is carbon arc also known as air arc cutting ? if so then i know of it because we do it at my work but im not generally the one who does it so im not real familiar with it. i just got the helmet for light duty tig welding at my house. reason i went with the jackson is because i liked the button layout. some helmets have only 2 buttons so you have to scroll through other settings to set the one you want. i like the idea of having a button for each of the functions, then you can adjust the setting you want without scrolling through other functions. im not a big fan of the dial knobs either. i would rather have the buttons but its just a matter of preference i suppose
basically heres how it works
grind mode is a straight #3
torch mode is adjustable #5-#8 with sensitivity and delay adjustment
weld mode is adjustable #9-#13 with sensitivity and delay adjustment