New SMAW welder trouble shooting??

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So me and my buddy Blake got a HF Chicago 225A stick welder, the first one we picked up wouldnt let us adjust the amps at all. we took it back and got another one. We installed the 240v outlet and plugged in the welder and ran some pretty decent beads with the 6013 1/8" rods that it came with. but when we tried using a 6011 3/32" rod at 60-70 amps the arc struggles and has to be forced to stay lit, and the beats are horrible. we thought that maybe the machine didnt want to work great with the smaller rods so we put a 7018 1/8" rod in and the beads are a little better but the arc keep going out and not wanting to stay lit. WE NEED HELPwe are both certified welders, we know its the machine not us lolwere about 400$ deep in this
Reply:I'm guessing the $400 includes all the wiring.Honestly I see very nice used AC stick machines all the time for $50-150  and AC/DC units for $250-500 on average, with a few even lower. HF honestly doesn't sell quality units. QC is spotty at best. Personally I'd take it back and get my money back and use it to buy a quality used machine off CL.You might want to add your location to your User CP at the top left corner, so we know where you are located at. Several members have had machines posted for sale recently, or have posted up links to CL deals..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:we're probably going to end up taking it back and get the Mig welder they have and try it out. im regretting having to take this one back..... last time we returned the other welder i wasn't so happy and sorta just threw the machine on their counter haha
Reply:Don't expect much better results from the migs either... many of the units are way under powered. Some of their 230v machines don't even put out the amps many top quality name brand 110v machines can. Wire feed on these is often erratic at best, Some work well, others from the same batch are almost impossible to use. Honestly you get what you pay for. You'll find a ton of mods listed here for HF migs to improve their performance, but in the end, you still end up with a poor quality 2nd best machine.Honestly, you get what you pay for..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:yeah your right, im going to look on CL and see if any one selling a good flux core or mig