I'm not a welder by trade, but welding tips and tricks YouTube guru edit:(Jody of weldingtipsandtricks) likes that model for beginning welders.
I was recommended that channel by my welding instructor who *is* a welder by trade and said if you were going to watch anyone for welding stuff on YouTube that's the only channel he recommends. Grain of salt and such.
Agreed, in the box & ac/dc, that's a good deal, used go for $600 & up in my area. My ac was $80 & only gets used on 3/8+ iron, my 140 does fine on my little home projects.
If you're a farmer that needs to stick metal together every once in a while and just need it to hold, it's perfect. If you plan on welding anything thinner than 1/8" or need nice looking welds, this thing will be useless outside the hands of an actual professional welder.
Going to have to disagree with you. Even an amateur can make decent welds with proper settings/electrodes. As always you should practice before using on an actual project.
Have you ever ran one of these below 60-80 amps? I'm sure a pro could pull off a decent looking weld, but not an amateur who only gets one shot at whatever project their working on.
Me? I most certainly have. I have welded thin steel with 1/16 6013, as I mentioned. I mostly run 3/32 7018 at 85-90 amps, or 1/8 7018 at 115-120 amps. For thick plate, I like to root pass with 6010. That machine can run a max of 125 amps DC, I believe, so it is at the bottom amperage range for 5/32 rod, as well.
An amateur would have a tough go of it, but stick welding is not easy to learn to do well regardless. Practice makes perfect! We all have to start somewhere.
I would check out AHP Alphatig models. I got the 201 a couple years ago and for 600 you get almost everything you need. Ive done stick and tig with it. I've done stainless, aluminum, and mild steel. I love the machine. Also it not terribly heavy. Just my 2 cents.
I just bought one of similar, AC only, at a garage sale for $35. Hell of a steal for what I’m going to do with it at home.
For $400 for that one I would probably scoop it up. I’m a millwright by trade so do quite a bit of welding and fabricating and these machines are actually very nice for the price point if you know basic fundamentals of stick welding.
I love mine. Only stick welder I'll touch. I tried to get a little inverter welder, one of those capacitor ones with the PCB in it that boasts all these idiotic features. Fuck me I sent it back the next day. It was awful.
"Hot start" just shoot me in the head instead. That's the dumbest shit I've ever had the misfortune of witnessing. Literally just an uncontrollable burst of hundreds of amps as soon as you touch the electrode to the work. Can't disable it, can't tune it, just fuck you. It causes a big explosion of metal, burns through thinner metal, it's garbage.
Not to mention the fact that the arc would extinguish itself all the time no matter what. I was using 220v input and running it at the maximum 185 amps and it would just fizzle out, and I'd have my mask 2 inches from the weld and could literally see the electrode like a mm away.
Nothing about that little shit box was good.
Dude you can find used older ones of these for under $100 that work just fine and they’re pretty much indestructible so age really doesn’t mean much to them.
I'm not a welder by trade, but welding tips and tricks YouTube guru edit:(Jody of weldingtipsandtricks) likes that model for beginning welders. I was recommended that channel by my welding instructor who *is* a welder by trade and said if you were going to watch anyone for welding stuff on YouTube that's the only channel he recommends. Grain of salt and such.
First thing I saw was AC/DC on the side lol.
That's literally how the band got its name. Except it was written on an amp.
*sisters sewing machine
Ik
Stone Simple & Reliable for decades.
At 400 get it. They are near 1000 now. Make sure it actually Ac/dc. Great for welding outside. Mig not so much.
Agreed, in the box & ac/dc, that's a good deal, used go for $600 & up in my area. My ac was $80 & only gets used on 3/8+ iron, my 140 does fine on my little home projects.
It's a decent welder. Not much of a duty cycle. I have even tig welded with the miller counter part (thunderbolt)
Yes
If you're a farmer that needs to stick metal together every once in a while and just need it to hold, it's perfect. If you plan on welding anything thinner than 1/8" or need nice looking welds, this thing will be useless outside the hands of an actual professional welder.
Bruh I weld sheet metal on my car with it. I welded shit to the welder itself. 😂 (added wheels)
Going to have to disagree with you. Even an amateur can make decent welds with proper settings/electrodes. As always you should practice before using on an actual project.
You can absolutely weld thinner than 1/8" with this machine. 1/16 6013 at 35-40 amps, and boogie.
Have you ever ran one of these below 60-80 amps? I'm sure a pro could pull off a decent looking weld, but not an amateur who only gets one shot at whatever project their working on.
Me? I most certainly have. I have welded thin steel with 1/16 6013, as I mentioned. I mostly run 3/32 7018 at 85-90 amps, or 1/8 7018 at 115-120 amps. For thick plate, I like to root pass with 6010. That machine can run a max of 125 amps DC, I believe, so it is at the bottom amperage range for 5/32 rod, as well. An amateur would have a tough go of it, but stick welding is not easy to learn to do well regardless. Practice makes perfect! We all have to start somewhere.
I would check out AHP Alphatig models. I got the 201 a couple years ago and for 600 you get almost everything you need. Ive done stick and tig with it. I've done stainless, aluminum, and mild steel. I love the machine. Also it not terribly heavy. Just my 2 cents.
AC and DC for 400 bucks? Yes indeed. You could do scratch start TIG if you get a torch and a bottle of gas too.
Buy used. They last forever, might as well save some money. Got mine for $50 it works fine. Perfect stick welder for the average joe.
I just bought one of similar, AC only, at a garage sale for $35. Hell of a steal for what I’m going to do with it at home. For $400 for that one I would probably scoop it up. I’m a millwright by trade so do quite a bit of welding and fabricating and these machines are actually very nice for the price point if you know basic fundamentals of stick welding.
I love mine. Only stick welder I'll touch. I tried to get a little inverter welder, one of those capacitor ones with the PCB in it that boasts all these idiotic features. Fuck me I sent it back the next day. It was awful. "Hot start" just shoot me in the head instead. That's the dumbest shit I've ever had the misfortune of witnessing. Literally just an uncontrollable burst of hundreds of amps as soon as you touch the electrode to the work. Can't disable it, can't tune it, just fuck you. It causes a big explosion of metal, burns through thinner metal, it's garbage. Not to mention the fact that the arc would extinguish itself all the time no matter what. I was using 220v input and running it at the maximum 185 amps and it would just fizzle out, and I'd have my mask 2 inches from the weld and could literally see the electrode like a mm away. Nothing about that little shit box was good.
Yep.
[удалено]
Holy fuck they still sell these? Bro buy one omg
Didn’t even realize they still made these
You should pay no more than $150 for a used model.
Dude you can find used older ones of these for under $100 that work just fine and they’re pretty much indestructible so age really doesn’t mean much to them.
maybe if it was the early 2000s, just save up a decent inverter machine.
Garbage….move on. Save your money and buy something decent.
Simply bad advice and not true. They serve a valid purpose. Reliably supporting farms and general welding forever.
Every farmer I know (which is a fair bit) use an inverter or they have a generator driven machine.