I have been searching for a MIG machine and ran across the Eastwood package. 175 Amp MIG and a Plasma for $999.00! Anyone used either of these two machines yet? The reviews are great and I can get a welder and Plasma almost as cheap as the welder alone is thru Miller. I like Miller's equipment (we are loaded with it at work) but this is a home use machine and won't be running 6 hrs a day, 5 days a week!
Beware of cheap plasmas. I had a Hobart AirForce250ci 115v unit. It was sweet, all self contained and portable. It was ok. I was using it this past Jan and it died. No lights, no warning, just kaput. After no luck figuring it out, I went to a shop where $60 worth of diagnosis lead to a $700 part to repair my $800 plasma cutter. I went and bought a Miller 375 Extreme and haven't looked back. I use this one a ton more. You can get even less expensive welder & plasma at Harbor freight. I suppose the question is would you rather have a tool expense or investment?
i think they got a couple year guarantoo on them, if i was young and going to use them for 20 yearws i would buy the brand names but i got 3 years to go to hit 70 so i bought the Eastwoods and they seem pretty good to me also bought the TIG have not got a bottle thought the 175 welder did a nice job on some lightweight china tube on a water pump and thouuuuught that it had a nice appearance
every time i open a mag and see eastwood puttting their name on the chinese stuff i wonder where they'll be and what we'll think of them in the future... the products work for basic use and short term. the quality is not what i would consider an option... if you don't have a mig welder save your money and buy a hobart/miller or lincoln. for the dough you spend on the combo at eastwood you should be able to get a good hobby mig welder. the plasma cutter is a "nice to have" tool. your grinder and a zip cut will do the job for now.
i didn't mention why i dislike the cheaper welders... one example comes to mind. while welding a bracket made of 1/4 mild steel i needed more heat. simple enough... turn up the dial! 4 to 5... now it's sputtering and jumping wire all over the place!?... dial to 6! ... now it undercuts the hell out of my plate! down to 5 again... this time it works well. turns out the dial only worked if you turned it from the top down. 6 to 5 is cool, but 5 to 6 no-worky. after a couple weeks i had to go to 8, then down to 5 to make it work. headaches like that when i just want it to work are a pain.
A while back I bought a new Miller 211. Perfect for home use, will weld 3/8 mild steel in a single pass on 220v. Has the same features of the DVI but a smaller package. Goes for 1K online, cant be beat for the $ IMO
I started out with a cheap Centry welder and hated it every time I used it. I could not get a clean weld. I purchased a Miller 140 with auto set and now I get a good weld every time. I only paid about 650 at a NSRA show about 2 years ago.
absolutely... that's a good machine. the other big names make good ones also. one that gets skipped often is esab although they are mostly larger machines. brankds i'd recommend are miller, hobart (owned by miller), lincoln, and esab... have i missed any? .... maybe some of the better century models?
I was so impressed with the Eastwood 135 that I bought the plasma/TIG combo for $999. With a 3 year warranty, and a no hassle/paid shipping return policy, there is no reason not to try it out.
Thanks MS, I was looking for someone that exactly used one not "name brand whores"! LOL I am well aware of Miller and Lincoln. I have over 60 different Miller machines in the fleet I oversee at work. It is just hard to drop $1100 on a 211 and then another $1300 on a plasma when they only get used a couple of hours a month at home. I have a Miller CST280 for ARC and TIG and it is a great unit. Anyone who has owned the new Eastwoods really rave about them. As far as the plasma being a "nice to have" tool, I disagree 100%. cut-off wheels suck and don't cut tight curves. Once you have used a plasma you will only use your grinder for what it is attended for, grinding.
Just checked out the warranty, three years, no hassle. The Esab has a 90 day money back policy if you don't like it. Eastwood will let you test drive their unit for 30 days if you ask. Yes, the machines are built just for Eastwood, designed by Eastwood, and copied off the Lincolns. I like to buy American made stuff whenever possible but let's be real, the guts in Lincoln and Miller both are from China but the machines are assembled here in the states, Hobart in Ohio, Miller in Wisconsin I believe.
My buddy bought the 220v eastwood mig for his home shop and it works awesome. Cant beat the price. If i didnt have a Miller 135 already I'd buy one too...... still might
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