deereman75
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- Deere 2120, Warner & Swasey 6000# offroad forklift, Case W9B loader, various non-running decorations
Thought I'd start a thread to share a few thoughts.
I have used a few inverter stick welders before, but never a name brand one. I have had a positively ancient Idealarc TM 400/400 for the last while that I am basing my comparisons on. I unfortunately no longer have my less expensive inverter welder to include in the comparison.
Anyways I recently added a Lincoln powermig 260 and have been extremely impressed with it vs the transformer powermig 256 and millermatic 252 machines I have spent time on. So much so I decided to give an inverter stick welder another try.
Just today I picked up a Lincoln Invertec V-155S
First impressions are largely positive. Case appears heavier and more durable than some of the other small welders I have seen. Controls are simple, and the power switch is a proper power switch rather than a circuit breaker.
Cons, no amperage display so a little bit of guesswork is required to initially figure out how to set it. And the electrode holder and ground clamp are the typical boarderline unusable garbage that every machine comes with. Cord comes with 110v plug installed so you have to cut that off and install a 220v before use.
Ground clamp is replaced with a 500A Lenco, and the stinger with a 400A Bernard shortstub.
After a few test beads on a scrap of plate to get the amperage set (approximately 120-125 amps on the dial) with a 1/8" 7018, I tried a basic fillet weld with some scrap bits of plate.
It seems to weld okay, bead appearance is average. Very different arc than the Idealarc which is going to take a bit of getting used to. It seems to run much hotter on a given setting. And has MUCH more aggressive arc force. With the same rods set to what seems like the same amps, the inverter tends to push the slag further back from the puddle while welding, and also is visibly digging into the base metal more aggressively.
As a whole I would say it welds nicely, and I anticipate liking it more as I get used to running it vs the machine I have been with for years.
Final thoughts would be that a digital display would be a welcome addition. And price. Although still a bit less than the equivalent miller maxstar, it is still awful steep compared to the Esab, and especially the offshore machines. I am almost half tempted to buy another Chinese inverter someday to play with the two side by side.
I will update this over the next week or two as I work with it some more. This is just my initial impressions after spending half an hour with it after getting it home.
I have used a few inverter stick welders before, but never a name brand one. I have had a positively ancient Idealarc TM 400/400 for the last while that I am basing my comparisons on. I unfortunately no longer have my less expensive inverter welder to include in the comparison.
Anyways I recently added a Lincoln powermig 260 and have been extremely impressed with it vs the transformer powermig 256 and millermatic 252 machines I have spent time on. So much so I decided to give an inverter stick welder another try.
Just today I picked up a Lincoln Invertec V-155S
First impressions are largely positive. Case appears heavier and more durable than some of the other small welders I have seen. Controls are simple, and the power switch is a proper power switch rather than a circuit breaker.
Cons, no amperage display so a little bit of guesswork is required to initially figure out how to set it. And the electrode holder and ground clamp are the typical boarderline unusable garbage that every machine comes with. Cord comes with 110v plug installed so you have to cut that off and install a 220v before use.
Ground clamp is replaced with a 500A Lenco, and the stinger with a 400A Bernard shortstub.
After a few test beads on a scrap of plate to get the amperage set (approximately 120-125 amps on the dial) with a 1/8" 7018, I tried a basic fillet weld with some scrap bits of plate.
It seems to weld okay, bead appearance is average. Very different arc than the Idealarc which is going to take a bit of getting used to. It seems to run much hotter on a given setting. And has MUCH more aggressive arc force. With the same rods set to what seems like the same amps, the inverter tends to push the slag further back from the puddle while welding, and also is visibly digging into the base metal more aggressively.
As a whole I would say it welds nicely, and I anticipate liking it more as I get used to running it vs the machine I have been with for years.
Final thoughts would be that a digital display would be a welcome addition. And price. Although still a bit less than the equivalent miller maxstar, it is still awful steep compared to the Esab, and especially the offshore machines. I am almost half tempted to buy another Chinese inverter someday to play with the two side by side.
I will update this over the next week or two as I work with it some more. This is just my initial impressions after spending half an hour with it after getting it home.