CHEAP WELDERS: Answers....

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Hey guys,Since no one wants to expand the horizons of why some choose to purchase the imports from China, I have initiated some answers, and ask those who have, like myself, purchased one or more of these units. I believe we each have our reasons and reasoning for our choice and decision, and hopefully, would not be reluctant to share with those who feel everything from China is junk and do not buy ANYTHING(you think) from China.I am respectfully requesting the posts to this thread be from those who have purchased and own and use one of the Chinese Welders/Plasma Cutters. If you do not own one, PLEASE do not respond!! If the posts on this thread start going off tangent, I would request the moderators to REMOVE them!! I would like to simply maintain a flow of information from those owners who like, dislike, good results, bad results, problems, service, weld results, consummable usage, and the quality of the accessories provided.Since I have posted my level of experience and China units/usage I own & use on the other thread, I would ask that you also give a brief summary of your welding experience to allow everyone to view the years of welding each purchaser has.List your equipment by: Brand, Model, Genre(MIG, TIG, Stick, Plasma)AGAIN.....PLEASE POST ONLY IF YOU ARE A PURCHASER/USER!!  IF YOU ARE A SELLER/DEALER, DO NOT RESPOND!! THIS THREAD IS JUST FOR THOSE USERS TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION FOR CLARITY & YOUR OVERALL VIEW OF YOUR CHOICE/DECISION. NO OTHER COMMENTS ARE NEEDED.....THANKS.... DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:I note you do not say any thing about service engineers replying to your thread .I have worked on Chinese welding equiptment and found very little back up when things wrong ,also very poor instructions for the person who buys the sets,when you purchase a welding set and only get a years warranty ,after it goes wrong after a year and it costs as much to repair it as it does to replace it ,some thing is wrong.I am sure if the company had trust in there product they would give a decent warranty period,usual old saying you get what you pay for,buy cheap buy twice.
Reply:To coldlap,You are correct!!! I did not say anything about service engineers. I simple asked for those OWNERS/USERS to respond. The other thread on the CHEAP WELDERS had all the responses from those wanting to give their opinions & condemnation.Will the moderators PLEASE REMOVE these posts that are not relevant to the ORIGINAL POST!!!!!  THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:I've got one, and I'm pretty happy with it. I've only put about 10 hours on it, but it does seem to work. The people that sold it to me claim to be happy to repair it should it fail. But it's not a cheap-cheap one, it cost me about $US2000 all up. For only twice that I could have got an ESAB but no foot pedal, but I like my foot pedal.If it does fall apart from overuse I'll probably replace it with a second hand proper one, but for now this works for me. I think more likely it'll fail from old age years from now with 200-500 hours on the clock.
Reply:I have a Lincoln 100 amp welder. I am retired and do wood and metal working for a hobby. I do admit that I own several China equipment and was purchased at Harbor Fright. Some is better then other but for the cost I can afford to have a lot of tools. For what I do it will last me a life time. I don't have the money to invest thousands of dollars. If I own welding shop and made my living from it I would buy equipment of better quality. You try to get the best you can afford but at the same time don't waste money, buying the best just to have to play with. At the same time I am smart enought to know that I can't weld on a trailer to repair it for two reason. One my welder isn't big enough and the second and most important reason is that I don't have the experince to do the job. My hobby welding want hurt any one.
