Are cheap welding helmets any good? (recommendations?)

[NCBurb]

So waaaayyyy back when I took my first welding class, we learned with the "hood flip" method, and like others mentioned, I never got that perfected. As little as I weld, it sounds like the basic Harbor Freight or Lowes auto-helmet should work. Now that I think about it I think I do have an old fixed lens hood that I picked up at some point, will have to see if I can dig that out just to test it.
I have also emailed the Hobart customer service, just to see if the current series of replacement lenses will fit my old helmet...looks like I could get just the lens for about $50 if that'll work...

 

[MikeB]

I bit the bullet and bought a mid-range Miller nearly 20 years ago. Compared to the cheapies of the day, it has more sensors, darkens faster, has a larger viewing area and more adjustability. Also, being Miller, I can probably still get parts for it.