Changed my mind about those fancy welding hoods after a visit to Omaha

I spent last Thursday at a shop in Omaha where a guy named Rick was running a Lincoln Invertec with an old school fibre-metal hood. I always figured the expensive auto-darkening ones were the only way to go for production work. But he let me run a bead on a 3/8ths plate and I honestly couldn't tell the difference in arc visibility. Makes me wonder if I'm just paying for convenience or if the cheaper ones actually hold up better over time. Anybody else stick with the passive hoods and regret it or am I missing something?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix19817d ago

Rick probably hasn't changed his hood since 1987 because it still works and he hates buying stuff.

jennys7217d ago

You ever catch yourself reaching for an old passive hood out of habit?

clark.robin17d ago

Nah, not really, @jennys72. I get why people like them but old passives just feel flimsy compared to what's out now. The draft control is worse, the zippers always stick after a season or two, and that heavy cotton lining gets soaked if you're out in a drizzle for more than 10 minutes. I'd rather grab my synthetic layer with a proper hood than fight with something that works okay only in perfect conditions.