Reply:I have used ONE inexpensive 120 v MIG welder.  I do not know the brand...It was quite a while ago.   The inexpensive machine would make a bead, but the wire feed motor didn't have enough balls to push it at higher speeds.  It would moan and groan trying to push the wire, so the weld suffered from changing speeds of the wire.I said it in the other thread, the tools don't make the man.For more reference, I also used a 200 amp Snap On Welder.  Open the door, and at the end of the drive rolls was the beginning of the cable liner.  No bushing on the output side of the drive rolls.  The heat was a little different every time I pulled the trigger.  Inexpensive NO.  Quality naaa.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:So far, only Moz has addressed the post correctly regarding his owning & using one of the China units. The other posts did not indicate present ownership and user parameters I specified in the original post and those responses are nothing more than "running around in a circle" and interjecting other units that are not of China manufacture. It's interesting, no one wants to "own up" to having and using their "cheap" China junk that most purvey, as I did.I will again ask that the irrelevant responses be removed as they do not address the original post. I wrote the post in very clear, concise English, and I'm sure it can be quite easily understood. If you feel your contribution to the post to show you own a China unit will be detrimental to your image, that's your perogative. Since the other post was a majority of condemnation, I'm simply curious about others who have had no issues with theirs, and find they do have a place in the market for those "newbies", youngsters, and those on a budget with limited resources and have a hunger to learn welding, or a seasoned welder wanting to expand. Quite simple....   DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Aren't you the same guy that owned up to being a dealer for the Chinese stuff over on the Miller board? You sure sound like him and the equipment list matches. Pretty relevant question if you ask me.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Oh, and you just climbed one of the moderators so your request probably won't be honored, LOL.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:yorkiepap,Its a free country.  You can ask any question you want.   You can also get any answer people want to post.  If its not the right answer or the one  you want, I have no reason to delete it unless it breaks the terms of service we all agreed to when we signed up.  (spam, Personal attacks, language....)Perhaps you could start by posting how your Chicago electric CE160 aluminum mig works and a few pics of the welds.  Then maybe more will do the same.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Well I have 2 welders. They are both listed in my sig.The lincoln is a great little unit and if I had it to do over again I would. My reason for buying it was that I worked mostly outdoors working on my offroad vehicles so gas was out of the question.The Parker unit is a chineese welder and I've had it almost a year. My warranty on the electronics is 3 years and anything else that can go wrong I can fix myself. Now why did I buy it. So I could learn to tig and stick. I don't have enough free cash to spend on even a used name brand that can match my cheapy welders capabilities(at least not unless I want to search for 3 years). Yes I know the risks but I also researched the vendor and have talked personally with the owners. They've been in buisness for years and I even know someone who has been to thier shop. I'm content there.How does it work? I have nothing but praise for the plasma function. The stick works awsome in my buddies hands and okay in mine so I can't blame the welder there, and I posted my first ever tig weld and was given a thumbs up. So in my books it does what it's supposed to.I'm only a hobbiest and think for my situation it was a good choice.As for price. I was in on a limited offer deal and I paid $600us to my door.I would and have reccomended it to friends and some have picked up the straight plasma unit with similar results. I would not reccomend it to anyone that I though would make a living with it, only because it's longjevity is unproven. Hope that's what you were looking for.My Photos on Flickr
Reply:I have a Riland Tig200WSE.  I've put maybe 10 hours or so on it, mostly just practicing beads on steel and aluminum.  The previous owner used it even more without a hitch.  I really like the pulser on aluminum, for a noob like me, the low frequency pulsing is perfect.  I haven't run into any problems so far, knock on wood of course. The Riland guys down in Oceanside, CA aren't too far from me just in case I need to get it serviced.  The only thing I don't like is how the argon in port is a hose barb, I just haven't gotten around to swapping it to a normal argon fitting (anyone know?).
Reply:I know some of the pics are crap but here we go1st tigstick (this was my poor techniqu not the welder)Messing with the plasma all 1/4" mild steelHere's a pic of the welderMy Photos on Flickr
Reply:To Jolly Roger:  First:  I am not a dealer of anything, only a well-seasoned welder who tries to provide sound information, projects, and helpful advice to those with questions. You are most welcome to look at all my posts on the Miller site as my user name is the same.Second: Nothing in my response indicated I "climbed" on anyone for the simple replys I requested to my original post. It appears it is really a major effort, such as yours, to keep a threads' posts to the original topic & responses. Oh, BTW, the hijacking of threads into irrelevant off-tangents is the reason I vacated the Miller Forum.To David R:  Since my Chicago Electric 160 & 151T2 are made in Italy, they are not relevant since this subject is in regards to the China units. I would not have any reservation to providing weld photos from my 2 Rilands or Giant Tech welders, and I will do that.To Wildcat & iWeasel410: Thank you for your contributions and enlightenment on your usage/results.DennyLast edited by yorkiepap; 02-07-2008 at 10:43 PM.Complete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:I don't own a cheap welder so I'm not responding.  Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepapHey guys,...I believe we each have our reasons and reasoning for our choice and decision, and hopefully, would not be reluctant to share with those who feel everything from China is junk and do not buy ANYTHING(you think) from China.......I would like to simply maintain a flow of information from those owners who like, dislike...
