I am shopping for a good 220 mig, I notice on line that the Clarke line of welders is about 1/2 $of miller or lincoln. Does anyone have experience with these machines? I am definitely a novice
duty cycle is the key element. also parts availability. some companys build orphan products, without any backup. its possible that welder is made by 1 of the bigger companys with normal parts. but make sure about the duty cycle ,u dont want to stand around for 20 minutes and only weld 10 minutes.
I don't think welders are a tool to skimp on. I've used Miller, Lincoln and Hobart, and I've owned the latter two. All are great machines by companies that have been around forever. Ten, twenty years from now you'll still be able to get parts, and they hold their value well. Save up and get a better one, or check out northern tool, they have a short payment plan for their Hobarts. I got the big 250amp in 4 monthly payments. Makes it easier to drop the big bucks.
I've got a Clarke 100e which is fine for light welding. The consumables are the big problem. No one carries them. Anytime I need new tips, etc, I need to order them online. Real pain because most online stores have a minimum order. ****s when all you need are tips but you have to 25 bucks worth of other stuff to meet the minimum. Not worth it.
I do know someone with a clark 220 that is very happy with it. He told me as long as your not running it all day long it works fine.
I've seen these and they are pretty basic. Quality is so-so. If you use this once a year it will probably last a long time. There are two other places you should look. One is www.weldingdirect.com the other is www.usaweld.com I've used both and the quality is really good. They seem to know what they are doing. Good luck.
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