Becoming a better welder...

[adsm08]

Not sure what "little one" you are referring to but something like their 125 is only rated for 3/16"

They also have different brands.

Now that I think about it I think we started with this one:

170 Amp-DC, 240v, MIG/Flux Cored Welder

Amazing deals on this 170 Amp-Dc, 240V Mig/Flux Cored Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

but the feed wheel motor gave up pretty early on in the job, and we finished off with the Lincoln. I'm thinking the HF got through putting the patch in and the Lincoln was used to reinstall the engine cross member, which was actually the majority of the welding.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Now that I think about it I think we started with this one:

170 Amp-DC, 240v, MIG/Flux Cored Welder

Amazing deals on this 170 Amp-Dc, 240V Mig/Flux Cored Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

but the feed wheel motor gave up pretty early on in the job, and we finished off with the Lincoln. I'm thinking the HF got through putting the patch in and the Lincoln was used to reinstall the engine cross member, which was actually the majority of the welding.

I was looking at this one which is also what Scott has:

MIG 170 Professional Welder with 120/240V Input

Amazing deals on this Mig 170 Professional Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, Scott seems to like that one.

I'm going to look into a decent welder here in the next year or so. All our student loans should be done by next February, and I'll (hopefully) be back to work full time, and I'll have some money to throw at a really nice one.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

A lot of the HF welders share the exact same internal components, regardless of brand. They're all made by the same children in sweat shops. They probably also have anti-suicide nets just like the old Apple factory.

I promise you that regardless of brand, they over-inflate their duty cycle numbers as well as their amperage/capacity.

 

[Shran]

Myself and 3-4 of my friends all have Miller 211's (the older style.)

I have owned and welded with many different brands and for the home fabricator, you simply cannot beat it. I know they are expensive new but I got mine lightly used for $400.

And regarding HF welders: they can stick metal together. The old ones were fine for how much they cost, which was really not much. The new ones are approaching the cost of a Lincoln, Hobart or Miller and only have a 90 day warranty. 90 days!!!!! for a $500+ piece of equipment!!! No. fawking. way.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Myself and 3-4 of my friends all have Miller 211's (the older style.)

I have owned and welded with many different brands and for the home fabricator, you simply cannot beat it. I know they are expensive new but I got mine lightly used for $400.

And regarding HF welders: they can stick metal together. The old ones were fine for how much they cost, which was really not much. The new ones are approaching the cost of a Lincoln, Hobart or Miller and only have a 90 day warranty. 90 days!!!!! for a $500+ piece of equipment!!! No. fawking. way.

90 days longer than a $500 used one.

 

[Shran]

90 days longer than a $500 used one.

Touche, but, I would counter with - where can you buy parts for a HF welder once the 90 day warranty runs out? Matheson and A&B in town here carry or can get anything for Miller/Hobart/Lincoln etc. HF changes their welder lineup more than I change my socks... I bet a year from now they will deny any of what they sell now ever existed.

If those HF welders were several hundred dollars less, it would be worth the risk. It's worth spending a couple hundred more on a good one that has somewhere between 3 and 7 years of warranty to back it up.

 

[BlackBII]

I have a 240v Chicago electric welder from HF that has worked really well for me for the past few years. The gun and feed wheel are garbage and I've had to tweak/replace them, but the machine itself can melt steel. This square tube is .250 wall

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Touche, but, I would counter with - where can you buy parts for a HF welder once the 90 day warranty runs out? Matheson and A&B in town here carry or can get anything for Miller/Hobart/Lincoln etc. HF changes their welder lineup more than I change my socks... I bet a year from now they will deny any of what they sell now ever existed.

If those HF welders were several hundred dollars less, it would be worth the risk. It's worth spending a couple hundred more on a good one that has somewhere between 3 and 7 years of warranty to back it up.

Really hard to say for anything. We had to junk a L-Tec plasma cutter at work because the circuit board had been obsoleted.

 

[Dirtman]

Grump, if you're interested I have my old books from welding school that I have no use for. They have lots of good info. PM me if you want them. I can send you some cheater lenses too, no one in my shop uses them but I have a box full of them.

Also if you have eye issues try to find a cheap non auto darkening helmet (I prefer jacksons) and use GOLD tinted glass. The gold lenses show better contrast between the material and puddle. Another thing is to not use an insanely dark lens. I see way to many people uses #12 or even #13 shades when you could safely use a #9 or #10.

I offer no opinion on brands or types of welders to get. I weld for a living so my opinion of a good welder has little bearing on what is best for hobbyists on a budget.

 

[Shran]

I had a 110v Craftsman MIG and a 220v Clarke 180EN before my current Miller. And a handful of 110v and 220v stick welders. I did a LOT of welding with them and they did OK. All I'm saying is that it's the little things that matter. The gun on my Clarke broke and it was very expensive to fix. It would lose some power after the arc was struck on higher settings. The Craftsman's duty cycle was designed so that you could do about 10 minutes of welding, then wait half an hour for it to cool off, otherwise it would stop in the middle of a bead. Both of them were incredibly finicky with wire speed adjustment. But, I did a lot of nice work with them.

A lot of the fabrication I do is at a higher level than a lot of home hobbyists will get into. I'm the ultimate cheap ass but buying certain good tools was well worth it. Now if you're just putting a muffler on once and maybe building a fence/railing/whatever every other year, that $100 HF welder would look pretty good to me too.

 

[Ranger850]

My Century FC-90 welder from HD uses Lincoln parts.

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[buell-eyed-devil]

I had a little 110 flux core welder that was good for tacking for years. I just bought a H&S mig welder off a USA tool truck. Had a bottle given to me but havent got it filled yet. Everyone says they make good welders, Havent used it yet. It is 110v 140 amp so will do whatever I need. Will post after I try it out

 

[buell-eyed-devil]

Before buying any machine, you might also look in to who owns the parent company that produces it. Lots of intermingling going on with various manufacturers..

very interesting video

 

[Shran]

Oooo, I like that little Century. That would be super handy for small jobs outdoors. Now to find one in a pawn shop...