Welding helmet ? Need brighter

At 74 I am having trouble seeing where I need to weld ! Must be a common thing .I am using a hobart wire feed 110 .I am getting extra light on the work piece that helps some . I have the $50 wonder auto darkening Harbor Freight one that is very handy but ,I have it turned to the brightest setting and is still too dark .I tried my old manual one and it is some better .I think the glass in it is #9 but it is not bright enough . Do some of the auto darkening helmets get to the equivalent of a #8 glass in the manual helmets ? I sure would welcome suggestions. I should add that I am a occasional user that just patches up my own junk .

That was the only problem with my HF auto helmet. It was tough to see when wire welding. A light helped a lot. A better Hobart helmet did even better.

Miller has a great varied helmet selection, but are expensive, you might try using a spot light attached to your helmet when needed you just flip a switch, I've seen several configurations about them being used.

I Might need to have your eyes checked as well, just to make sure its not something physically wrong with you eyes !

thought about trying a cheater lens?

Thanks magis and grit ,I see good with readers close up as for welding and put them on to weld .I am going to try a #8 in the old helmet if that does not work I will have to suck it up and get a better auto helmet .Grit that attached light is a good thought ,will see about that.

Need to be checked for cataracts, if you haven't been.

Ky when I get to the city I will get one ! I heard about them recently and I do not think they are too spendy .

Mac I had them off a few years ago .Thanks

Yes they do. I would go with a Hobart Miller or Lincoln lense and a cheater lense. I don't use glasses but once in awhile I would use my uncles Helmet with charter lenses and boy those cheater lenses were awesome. Made a huge difference with both tig and mig

I noticed years ago , the a light to brighten the work , if it shined on my helmet lens , would make it harder to see.
I had to make sure it would shine from above the work and not be on a level with the work.

That's just me , these other answers are more than likely better and more helpful.

I take it the cheater lens you're talking about is a magnifier lens for the helmet.
I like that.

OhioI noticed you are right about being above the work is much better . Thanks

I weld for a living and I would also suggest the super bright light and cheater lens. Another option to consider is the Panoramic view helmets which allow more light through to your eyes and give you better view of the workpiece. Also I find with these additional reference points makes for a straighter kept line when doing cover passes. There's more expensive panoramic options such as ESAB® Sentinel™ A60 Welding Helmet, , but I might suggest a more entry level priced one like what's from YESWELDER below.

YesWelder Panoramic Amazon link

Miller has their Clear light 1.0 and 2.0 lenses but you'll spend between $150-350 and Lincoln has their $350 4c LCD lenses which really help allow more safe light through if you try everything and its not working. The trouble with going to too light of a shade number say below 8, you might cause permanent damage to your eyes, and it wont be worth it. I would try to add light into the equation through external work lights and opening up your field of view before risking arcflash through using too low of a shade number.

Welded 42 years never used the auto helmet used a flip style could put in the lens I wanted to use,they still make them.Always could not justify the cost and the lens if broken is where the real cost is.My old flip no worries pick it up and keep burning.

All shaded lenses are not created equal. The majority of them tint everything a greenish hue. Mine tints everything a gold hue. I am not sure what brand the lense is as it's been changed many times over the years with whatever we stock at work. I mostly tig weld stainless and run a #13. My biggest issue is how far away from the work my face is. I am either looking over the top of my glasses, through the bottom of my glasses for the bifocal or through my glasses normally. It sucks getting old.

Bryan thank you ,Good points from experience ,as my budget permits I will get something like that .
Ceelmo ,my old helmet will do me as I did get a 8 lens and its way bigger window than the auto .
JT ,sounds familiar ! Crap I should be out after beaver instead I am rebuilding my horse forecart from a team to single ,thanks and keep looking for the sweet spot in or around your glasses.

I chose the Lincoln over the Miller because the lense is longer which works for me if you can I suggest you try the helmets on to see which one works the best for you.

Slinging I picked duo from a pipe welder




Cheap head light with a swivel JB welded to the top of my hood. Makes life much nicer when weling in really dark and restricted places

Bob and wolfie ,This is why trapperman is great !I get the good stuff that is true not just google boogle ! Thanks