I got flashed tonight.

[Liljoebrshooter]

I would guess you had your hands between the sensor and the weld. I have seen it many times at work. Usually by people with terrible eyesight that get really close.

Joe

 

[graham-xrf]

I was leery of them for years but finally gave in and bought one after using friends el cheapo. I got a better one. I truly wish I had made the move years ago. Adjustable trigger setting, trigger time, shade, four sensors, large view and 'true colour'. Add to this that it has a super light weight shell and has one of the best head straps I have worn. Absolutely love it and my welds are nearly as good as they used to be because I can see what I am doing. Welder nod buggered my neck and now I don't have to worry.

Do tell which one you got when you finally gave in?

 

[tq60]

Learn to blink when you pull the trigger..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[markba633csi]

Your eyes should be fine- many folks don't realize the UV protection is built-in and does not rely on the batteries or darkening action
No manufacturer would sell a product that caused eye damage if a battery goes dead
-Mark

 

[MrWhoopee]

This is because an auto dark lense blocks 100% UV and IR regardless of whether it's triggered or not. Intense visible light is not great for your eyes, but not damaging like getting blasted with full IR and UV which actually gives you burns.

This is something that I only recently discovered. Makes me feel much better about auto-darkening hoods. I bought an extremely cheap economical auto hood off Amazon (less than $30) when I got my stick welder. I expected to replace it when I got my AHP Alpha-TIG, but found I didn't need to. Still running on the original battery. I've been very happy with it, never been flashed, even at 150+ amps on aluminum. My only complaint is that I had to customize it for a 2x cheater. I still nod my head when I step on the pedal.

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks gents, this is all very reassuring, particularly the UV and IR blocking no matter what.
Last night I went through the manual and reset the controls.
I'm letting it sit in the sun today and will give it another go tonight.

 

[DavidR8]

@DavidR8 , I hope your spot goes away right quick. That would freak me out. I thought that a dead battery would default to a dark shield? Sometimes I will see a little flash as amps taper way down at the end of a bead because the light output is so little. Never in a way that is uncomfortable. As stated, I think the UV and IR rejection is intact. you should call the manufacturer of the helmet to try to understand what happened and how to make it not happen again. I'm sorry to hear that happened.

Thanks Rick, all is well this morning. It definitely freaked me out.
That said it did give me a chance to explain how an AD helmet works to my 12 yr old step-son. Now he wants to learn to weld

 

[coherent]

I had a couple ok helmets I used a lot for mig and never had any issues, but when I started tig welding, especially thin material with low amps I got an occasional flash. I decided to invest in a better helmet and bought a Lincoln 3350 series. Never had another issue. Really like the helmet... big clear glass and great color. It's hard to put a $ value on your eye heath and safety. Don't know what you're using now but a good helmet is a good investment and worth every penny.

 

[DavidR8]

I had a couple ok helmets I used a lot for mig and never had any issues, but when I started tig welding, especially thin material with low amps I got an occasional flash. I decided to invest in a better helmet and bought a Lincoln 3350 series. Never had another issue. Really like the helmet and it's hard to put $ value on you eye heath and safety. Don't know what you're using now but a good helmet is a good investment and worth every penny.

Thanks, it's a new Esab A40 Savage. I think the problem is that I had the sensitivity down too low and I may have been inadvertently blocking one (or more) of the four sensors.

 

[kb58]

You guys are an expensive date... After reading this, I remembered looking at several new welding helmets and reading some very good comments about the newer models (mine's a 25-yr old Miller that works but is getting on in years). Yes, there are a whole lot of probably pretty good ones now for less than $100, but one thing led to another and well, more than that was spent on what I hope is the last helmet I'll need!