Cheap welder?

[SomeGuy]

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/sku/8209686
Worth while at that price or not? I've only welded once in my life (flux core) and don't need it for too much, I'm not doing body work or building chassis, just general little repairs and such around the house and I have a couple little things I'd like to try building :)

The most I'd ever get is one of those little lincoln mig 140's...but is 5-6 times the price for very limited use worth it? I know it can at least be setup with argon/co2 which is way better to use than flux core.

The other thought is I can get some practice in with little initial investment and always upgrade down the road as at $100 it's essentially disposable.

[peterm15]

Welders like this have a very limited use. IMO one that can accept gases would be better BUT you really can't go wrong with $100 for a toy. If I didn't already have a Lincoln one. I'd jump on this.

[midnightfxgt]

My Stepfather bought the $59 (on sale) model from PA. He had to weld a single bracket at the cottage for an ATV plow. He used it, and was super surprised that it did the job. I told him not to waste his money, but in the 2-3x he has used it, it worked, and if it breaks tomorrow he wont care.

He has a 240V Lincoln at home, but the cottage is off a small Generator, so no big plugs ;)

[silverstarmazda]

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/sku/8209686
Worth while at that price or not? I've only welded once in my life (flux core) and don't need it for too much, I'm not doing body work or building chassis, just general little repairs and such around the house and I have a couple little things I'd like to try building :)

The most I'd ever get is one of those little lincoln mig 140's...but is 5-6 times the price for very limited use worth it? I know it can at least be setup with argon/co2 which is way better to use than flux core.

The other thought is I can get some practice in with little initial investment and always upgrade down the road as at $100 it's essentially disposable.

looks like a good deal to me. last thing you want is to spend some big bucks on something you use a couple times... good reviews too. just make sure to read the specs before purchasing.

[terapr0]

it's a piece of junk, I wouldnt buy it. Powerfist stuff is rubbish.

$0.02 from someone with access to dozens of high end TIG & MIG welders. My opnion is biased, and yours may vary.

[silverstarmazda]

well he's not using for a business so as long as he takes care of the equipment it should last...

[midnightfxgt]

....at $100 it's essentially disposable.

I think the expectations are on par with price :)

[Lockdown]

They don't hold up well but if you're using it to learn on then I would say, go for it.
It's cheap and like stated above, if you don't expect a lot out of it, you may just be pleasantly surprised

[terapr0]

I wouldnt even learn on a FCAW (flux-core arc welding) welder....it's such a novelty, used by so few industries for so few applications that it's essentially useless. It's like stick welding - very few uses, ugly, weak and not very common for very good reasons. If you insist on flux-core (and I dont know why you would), GMAW flux-core is far more common, although you're best to just learn standard MIG or TIG. FCAW has a tendency to produce very porous welds that are weak and unstable.

Although I suppose for $100, you cant really go wrong and it's better than nothing. Just be sure to hold onto the "I'll throw it away when it breaks" attitude, because it's a powerfist product so you know it WILL break, very soon.