Welding Reference Pro vs HoodDown

Welding Reference Pro puts every tool a welder needs in one app — calculators, reference guides, training, and QA checklists. No internet required. No subscription. One price, everything unlocked. CALCULATORS (8) Weld Settings — enter your process, material, and thickness to get amperage, voltage, wire speed, and electrode recommendations for MIG, TIG, Stick, and Flux-Core. Wire Feed Speed — convert between wire feed speed and deposition rate across 6 wire diameters. Gas Flow — get shielding gas type and flow rate recommendations by process, material, joint type, and position. Filler Weight Estimator — calculate pounds of filler metal needed for 5 joint types with waste factors. Unit Converter — 7 categories including length, temperature, pressure, flow rate, weight, heat input, and area. Weld Cost Estimator — estimate labor, filler, and gas costs with your own custom rates. Edit every rate in the app. Heat Input (Pro) — calculate joules per inch with process efficiency factors for SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, and SAW. Preheat Calculator (Pro) — input your carbon equivalent elements and thickness to get preheat temperature and crack sensitivity assessment. REFERENCE GUIDES (9) 27 electrodes and filler metals — E6010 through Inconel, searchable by classification, type, or application. Electrode Guide, Welding Symbol Decoder (18 AWS A2.4 symbols), Joint Preparation Guide (13 joints), Weld Defect ID (10 defects with causes and fixes), Gas Reference Chart, Material Properties (18 materials including duplex and nickel alloys), NDE Methods, Heat Treatment Reference, and Pipe Welding schedules. TRAINING ACADEMY 6 study modules with spaced repetition: Welding Fundamentals, Electrode Mastery, Blueprint Reading, Metallurgy, Weld Quality, and Code Awareness. Questions you get wrong come back sooner. Track your streak and progress. EXAM PREP (Pro) Practice for CWI (56 questions), AWS D1.1 (85 questions), ASME Section IX (88 questions), OSHA Welding Safety (56 questions), and Welding Math (45 questions). Timed mode, score history, and category filtering. ENTERPRISE FEATURES Qualification Tracker — track your welding certifications, positions, and expiration dates. Get warned when a cert is expiring. QA Checklists — pre-weld, during-weld, and post-weld inspection checklists with standard templates. Tag by project. Weld Log — attach a photo from your library, tag welding parameters, and save locally. Export to CSV or PDF for QA documentation. Global Search — type "7018" and find the electrode, compatible settings, and defect fixes all at once. Tap any result to copy it to clipboard. Save and name any calculation. Export results as PDF. FREE FEATURES: 6 calculators (Weld Settings, Wire Feed Speed, Gas Flow, Filler Weight, Unit Converter, Weld Cost), all 9 reference guides, Training Academy study modules, qualification tracker, checklists, weld log (up to 15 entries). PRO UNLOCK ($9.99 one-time): Heat Input Calculator, Preheat Calculator, CWI Exam Prep, AWS D1.1 Exam Prep, ASME IX Exam Prep, OSHA Safety Exam Prep, Welding Math practice, WPS Reference templates, Distortion Guide, unlimited weld log entries. No subscription. No ads. No account required. No personal data collected — just anonymous usage diagnostics.

You know the feeling. You've got the metal, the rod, the motivation — and absolutely zero idea what voltage to set. So you wing it, strike an arc, and produce something that looks like a seagull walked across hot tar. Hood Down fixes that. Tell it your process, your material, and how thick the metal is. It spits back the voltage, amperage, wire feed speed, and gas flow you actually need. In seconds. No chart hunting, no forum rabbit holes, no third-degree burns from touching the wrong thing. WHAT'S INSIDE - MIG, TIG, Stick, and Flux-core — all covered - Mild steel, stainless, aluminum — pick your poison - Wire diameter, rod size, and TIG cup size recommendations included - Flags sketchy combos before you do something you'll regret - Save your best setups so you're never starting from zero again - Built-in troubleshoot tips for when the bead looks angry - Imperial and metric — wherever you're from HONEST ABOUT WHAT IT IS Hood Down gives you a solid starting point. From there, you dial it in like the welder you are. Every machine runs a little different. This gets you close, fast. FREE. FOR REAL. No ads. No premium tier. No subscription to unlock "advanced processes." Welding gear already cleaned out your wallet — the app shouldn't. Put your hood down. Make something. QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK? We know the app is not perfect but with your help we can make it better. Find us on Facebook or drop an email to blah@helstad.eu — real humans, real responses.