I am thinking of purchasing a craftsman wire feed that runs off of 110. I am not much of a welder, but don't have 220 or the money to get 220 in my garage. This seems like a decent alternative that I could learn a little with, maybe get better so that I can convince myself to get a big boy welder. any experience or advice on these? it is $200 on sale this week and has a 3 year warranty. Says it will weld 24 gauge all the way up to 1/4". I was gonna put floors in my `56 with it, along with some stuff with some buddies cars (the midwest is hell on metal) thanks Joe
pay close attention to the duty cycle..this will probably be your only limiting factor if welding sheet metal...most of these units require a bit of a rest period...
Craftsman Is Good Shit. Buy It. I Have A Century 110 That I Have Had Forever. Just Sold A 220v Lincoln But, Since I Had The 110 Stowed Away, I Can Still Work On Shit Until Moving Day. You Cant Go Wrong Having A Backup. So Even If You Get A 220v Later On, A 110 Is A Good Investment. Dont Use Flux Core Wire Though Looks Like Shiot.
I've got one. It'll tack sheet metal together SOMEWHAT, that's about as far as it goes. I think if you converted it to use gas it'd work just fine though.
I was thinking of buying one too on the cheap. I know that they aren't real good at all, UnionvilleHaunt has one that he always complains about, but cheap is cheap. It sucks cuz I'm used to the Lincoln Power Mig 255 machine at work.
If you are looking for an inexpensive welder, look into Hobart. It is a littler more then the craftsman you are looking at. But for the price its the best, comes ready out of the box with everything but a tank. But it does have a regulator. Hobart is Millers cheap line. its basically the same welder as a miller but some of the parts are plastic instead of metal such as the spool spindle inside and other various objects. But it has a warranty so no big deal. Seariously take a look into them you wont be dissapointed. I saw it at tractor supply company last night for about 439
If your not using gas you might just as well weld it with a torch or an arc welder.. WTF thats the beauty of a mig shielding gas and nice welds??? Dave
I have that same unit, bought it in spring of 2000, still running strong. Burnt up the cooling fan once, no problem to replace, works for everything I've needed it for. Would I build a frame with it? No. But it works fine for everything else, including a top chop and some other "major" stuff. Only had it go into thermal shutdown twice (over-ran the duty cycle), and I was definitely pushing it hard those times. As a 1st welder it's a good choice, you'll just need to learn to use it...my $.02 Jack
I have a craftsman and I hate it. At work we sell hobarts and I pulled one for shop use. It is the 140 model and does a great job as far as 110 goes. I would definetly save for a hobart if I was you. Thats what I'm doing now.
I have one. I have had it for about 8 years and I use it constantly. Never bothered to convert it to MIG, I just use it as a flux-core. I put a few heavier things together with several passes, but nowadays it's used strictly for sheetmetal and my lawn robot art. I use a Craftsman arc welder for heavier stuff like frames, and a Silver Beauty MIG for medium stuff that needs nice clean welds, like rollcages.
problem with the craftman name is, you never know what you getting. some years they be great tools and then other they are junk. I think now the power tools are emerson electric. I would eith stick with holbart, miller, lincoln and nothing else. and I would go no lower than 135
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