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$99 HF wire welder?

4K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  j427x 
#1 ·
Wire Welder - Save on this 90 Amp Flux Wire Welder

man i an thinking about getting me one of these chian doll el-cheapo wire welders--

my big lincon don't like thin stuff and that is all there is to weld anymore--

anybody bought one of these? i know the stuff that comes with it is junk--but for $99 it don't sound too bad.
 
#2 ·
I got one of the older ones when they were blue, hell I haven't put a roll of wire through it yet.
But as you mentioned they don't work well on thin metal like AK receivers, it's easy to burn through, I heard a few people say with a backer you can weld thinner metal but it's still difficult.


Where you going to get it from a store or order it online?
If online find out shipping, I was thinking of selling mine since I don't use it much, I was thinking $50 +S&H and I think shipping will be a little high because of the weight.
 
#3 ·
I was told that the wire that comes with them was not worth using. Buy a roll of good wire and see what you get out of it. The guys who have them seem to like them.

If you are restoring cars or tractors buy a mig with gas but for fixing a mover deck and other stuff, you'd be fine with flux cored.
 
#4 ·
well everything is so damn thin now days ---

hell i welded up some 1mm stuff with the old lincon but that was some hi grade 4040 sae steel --but i had to be very careful.

i thought the thing with these 110s was they didn't penetrate the heavy stuff?

anyways i want it to do the light stuff and i can just use the 110 and keep the 220v stuff in the shop.

shipping on this one is $9 i think--


only got a day or two to make up my mind cause the sale is over on the 27th--!!!


i may get me a new drill press too--
 
#9 ·
well everything is so damn thin now days ---

i thought the thing with these 110s was they didn't penetrate the heavy stuff?

anyways i want it to do the light stuff and i can just use the 110 and keep the 220v stuff in the shop. ''



They say the wire feeds are good up to 3/16s, 1/4 might be pushing it but I did an experiment on a blade. When we need to move some snow, we'll find out.

The thin stuff needs to be 'stitched' otherwise you'll either burn it full of holes or warp the piss out of it.

Short bead, let cool. Short bead, let cool. I welded 1/4 panels on an extended ford van (18 gauge sheet metal) and using this method it took a long time but it worked well. Low settings and moving quick is paramount.

I was told flux cored wire welds don't hold paint, don't know if it's true or not.

Mig w/ gas is the way to go but once again it depends on what you'll be using it for
 
#6 ·
hell i was wrong the shipping is $6.99 like the same as the 6.5hp motor i bought --

they got some kind of sweetheart deal with fed-express ground--it seems.


their going to have to truck this thing all the way from south arkansas to here and the got a store in little rock ????----LOL--

yea i don't know how many more of these china deals i can stand--

i am going to have to buy a bunch of stuff just to do this 1911 frame i just got--
 
#7 ·
I had been looking on amazon a couple of weeks ago and they had welder for 69.00 its a pro grade ultra portable 100 amp arc welder, heres the link

Amazon.com: Pro-Grade Ultra-Portable 100-Amp Electric Arc Welder - 110V: Home Improvement

and ther is si one for a few bucks more
Amazon.com: 100 AMP ARC Welder Welding Soldering Machine Rod 110 Volt AC: Home Improvement
Hope this helps....Doc ( plan on getting both to see which one works betterand for that price its good to have a spare welder even if it is a stick welder...
 
#8 ·
I had been looking on amazon a couple of weeks ago and they had welder for 69.00 its a pro grade ultra portable 100 amp arc welder, heres the link

Amazon.com: Pro-Grade Ultra-Portable 100-Amp Electric Arc Welder - 110V: Home Improvement

and ther is si one for a few bucks more
Amazon.com: 100 AMP ARC Welder Welding Soldering Machine Rod 110 Volt AC: Home Improvement
Hope this helps....Doc ( plan on getting both to see which one works betterand for that price its good to have a spare welder even if it is a stick welder...

i'm going to have a look sat those--thanks--
 
#11 ·
yea a know a gas wire welder is better but overkill for my tinkering. i ain't restoring fine cars --more like patching up old thin crafstman mower decks that my 220/amp-220v lincon burns up--LOL

that old lincon i can weld all the heavy duty stuff --it is the thin shit it don't like --
 
#12 ·
I think a mower deck should be heavy enough for this welder



I wonder if that $99.oo Harbor Freight MIG can be modified to use CO2 gas ??? Only the Chinese know ????
I think by the time you buy everything needed you'd be better off buying their actual MIG machine, I've seen the one go on sale for under 200
 
#13 ·
hell i ordered a drill press today. i am gonna hold off on the welder.


the sale supposedly ends sunday but today the sent me a new sale paper with the welder in it for the same price--

so i can put it off till i decide what to do bout it.

no hurry cause it will be a while before i start dragging mowers out of the scrap pile--
 
#19 ·
Re Drill Press

hell i ordered a drill press today. i am gonna hold off on the welder.


the sale supposedly ends sunday but today the sent me a new sale paper with the welder in it for the same price--

so i can put it off till i decide what to do bout it.

no hurry cause it will be a while before i start dragging mowers out of the scrap pile--
Where did you get your drill press at and what model and the price if you dont mind me asking ,,,Thanks...Doc
 
#14 ·
I have one of those welders..
Going on 15 years now..

Problems.
1..the rollers and spring assy is NOT "tight" enough to push the wire if the gun liner is not straight..
I use a small "C" clamp on mine..

2..The gun sucks.

3..If you are not into troubleshooting the gun itself you are in for trouble..
had mine apart many many times..

4..DO NOT USE A EXTENSION CORD!!!!you will trip the inside breaker in no time and cooling down time to reset the machine sucks..The duty cycle is next to zero..

5.."Birdnests"...If you don't know what a birdsnest is when it comes to mig welding you will soon enough..
That's when the feed IS working and the wire does not come out the end..Just look inside.

6..The copper cover end is always LIVE!! You don't need to press the trigger so don't touch it against anything you don't want a weld mark on..And you will.

7 The "Mask" it comes with SUCKS...in plain easy to understand english.

Positives..
It will get you out of a jam when needed..And that's about it.

These are NOT for ANYTHING structural!!!!!!
I know guys that claim to have welded trailer hitches with these and all I can say is "Stay Away From Me"..and "I Hope Your Liability Insurance Is Up To Date"...

Take this from a true PROFESSIONAL in the welding field.

It's more of a toy than anything.

...zap!
 
#17 ·
Yep, Zaps welding advice gets a little expensive don't it?

Sage advice Zapster, and we do appreciate it. Spending money and wasting it are 2 different things.

I ended up going with a Lincoln w/ gas set-up. I spent almost $700 but this little thing is a monster in disguise. I tried to buy the Hobart at TSC but the customer service sucked so bad I ended up at Home depot.
 
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