$219 tig at harborfreight anybody use this POS

Well, I looked around a little on the 'net to see what I could find, and ran across this thread:

http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661

Take it for what it's worth. Jesus, it's a $200 welder for chrissakes.

 

The reason HF tools are so cheap is so you can buy two - one to break trying to do the job and one so you can finish it without having to go back to the store.

I broke a 3/8ths breaker bar I got there on my '50 Ford and went up and they gave me another one no charge - in fact I had to get a 1/2" because they didn't have the 3/8ths in stock. Apparently on hand tools they're doing the Craftsman lifetime warranty now. Girl at the counter didn't care as long as I was happy.

Thats how to screw 'em, though, return your busted stuff there for an exchange or refund. I have a chain binder I need to take back because I managed to bend it all to ****. Says limited lifetime warranty on the box - I'm not going to tell 'em I backed over it with the trailer unloading a car, I still can't figure out how it got bent anyways - it wasn't hooked to anything on one end.


Most of their stuff is good for when you only need it for one job and don't want to screw around renting the stuff you need.

I'd like to know how Campbell Housfeld welders are, myself, I got one about 2 years ago and have never had a chance to use it - a 110V MIG/flux unit. I figured it would be good enough for bodywork if I didn't try to stich up a whole car from scratch -

 

You guys are overlooking the obvious. Look at the picture and you will see this is nothing more than a stick welder. Real tig welders are refined stick welders, and can be used as such. If you don't want to buy China junk, look around for an old Lincoln AC/DC buzz box, and a bottle of straight argon. You will use DC - for steel. I used one for years as a tig, and they work fine for certain things. You can get an add on high frequency unit for aluminum, but the major downside is the duty cycle. You can only weld for short periods, and then you have to let it cool. The tig torch lead simply clamps onto the stick torch, and is air cooled, which is another downside. The aircooled torches are bigger in size than a watercooled torch and are relatively clumsy. To further complicate matters, you won't have the advantage of a foot pedal to control the heat, which on heavier metals is ok, but would be a real pain to use on patch panels, which I think was one of the original topics of concern before this post went everywhere except to the main question.

 

That is exactly it. If you think that unions, particularly the UAW, are the problems, then don't take a weekend break, work 10-12 hours a day with no overtime, take all the safety guards off all your tools, work next to some 8 year old, don't use any PPE, and dont' ***** about it when they drop minimum wage (like that is possible). Unions fought for this stuff. So if you think that it is a union problem...come hang out in the refineries with me. Maybe I can watch you blow up half the east coast with no training.

 

If it makes a difference to anyone, Lincoln Welders are non-union and Miller is union. I know sone people support/try to buy only union products. If you don't maybe Walmart will come out with one for $39.99 we can all get. HAHA.

Larry

 

yawn... worst thread ever, and i started it. no politics on the hamb, ya know.

i was just thinking it might be a option for the parttime hobbyst builder who needs a tig once or twice a year. vs a $1700 tig.

 

I looked through this entire thread and found only half a dozen posts that were on topic. So much for actually trying to be helpful to fellow HAMBers. A simple question about a TIG welder turns into a hot air session on global economics.

 

I have NO experience with the HF tig, however a friend of mine bought a mig unit from them and has regretted it since day one. I've used it on a few occasions and even at max output there is almost no penetration - plus this thing puts out three times the amount of slag my Lincoln does.

I only post this to try and save you and your friends a lot of grief.... I end up dragging my Lincoln over to his place EVERY time he tries to weld anything. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to help fix his ****py welds too.

Harbor Freight has some decent tools, but I've had nothing but bad experiences with anything I buy from there that has moving parts....

 

I have a Miller.......but for some reason I eyeballed the HF pos.......No bottle and reg......small torch w/ tiny tungsten (may be good for thin ****) and no foot petal. how do you adj. amps?

how the **** do you spell petal?........don't look right

 

i bought a plasma cutter from HF before. it ****s.

i bought a jack from HF. it came apart under a cadillac and could have killed me.

lessons learned.i'll never buy a anything that demands quality or safety from HF.

welds demand both quality and safety.

me no ruv china either.

