Anyone have any luck with these cheapie 120v stick inverter welders?

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Both of these are DC stick welders < $200 and are rated at about 80 amps, one by Klutch and one by Eastwood. Given they are both likely made in China & look about the same I think most likely they are exactly the same and knockoffs of eachother, but if someone thought one or the other was better that'd be good to know too. (Klutch)EastwoodI'm just looking for something real portable for small odd jobs here & there where the cost is inline w/ the amount and type of use it will get.. I've got a bigger miller machine that stays in the garage, this would be for small jobs walking around outside in the mud. I like the idea of having a 120 volt DC (versus similarly priced or cheaper AC models out there). But wondering if anyone has any experience with these models or knows of another in the capability & price ballpark I should look at instead. Sometimes cheap stuff is just useless junk sometimes it works OK and just is what it is but I've got no idea. Thanks in advance!Jon
Reply:I have the Harbor Freight dc inverter 80 amp stick welder .  It works well, but only burns 1/16 and 5/64 diameter rods effectively.  They advertise it will burn 3/32, but I find they burn rather cold as observed by the orange colored arc. If your needs are only for metal up to 3/16 or possibly 1/4 then yes these machines can do the work.I wish I could find a way to burn 3/32 because the amperage ratings for the rods say they should work within the 80 amp range but they may be referring to the 240 volt machines for the recommended amperage instead of the 120 volt machines.The HF unit I have does not seem to like e6013 but does great with e7014, which is pretty much all I need.
Reply:i have the thermal arc 95s, thats very similar. i've used it to burn 3/32 7018 and it works good enough. thats at the top end of its power so starting the arc can be frustrating. its great with 1/16 6013. i mostly use it for stainless tig, and it goes with me for all camping/wheeling trips. at one point i forgot i left it in a tool box in the rain, the thing was completely submerged in water, figured it was a goner but let it dry out in the shop for a week and it still works! i had a cheaper unit similar in looks to the hf unit that i got on amazon, worked as god as the thermal arc, but it quit working after 6 months. and also used one that looks similar to one you posted, its was branded 'smarter tools'  it was crap, maybe 70% of the power the thermal arc puts out, couldn't keep an arc with 3/32.basically the thermal arc i can say is great for what it is, and the others hit and miss.   in my experiance.
Reply:i have HF 80 amp inverter and it does not put out 80 amps on ordinary 120 volt 15 amp circuit. if you are on a special 120 volt 30 amps circuit maybe you can get the full 80 welding amps. the clue is when they use 10 ga wire on 120 volt power cord of the welding machine. you need extra big 10 ga wire extension cords and 10 ga wire all the way to circuit breaker..i believe welding machine auto limits weld amps if 120 volt outlet drops voltage too much which many 120 volt circuits do when over 15 amps used . thats why motors starting and the lights go dimmer with voltage drop..basically i noticed no difference between 55 and 80 amp setting and with a 240 volt welder set for 80 amps and the small 120 volt welder set for 80 amps side by side with same 3/32 weld rod it is obvious that the little welder is over 20 amps less weld amps. when i setup for tig i can see starting arc is what looks like 80 amps for 1 second then arc goes smaller and dimmer automatically...it works good with 1/16 welding rod and gets welding rod red hot if set over 50 amps and 1/16 rod actually works good on 1/8 thick material.just a warning you are not going to use a ordinary 14 ga extension cord on a ordinary 120 volt 15 amp outlet and get 80 weld amps out of it. the welding machine says 20 amp circuit but i get the feeling thats 20 amp slow blow circuit breaker and it actually uses 25 to 30 amps at full power
Reply:Cool thanks guys!I guess another option would be to make my generator & 240 volt machine more mobile by setting up a cart so I can wheel it onto a trailer reasonably, but nothing is ever gonna be as easy as putting a lunch box on the back seat of my car and plugging it in. I do have 20 amp 120 volt service where I'd use it mostly. What I run into are these little odds & ends (usually on some type of tube steel, tent poles, trailer parts, fencing, misc bracketry) where I wish I could weld it but it takes more time or is impractical to move the welder to the job or job to the welder, so I end up spending more time drilling/bolting things on, and it's usually about 1/8 thick steal.. That thermal arc 95S looks real similar to the two models mentioned up here but more $$, I wonder if it's a higher quality version of the same.The HF welder you mention I've seen, I'm very suspicious of that Chicago Electric brand after having a bad experience with a drill. Looks kinda similar too but a little cheaper appearing anyway... I feel like Northern Tool is better as far as verifying some level of quality in what they sell, where at HF they seem to sell a lot of stuff that is just absolutely junk out of the box.Jon
