W20 490P Fiber Shell Welding Helmet - Auto Darkening Lens, Lightweight & Durable (1-Pack) - Perfect for MIG, TIG, Arc Welding & Metal Fabrication

Alright so first review I’ve ever done but I’m just blown away by this hood. Ya it’s expensive and ya it looks like cheap cardboard but the base is there. Extremely lightweight and perfect functionality.Im a pipefitter welding on the job all day long and have always used a speedglas 9100. Which I thought was a decent hood. Just got tired of getting flashed from the delay being a touch too slow constantly. Hardly noticeable but over time it wears on you and is hard on the eyes. So I tried my friends hood with a really nice passive lens and I was blown away with the clarity. It was like looking through high definition compared to a $400 speedglas.The hood needs modified out of the box though. I used sling shot tubing for the headgear to get rid of the ratchet. I was skeptical at first but wow what a nice setup when you get it sized right. It’s like slipping on a ball cap that doesn’t move. With this mod the head gear is easily better than a speedglas. The locking system for when you lift the hood stays locked perfectly and you barely flick it and it comes down smooth. It’s perfect honestly. Super comfortable with the mod just need to wear a fitters cap so it doesn’t pull the hair like any headgear does.Also use blue loc-tite on the threads once you get it set just right and let it sit overnight. They won’t strip or come loose.Next you need a lens. And I would highly suggest getting one from opti-coolwelding. They are pricey but you can’t beat them. If your on a budget then get a good gold plated lens from philips or if you can find an old Lincoln supervisibily blue glass lens, they are good as well. Also consider adding the blue or magenta add on drop ins from opti-cool. They just add to the overall primary lens. Helping to block smoke or add contrast to whatever task is at hand.Next thing is you need to modify the inside plexi glas to protect your lens. This doesn’t come with it so you will need a standard clear lens just like the front lens protector. Then Dremel out the slots to pop it in so your expensive lens is always protected (even when slid up). I’ll add some photos of the mods.And if your worried about water damage then just black spray paint the fiber board inside and out to seal it. After those mods this will be the best weld hood you’ve ever had period.