Firepower MIG welders?

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Anyone out there used one of these Firepower MIG welders? I've seen them on eBay and was wondering if it's good deal for a beginner. I've had bad luck with off-brands before and don't want to throw my money on the floor.  Thanks
Reply:I see nobody has used one of these welders(or won't admit it?  ).Anyway I did get one off of ebay for cheap, cheap, cheap and now I know why they're so cheap. The machines are well built and have alot of bells and whistles, but, the customer/tech. service "SUCKS". For example, I asked what the wire feed speeds are for the ten setttings? There answer; 100 FPM, at ten, thats pretty fast   ! I asked what the spot welding settings are? There answer: #1 = 1minutes, so #10 = 10 minutes  .  I couldn't hold the gun for ten minutes let alone having the machine run for 10 minutes. I laughed my A$& off and hung-up on them. What a pathetic joke.Bottom line, "Run for the Hills" and get an American made machine.My 2 cents,   Chuck
Reply:Chuck, i have run one of the 110 volt firepower machines, and personally I did not see anything wrong with the machine.  It ran as good as my lincoln.  as far as the settings go, I just set the machine to perform on what I was doing and didn't care what they actually represented.  Firepower is a Thermadyne company which is headquartered in St. louis, Missouri.  It is an american owned Company, and has manufacturing operations all over the world just as lincoln and miller do.    There is info on the Thermadyne website about the company.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:hey Jackson,Your right the Firepower is an excellent welder and I have no complaints about the quality, it is an excellent machine. A buddy of mine who has been MIG welding for 20 something years is very impressed with it. I'm just a little perturbed with the tech help. As a beginner I need all the initial help I can get in setting up the machine to weld. But, a 10 min. spot weld is crazy talk coming from their Tech. Dept. and when they say "100fpm at maximum setting is pretty fast", well, even I know their pulling numbers out of their A&$   . I was just venting my frustrations with a crack high tech. dept. and putting out a warning to any other beginning MIG welders not to expect much help from them, that's all. Thermodyne is an American Co., the machines are made in Italy and Firepower Tech is from Pluto  . Chuck