The question is: what, exactly, do you expect to get out of a $90 welder? Like MetalShapes, I have one and it mostly sits on the shelf, but, occasionally there is a need where a buzzbox or a larger machine can't go and although marginal it will stick two pieces of metal together. The biggest drawback with flux core wire is the splatter...not so important if your working on a pasture gate running from a generator...real important if you want to do body work. My favorite machine is my MillerMatic 250. Expensive? A little. Good machine? The best! Check your local paper for estate auctions and such. I recently bought a real nice AC-DC machine for $50 cause no one else bid on it. I could have had it for less but felt like it was worth the money. .
I am a excellent welder and I never could get a nice weld out of the one I had,,I bought a Miller 135 with a bottle and love it!!! Pretty much junk !!!!!!!
Wow- the responses here vary quite a bit. From the guy ("It's crap!) who obviously does some heavy plate welding with gas shielded .050" flux core @ 300 amps to the guy ("It's great!) who has never run anything else. While I don't pretend to be an expert welder, but having worked with (and owned) several welding machines of varying sizes and in fab shops before, I believe that this machine could work ok on sheet metal. I wouldn't expect it (or trust it) to work on anything over 16 gage. The flux core will create a lot of spatter- buy you some anti spatter spray and use it liberally. I believe if you vary your weld technique and see what results in the best welds, you can stick some metal together safely with it. However, like most things, you do get what you pay for- a bigger amperage machine and gas shielding will give you better results and more capability.
Waste of money, waste of time. If you buy one, get the extended warranty so you can exhcange it easily WHEN it breaks. I had three of them break, and no one can fix them. They did exchange it each time, but I gave up and bought a refurb hobart. No problems since. BTW, after farting around with the HF and switching to the Hobart, I discovered that I was a better welding than I thought I was.
Junk. I had one and blew it up. Welded like crap too.....too hot, would constantly blow through sheetmetal. I got a Lincoln MIG to replace it and it's night and day difference better. So my advice: don't bother with the HF toy, get a quality MIG instead.
Save a little more and check out your local craigslist, you will be glad you did! I just sold a little Millermatic 135 (110v mig) for $500 on craigslist about a week after posting it and you can pick up an older good working 220V Miller even cheaper than that or save and buy a new one for around $800. If you do end up buying the HF mig don't forget to pick up about 4 of their cheap grinders!
I've been using mine for about five years & in fact have built my hot rod with it (which included a chop, many patch panels, a complete subframe for a deep channel & complete door rebuilds). I would not use it to weld a frame, but it's O.K. for sheet metal, tubing, angle iron, etc. Yes, sheet metal blow through & splatter are more prevalent than with a gas unit (which I have used). I've been using the stuff that I welded with it for some time & have found no evidence of weld failure whatsoever. What can I tell you...I tried to kill it but it won't die.
id definately go for getting a mig welder with gas if you want something cheaper and good for sheet metal and frames, go with the hobart handler 140, its nearly identicle to the new millermatics, excecpt for the paint job, hobart is the sister company of miller so you know thier gonna make good product, and its half the price of a miller, and has a 5 year warrently on the insides, 3 years on the nobs and controls, and 1 year on the case, i have a small millermatic and a small lincoln, and the hobart is comparable, and you can pick one up at tractor supply
agree^^^ save your money...you dont have to buy new. there are cheap remanufatured ones from miller and all the other big names. i found my 110 and 220 on craigslist one miller and the other hobart (same thing) for around 400 for both. its well worth it to buy a nice set up even if used. night and day difference.
I have one I bought a number of years ago just to see if I wanted a wire welder. I welded a number of things with it including the sheet metal on my seeder and floors in a Chevy pickup. It got to where it is blowing a little fuse inside the case so I bought a Lincoln which I like way better.
if you want a beer get a miller, if you want a car get a lincoln, if you wanna weld get a hobart hahaha just kidding thought yall get a kick outta that, the hobart guy told me that, but all three are great welders
Lot's of differences if you compare side by side, especially when you look under the hood... I'm guessing the Hobart guy... 1. doesn't know where his paycheck comes from 2. doesn't weld much.
Even as a one-liner or soundbite its dumb. Miller is the name of an Iconic Racing Engine, a Pioneer of Turbo Systems, and quality Welders. But all he could think off was a avarage quality beer. Not somebody I would go to for Tech Advise...
well wether the phrase is dumb or if their nothing a like, the point is hobart makes some good welders for a lower budget
I love it when Hobart guys make fun of Miller guys, they are both owned by the same company, Illinois Tool Works, and in fact the Hobart is just a Miller with a different case and a few less features. As to the HF welder, I have never used one but I think for $100 you could give it a try. If you have any real experience as an actual welder you will hate that machine and would not even consider buying it. IMHO the best machine for the buck for a homeowner or even a small shop is the Miller 211 with autoset. Runs about $1000 and worth every penny. Will run on 110 or 220V and will push up to 3/8" steel. Very nice machine.
You get what you pay for,forget HF and go buy a Miller,problem solved for the rest of your life.Lincoln, Hobart,in the same mix.
I've been using the same HF 70 amp flux welder for almost seven years. Yes, I said SEVEN years. It has never let me down. The duty cycle is low. I will look into the larger fan. I've gotten far more than I bargained for by far. I've never welded any structure with it, only exhaust and body patches. With that said, I realize my experience is probably the exception rather than the norm. When the time comes to get a new welder, I will be getting a Miller.
Hey guys, I'm a welder so here is the skinny on it as far as I know. You absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to welders, as many have said before. In my humble opinion there are only 4 modern brands that build welders for real everday use and that will last, Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, Esab. If your lookin for cheaper get a Hobart( Illinois tool works owns them and Lincoln). With the HF crap it's about getting the lucky one that works, not quality. A welder is an investment not a simple purchase. As far as size 180 and up should do ya just fine. Flux core should be fine but gives off a lot smoke and harder to lay as pretty a bead as mig will do. In the end it's all up to the task at hand and how pretty you want that weld to look.
OOps! made a flub. Illinois Tool Works owns miller not Lincoln. He He I should know that I use one every day.
Lets say i ran outta gas on my welder (ArCO2) and the shop where i refill is closed all month.. damn! Can i use fluxwire for the time being or a machine made for gas cant work gasless? thanx.
Yep, but you need but you need to be able switch polarity from DCEP(Direct Current Electrode Positive) to DCEN. Also you got to watch out that your drive rolls are not so worn out that you have had to tighten them down to much because this could crush the wire, generally this is not a problem because drive rolls tend to last a long time.
Thanx, althou i dnot think i have any switch polarity switches..... Anyways, yeaterday was the last open day of the shop so i got lucky, well kinda, as today the damn machine started actin up, its a autosetting digi mig, its set for 0.8 wire and it kept autosetting itself for 6, also switched from Fe to SS or Alu....something has to be wrong. sorry for the hijack, but i also guess that you had your answer by now.
Yea I'm thinkin your machine is havin circuit board issues and you might need to get it checked out. Also sorry bout the hijack.
You can get good service out of some import welders,but look for a good used machine and it will be able to weld anything you want.Miller 35,MILLER 200,and the Miller Vintage are some of the best MIG's made and if you look hard enough you can usually find one for cheap.
ahah, let the fun beh'gin! No really, yeah the machine has some board problems, but the last couple of days it only sets itself to o.6 wire, and that aint really a problem, cause all i have to do is hand set wire speed and im good, the real problem is when it changes settings while i weld!!!! BUT LUCKYLY IM GOOD W/ THE GRINDER, AHAHHA
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