perspective.
35 plus year
Structural Fluxcore Welder .
#12 until age 50.
#11 from then on.
Those single digit shades blow my mind !
Just bought an arc one singles HD shade 10. I absolutely love it. I usually use a 10. I stick, mig, tig, high frequency tig aluminum. Everything from stainless pipe to car body panels. I have an old technology automatic shield. I have heard good things about the Miller lens also
The Wens Ultra blue seems to be the one I want to try, Im using a standard shade 9 for now, would you try the Wens lenses in the same shade as well ?
Love the videos man. Just starting out doing stick. Have autodarking and this makes me want to try a fixed. I was a bit nervous about trying them and this cleared a lot of things up for me.
Phillips glass lens works for me. I love gold lenses, but they never last. The gold flakes off the plastic gold lenses and the gold rubs off the gold glass lenses. I have used the Phillips super magenta and their blue filter too, and I like both of them. I really like the super magenta. However, I find the standard Phillips glass to be my go to lens. My opinion auto shades are only good when you are in a tight spot and you cannot flip your hood, otherwise a good glass lens cannot be beat.
Structural Ironworker local 378. I weld flux core NR 232 so it's really bright and hot. I use an 11 shade auto lens. My puddle looks orange or amber through my auto lens. Was hoping to get a different color auto lens, maybe a green. Just figure it would be a little softer on the eyes and look cool.
Been trying to get my dual shield flux core cert lately and it actually seems brighter than 232 flux core. Maybe I'll go for a shade 12.
Thanks for making this video. Gives us our best guess to what we want without spending 500$ to narrow it down. I can't believe you use a shade 8, I use a 10 and want to go to a 11 lol
8 is supposed to be for torch and plasma, I weld with 12!
I use a a shade 10 stick welding no problems there but have trouble seeing outside the puddle mig welding. Been using a shade 9 for mig and still difficult, looks like a green blob when welding. I try to stick weld when i can. Both are auto darkening. Both are low cost hoods. I like a yellow or red lens . Mine are green and blue. Great video.
The brighter the ambient light, the lighter the shade you need due to your Iris constricting reducing the amount of light entering your eyes. High frequency has nothing to do with brightness as you can watch with no lens... but not for long as uv and infrared is admitted. Hope this helps. Like the tip on glasses under pancake.... keep up the good work...
I run a fixed shade 11 silver doesn’t mess with my eyes but at the same time under a roof or in the field I can see the outlines so I don’t run off track really recommend I’m gonna try a gold one soon
Generally I like a shade 12, but I have 9-12 and a couple auto darkening helmets, and run at 12-13, only time I drop to 9 or 10 is ooutside with too much light getting Into back side of helmet, uunfortunately most of what I do is sheet metal on cars, whether panel replacement, or fixing rust. 1 thing I notice on auto-darkening, is if I use a 1/20,000 second response time, doing hundreds of tack spot welds, it will burn my eyes, but a 1/25,000 wont burn my eyes? I always adjust to fastest response time. For your video, the ice blue looked awesome, but a little skeptical on using a #8 lense
Same thing I was thinking with the shade 8, I normally go with a shade 11 because I'm young and still want my eyes to last a long time so I was hearing about using a shade 8 and was skeptical.
For tack spot welds, I think it's better to adjust longer delay time (dark to light), so you won't flash frequently.
Hey Ross, I am a hobby welder who bought a miller 220. I weld 16 gauge mild steel square tube for fun projects around the house. One issue I have is I feel like I cannot see the "path" on the miller auto set for 16 Gauge, .23 wire and shade 9 on my cheapie 50 dollar auto hood. I can sometimes lower the wire feed speed which makes a brighter arc that illuminates the area around the puddle sometimes too bright! Should I go all out on a helmet? Or buy one of these pipeliners and get the autodarkening 2x4 lens. I spent a small fortune on this hobby and and getting tired of trying to mentally follow a path/line I can barely see or lowing the mig speed only to have blowouts because its too hot. I often wonder if using thicker wire, or something else I am missing.
Thank you Ross or anyone else for a comment.
You might try a lighter shade of lens, like an 8 or a different color of shade 9
You may even try to take some soap stone and make a line along where you want to weld. It may show up better.
I use an auto darkening with 8-12 most of the time. If I use a fixed lens I prefer a gold lens
Have you tried shade 14 fixed lens, is it too dark to see well?
I like the gold lens too and I got an auto darkening one. .
That was a dang good video Austin. Thank you for shedding some light. Would like to see reviews with lenses for Mig and Tig?