-scott noteboom

 

So you dug up a 3 year old thread to tell us it was "off topic"...

And "your answer" had exactly what to do with welders???

 

So did you have to bump up a three year old thread to share that bit of wisdom with us?


Guess I was a little slow on the draw....

 

On the topic of welders, don't waste your money. Scratch start is a major pain in the ****.
Do you really want to re grind your electrode EVERY time you want to start an arc? Or just live with porous welds?
And duty cycle is a killer. I've got a good TIG and a cheap plasma cutter. The TIG will run all day. The plasma will only cut about 4 feet before it quits for 15 minutes.

 

Yeah thanks allot zgears!

Hey I'll split the cost with you.

 

MMMMMSSSEPOP!!!

Sound of me pullin' my head out of my ****.

Three years old. GD

 

I don't generally like supporting foreign economies, but it seems to me if you have a job you neen to get done and you have 300 bucks to spent on tools, you can do a hell of a lot more with a welder, set of hammers, cut off whell, grinder, and screwdriver set, than you can with a set of Snapon hammers. You can weld with a set of jumper cables and 2 car batterys, seems to me even the most basic, maby even ****ty welder, in the right hands can do the job.

 

Kenny, when did you crawl out from under the rock? Good to see you back. You had also better show up at the Rust Revival!! Later, Keith

 

I have mig, tig and stick welders, two Millers and a Lincoln. They range in age from about 20 years to over 30. All still working well. I doubt any Harbour Freight tool would last that long.

My approach has always been to buy a good brand name tool and plan on keeping it for a while. I don't like disposable tools, "extended warranties", etc.

 

I hear a lot of negatives about the HF TIG welder. I bought one about 3 months ago and want to report positives on it.
I am not a TIG expert by any means and its been 20 years since I did any TIG work.
I havent had any problems with this unit, I was worried about the duty cycle but it has never kicked out on me yet.
I have welded 4 x 2 x 3/16 wall tubing for the frame and 18 ga body panels.
I wasn't expecting much when I bought this but I am pleasantly surprised.
Just my 2c
above is a post I made in March
I am still using it and its working fine. I think anyone critical about this unit either hasn't used one or dont know what they are doing.
And it IS NOT a stick welder, it uses liftstart technology. You touch the tungsten to the work and lift it slightly, a solenoid kicks in and the gas starts to flow, a few seconds later the arc begins. when you stop and lift the torch , the gas continues to flow for a few seconds to sheild the weld.

I dont give a **** where anything is made as long as it works for me

 

Oh hell, not this bit again.
There are dozens, if not hundreds of viable american alternatives to Snap-On. If You aren't doing this type of work for a living, I cannot fathom jumping on the big red truck.

and frankly, You're likely to cause more problems with a 300 dollar welder than fix anything.

 

pedal

 

LOL, you guys are a crack up.

what did I read on annother thread, something about not tradional or someother BS? See, if you were real hard core hot rodders you would do something like this.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=TIG+alternator

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/my-diy-tig-welder-77730.html




PHTHTHT, ******** gold chainers. Buying your tools. What's next a post about whos blister pack material is easier to open, Billet Specialties or Lokar?

[/sarcasm]

 

No politicking here, all I know is that when I'm trying to learn a new skill I don't need sub-par equipment handicapping me. I struggle enough with the best equipment money can buy to risk wasting my time on poor quality equipment. I'd save my money a little longer and buy a better unit. You don't need the fanciest as it may have so many features that it becomes overwhelming, just a good quality unit that you don't have to make allowances for when using.

 

keith! that post was from 05!!!!

 

STFU NOOB!!!
Please kill this thread.

 

We bought 3migs and an old P&H tig from a Boing auction years ago. Good machines still using them today and cheap. All 3 phaze with 100% duty. I say get the cheap one, if you can learn to weld decent with it you'll look like a whiz kid with the good stuff.

 

Brain fart.......thanks for the clairification. (sp).

 

It's not quite as scary when you realize what they're using to weld their planes together.

 

......just p***ed some beer thru my nose. Got a visual of millions of little yellow people goin' at each other w/their products - for quality control purposes of co****.

 

Does that thing make whiskey?