New Jacket & Helmet

[Sundown]

My Miller jacket finally arrived today via UPS, then about 2 hours later the same guys brought my new Optrel helmet. I don't know why they didn't give me the helmet the first time they came? The jacket is nice, a little big but its a keeper. I'll try the helmet out tomorrow and give a report, I sure do like the way it fits and is made. Hopefully it works as good as it looks

[Sundown]

Got a chance to use the helmet this afternoon, I am very impressed with the quality and performance with it. For the first time in a year I could really see everything clearly. The only problem I had was when I decided to use the grind feature and forgot to turn it off before stricking an arc... ouch...the worst part, other than getting flashed, was that there is a blinking red light on the inside of the viewing area, and I just didn't see it. I won't make that mistake again.

[cutter]

Originally posted by Sundown
Got a chance to use the helmet this afternoon, I am very impressed with the quality and performance with it. For the first time in a year I could really see everything clearly. The only problem I had was when I decided to use the grind feature and forgot to turn it off before stricking an arc... ouch...the worst part, other than getting flashed, was that there is a blinking red light on the inside of the viewing area, and I just didn't see it. I won't make that mistake again.

Dern, George. That's just the kind of thing that gets me every time. We get all that fine expensive hi-tech equipment & then do ourselves in because of a memory lapse. That's me. My helmet is one of those plain all solar Jackson "apprentice" models that works fine for me because all I have to remember is to wear it and tip it down. I can't even take that for granted.

Mark Twain observed that "a cat who sits on a hot stove will never sit on another one. But he'll never sit on a cold one either."
I'm not sure if that really applies but I've always liked it.

[Crithpy_Critter]

don't feel bad......

just watch monster garage and see some block head weld without any protection.

some village is without a idiot.

[mozark6]

george- what model optrel did you get,and from whom?.

[Sundown]

Moz,

It is a Satellite model and comes with two extra front cover plates for $247 on ebay, free shipping from BRWelders. I have purchased several things from them and never had any problem. In fact this purchase I told them I needed a 1.50 cheater, they had only 1.25 and 1.75 in stock so they sent one of each and charged me for one of them. The 1.75 seems to be what I needed. So far I really like it, the optics are first rate. Aaron has had his longer, maybe he will comment on performance later.

Cutter,

I had a Jackson Master HTLS for a long time and I think wanted a new toy more than I needed it The jackson served me well and my spare is a Jackson fixed shadow and I still use it once in a while. I think that I will go back to grinding with my googles and face shield anyway.

Crithpy,

A friend of mine uses a Mig-it, if you never saw one its a small filter plate that fits on your gun, I expect him to go blind any day now...I told him that I think that his eyes are worth more than the $10-15 he gave HF for that thing...

[cutter]

Hey George, let me ask you something about these cheaters.
My biggest problem with my helmet is getting my bifocals lined up to see through the viewing area. I wind up with the headgear way down on my forehead so I can tilt my hear back and kinda look down my nose - not very comfortable, you know? Is that anything the cheaters can compensate for or are they just magnifiers? My lenses are for far-sightedness & astigmatism & I had assumed the cheaters were just magnifiers about like those drugstore reading glasses.

[Roger]

Sorry the cheaters will not correct astigmatism. They are simple magnifying lenses. If you have gasses that correct for astigmatism and close near focus (not by focals) the cheaters combined with your glasses will correct for even closer focus over full view area. That is good combination because don't need far vision when working in shop.

[cutter]

Originally posted by Roger
Sorry the cheaters will not correct astigmatism. They are simple magnifying lenses. If you have gasses that correct for astigmatism and close near focus (not by focals) the cheaters combined with your glasses will correct for even closer focus over full view area. That is good combination because don't need far vision when working in shop.

Thanks, Roger.

That confirms what I really already knew had to be the case. And I have considered getting such a pair of lenses made - for welding & similar close work and also just for the computer. I just hate to give in to being one of those "two-pair" old farts, you know? I'd probably be forever losing one pair or the other, but I guess I better start getting ready to do it.

[Fla Jim]

Cutter:
A while back I admitted to myself that my arms were getting too short. I bought 2.0 diopter cheaters. You have to try them. I wish I had gotten them years ago. One of the best 5 buck investments I've made. I can actually see what I'm welding again.

Jim

[cutter]

I dunno though, Jim - what about the astigmatism? I think I'd still have to get the "close only" glasses made. Oh well, I prolly need them anyway. This business of stting around with my head thrown back not only looks ridiculous, it gets tiring, too.

[mozark6]

yep--- went to eye doc last week to get contacts checked, he put this little card about 10 inches off my nose.here read this he says, no way iam reading that. he says 12 bucks at costco get ya pair of cheaters..--------welcome to middle age

[Sundown]

Cutter,

I have been wearing Verilux lens for the past 6 years or longer. My normal perscription called for tri-focals and I could not get used to them when I was working in a data center and needed clear vision at all ranges. I think that, aside from getting your eyes lasered, the Verilux (no-line) glasses are the best soluation to seeing close and far without changing glasses that I have seen. I am told that some people cannot get used to them but I had no trouble. The reading part of my lens is about 1/3 from the bottom, so what the cheater does is bring my focus (at about 24") to appear about 16-18" so that makes the arc and puddle appear to be closer and larger. This way I need only one pair of glasses, I have a hard enough time keeping track of the one pair.