Cheapie arc welder...

[horseman1]

I got a HF special for free that I have been learning to weld with. It is a 120V 70 amp unit made by a battery charger company that's name begins with "S" (dont know if company names are appropriate here). It will weld with 1/16 inch rods and claims at the high end that you can use a 3/32 rod. My experience is that I cant even strike an arc with a 3/32 rod. Anyway, I will be getting a Hobart or Miller AC/DC stick welder soon to replace my little POS. Also, I uderstand that this problem may not be the welders fault but the weldors fault.

[Sundown]

I get stuff at HF all the time, I have 4-4.5" grinders [with paddle switches] and a $50 14" chop saw that I use a lot. If that welder says "made in Italy" then its probably made by SIG, they sell a whole bunch of welders all over the world. I hope that it works out for you, good luck and lets see some pictures of that welding table when you get it done. And welcome to the group...

[Aaron]

Not normally a fan of cheapie tools either. Sometimes they're priced such that they are worth the risk. Congrats on the welder!

[Steel Butcher]

Not normally a fan of cheap tools...I was wandering around Harbor Freight and checked out the welding section. As it so happens, they had an stick welder on sale (close-out?) "ARC-180" for....$119.00.


This is a 240V machine, AC/DC no less, with wheels/handle, and accesories. It goes up to 150Amps (or more) depending on if you believe the owners manual or the sticker on the machine. Anyways, I thought for a hundred bucks I would try it out. It actually has been working well, I have been using 3/32" rods to weld up 1/8" mild steel. (I am making a welding tabel). Hasn't overheated or had a problem yet. Beads look consistant.

I figure this will tide me over until I pick up a MM210 or TIG inverter machine...