Whats the best auto darkening welding helmet for the $$$$. Looking at a miller pro-hobby

Harbor Freight one is probably the best one for the money.

No joke, lots of experienced welders recommend them.

harbor freight ones arent to bad if u are only using it in the shop. I have a speedglass that ive had for 9 years. well worth the 300 i paid for it.... I use it everyday in the shipyard up here and it hasnt missed a beat yet

If you use it "pro hobby" you may want to be satisfied with a simple one.

I think the liquid-crystal unit with sensor is not the critical part then, but it needs to be robust and comfortable. So I would buy one only after having it in my fingers and on my head - from a local store.

I've bought one where the liquid-crystal unit falls out from time to time - it does not fit too good into the helmet but since I use it not too often, it's not a problem for me.

I have a Jackson EQ Pro , It's been a great helmet. Look in your local for sale adds, I picked this one up for $70, it was like new.

I like my Miller Pro-Hobby. It hasn't let me down yet

Whatever you do, get the one with the larger viewing area. I bought mine about 15 years ago when only the smaller versions were avaialble. I'm tempted every time I use it to buy one of the larger ones.

I got one that was in the 100 range years back, probally better quality than the harbor freight ones... I weld a good bit and I couldn't see spending anymore. I also could never go back to one that wasn't auto darkening.

Thanks for the info