Blew $300 on a fancy welding hood and it was worth every penny

I always used those cheap $50 hoods from the supply house and figured they were good enough. Last month I finally bit the bullet on a Lincoln Viking 3350 after my buddy kept ragging on me about it. The difference in clarity is nuts, I can actually see my puddle now without craning my neck around. The auto-darkening is way faster too, no more flash headaches after a long day. Has anyone else had a similar experience switching to a higher end hood? Or do you think the budget ones get the job done just fine?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix38518d ago

WAIT you actually spent $300 on a hood? I almost choked on my coffee reading that. I have been running a $60 Harbor Freight special for like 4 years now and I honestly thought people were just flexing with those expensive ones. But hearing you talk about seeing your puddle makes me wonder what I've been missing out on this whole time. My neck is ALWAYS sore at the end of the day from trying to find the right angle. Maybe I AM the fool here.

richard_roberts8017d ago

Dude I was in the same boat for way too long. I ran a cheap hood for like 5 years and just figured neck pain was part of the job. Then I borrowed a buddy's good one for a weekend and it was like magic. You don't realize how much you're fighting your gear until you use something that actually works right. That Harbor Freight hood probably has a tiny lens too which makes it even harder to see what you're doing. Your neck is telling you something. Trust me $300 hurts now but your spine will thank you later.