Found out my old welding hood was lying to me about shade levels

Was swapping out a cracked lens on my old Jackson hood last week. Decided to check the shade rating stamped on the inside. Said shade 10. But I looked up the model number online and it turns out that hood was actually only shade 9 from the factory. Been running a 5/32 rod at 180 amps for months with barely enough protection. No wonder my eyes felt gritty after long shifts. A shade 9 on heavy plate work is just asking for arc flash damage. My foreman said I should have known better but I never thought to double check a hood I bought used. Anyone else run into fake or mislabeled shade ratings on old gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas2911mo ago

That hood was lying to you about shade levels" reminds me of the time I grabbed a pair of safety glasses off the shelf at a flea market, only to find out later they had zero UV protection stamped on them. My eyes felt weird after a day of grinding, and it turned out the lenses were just tinted plastic, not real shade-rated ones. Makes you wonder how many used tools out there have fake or worn-out ratings stamped on them, especially when you're trusting them with your eyesight.

briancampbell1mo ago

@thomas291 makes a good point about those flea market glasses. It's scary how many used tools out there have markings that just aren't reliable anymore. The wear and tear can make stuff hard to read, but outright mislabeling is a different kind of problem. I've been welding since the early 90s and always assumed the stamp on a hood was correct. Now I'm wondering how often this happens with older gear that's changed hands a few times. Your eyesight is nothing to gamble with over a used piece of equipment.