KC cheerleader

I bit the bullet last week
and ordered that auto darkening welding helmet I was hemmin' and hawin' on.

jackson WH60 truesight welding helmet
by kimberly-clark

While I usually try to support local business,
a company out east, Cyberweld, beat their price by $50.
This included free shipping.
The only drawback was the week it took to show up.

jackson WH60 truesight

It finally arrived yesterday,

and even though I really wanted to go and weld,

I was only able to adjust the headpiece.

The few settings make a big difference,

as I like to have my face centered in the view screen.

I also found out it only takes 2 AAA batteries not 3 AA like I thought.

jackson WF60 truesight digital ADF

The $$ that was supposed to be saved,

instead went to a bunch of random accessories.

There are special lenses inside and out,

so it's good to have a couple extra handy.

old and new welding helmets

I also really like those sheepskin headband covers.

Not sure if my old one was white like that.

I've actually washed it 2x in the past couple years.

blue point ya-551 vs jackson truesight

Tonight I went and did some welding on the rusty 40,
and I'm hooked.
The switchover is so fast - 0.00015 seconds.
No timed blinking needed like the cheapy ADF's.
Also,
the window is 3.25" x 4",
not as big as my old passive helmet but totally sufficient.
The amber lens makes the puddle super clear.
What took me so long?

old 40

The ADF cuts the weld time in half.
No more headshake to tilt the helmet forward.
No more half-pedal to make enough light to see the welding gap.

On sheetmetal speed can be dangerous,
as being slow minimizes heat buildup.
On the plus side,
it is possible to hammerweld without removing the hood,
way more efficient.

buttons

The controls are so easy to use.
There is just enough room to see the big bright buttons.
It's easy to switch from grinding/torch/welding modes,
with TIG gloves and my nasty air filter mask on,
without removing the hood or even flipping it up.

air filter mask

That's where the one face shield for all uses is a little different.

dave clark ear protectors

I'm used to wearing huge mickey mouse ear protectors when grinding.
To me they are more comfortable than having a foam plug in my ear hole.

foam ear plugs

So that is one of the habits I will need to change,
in addition to stopping the automatic head jerks,
and using the special man bag to protect the helmet.

welding man bag

Anyway,
after 2 hours of fun,
I think the Jackson Truesight was a good decision for me.

Hopefully after all this cheerleading,
the Kimberly-Clark people will sponsor me and I'll get a bunch of free stuff!

TP