Self-darkening welding masks

Hello.

I'm sure plenty of people have got one of these self-darkening welding masks. I'm considering buying one, but want to know if the cheapy ones on eBay are worth having. I don't do a lot of welding, so it'll only get occasional use - but I don't want to risk blinding myself if the thing isn't even vaguely fit for purpose!

Thanks in advance,
Ian.

yes they work, not sure about cheap ones though.

As long as they give relevant protection (uv rated?) you should be ok.

Never used one myself, always used standard masks (cheaper to replace lenses)

Yes they work a treat, i use one almost every weekend.
I dont think i would bother with the cheap ****e off fleabay though, you pays ya money and takes ya choice.....or how ever that old saying goes.
I got mine from Machine Mart on one of them VAT free day's.

Mine's a cheap one from ebay and it works fine, but I don't use it often. I don't know how it would stand up to being used every weekend or even every day

im a welder by trade and speedglass is the way forward i was using a cheap one off ebay and i never had a problem with that, the speedglass is just more comfortable to me

I use a speedglas auto darkening helmet, and personally i find them much easier to weld with than draditional masks. I guess they are a little bit more pricey than some of the cheaper ones on ebay, but in my opinion £100 or so (less second hand) is a small price to pay for decent eyesight.

Ebay Speedglas

Ollie

I got mine off ebay USA for about £25 inc P&P took a week to arrive and it's been fooking brilliant. fully CE rated.

Excellent! I don't do a lot of welding so it'll only get light use - good to hear they do the job.

Ian.

be carefull with cheap ones! i mig/tig weld everyday and use a speedglass one but as stated above theyre around 100 quid.try speaking to your local BOC gas stockists,i noticed they had ESAB ones on offer for 70 quid i think,theyr pretty good.or get a sealy one from your local machinemart or car parts shop. with welding protection you need to remember its your eyes and your vision, not something worth risking! same as everything,you pay for what you get ,and trust me,arc eye fcuking hurts!!

The cheapo ones work ok till they fall to bits, which won't be long into your ownership.

i payed £60 fer mine, its mig tig and mma arc, fully adjustable, been great fer 2 years now, used most days, me mates £24.99 one is still going well too, shop around

I got a cheap £30 one from trago. For the ammount I use it it's perfect tho if I was welding on a regular basis I'd invest in something a bit better.

I have one as well, cost me about 60, but cant even remember what make it is..

i know its a brilliant piece of kit, specially as when I bought it i was starting to learn how to weld, and with a traditional mask was a pain as I couldnt see exactly where I was starting the weld...

with the help of a auto darkening mask was a lot easier to learn