Reply:Wasn't a hijack, was an honest question. If you were him then there would be a hidden agenda involved. I have been looking into the Rilands and the Chinese machines for several months now. So far what I have been able to find out is stay away from any Chinese machine that doesn't say Riland on it. Also if you had been him I had serious questions about the product I wanted to discuss with the dealer. I have read your opinion, but so far it is the only one from a pro and I would like to see more evaluations from others who use them to make a living. Only one mans opinion is able to sell me on anything, and he has never used the Chinese machines. I'm not trying to start a pi$$ing contest, just looking for HONEST information. I know the red, purple and blue will get the job done and don't need an eval on them. I don't know that about the Riland, and I am looking into them as a means of helping to keep my customers costs down and my profits up. If you are truly interested in discussing the machines I do have questions for you, as you are so far the only pro to admit to having them.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:One of my buddies bought a Harbor Freight wire feed for hobby welding, but was having trouble getting a decent bead. The drive rollers would slip pretty bad causing inconsistent wire feeding. Rather than return it, he actually machined some higher quality drive parts for it on his harbor frieght mini lathe and mini mill (both of which perform great btw) , and hasn't had a problem since. The electronic parts have never given him a problem, but the length of the cable is like 5 ft. You have to have it real close to whatever you are welding.Miller Syncrowave 200Hobart Handler 140Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38E-Z Tube BenderPlasma Cam DHC2
Reply:Well I will chime in. I own some Chinese products. I make a living with my welders, if that makes any difference.What I own that is Chinese, is a Parker plasma cutter. I bought it after reading about a hundred separate reviews of the machine without any single complaint coming up. It seemed like a good deal, and I paid around $400 for it. It cuts 5/8" steel like its sheet metal, and will do 3/4" if you're patient and steady. The instructions where decent, but left a lot to be desired. Upon talking to the guys at Parker they admitted the instructions could have been more detailed, and gave me some info on how to properly tune their product. It made a big difference in arc starts, and blow through holes with the plasma, and I was much more impressed with it than I was the first few days. That said, I have been using it for a few months now, and I like it very much. I have used Miller products that are rated for about the same thickness metal (thinner actually) that where about 3 times the cost, and I couldn't really tell a difference, aside from the gun felt more well built and the machine was heavier. I also like how small it is. I built a portable cart for it that tucks under my welding table, and takes up hardly any room. The one thing I don't like about it, is that once you try to strike an arc if you do not succeed (and you let go of the trigger) you must wait until the air stops before you can try again. Its a safety feature, but I find it annoying at times. The gun is also cheaply built, and the trigger is on top. Not a big deal, but I use it enough to want a more user friendly gun. But sometimes that thumb trigger is very handy in some tight spots I know I couldn't get into with a forefinger trigger.However, now that I have it an see how invaluable it is, and how often I use it, I will probably at some point upgrade to a larger Red or Blue unit. But I will likely keep this one around because it works just great, and would have its advantages at times. And it is also one I would worry about too much lending it to a friend. It doesn't consume enough space to justify throwing it out or selling it. And I doubt it will break any time soon.Also, I will point out that I use Blue and Red welders. The work I do could potentially ruin someones life if it where to fail. I actually just bought my TIG welder. And I could have easily afforded a Parker TIG, with AC/DC, HF start, and 200 amps probably 6 months ago, seeing as they are around $1200. However something about that whole "My work supports your life" deal made me nervous about buying their welder. Its not a big deal if I use their product to cut something. Btu I just couldn't bring myself to buy a welder I did not know much about. And there aren't many reviews out on them (at least not as many as their plasma has). So I saved for another 6 months so I could afford a brand name TIG. And I feel good about the purchase. In the end it was about twice the cost, but I will never worry about it once. That is worth it to me.Lincoln PowerMIG 215XTLincoln Precision TIG 225Hypertherm 300
Reply:I bought a Longevity Super-160P unit last September. It's a 160 amp stick / TIG welder and a 40 amp plasma cutter all rolled into one unit. I bought it off Ebay for $ 592.00. If I had to buy the same units from Miller or Lincoln, I would have had to invest over $ 3,000.00 (I live in Canada).I have had some problems with my unit. The stick welder works fine, but I've never gotten the plasma cutter or TIG welder to work properly. At this moment, I'm preparing to package the unit up and return it to the dealer for a replacement. They've been very helpful and seem to want to bend over backwards to help.Photo
