Tell me why I shouldn't get one of these just to screw around in the garage for fun. I was thinking of welding my folding trailer together with it. It is $89 on the black friday sale.

http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887-8494.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiMTI1NDgxMzAiLCJza3UiOiI2ODg4NyIsImlzIjoiOTkuOTkiLCJwcm9kdWN0X2lk%0D%0AIjoiODQ5NCJ9%0D%0A

Who is it made by?

Ok, Chicago. I've had good luck with that brand, but I do not have that welder.

If it is 110v, not worth anything imo. I bought a craftsman 110 stick welder as a beginner set and was having hell just getting a bead.

I figured it was me, so I called a friend who welds for a living, and he was eventually able to get a bead, but it just doesn't have enough juice to do the job well.

Its a wire welder, not stick

Ok, would a 110v wire welder have more power than a 110v stick welder?

Dad has one. The only issue he has had with it was the spool feed motor burned out twice, but they fixed it no problem. He much prefers it to the stick welder for tacking jobs and light welding.

First off if you but something like this you're probably going to be using flux core wire. Fluz core wire is really jumpy and doesn't penetrate well, so you can't weld stuff very thick.

Second, it's AC. That means the electricity moves on a sin wave alternating +/- between your clamp and the arc. This also makes the welder jump around. A welder with a DC conversion on it will be like night and day difference.

If you would like to get anything out of this welder I would recommend you go with standard mild steel wire and gas instead of just flux core. If you are looking to save money 100% CO2 is the cheapest, but it makes the worst weld out of the gasses. The next level gas I would go with if you can spend a little more money would be 75% argon 25% CO2. This is common among garage welders. The best weld you can get out of that welder will be with 100% argon. It's expensive, but it will make the best out of the AC 110v that you have to deal with.

In my opinion, I would wait until you have some money to get a welder with a DC converter on it, or get more confident with a stick wilder, though the AC/DC problem still exists with them.

Hope that helps.

Sorry, I just read the ad. It doesn't have a gas port, so its flux core only.

They make cheap garage welders similar to that with gas ports if that's what you're going for. I believe Lincoln makes one for <$200.

I assume you'd get what you paid for, but that's the idea at Harbor Freight. My guess is the thing would be fine for spot welding and little projects or fixes here and there. Mild steel only, probably nothing over 14 gauge. However, the bead, if it can produce something considered a bead, would be pretty ugly with lots of splatter. Pick up a Chicago angle grinder while you're there, you'll need it. I had one of their angle grinders, lasted for a year or so with light use.

I much prefer the cheap stuff from Northern Tool over the Chicago from Harbor Freight. Costs a little more but a notch up in quality, usually.

I have used a 110v Miller machine and it did a good job on light stuff. Used the 75/25 gas though. I have a 220 Miller in the garage on gas but started with flux core until I could buy a bottle. Difference between flux core and gas welding is night and day. However, if you're good with a grinder you can clean up most things. You can also get the spray that helps the splatter and slag brush off easier.

My summary would be get it if you don't intend to do much more than spot welds and minor repairs, and not be upset when it dies. If you want to actually use it for creations then look at the other 110 units that have a gas option. You should be able to weld standard (14 ga) square tube and angle iron (1/8"). Welding can be fun and pretty slick, but trying to learn to weld with a POS will lead to frustrations that would discourage anyone from a new hobby.



[This message has been edited by Biz (edited 11/14/2013 8:10p).]

Crag: that was a serious question, would it? Tia

First, I am not a welding expert, but have done some on rare occasions. I have used wire feed and stick welders though.

Just my experience:

Wire welders are nice due to the constant feed, but have lots more working parts, and have to have the feed adjusted to the chore.

Stick welders are a little more of a pain because of the limits of the electrode, but no moving parts that may require adjustment.

I prefer the stick for my use, which is usually small jobs like angle iron to flat plate/bars, and no long run welds. Minor adjustments can be made with a change in rod/frequency, etc. However (to me on the small jobs) no adjustments need to be made.

Again, this is just me, and others will have preferences.

quote:

---

Crag: that was a serious question, would it? Tia

---

hey shag, I really don't know. I was just pointing out that he is looking at a wire and not stick. So there might be a difference.

I bought one of those cheap "campbell Hausfield" fluxcore wirefeed welders several years ago for light work. If you don't expect too much from it, it works well. Remember you can't use them heavily without letting them cool down some, and they don't get much penetration on welds. They do jump around a bit, but not terribly so.

They are GREAT for tacking. I use them all the time because you can tack in just about any position easily. I built an entire mini metal box trailer with one, just taking my time and making good welds. You can do multiple passes and make short welds that push a little depth, but a lot of it is buildup from the wire. If you're welding 1/8 or less, it works very well. Above that you might have to work on making a fillet weld.

I also use them to correct small welding mistakes from my big stick welder, like filling in any little gaps or holes, since it is relatively high build.

If you're looking for cheap then I would suggest a stick welder...something like the 240v/220amp Lincoln. I wouldn't go less than 240v w/GAS for MIG unless you'll be outdoors fixing farm equipment a lot where gas might be hard to use and/or the quality and/or appearance of the welds don't matter a whole lot.

