Any thoughts on this welder?

[rhett]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I am looking at this welder because A. It is cheap for how I use a welder. B. because it is an inverter, and hopefully with less current draw, I'm thinking I can use it with my 5000 watt generator which has a 220 volt plug but with only a 20 amp output socket which seems problematic with the 205 amp Hobart AC welder. Otherwise I would have to consider a mig welder.

A = Yes, same reasoning for new machine purchase here
B = Maybe, the "Current Drawn" will be determined by the Amp setting selected for welding.

A 5000 watt (continuous) generator should burn 1/8 inch rods using Amp settings 90 - 120 Amps without problems. If to much current is being drawn from the generator its circuit breaker should come into play and stop the welding process. The Hobart unit should weld fine with a generator if selected Amperage does not exceed the generators output (around 140 welding amps).

I will again restate my main reason of purchasing a unit using Inverter Technology, the "Size and Weight" for portability.

The units cost is also a deciding factor, a Miller Maxstar 150 S at $913.00 US is way out of my budget and unjustifiable for minimal projected use.

As for reliability, I'll say you get what you pay for. Then again, even high end units can fail, electrical devices have always had horrible warranties because of their nature.

Rhett

 

[Workstead]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 5000 watt (continuous) generator should burn 1/8 inch rods using Amp settings 90 - 120 Amps without problems. If too much current is being drawn from the generator its circuit breaker should come into play and stop the welding process. The Hobart unit should weld fine with a generator if selected Amperage does not exceed the generators output (around 140 welding amps).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhett

I have a Generac 5KW generator made for Sears that is about 30 years old. The manual says not to weld with it. I did weld with a 225 Amp buzz box using 3/32 rods for a small project that used the welder for about 20 minutes total on an intermittant basis. The next time it was used was for lighting at a fair. It ran less than an hour and then quit. Had it checked and the inverter was bad. I guess the manual may have been right

Perhaps not all generators have this caveat but I haven't used the welder with it since. I wonder if MIG welders do a job on inverters in a portable generator?

Clem

 

[Soundguy]

It is a dc welder. It is an arc welder. My preference is stick welding.

I picked up a hobart stickmat lx 235 ac job a while back for about 240$.. 100% duty cycle at 100a.. which is where I do almost all my welding.

good basic welder..

soundguy

 

[RWolf]

Problem I see with welders running on generators is the amount of spikes they cause on the ac line. You can hear it by just running a radio (AM) and you'll hear the noise. That electrical noise can destroy many generators.

 

[Soundguy]

IMHO.. if I'm welding wih my genny as the power source.. I won't be running nything else ont he line at the time. As for a welder killing a properly sized genny.. uh.. I guess all those gas and diesel powred welder gennie combos are all about to belly up then right? after all.. the engine turns the genny to make the power to run the welder.. right.. see where this is going...?

soundguy

 

[mjncad]

Get the Hobart.

 

[Ford850]

I've researched this topic for my own welder needs since last year. I settled on getting an ac/dc stick, and looked for a used one for a long time. Most were too close to the price of new around here. I decided on getting a Hobart Stickmate, and was lucky to find one at my local TSC with an old price ($419). Then I got a TSC 10% coupon in the mail. I picked up my Christmas present yesterday for $377 after the discount. Look around at your local stores, there might be some deals to be had.

 

[RWolf]

To clarify my other statement is from the Lincoln Electric site where it was ask about running a welder on a generator and basically it said that even though the input amperage is within range of a generator (in this case a 6kw) they said due to the inefficency of the welder that you just about have to double the generator capacity to handle a welder. Also depending on the type of generator i.e. inverter technology then the spikes can damage the jenny. Not saying that it will but could.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I like the inverters. I have the Harbor Freight 80 amp and I have borrowed a 200 amp Smiley Tools version. I can't say much about long term reliability yet but they are neat little welders and they work good. As far as TIG goes you can do scratch start with any DC machine. Everlast, a direct competitor of Longevity, is showing the 200 amp Tig/stick for $349 but the prices they list for other models do not make much sense.
\Plasma Cutter, Tig Welder, Mig Welder, Multi Purpose Welder, Welding Equipment, Generators Everlast Generators - Product Details

Here are some pics.
Smiley 200 amp:

Smiley label:

Weld made with HF 80 amp 3/32 6013:

80 amp with my other DC stick welder:


That 140 should do 1/8" rod just fine. The inverters are pretty efficient - how else could they run such a high duty cycle in that small package? The Stickmate has about the same duty cycle and both the welder and manufacturer will probably outlast the inverter by a significant margin. That's your call.

I haven't tried the inverters on my Coleman 5000w generator but I have done a limited amount of MIG welding off the genny with no ill effects.

 

[Kfbeal]

Got a Home Depot in your area? They have the Lincoln AC/DC welder for $389.

Lincoln Electric AC/DC 225/125 Welder - K1297 at The Home Depot

I have a 225AC Lincoln I bought from a friend for $100 and have no problems with it, and welds come out fairly decent. Once you learn to control the rod and pool AC isn't that much of an issue. Lincoln Electric AC225S Welder - K1170 at The Home Depot