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepI bought a new Chinese built stick welder. It's an inverter, the size of a lunch box.I bought it as a joke; I thought it looked like a tiny engine drive. My intention was to bring it on a serious job, where they didn't know me, just to see what kind of reaction or bets I could raise.Unfortunately, when I plugged the welder in for it's first test, it did not work... DOA. I put it back in the box and forgot about it, didn't bother with any further investigation. Thought I might relabel it as a miniature SA-200 someday; maybe make a hood ornament out of it!I can't recall the brand right now. When I have a chance, I'll post pictures.Edit - Found a picture:
Reply:Originally Posted by Twisted MinisWell I will chime in. I own some Chinese products. I make a living with my welders, if that makes any difference.What I own that is Chinese, is a Parker plasma cutter. I bought it after reading about a hundred separate reviews of the machine without any single complaint coming up. It seemed like a good deal, and I paid around $400 for it. It cuts 5/8" steel like its sheet metal, and will do 3/4" if you're patient and steady. The instructions where decent, but left a lot to be desired. Upon talking to the guys at Parker they admitted the instructions could have been more detailed, and gave me some info on how to properly tune their product. It made a big difference in arc starts, and blow through holes with the plasma, and I was much more impressed with it than I was the first few days. That said, I have been using it for a few months now, and I like it very much. I have used Miller products that are rated for about the same thickness metal (thinner actually) that where about 3 times the cost, and I couldn't really tell a difference, aside from the gun felt more well built and the machine was heavier. I also like how small it is. I built a portable cart for it that tucks under my welding table, and takes up hardly any room. The one thing I don't like about it, is that once you try to strike an arc if you do not succeed (and you let go of the trigger) you must wait until the air stops before you can try again. Its a safety feature, but I find it annoying at times. The gun is also cheaply built, and the trigger is on top. Not a big deal, but I use it enough to want a more user friendly gun. But sometimes that thumb trigger is very handy in some tight spots I know I couldn't get into with a forefinger trigger.However, now that I have it an see how invaluable it is, and how often I use it, I will probably at some point upgrade to a larger Red or Blue unit. But I will likely keep this one around because it works just great, and would have its advantages at times. And it is also one I would worry about too much lending it to a friend. It doesn't consume enough space to justify throwing it out or selling it. And I doubt it will break any time soon.Also, I will point out that I use Blue and Red welders. The work I do could potentially ruin someones life if it where to fail. I actually just bought my TIG welder. And I could have easily afforded a Parker TIG, with AC/DC, HF start, and 200 amps probably 6 months ago, seeing as they are around $1200. However something about that whole "My work supports your life" deal made me nervous about buying their welder. Its not a big deal if I use their product to cut something. Btu I just couldn't bring myself to buy a welder I did not know much about. And there aren't many reviews out on them (at least not as many as their plasma has). So I saved for another 6 months so I could afford a brand name TIG. And I feel good about the purchase. In the end it was about twice the cost, but I will never worry about it once. That is worth it to me.
Reply:I just bought a Everlast EV-CT416D and have used the plasma cutter and stick part of it and I tell you the thing works great. The plasma cutter wizzes through anything I've tried to cut so far. I'm very happy at this point and I'll repost after I have tried the TIG portion of the welder with pics.I bought this welder to help with my car project I have going on.Scott
Reply:Originally Posted by scotty8296I just bought a Everlast EV-CT416D and have used the plasma cutter and stick part of it and I tell you the thing works great. The plasma cutter wizzes through anything I've tried to cut so far. I'm very happy at this point and I'll repost after I have tried the TIG portion of the welder with pics.I bought this welder to help with my car project I have going on.Scott
Reply:Originally Posted by Brett1 Post and never seen again?Originally Posted by Brett1 Post and never seen again?
Reply:Originally Posted by tmarks11you are just too cynical. There is no way that somebody hawking cheap chinese welders would post under an alias to try to sell more wares... that would be almost as unethical as constantly running down your competition online...And yes, I am proud of the fact that I am contributing to thread drift...