The old welding hood I found in a job trailer last week

Cleaning out an old job trailer outside St. Louis and found a fibreglass Jackson hood from the 80s. No auto-darkening, just a fixed shade 10 lens. Made me think about how I learned the trade 20 years ago with the same setup. Now we got all these digital hoods and I still keep a passive one in my truck for backup. Any of you old timers still run a fixed shade or am I alone here?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_flores8d ago

I actually think there's a safety angle people miss with the old fixed shades. The newer auto-darkening hoods have a slight delay that can mess with your eyes over years of daily welding, even if it's milliseconds. I noticed less eye strain after switching back to a passive lens for stick welding at least.

the_amy8d ago

emery_flores that eye strain thing is real, totally feel you on that one.

christopher9433d ago

Honestly the thing nobody talks about with those old fixed shade hoods is how they train you to actually move your head properly. With auto-darkening you just flip it down and trust the sensor. But with a passive lens you learn to dip your chin and position your body so the arc hits the lens at the right angle. That muscle memory sticks with you forever. Ngl I see younger welders all the time with their necks cranked at weird angles because theyre relying on the hood to do the work. Plus those old fiberglass hoods are basically indestructible. Dropped mine off a scissor lift once and it just bounced.