Reply:The Everlast 140 is a great little dual voltage welder too.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by leakyCool thanks guys!I guess another option would be to make my generator & 240 volt machine more mobile by setting up a cart so I can wheel it onto a trailer reasonably, but nothing is ever gonna be as easy as putting a lunch box on the back seat of my car and plugging it in. I do have 20 amp 120 volt service where I'd use it mostly. What I run into are these little odds & ends (usually on some type of tube steel, tent poles, trailer parts, fencing, misc bracketry) where I wish I could weld it but it takes more time or is impractical to move the welder to the job or job to the welder, so I end up spending more time drilling/bolting things on, and it's usually about 1/8 thick steal.. That thermal arc 95S looks real similar to the two models mentioned up here but more $$, I wonder if it's a higher quality version of the same.The HF welder you mention I've seen, I'm very suspicious of that Chicago Electric brand after having a bad experience with a drill. Looks kinda similar too but a little cheaper appearing anyway... I feel like Northern Tool is better as far as verifying some level of quality in what they sell, where at HF they seem to sell a lot of stuff that is just absolutely junk out of the box.Jon
Reply:I've gotten to use these small Fronius inverters off-shore and even though I was highly skeptical of them at first it didn't take long for me to become really impressed with them.    http://www.fronius.com/cps/rde/xchg/...m#.Vp_COMv2acw
Reply:Esab 161 lts. Runs on 115 or 230, comes from a real company with a real warranty, 3 years.
Reply:Originally Posted by M J DEsab 161 lts. Runs on 115 or 230, comes from a real company with a real warranty, 3 years.
Reply:My son had an 80A HF.  Later sold it to my bro-in-law to stick together an exhaust pipe. He liked it, but he's from a third-world country, so it was a step up.Later picked up another HF unit for $40. net cost. One of these days, we'll parallel the two and see what happens. My son really likes the TA 161STL I gave him. Stunning performance for the price (he didn't pay). Last edited by Oldendum; 01-20-2016 at 01:01 PM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by WNY_TomB.i bought a miller inverter with 3 year warranty and it failed the 2nd time at 3 years 1 month and they wanted over $150 to fix it. 3 year warranty is nothing and goes by quick..basically a welder should have lifetime warranty or in my opinion 3 year warranty is just about useless. i much prefer a new and different brand welder every year or 2. how you going to see what else is out there if you stick with same brand welder all the time ?.welders are becoming like computers. i do not buy just one welder and expect it to last 30 years. i buy new welder usually no more than 5 years apart so i got a relatively modern and up to date one. i much prefer to get rid of the out of date welding technology.some Chinese welders are actually very good welders. sure you have to be careful on which ones you buy. many Americans do not know but China now produces well over 500% more steel every year now than the USA or Japan and they weld more items than are welded in the USA easily. it is not even close
Reply:Originally Posted by OldendumMy son had an 80A HF.  Later sold it to my bro-in-law to stick together an exhaust pipe. He liked it, but he's from a third-world country, so it was a step up.Later picked up another HF unit for $40. net cost. One of these days, we'll parallel the two and see what happens. My son really likes the TA 161STL I gave him. Stunning performance for the price (he didn't pay).
Reply:Originally Posted by kizeYou state a welder should have a lifetime warranty. Then you state you don't expect a welder to last 30 years. Again you say you prefer a new welder every year or 2. Then you state you buy welders 5 years apart. I don't speak dribble or rubish. What are you attempting to say ? I guess I'm the odd ball. I see old miller ap 330 welds Posted here that shame brand new high tech machines. It's been proven that skill trumps technology. And I do expect quality welding equipment to last as long as I do. An Idealarc 250 that I picked up -30 years old - is still working the way it was supposed to when it was new. Your new technology will be in landfills with the rest in 30 years.To each his own I guess.
Reply:If you set your expectations low enough, Harbor Freight will never dissapoint. My self, I could see that POS getting the modified " Mr. Patience" discus toss into the atmosphere.
