New products show up in our garage all the time, usually plastered with hyperbolic language proclaiming them to be the best thing since sliced bread.
So we weren’t that surprised when this $465.37 Miller welding helmet–technically designated the Digital Elite, Vintage Roadster, Clearlight 2.0–showed up proclaiming it was better than every other one. See, we’d been down this road before, upgrading a few years back from a cheap off-brand helmet to one we’d bought for about $100.
That upgrade was night-and-day, and we found ourselves making prettier, stronger welds with less effort. Since we already had a better helmet, what’s the point of upgrading again? And what the heck is “ClearLight 2.0 Welding Helmet Lens Technology,” which Miller claims provides twice the clarity?
We figured we’d try out this fancy Miller and comment on some tiny nuances or features that only somebody welding all day every day would appreciate. In our home shop, we just didn’t think we’d notice a difference–never mind a $400 difference.
But wow, were we wrong. This helmet is so good, we instantly banished our others to “guest” duty and will now only weld with this wherever we go.
First up, that ClearLight 2.0 marketing spiel. Yeah, turns out it’s real. If anything, the comparisons on the website don’t do this justice–it’s like going from watching a weld in black and white to watching it in full color, and it’s a game changer.
We figured this difference would only be helpful to professionals, but we think it’s more helpful for amateur welders like us; it’s stunning how much is actually happening in a weld puddle, and seeing that means you can change it for the better.
This better view might also be because we didn’t flash ourselves nearly as much, either. We’re frequently welding in compromised positions–think roll cage feet or similar–which means we’re constantly blocking the sensor in a normal autodarkening helmet.
Miller solves that in a few ways here. First, with more arc sensors (four total). And second, with a feature called X-Mode, which electromagnetically senses the weld. Combine the two, and we still haven’t managed to flash ourselves while wearing this helmet.
And when the lens isn’t darkened, it’s way, way lighter. In a normal helmet, we’re constantly flipping it up as the light state just isn’t that bright.
In this helmet, we’ll leave it down for the entire project. The helmet adjusts sensitivity automatically, too, which means no more fiddling with that knob.
This helmet’s got plenty of other features we won’t dive into–auto on/off, half-shade settings, memory settings, fantastic headgear, etc.–but the bottom line is this: This is the most expensive welding helmet we’ve ever touched. And, somehow, it’s convinced us it’s totally worth it. We’d even argue that we’ll make better welds with an off-brand machine and this helmet than we would with a name-brand machine and an off-brand helmet.
And a PS to the price: Looks like Miller is currently offering a $75 rebate.
Comments
For anyone who thinks this is “too expensive”…. it’s the cost of 1-2 track tires or one race or one track day weekend. My perspective? “How much are your eyes worth?”…
DaleCarter said:
“How much are your eyes worth?”…
Good point. I feel like the same can be applied to a race helmet: How much is your brain worth?
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