That $80 auto-darkening hood lens I cheaped out on finally failed me

Ngl, I bought this no-name lens off Amazon back in March to save a buck. It worked fine for stick welding in the shop, but today on a field job in Bakersfield it stopped darkening mid-pass. I caught a solid flash before I could flip my head up, and my eyes are still feeling it tonight. The cheap lens cost me $80, but the backup passive shade I borrowed from a guy on site saved my shift. Anyone else had a budget lens crap out during a long weld, or am I just unlucky with the electronics?

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kelly.nora15d ago

Same thing happened to me with a cheap solar lens last summer, flashed me right in the middle of a root pass and I saw spots for two days. I ended up buying a name brand one the next week and never looked back, lesson learned the hard way.