I've ran stick @ up to 145 amps and mig @ 240ish with Lincoln viking passive hood shade 10. Always comfortable, Eyes never hurt , and no redness fer over 29 years now
I’ve got the wens electric ice and I like it. I will say the camera doesn’t show the clarity well but you get a good idea of the color. It’s the clearest lens I’ve ever used. My only complaint is when you’re tig welding, if you dip the tungsten, it’s hard to notice if you’re not paying attention and you’ll wonder why why the puddle isn’t doing what you want it to. But for stick on pipe it’s my favorite. I’m ready for this auto cool blue lens
I run a SEER auto darkening lens in a shade 12, love this lens because it's a clear color. The arc looks white it's awesome on the eyes
Austin my welding back ground is like a carbon copy of mine.I had a bag teacher named mr.Roberts ya know all we had was the 50 lb. Boxes of 1/8 inch 6011 which is my opinion made for rust and old farm equipment. BUT I LIKE THE WAY YOU LOVE TO STRIKE AN ARC IN 03 I WAS TUNED LIKE A PRIZE FIGHTER MY SPECIALTY WAS FITTING PIPE AND ROOT BEADS.But I got addicted to pain killers and burned talent instead rods I'm catching up with the products and equipment its come a million mile.
I'm considering trying a fixed. Would shade 9 be blackout until arc? Or can you see at least enough to strike an ark where ya want?
Can you use these auto lens for putting in a tig root and looking through the gap?
I watched this video and purchased one of the wens lenses and I run 1/16 dual shield and 7/32 dual shield wire and I got a shade 13 because I run 400-600 amps and I love it it is amazing I also do A LOT of gouging at 600+ amps and it’s the best lens I have ever used thank you
Caleb i might be late for this but did you get the ultra electric ice or cool blue wens lens. I also run 1/16 dual shield and got a 12 but want a 13
“Take care of your eyes!” - 20 seconds earlier - “I use a shade 8”. Whatever works for you man, but I have no idea how anyone could weld with an 8
well, stick welding outside in the bright sun, you'll see why some weld that low, even a shade 10 and 9 is too dark, but i wont go less than what miller and lincoln recommends
@@Mikey-ym6ok
You're still damaging your eyes.
Instead of using such a light shade lens, you should shade your work area with either an umbrella, tarp, pop up, etc.
Or more convenient is a pancake hood, or tape a cape over the back of your hood.
Not trying to be preachy, but shade 8...man, you GOTTA be scarring up those eyes!
When throwing the bead an 8 is good to see ur root going in
He does a ton of downhill. The puddle is on the opposite site so it's nowhere near as bright.
@@AZ-kr6ffI've welded with just mirrored googles on and covering the arc with the nozzle. Had my eyes checked after years of doing it here and there and my optometrist said my perscription has pretty much been the same. Then again the goggles have uv protection. Pretty sure that has something to do with the lack of damage on my eyes. 🤷🏿♂️
Have always used 2 clear lens in the front. People think I'm stupid for doing it. Good to know others welders do this too. Love my Wens Lens Cool Blue. 😁
My job provided me these magnification clear lens, I absolutely LOVE it!! It took a moment to get used to but it is SO helpful!!!
I always wanted a variable shade lens to throw in my pipeliner, can’t wait to try it! I use Wens lens shade 10 for Tig and Arc-One HD shade 11 for everything else🤘🏼
Blinded By The Light what lense ????
Couldn't tell you the brand but I use a gold coated #10. Works best all around for me stick,mig al tig steel tig I'll drop down to #8
Me too, I love my fixed shade gold lens
I really like the old school Lincoln super visibility lens in the blueish paper sleeve. Shade 9. Super clear you can see literally everything going on in the puddle and around it. I used it welding in power plants on all processes. I used a miller elite before and a guy let me try his lense and I never went back.
I use a Jackson Shade 11 in my Pancake hood, mainly I'm welding outside so it helps me see alot of detail on the puddle and where I'm at in regards to the weld that needs to be done. I also like that Gold shade lens that comes with the Pipeliner hood. It very detailed as well and makes the puddle reddish orange, only if it came in auto darkening would be awesum.
Thanks Austin, your tips are much appreciated.
I weld 18-20 ga sheet up to 3/16" and I am happy with my Antra X60-6. Setting 9 for mig 10 for tig. I almost always require an external light while working indoors.
What hood would you recommend that is comfortable and doesn't overheat quickly?
I'm new to this and I don't want to get a bad one
I like the one on your wall with the bib but I can't find it anywhere
This is the first comparison of its type I've seen so far. Excellent stuff! Any idea how Jackson lenses compare?
I don’t. I’ve never used that brand of welding lens.
Wens lens for me I think 10 shade may work well for mostly indoor work whats your take on it ?
