Clarke Welders

[Beef52751]

Are Clarke welders any good? There is a 110V Clarke Stick welder on CL for $75. Do you think it is worth it? I cant have a 220V Welder because i dont have 220 in my garage. It will only be temporary because i plan on buying a MIG welder eventually but i dont have the money now.
Thanks for the input.
Beef

 

[countryboy]

got one wouldn;t hit a dog with it if you won't u can have it

 

[colinrmitchell]

got one wouldn;t hit a dog with it if you won't u can have it

LOLWUT?!!1??!1??/?

 

[countryboy]

but i live in va

 

[countryboy]

talking about the clarke welders they aren't worth wasting your money on but that is my option

 

[Downey]

^^^ agree a stick welder isnt really worth paying for just save for a good mig welder

 

[warrior24]

walk away they are junk.

 

[colinrmitchell]

I bought a dumpy stick welder, and I have to say that I learned a lot on it before I stepped up to a better buzz-box.

Haha, it was so worthless that when I stepped up to a good welder, I never stuck rods because the cheap welder always had me sticking rods! I would say that, for $75, it wouldn't hurt to get it and start practicing, maybe build some lawn mower parts or whatever to get used to the whole idea of welding.

 

[Will]

^^^ agree a stick welder isnt really worth paying for just save for a good mig welder

A 110V stick is no good. A MIG will actually weld with a 110V source because the electrode is so thin and you have more that 10" of it to work with.

A 220V stick is definately good. I would make an extention cord to run it off the drier or water heater outlet. The thing about a stick welder is that you know you are welding when you use it. You aren't going to be laying a bead up on top because when you are learning to use it you will have to start with too much heat while you learn to strike the arc. A 110V MIG has to go along pretty slowly to weld anything substantial--and the metal has to be a lot cleaner. A 220V stick will easily weld through paint as long as you make a nick to start the arc at.

I would get the 220V stick first because then you will know what a weld looks like. The little 110V MIG is handy, but I prefer the old stick welder for sizeable jobs. Takes a lot of .030 wire to match up with an 1/8" stick.

 

[Beef52751]

my only problem is a 220V source is probaly 50 yards away, so im stuck with a 110V Welder, i just wasnt sure if i should buy a stick or mig 110V welder?

 

[B&G_Automotive]

To be honest if you are limited for power I would spend the extra money for a more capable machine. Check out the Lincoln Invertec V155-S $735 at welding mart. You can use it also for touch start tig as well, and has a higher duty cylce the the good ole AC-225 lincoln buzz box.

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.aspx?p=55678

Even a nice Tig setup from Miller would be a good way to go as you have stick and full Tig in one unit.

http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p002732.htm

If you are working with a low budget and just want a machine to use once in a while for simple thin metal welds 1/8" and under. This MIG welder from Harbor freight is a good choice, its cheap and pretty reliable for the price. Only problem is you have no provision for gas so you have to use fluxcore, but it gets the job done.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94056

 

[Beef52751]

I would prefer a Mig welder for what I do but my power source is limited to 110V and everyone said stay away from the harbor freight welders so im not sure what i should do yet.

 

[B&G_Automotive]

I would prefer a Mig welder for what I do but my power source is limited to 110V and everyone said stay away from the harbor freight welders so im not sure what i should do yet.

The HF one I linked above is ok in my book yes it is cheap and you get what you pay for, but it got the job done quite well.

 

[dangerranger83]

My dad owns a Clarke MIG Welder only because he loaned his out and it got stolen so the guy showed up with it. My dad only paid 200 bucks for the one that got stolen and the Clarke one was bought for 400 bucks. It came with a welder stand and other goodies. Have to admit its not a bad MIG welder. We olny use 110 volts with it.

 

[Downey]

Ok heres the rear question what are you planning on doing with your welder do you want to fix the body on your truck and weld thin stuff or are you plannnig on building plate bumpers and other things of thicker steel or are planning on doing both?