Welder

[baadboy11]

Hey all just curious if anyone has any experience with the harbor freight welders?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94056
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55167

I know they are probably pretty crappy, but I just need something cheap and easy for some minor welding...No Heavy duty stuff.
I priced the lincolns and millers and they are around $600 while these are around $100....I know ya get what ya pay for but.......

Any input???

 

[Chic N Stew]

only ones i've ever used are Snap-On and Miller

 

[baadboy11]

Anybody???

 

[metalmacguyver]

if you want even remotely decent welds, go with a mig.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200332691_200332691

as you learn to weld, you will want the ability to do better welds and gas shielded is the next step. this welder is still cheap but when you want you will be able to get an argon bottle for it and take the next step. those other welders are so cheap that they have almost no resale value so you wont be able to recover any of the cost to put towards the next welder.

 

[Loanranger]

The first welder I had was a flux core from Walmart, the thing worked like crap, but if you can learn to weld with flux core and make a good weld, switching to gas will make your life so much easier. The welder I have now is the Lincoln 140, and it works like a champ. I built my car trailer with it, did all the welding on my Fordzuki project with it, and done countless autobody side jobs with it. If you watch Lowes and Home Depot, they sometimes have a sale on these, or a welding supply store might be able to cut you a better deal. If I remember right, I got mine for 450 or so, but checking the Lowes website, they want 529 for it now.

 

[metalmacguyver]

if you can learn to weld with flux core and make a good weld, switching to gas will make your life so much easier.

exactly! just make sure you dont waste your money to start with is what i was saying.

 

[Chic N Stew]

this is the welder that i use, not mine, but my dad lets me use it when ever i need it, never given me any problems, u can buy another the adapter for aluminum welding

 

[baadboy11]

Thanks guys for the help...i'll probably look into the Northern welder when i save up some dough...Thanks!

 

[MAKG]

You gotta love "Thermal protection with warning light." Like you're going to see an FN idiot light THROUGH A WELDING HELMET. What were these guys smoking?

I'm a very inexperienced welder, but I was taught 1A per .001 on steel. So, 90A limits you to a little over 1/16 inch. Not big enough for quite a lot of stuff.

When looking at the really cheap welders, keep in mind that they aren't everything you will need. Arc-based welders blow UV everywhere, so you are going to need quite a bit of safety equipment. Or you'll have perpetual sunburns.

 

[Loanranger]

this is the welder that i use, not mine, but my dad lets me use it when ever i need it, never given me any problems, u can buy another the adapter for aluminum welding

You know, I was talking to the snapon rep about that one, but for $2300 vs the $500 I spent on the Lincoln, I couldn't justify it. The other thing about Snapon welders, is if anything goes wrong with it, most places won't work on them, and the 1-800 number that snap-on gives you to call for parts and repairs is useless, you can't get ahold of anyone.

 

[krugford]

You gotta love "Thermal protection with warning light." Like you're going to see an FN idiot light THROUGH A WELDING HELMET. What were these guys smoking?

I'm a very inexperienced welder, but I was taught 1A per .001 on steel. So, 90A limits you to a little over 1/16 inch. Not big enough for quite a lot of stuff.

When looking at the really cheap welders, keep in mind that they aren't everything you will need. Arc-based welders blow UV everywhere, so you are going to need quite a bit of safety equipment. Or you'll have perpetual sunburns.

hmmm, I wonder how well that holds up when you start getting into thicker stuff. It sounds about right for my old Century 130 amp, which would supposedly weld 1/8" in a single pass. But my Miller 210 advertises 3/8" in a single pass. Although I have never had to weld anything that thick... It's probably a good rule of thumb for smaller welders or lower heat settings. As for the UV thing, I found out the hard way that if your jeans have holes in the knees, you're gonna get a wicked sunburn. Hurts like hell.

To the OP: You do get what you pay for when it comes to welders. Although it can be nice to learn on a cheap welder, if it can't do even the most basic things you want it to easily, it's really just going to make you frustrated and it'll be a waste of money. Figure out what you are most likely going to be welding. If you're a regular "I welded it myself" kind of guy, then I doubt you'll ever get into anything even as thick as 1/4". I would recommend buying a welder that will do what you plan on doing the first time. It'll cost more up front, but it will save you time and money in the long run. Also, most of the time when you see "booger welds" on somebody's project, it is usually because they have too small a welder (or they're running on too low a setting) that just can't put out the power.

When I built the bumper for the front of my truck, if I was doing any tacking on the truck, I had to use the Century 130 because of the piss poor location of the 220V outlet in my shop. Although it is "rated" to 1/8", I had a hell of a time getting tack welds to get any penetration because of heat transfer associated with a tube joint. I had to carefully remove the tacked together bumper from the truck and take it over to the big welder to finish weld it. If I would of had to rely on the little Century welder to do it, I wouldn't have a bumper right now...

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

save your cheese,bite the bullit and get a good one.............most snap-on's are made by lincoln by the way(or they used to be)

 

[canyoncritter]

weldingweb.com thats the best info I can give you.

 

[OilPatch197]

Can you even get welders with copper windings anymore?