I don't believe wire welders don't have the same power requirements as stick welders

A 110 wire welder can laydown a great bead and can do more than most people would ever need. Granted I am talking about a Lincoln or a Miller and not a Harbor Freight.


One important thing about harbor freight to always remember is NEVER use their consumables. trim nails, sandpaper, abrasive disks, welding wire and all horrible. You will end up spending more time, effort and materials to get a poor final product.

That said, their tools are great deals for the home/hobbyist. Especially that tool you need to use a few times.

Would I suggest that a professional mechanic buy their stuff? No way.

Is there stuff good enough for 99% of the home mechanic? Absolutely.

For $89 as something to play aroudn with and experiment, it's not really a bad deal at all IF you're not expecting too much.

Mine is a little cheap 80 amp one, and I literally built a steel box trailer on top of a little kid flatbed trailer with it. I was only using 14 gauge square tube and 20 gauge steel panels, but it did everything I needed to do.

I have used it to weld 1/8 steel and even 3/16 steel on bigger projects, just working slowly on the high setting and using a wide pattern. Controlling the weld pool is a little difficult. With the thicker metal, you are limited to fillets, since you won't get the penetration you need for a butt weld or end weld.

For a hobbyists or someone learning, it is fine.


[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 11/15/2013 10:58a).]

At this point, I think I'll get the flux/mig combo for a bit more.

I just won't weld enough to get a name brand. We are talking about a few times at year for a very short time. Maybe fabricate something on an existing trailer or whatever. I was thinking of welding on a bracket to hold my trailer connector because the one uhaul attached is terrible.

I'd likely never do anything structural like a full trailer, but I might use it to sure up my folding trailer that was bolted together. Just for fun really.

Harbor freight tools have their place. Thanks for all the input guys. I've got a bit of thinking to do now.

I just received a coupon that has the 170 amp model on sale for $170.

I can email you the coupon if you'd like, its valid through the 30th of this month.

I am thinking of buying that model, but it probably won't be until after the first of the year. Like you, I want one for mainly just tinkering and repairs. I'd probably get some good use out of it on my jeep.

You don't need those.. Just need the code and they can punch it in at the store.

I got the same one and that is primarily why I am now considering the flux/mig combo. It's an extra $100, and based on comments here, I can get better penetration with that welder. I am really curious how it would handle thicker steel.

Only $169.99 with coupon 48917706
Add item to cart to redeem coupon

Welders are in the buy once, cry once category. Get a Lincoln or Miller and don't look back.

170 amp will do pretty good on 1/4" or maybe even 5/16" mild steel, but you will need to go slow. Anything thicker is going to require multiple passes. I'd keep it to 1/4" and under personally, and at that thickness do a half fillet or full fillet and dispense with trying to do a flat butt joint.

I have a Hobart wire/mig that I use for odds and ends around the house. It's solid as all get out for a 110v, and I run it on a single circuit with a dedicated 40 amp breaker so I can get pretty much max power out of the machine. You need to run it at least on a 30 amp breaker if you can.

Flux core is a little dirtier in that it has slag and buckshot, versus just buckshot with a MIG tip and bottle. The only truly "clean" weld is a TIG - anything else is going to have either slag or buckshot. (BTW, don't weld in sandals or sit down with shorts on while you are welding)

While i generally agree with tx4guns on the buy once/cry once aspect, if you just plan on learning with it and doing small hobby type projects to see if you even like welding, one of the HF jobs is probably not a bad way to start off.

quote:

---

One important thing about harbor freight to always remember is NEVER use their consumables. trim nails, sandpaper, abrasive disks, welding wire and all horrible.

---

add saw blades to that list too. bought a 5-pack of bi-metal recip saw blades there. Each blade lasted less than 5 mins before the teeth were gone.

Also go get you one of these. I wouldn't suggest trying to learn welding with a non-auto darkening helmet. Its a real PITA.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200485271_200485271

Autodarkening helmet for the win. Also, some nice heavy leather gloves. Don't leave your skin exposed either. The spatter seems like it's not a big deal, and often it isn't. What is is the INTENSE UV light burn you will get with a couple hours welding.

Don't forget used. I bought an ancient Airco busy bee stick welder from a fellow Ag here for $100. Hadn't been used in years, but I cleaned it up, swapped out the plug wire, and it works great.

[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 11/15/2013 4:52p).]

Signel, did you get one of these?

If you did/do let us know how it performs.

Since the OP will look to be welding, a grinder may be in mind....

Humorous story. A friend of mine bought a grinder from Harbor Freight for a weekend job. It turned on, but would not turn off. It got hot. Real hot. So he just unplugged it to turn it off when not in use. After the weekend project was done, it got dark. So he and another guy that was helping with the project had drank some beer, grabbed the grinder and with a long extension cord put the grinder in the street. Plugged it in, drank more beer and watched it go till it caught fire.

Did the HF rep tell you about the lifetime warranty?

Sorry, been in the hospital with the wife for observation of our new baby..

I did not buy the welder because I ended up having to break my front door down to get in the house. The damn garage fridge was on the same circuit as the fridge and that blew up and killed the garage door.

Then the damn deadbolt broke (key just turns.)

I had to get the tire iron out and hack the door up to get in. I am buying a new door anyway, so I went that route instead of a window.

Needless to say, I'll be out a grand on a new door soon.

The welder will have to wait