I doubt you need em yet but what about cheater lens? Do these lens come in different strengths for folks with bad vision to begin with? Also you mentioned contacts ... I've always heard that it's a real bad idea to wear them anywheres near an arc since they can actually fuse to your eyeball, helmet or not. I'm not a welder by trade but thinking about trying my hand at fixing a couple things around the house.
Hello there friend (-: the best part of the video and often the hardest examples to find was the actual showing of the lens color in use. thank you and great job man!!
Are any of these lenses rated for gtaw and smaw? Would appreciate the feedback, I do alot of pipefitter/welding mostly tig roots. Thanks for the video
hey, do you pick a different lens or color of lens for either MIg or TIG? And also have you tried Phillips safety lens allow weld? Im told its exzcellent for TIG, but at $200 its an investment.
I do a lot of pipe and structural fabrication and I use a Lincoln Electric 3350 hood, but I am looking. I want a good pancake hood with a good lens because I work in the heat all year. Thank you for your video
The 4c is an amazing lens, it's what I've been using on my pancake for almost ½ a yr now but I have to say they're a bit pricey. The armor guard lenses are pretty darn good and usually around 40 here in Texas
Aye no damn doubt about that 4c lens they made,I got a Lincoln helmet of one and I can honestly say the light blue arc helps light up so much more stuff around your plates or pipes.
Did you have to file down your helmet to fit the 4c in?
Shade 8 and 9 😳😳😳 my eyes would burn out of my head after 12 hours I run a gold fix shade 11
Do you if they make them in the bigger 4x4 or 4 x5 lens
@@JustinRolfe gold lenses? Yes. Get them at a welding supply place or there's glass ones on amazon. Clearest lens I've ever used, but you pay for em. Not as much as an autodark lens though
Glass shade 12! Plastics suck
😂
Shade 9 wens has been my go to for 6 years. Interesting about the double lens. I think I’m gonna use that
I love my auto singles HD I had the fixed blue and let a welding partner have it I need to buy a new one. Great vid as always.
I firmly believe in a variable shade and don’t know if I could weld without one. Why buy multiple lenses for different processes, when you can just use one lens for multiple light settings and welding processes. Seems like a no brainer. Now I’ve got a Viking 3350 and it’s a great hood, lots of POV, but it is not an out of position welding hood, But I love the Lincoln 4c lens it’s got so I’m thinking of just slapping one of those lens in a light cheaper hood like a fibremetal pipeliner for out of position welding.
You should teach video production and post production , music and the sound of the arc ? Brilliant!
Austin great stuff! I am having trouble outside welding some 7" pipe . using a auto darkening helmet. The sun creates havoc with such. I like your lens demonstration. Will these lens solve the problem I am having with the sun overhead turning off the auto darkening.?? I have a hood I can use but am rusty with arc starts using shade 10.
I have a automatic Wens Lens, think it's called the blink blue or something like that. I don't know if they're still available, but I love mine and it's kind of between the electric ice and original blue. I have both of those also as well as an American Optical that's older than me and I'm 40.
I GOT INTO WELDING IN DALLAS,TEXAS IN 1980 AT A TRADE SCHOOL.WE ALL STARTED OUT WITH SHADE 10 IN STICK WELDING,E-6011AND 7018 1/8 .I ALSO GOT INTO GMAW(MIG)AND GTAW(TIG)WELDING ON ALUMINUM AND STAINLESS.BUT SHADE 10 GOT ME THREW THE COARSE.
I just got the ameriarc shade 10 auto darkening lens. I’ll use it and let you know what I think of it.
Thank you Austin, for sharing your knowledge it is very usefull.
I’m new to the welding world and I need some help in choosing a cheater lens. I have a Miller digital elite hood. What magnifying lens do you guys recommend ?
Having trouble seeing the puddle while Mig welding with a Yeswelder helmet set on 10. I have Macular Degeneration and It's black around the arc with no puddle visible. I'm trying to complete a couple of projects on my Hot-Rod that are non-structural. Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Great video! Speaking of lenses, what are your thoughts on eye fatigue recovery? Years back when I did a lot of welding, I would use Visine. They have a formula for tired/overworked eyes. Thanks
I weld with .052 hardwire. My shade 11 single fixed seems a little too bright, do you think the wens shade 12 cool blue would be ideal?
