Whats going on with clarke welders

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Are they still in buisness? Are they any good and do they compare with harbor freight welders. Are parts and consumables availabe for them? Is there a place to send them to get it fixed if it breaks? What brand of cosumables work on it? I need a mig welder for between 6 and 12 times a year and was looking at the Clarke and Harbor freight welders. It won't get hard use but don't want to buy one if the company is out of buisness. I don't want to spend a lot of $$$ for only a hand full of welds in a year. It will be used for flux core welding as I am tired of swapping wire out of my Hobart. I am looking at the HF 171 or the Clarke 180EN.Any help is appreciated
Reply:My Clarke 160EN does just fine for me. I am no pro, but use the welder a couple times a month. I use Forney tips from ACE hardware. The leads are pretty short though,
Reply:Clarke is still in business in Europe..Craftsman welders are re-badged Clarke machines and some other companies have rebadged them as well...I owned a Clarke 95 & a Clarke 130 both were acceptable welders in their power ranges... I liked the 95 for simple portability and it worked fine for light duty tasks. The 130 was more powerful,but less portable and of course welded better.I sold the 95 and miss it...I traded the 130 for a 27' motorhome... It was good but it wasn't that good.. (besides I have a HH140 & a Lincoln 255)The Clarke parts can still be had either from Clarke in England or Sears I'm assuming they will support their machines badged as Craftsman  for a reasonable time frame...Bottom line if it's a good price buy it (check Craftsman prices for that size welder)... If it's as much as a better welder then maybe not...IMHO...the HF would not be considered a 'better' welder than a Clarke.
Reply:Maybe go for a Used Lincoln or Miller,clarke is still in business after some restructuring and their machine are still sold new.
Reply:We have many parts avaialble for the Italian made Clarke machines - common models are 180EN and 130EN and also the spool gun models 135 SG and 185 SG.  The Chinese versions 190EN and 160EN we are not going to be able to help with.  We have many of the parts listed on E-bay, or you can call us at 847-357-0700 and place an order the old fashioned way over the phone.Jeff NolandDrive a LincolnDrink a MillerWeld with an HTP