Reply:Originally Posted by M J DEsab 161 lts. Runs on 115 or 230, comes from a real company with a real warranty, 3 years.
Reply:I picked up a Eutectic power max a few years back ,it will only run on 230  but weighs about 8 lbs, has 150 amps max and a 100% duty cycle at 100 amps .Also lift arc tig. That and my Miller passport are all I have left  to use when I play with something. It will burm 7018 exclaiber and 6010 plus P and day
Reply:I have an Esab 161 also, love it, runs nice and smooth, 120 or 220 with the change of the plug.
Reply:I know this thread is about cheap inverters but you could keep your eye out for a used Maxstar 150. I got a smoking deal on mine and love it.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:Originally Posted by gxbxcI picked up a Eutectic power max a few years back ,it will only run on 230  but weighs about 8 lbs, has 150 amps max and a 100% duty cycle at 100 amps .Also lift arc tig. That and my Miller passport are all I have left  to use when I play with something. It will burm 7018 exclaiber and 6010 plus P and day
Reply:I don't think they sell them any more the last catalog I saw was dated 2014,and they are hard to find on there web site
Reply:I have always been leery of inverter machines. But I bought one anyhow and it was supposed to be one of the best out there and the price reflected that. My suspicions came true and the machine has been in the shop twice now and has basically no hours on it yet.So with that experience I would say ABSOLUTELY NOT to even thinking of getting a "cheap" inverter! Personally I would not get any inverter machine ever again!  If you really want an inverter machine get one with a warranty and as soon as that warranty is up sell the damn thing!12v battery, jumper cables, and a 6013.I only have a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/VPT/244788508917829
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTI have always been leery of inverter machines. But I bought one anyhow and it was supposed to be one of the best out there and the price reflected that. My suspicions came true and the machine has been in the shop twice now and has basically no hours on it yet.So with that experience I would say ABSOLUTELY NOT to even thinking of getting a "cheap" inverter! Personally I would not get any inverter machine ever again!  If you really want an inverter machine get one with a warranty and as soon as that warranty is up sell the damn thing!
Reply:before inverters I bought a Norweld welder than can run on 120 or 240 volts and was for many years it was the go to small welding machine for 120 volt jobs..it goes to 135 amp and like on 120 volts it will try top pull 50 amps out of the 120 volt outlet. obviously it does not run at full power on 120 volts. even at 60 weld amps it is like using 20 amps at 120 volt outlet and 20 amp circuit breaker needs slow blow type to allow a minute or 2 welding at a time. and welding on 120 volt outlet usually voltage drops below 110 volts on many 120 volt outlets when pulling 20+ amps. Norweld welder drops weld arc voltage and when open circuit welding voltage drops or goes lower it can be very hard to strike a arc.when Norweld welder is wired for 240 volts on 30 amp circuit acts like a totally different welding machine. arc voltage is higher and much easier to strike a arc..i believe a lot of inverter welders act different. they maintain welding voltage for easy arc starting but limit maximum welding amps if they cannot be supplied with over 110 volts at the electrical outlet. so basically.even if welder is little brick size inverter welder notice the extra big 10 ga power cord on the end. that means it needs a lot of amps to pull out of 120 volt electrical outlet and can easily need 20 to 30 amps minimum out of a 120 volt electrical outlet. so if you only got a 15 amp 120 volt electrical outlet to plug in to you like got a 99% chance you will not be getting full weld amps power out of it..does not matter much what brand you get. if it needs 120 volts and 30 amps at electrical outlet and you cannot supply it the power required the welder will not supply you with full weld power . it can be amazing how such a small brick size inverter welder can require so much power. only difference is how different welding machines act when they are not supplied with proper 120 volts and amps. do they lower welding voltage (hard to strike a arc and pull a long arc) or lower welding maximum amps ???.in the future small brick size inverter welders will be even higher capacity. wait til they come out in 300 weld amp models. then you really will need to feed them a lot more input power even if welder is only the size of a brick. if plugged into 120 volt outlet and they try to pull 100 amps out of 15 amp circuit at 120 volts obviously it will not work that well. you need a 4 ga wire to handle 100 amps and if circuit is wired with 14 ga wire if not for the 15 amp circuit breaker the 14 ga wire in the wall would quickly get red hot and start a fireLast edited by WNY_TomB; 01-21-2016 at 12:36 PM.