If you aren't used to blue I would stick with 11. Blue tends to be much darker than standard gold and green. Before you buy wens lens check out opticool they are SO much better. Much more color options as well. Check out his FB and message him on there if you have questions he is the most knowledgeable welder I have come across when it comes to lenses. His mellow lens is the most popular and used for all processes but if you are strictly running core the magenta madness is what I would recommend. Nothing comes close to it for that specific process in my opinion. Also on his FB he has short videos showing the colors for each. They aren't very detailed but at least it gives you a good indication of what the color is like. Also all of his 2pc lenses have a gold/silver plating sandwiched between the lenses so it will never scratch off. I dove deep into finding the perfect lens since I am color deficient and I can tell you right now with all my research and money spent opticool is the absolute best custom lenses on the market. Hope this helps just trying to save you money in the long run.
Hey Austin would you be willing to go over your welding machine and discuss necessities and preferred machines for pipeline work. Keep up the great job I’ve learned a lot from you and I just found your channel!
I spit my coffee out when you said shade 8
I did the Jim Carey gag from dumb and dumber
Hello Austin, you use the #9 outside because the lens is not as dark correct and you can see under the hood right? You get enough protection?
Do you like the new lincoln ADF orArc one hd? I have the Arc one and I like it a lot
Thanks Augie
Thanks Augie
Ya the #9 works good for me.
And I like both the Lincoln an hd about the same.
Thanks bro. God Bless
Looks like welding is becoming like bass fishing. I had a blast as a kid with just a cane pole. Went the bass boat, five tackle boxes and a thousand lures route. That took all the joy out of fishing and I'm now back having a ball with a cane pole and worms.What does a foreman think when one has to stop and start changing out lenses? :-) I may go back to a buzz box only.
I will definitely be buying a wens lens today thanks Austin
I got a pipe liners cloud carbon fiber chopped top I have a tefauae lense shade 12 I weld aluminum all day long any recommendations on any other lense? You should do a updated lense video too!
I'm nota pipeline welder just a mechanic and I have a hard time with regular hoods because off my fat head. Just bought a pancake hood got it trimmed down to fit my Mellon and this was a great video on picking a lense. Definitely going to but an assortment of them
Hey what's up quick question what's the lowest shade I can use for flux
Where did u find the ultra cool blue lense? I used to have a blue lense similar to that yrs ago but havent been able to find them since. I really liked it.
using spray (27+volts) transfer mode on mig what would be the lowest shade level recomended?
Welding 1".065 pipes into .120 manifolds @145A ~200\day
Radnor lite60 auto set to 10
Started with a harbor freight auto no flash burn after covering the backside of my hood (not hoods falt but the wight gloss painted walls) but experienced noticable loss of night sight (more difficult to see in the woods at night w/o flashlights ) that was getting worse till I made the change.
The clairvoyant is my go-to
Love your videos dude! So informative! I’m a proud owner of an original American Optics weld cool shade 12(hand me down) and I’m looking to retire as a backup and dude the wens lens is the only thing I can see myself spending my money on that’s in ballpark range of clarity and color as the AOWC12! Think I’m putting it on my bucket list!!
Hey Austin. I passed my 3G SMAW test at the end of january and am waiting for the apprenticeship to open back up at my local UA. Does having that cert help your chances?
Even the arc shots gave me flash !
The demos are worth the click. The Wens Lenses have more color but don't filter out the haze from the smoke very well. Looking through smoke while welding is a headache.
Shade 10 gold coated passive lense, shade 12 for when I crank the amperage up, is all ive ever needed for pipework
Thanks for this! I am shopping around
for a auto darkening, and this is just
what I needed to see! Thanks!
once u get a good set of auto darkening lenses, you wont go back to regular ones hah
A little bit of welding I use shade 10 like for small detail work that is in dark areas if I’m
Welding all day I use a shade 11 so my eyes don’t hurt at night
I use a shad 8 for cutting torches
You really changed my mind on fixed lens vrs auto I ordered both the wens lens can’t wait to try em out thanks for the help you’ve really help me come along way in my fitting and welding
Does WENS LENS
Does the gold face the inside /go on the inside of the hood? Or does it face the outside of the hood?
Thanks guys
That’s awesome ! We’re did you get the carbon fiber one ? I’ve sanded a couple ! 😎👍👍
I can tell you weld for a living. Your arc control is superb.
Not a welder:
The one thing I like is your always dressed with Ironed clothes, shows you hold yourself to a higher standard. Started watching welding videos a month or so back, not sure why, maybe because my brothers were rig welders in south east Texas. I also do taekwondo with one when he's home, think he just left going to Minnesota or somewhere. Thinking about taking a class this fall at the local North Arkansas community college, was told it's free for old guys like me 69, but think you have to pay for and have your own helmet and other stuff.
Keep up the good work.
Heavy starch... the BB's (sparks)bounce instead of burning your shirt sleevesand arms full of holes.
Just started welding classes. Older so eyes not 20/20 anymore. I can’t see my line at 12. Using 10 shade is where I can follow.