ArcOne T240-10 Tradesman Horizontal Auto-Darkening Filter for Welding Helmets, 2 x 4.25 x 0.2

Awesome unit! I installed it into a $20 mask https://a.co/d/h2mnCSx and the fit was perfect. The mask has a flip front where this auto-darkening filter went. There is another piece of clear class in front of the dark filter so the Tradesman unit is well protected from splatter while welding. When I flip the front I still have a clear glass shield in the mask's opening so I can see better when clearing the slack. It was worth spending a little extra compared to the cheaper no name brands to get something from a reputable company like AcrOne.I'm a beginner welder and this helped me a lot to be able to strike an ark reliably and have both of my hands available to steady the electrode and maintain a straight weld. I was struggling with the transition between striking an arc, lowering the filter and maintaining the weld going properly. Then restart the ark at the right spot if I lose it. This fixed the problem nicely. The darkening transition is instant and if the arc stops I immediately see where my bead is to restart from the right spot.Shade 10 is enough for welding stick up to 5/32" and 160A. See the attached image with recommended shade numbers. I'm not going to weld over 100A so Shade 10 is perfect. Thank you, ArcOne for offering this affordable filter for hobbyists!

At work we have a XVX Hobart helmet that retailed for about $279.00 when it first came out. It's a good professional grade helmet, but for a beginning welder it had so many adjustment parameters it took me getting flashed a bunch of times before I finally figured out what was going wrong and how to tune it properly. It can be frustrating to be learning to weld and learning how to setup a helmet at the same time.In contrast, for my home use I revived an old Fiber-Metal pipeliner helmet by inserting this filter into it, and I was amazed how easily it worked by comparison. There are no settings to get wrong. You just use it, and it becomes very second nature. I was NEVER flashed. Not even once. And it didn't matter when changing from using it outdoors and indoors. In comparison, the XVX Hobart helmet required adjustments when the overhead lighting conditions changed (outdoor/indoor).I think for the professional user that can appreciate all the adjustment nuances that an expensive helmet can provide, they can be happy spending the big bucks rockin' the Speedglas, Miller Elite, etc., etc.However, if you want a low cost solution, and you want the auto-darkening feature to work every dog-gone time, use this filter in a helmet that somebody's cast aside for one of those gourmet ones. I did and had enough money left over to get a nice Eswing E3-WC welder's chipping hammer (really awesome) and some tricked-out Keen steel toe boots so tough I kicked out some dents in a metal garbage can with them. Welding has a lot of start-up costs if you're a beginner, and it's all about stretching those coins to get everything you need and being gratified like that.I'm currently building a small plywood box to use as a carrying case for this helmet. It will have a clear Lexan lid so that when you store the helmet facing up light will enter in and keep the auto-darkening filter charged up. Was this a good purchase for me? Yes, it was. I'm very happy.

This lens was purchased for an old leather hood helmet that I use when welding overhead. (Well, actually when I crawl under my vehicles, and weld.) I tested it for a few minutes after I got it installed in the old hood, and it works great. Very happy with it. I paid the $53.97 for this lens as opposed to $14 to $25 for others in the search list mostly because the reviews for this one were very high. A one star reviewer stated the lens they had received was green instead of amber? Hmmm? Well, I didn't notice the description stating either green or amber; mine's amber.Since the original 20-25 year old leather hood had a flip-up shade, I removed all of the flip up mechanism, and installed the auto-darken lens in place of the clear lens, so the hood is noticeable lighter, which is cool. This modification works pretty good considering I had to accommodate 3 thicknesses of lens that replaced a single clear lens.One thing I found somewhat disturbing was the clear lenses that I tried to buy at the local welding shop. I was told OSHA will not allow them to sell clear glass lenses, only polycarbonate plastic POS's. Apparently, if the clear glass lens takes a hard enough hit, it could shatter and spray the user with glass shards. Ok. So, I bought a couple plastic lenses (40¢ each-cheap) just to finish the installation of my great new auto-darkening lens. I tried hard not to touch the plastic while installing them. When I got them anchored, that GD plastic crap had attracted some dust, and I scratched it trying to get it clean again. What junk!!When my acceptance testing was completed, I went back to Amazon to find some clear glass replacement lenses, and OMG!! Unbelievable high prices! $2.23 each as an "add on item," or $3.39 each with "free" shipping. After some surfing, I finally found some for a reasonable price at www.gradyshardware.com, where I bought 25 Forney 56801 clear glass, non-hardened lenses for $24.75. That's 79¢ each + $5 shipping. (Save $50, just in case you're in the same boat.) If anyone whom read this far finds them at a lower price, comment on this review and let everyone know. Thanx!