Has anybody used the Eastwood 135 series MIG welder. It looks like a good deal @ $299.99. I've been using a cambell Hausfield flux core and find it difficult to do sheet metal. I really don't want to put $600 plus into a welder that i'm not going to use that often. Any input on these units?
As they say "You get what you pay for".As an old welder I say stay away from "Off" brands becuse you will be sorry in the end .Tom (Tired Old Man)
Years ago I bought a Lincoln 125V from Eastwood, great little mig. Looks just like the blue one in the photos that show it as Eastwood ? Only think I can complain about is that it has a short duty cycle, it gets tired and you have to leave it rest but that's why they make Pabst .
My son and I bought a plasma cutter from the Matco man back around 96 or 97. It was nothing but trouble. Turns out it was built by Century and hard to find parts for it. On the other hand, we bought a Solar mig welder back in '86,my son still uses it today. I would find out who makes it ,and where. maybe its allright ,maybe junk.The welding supply guy says why buy a welder from anybody but the welding supply co. Kinda makes sense. A lot of times you can find something used with a lot more quality for the same price or even cheaper. With good maintenance a good welder can last a lifetime
I agree with lawman, Buy a name brand welder like Lincoln or Miller. I've had my Miller for 15 years and no trouble.
The eastwoods look like re-branded lincoln welders. I wouldnt be suprised if they were the exact same. And on another note you can get a decent Lincoln welder at homedepot for 350-400. Wait till they have one of those 20%off sales if you open a hd credit account and buy it then..
I have a Craftsman 120V MIG that is a rebranded Century. I won't deny that it will weld sheetmetal adequately, but I can't recommend it. Stick with a Hobart, Lincoln or Miller. I've also heard good things about ESAB, but have never used one.
I have an Airco I bought 35 years ago for $1200.00. Have spent $250.00 on it in all these years.Try taking a brand name (Been on sale) or a off brand back to Homedepot or Lowes.Save your money up and go to a good welding shop for your welder and you will be glad you did.IMHO.Tom (Tired Old Man)
Look identical to me... handle is just a little updated. And lincoln recently changed the design for these small welding machines, I bet someone bought all the overstock of the old lincoln chassis's
For $150 more, I used this same welder for 5+ years, built many motorcycles with it, I just upgraded so i can do some thicker steel but this thing was a little work horse! http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200447703_200447703 Plus I found the MIG upgrade on ebay for $50, but even with flux it worked great.
i bet the lincoln and eastwood welders are made by century.. century is owned by lincoln.. adding this, a friend of mine acquired a clarke 130en on a trade, he does paint and body... he asked me to run some beads with it to see what i thought.. it ran and welded very good, the feed mechanism seemed good and smooth... the clarkes can be had pretty cheap on ebay.. i myself have owned a few different migs. a snap-on 125amp century 150amp hobart handler 160/165 miller 251a/w alum spool gun lincoln 180c... from my different experiences with the different mig machines the snap-on was junk, but my step brother still has it and uses it after 20 years. hes a body and paint guy, the thing welds great on stitch mode, but the drive mechanism is kind of flaky and not consistent. i never liked it, actually think it was a century with snap-on stickers. the century 150 amp was actually a damn good welder for what i paid for it.. like $350 back in the mid 90's.. swapped it to a guy along time ago, he still has it and uses it regularly.. the hobart handler 160/165 which ever it was the worst welder i owned by far, couldnt get rid of it fast enough.. the 250amp miller was the best welder by far. i got it in a swap for a suzuki lt250r 4-wheeler... it was a cadillac machine.. it didnt suit my garage as it was to large and heavy for the space i had, so i sold it.. i should have just bought longer leads for it.. oh well, you live and learn.. after selling the miller.. I bought the lincoln 180c, and a 25amp bluepoint plasma, and a thermal arc 185 tig welder.. lincoln 180c (220v) was $750 with cart to my door from indiana oxygen, damn nice machine for the money... its light, compact,for my small garage its perfect. it has a good solid cart with it. i think its american made, and it also has a metal drive assembly.. the only real recommendation i can give you is after owning both miller and lincoln welders, and comparing them to different somewhat offbrands. the miller and lincoln mig welders by far are better.. after owning the smaller 110v units and comparing with the 220v welders, there is so much difference its definetly, and i mean definetly worth moving onto a 220v machine... trust me even if you get an off brand and dont use it much, go up to a 220volt machine you will not regret it..
If you already have a MIG and your happy with it for everything but sheet metal why don't you buy a A/O set up? about the same cost as a cheap MIG. Far better for sheet metal. If you really want to mig sheet then step up and buy a good one.
can you just convert it to gas ? that would more than likely be your cheapest alternative... for sheetmetal solid wire and gas is going to be better than the flux core by far... even using straight co2, i like the 75/25 mix better..
you know, same money spent on a used welder from a pawn shop or craigslist will get you a name brand that you can get parts and service on at a proper dealer. Welders need service from time to time. They have a tough job and have moving parts. Also, I have told everyone that ever asked to be sure the heat and wire speed were not click adjustable, but instead full range dial adjustable. Never met a single person that disagreed with that after trying to use a click adjustable welder.
I will agree with everything here, especially the click thing. My one welding machine is a click one, the damn thing wont even weld if you have it accidentally in between a setting. Lol that was a frustrating 20mins trying to figure that one out...
Thats one of the things that look attractive about the Eastwood.... I have been considering it myself!
I just bought a EW and have no trouble with sheet metal with gas I don't know who runs enough to shut duty cycle down on sheet metal anyway.I have a 300 amp hobart Tig/stick from the old days ant use it to do sheetmetal work but hard to get into some places this mig works fine and a 3 yr warrenty
I have a miller shopmaster been using it for years .the circut board went so i borrowed a lincoln 100 110v ,it was great having a little welder around . i started shopping around and i just bought a eastwood 135 this week , i bought the kit came with cart, nice auto dark helmet,gauge hose ,just add your bottle, cost me 399.00 that included shipping , its a great machine ,good duty cycle,and side by side with the lincoln ,looks like the only difference is the color OH almost forgot comes with a 3 year warranty. the lincolns and millers have 1 and 2 year warrantys .My opinion its a no brainer, IM VERY HAPPY with my eastwood and it was at my door in 2 days
Shoot, I loaded mine up in the truck and took it to a repair shop. The guy clicked the dial for me and said "There you go".
Update on welder search. Found a used Lincoln 135 from local votech school. They were replacing equipment for new ones works great for what I will be doing Thanks for all the input.
It's been my experience that Eastwood is pricey. If Eastwood is asking $299, you most likely can get the same welder somewhere else for $199. But as stated, you do get what you pay for... I found that out. Stick with the well known brands.
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