Harbor Freight Inverter...

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anyone know about the harbor frieght tig/ arc inverter for $200 bucks?i was thinking about getting one, since im new to tig and pretty much all welding i thought itd be a good starter tig.. but my concerns are that id have to scratch start it.. is there anyway to hook up the foot control to it?
Reply:Sorry, dont know much about that particular unit except for these items:Input voltage-220Output Amps: Tig-130                    Stick-90Duty Cycle-35%You might want to check out HTP as they have a few units that may interest you.  Website- www.usaweld.com.  The prices are more than for harbor freights units but the quality and features are better also.  You get lift arc start, choice of 110 or 220 voltage inputs, and higher duty cycles plus you also get customer service from a knowledgable person who  really knows something about their products and a 90 unquestionable return policy for whatever reason you are not satisfied with the unit.  I know this because I purchased a multiprocess welder and have dealt with them in the past.  When the president of the company exchanges emails with you for over a two month period answering your questions, then I know they want you to be satisfied.  The choice is yours, but like it is often said, "You get what you pay for".  Good luck.A few of my toys !LinuxMintManjaroMiller Roughneck 2E Lincoln WeldPak 100HTP MTS 160 Chicago Electric 80amp Inverter   Victor O/A
Reply:but see the problem is i dont have the ammount of money needed for a good tig. i only got around 300 bucks
Reply:I had bad luck with two HF 110V inverters. Both blew a condenser within a half hourof using them. Customer service was good about taking the units back and refundingthe money, but don't expect any technical support. I decided to ante up for theDragster 85, a great quality unit, and have had no problems or regrets for monthssince I got it.At one time the HF units were Italian in origin and decent quality, but now I thinkthe latest units from HF are Chinese knock offs that lack quality control.You may just get lucky and get a decent 220V inverter from HF. The only thing goodI can say about them is they have a 90 day warranty. The Dragster 85 has a one yearwarranty, and it has been a real pleasure to use from day one. It was worth theextra money.
Reply:Whered you get the dragster?
Reply:Don't waste your money on Harbor Freight junk. If the unit is not a name brand you will be throwing your money away. Be patient and save that $300 till you have enough for a good unit. Learning to Tig on a crappy unit will only teach you bad habits.
Reply:i have the hf inverter that was made in italy. It's arc feels about the same as a maxstar machine i tried out, to me anyway. Scratch start isn't as bad as it soundsStangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:i just went to the store and finally looked at the thing, wow are the harbor freight units sooo cheap seeming... just not what i expected at all.. ok yea it was  for that much money you would think they would give you a bit extra of a machine? :/
Reply:I always view anything electrical from Harbor Freight as occasional use/intermittant duty. If it is something you'll need once a month, it'll likely work but, if you try and get production out of it, it will die a very early death.
Reply:I bought the unit from Harbor Freight and have not had any problem with it. The internal parts do not look cheap but time will tell, but until then I,m having fun welding with my new Tig.Last edited by blacksmithman; 03-08-2005 at 01:28 PM.
Reply:Does that HF unit need a regulator.  Are what gas are U guys using  - 100% argon?-B
Reply:You need a regulator with the HF machine.  I have pictures of the internal componets but I can not load them on this form for some reason.  100% Argon
Reply:Here is the picture of the inside of the HF welder.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h/100_0297.jpgIt will not print the full picture of the insideSample weld two  1/4 plates.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h/100_0313.jpgSample welds 1 1/2 square tubing http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...h/100_0311.jpgLast edited by blacksmithman; 04-20-2005 at 04:02 PM.
Reply:I bought the HF Tig welder for $160 the other day. I had the 20% off coupon so I reluctantly decided to try it out. I have a nice O/A torch and like gas welding, but am considering TIG.  I am working mostly with 4130 thinwall tubing and plate.Here are my observatons after a practice session:1. Stick welding seems to be routine - does a decent job there. 2. TIG welding 1/16" or thicker plate is doable.3. Under 1/16" thickness I was not able to have any success with this machine. Even at the lowest amp setting it would blow holes through .020, .032, .040, .050 material.  4. It can be very difficult to get the scratch start arc started in low amp settings. I pretty much gave up on getting the arc to start on anything below "2" setting. When I was trying some thin plate, the only way to get the arc started in "1" or "2" setting was to bump up to "3" and start on a thick plate, then lead the arc over to my thinner material. Not ideal at all.5. The TIG torch is heavy and hard to manuver. Hand fatigue comes fairly quickly.6. There is some kind of annoying automatic gas valve. It is supposed to start when the arc starts and then auto shut off when the arc goes out. It made it difficult to adjust my flow regulator because it would shut off before I was done adjusting.  Later the automatic valve quit working altogether. I acutally liked it better then, I could adjust gas on the torch.Soooo, I guess I have a $160 stick welding machine.  The TIG part will work for thicker stuff but what's the point? Might as well stick weld it.  Maybe someone will come up with some mods for this machine to make it variable amp and add high freq start.  For now, I'll stick to my Meco Midget torch for thinwall 4130.  I am only a hobbiest welder building an experimental airplane, so maybe there is more I should learn but that is what I observed.Last edited by Bugs66; 09-09-2005 at 12:03 PM.Bugshttp://www.supercubproject.com
Reply:What sticks are you using for your arc welding?My TIG portion seems to work real well but I've only had it a day but I did buy the 27 month warranty just in case for $39.
Reply:The sticks that seem to work best on the low amperage inverters are6013 and 7014 in 3/32". In my hands, other sticks are hard to either start ormaintain an arc.
Reply:I was using the 7018 sticks without any luck before now a little better but the real success came when I used 6011 in 1/8 " and striking the stick at a high angle like a march and holding almost 1/4" away from the material.Lots of holes burnt so far and my gas welding is much prettier.I will try some 6013 and 7014 sticks once I get to the right store,Home depot only carries 3-4 different sticks.