by Natalie Edwards

DSK Engineering, Hastings - case study

 

'You open it, and use it for grinding and you can pretty much just see everything. You don’t even need to move your head.'

 

We talk to Archie Polon - Welder/Fabricator at DSK about his experience using the TECMEN TM1000 Flip Front Helmet with FreFlow Respirator, and how it compares with others he's tried.

Tell us a little bit about DSK Engineering...

At DSK we design and manufacture a broad range of products in steel, aluminum and other metals for our New Zealand and global customers. Our specialist knowledge of the wine, food processing and manufacturing industries has seen us work with many leading companies including ENZA, McCain Foods, Heinz Watties, Tow & Blow.

Archie is one of the welders/fabricators at DSK, doing a lot of welding and grinding on a daily basis. He's now had his TM1000 with FreFlow for 8 months, so we had a chat with him to see how he's finding it.

How did you find the TECMEN?

The first thing I noticed was the clean air, because I’ve used another brand before, and the airflow isn’t as strong. You can really feel the cold air coming out of the vent, and with the Tecmen I like how the air is directed around the mouth area. Secondly the design of the Lens, because it’s got a wide view on the lens. I’ve had others and they only have a small view. With this one you don’t need to move your head around to see things, you can just move your eyes. Also its comfortable to wear – doesn’t scratch my head that much. I used another brand before and it was really heavy on my head. This one is much lighter and more comfortable.

What did you think of the auto-darkening lens?

The quality of the lens is really good. It has a clear view, and I like the colour – the weld is blue and not green. You can see clearly what you’re welding, and the quality of my welding improved because of it. I was using a green lens one and I didn’t like it. It’s changed everything.

Do you like the flip up clear grinding lens, and how do you find it?

The Tecmen is really handy with the grinding lens because you don’t have to remove the helmet and change to a face shield for protection, because it has a built in one. And also, the wide view – you open it and use it for grinding and you can pretty much just see everything. And again, you don’t even need to turn your head to see everything.

Most of the time I need to grind some of the welding to make it smooth, and sometime clean up and take the splatters off. Pretty much as an everyday routine while welding I’m gonna grind. It also helps me to check what my welding looks like. Before I would have to remove the helmet to see what the weld looks like. But with this I can just flip up the auto-darkening lens to see what the weld looks like which saves a lot of time.

How often do you wear the Tecmen respirator unit?

I use it most of the time, if I’m not welding there’s usually a lot of welding going on around me, so I usually leave it on to protect me from the welding gas since it filters the air and that’s where it should be.

Are there any other points?

It's extremely comfortable, and more importantly, I don't find it too heavy.

What would you say to another engineer looking at buying the Tecmen TM1000 helmet?

They should buy this product because of the quality of your welds will improve, and to protect your health as well. The design and comfort are great, and the battery life is really good as well.