good first welder

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would this be a good first welder just to practice on and get better before getting a miller 180, or Hobart handler187. it is very cheap and i think i could learn some stuff on it, but i just wanted you guys opinion, and yes it is reconditioned. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55167-david
Reply:No, buy a good welder and be done with it. Practice with a good welder. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:i would need to convert my outlet to produce around 230volts from my standard 104-130volts, and i have no idea how to do that, yes i am a huge newbie.that was the reason i wanted this cheap welder
Reply:Spend the $100 on having an electrician putting a 220v outlet near your breaker box. You can also use the dryer outlet if you have a clothes dryer in a utility room and/or run a extension cable from there to your workshop. Run a search with my name for "220v extension".Lots of options, I'm in the chat if you want to discuss further. I saw you come in then leave. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:its worth it in the long run to buy a good welder to begin with.63' Lincoln SA200 2008 miller trailblazer 302fibre-metal pipelinermiller camo BWEand all the guns and ammo a growin boy needs
Reply:I agree. Cheap machines are harder to run, break easier and end up becomeing eyesores in the shop/garage. You should buy mine!City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Heh, what these fellas say here is pretty much the way you should go.  If your looking to give it a try, check the local community schools for welding classes (Usually a career center or vocational school that offers adult education).  That way you can try different things and see what kinda machine you would like in your shop.  You can learn alot here, but hands on is the way to go.  HF is not known for there great welders.Good luck and keep us posted.  Ebay and Craigs list sometimes have great deals on used welders.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:I know the price looks attractive.  And if you had asked about spending $110 on a used Lincoln tombstone 225 amp A\C buzzbox, I'd say go for it in a big way.  Will this HF unit melt mild steel and join 2 thin pieces together?  Sure.  But the design of these bottom of the barrel machines is pulling in two directions...you are so limited by a 90 amp maximum in the first place, when forced to use only flux-core wire that doesn't do well on thin metals and low current.  Plus, you're saddled with a duty cycle probably in the single digits at max output.  That means welding for less than 1 minute, and waiting for the transformer to cool for 9 minutes!  You can critique an awful lot of your weldments in that amount of time.  There are better 120V welders on the market.WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:I'm with everyone else on the advice to get a good machine from the get-go.   If you really want that little Harbor Freight machine, well then go for it... you can always Craigs' List it for $50 when you're done fooling around with it and will not have lost too much money on the experiment.   If it was me, and I didn't have 220v service available, I would at least look for a used Millermatic Cricket, XP, 130, 135 or 140 (or the Hobart Handler equivalents), or any of the Lincoln 110v MIG machines.  Craig's List is a great place to find a good deal on a nice used, name-brand machine.  At least you will get something that has enough juice to make a good weld on most of your projects, can use solid wire and sheilding gas and a machine that will last a few years without trouble.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op