Thoughts on this used welder?

[joshuabardwell]

50 amp stick welder with helmet, welding rods, and carbon arc torch

Can anybody give me an opinion on these welders? I'm considering learning to weld and am browsing used units on CL. BTW, I think the guy has the prices of the two units reversed, because the Wards unit seems hands-down better than the CH unit, so I don't know why it would be cheaper.

One question that I know I have is whether the 110 units are going to satisfy me. This matters b/c I don't have a 220 circuit out in my barn. I have a 5000 watt generator with a 220 circuit, but I don't know if that would cut it for a welder, and anyway, how annoying would it be to have to fire up the genny every time I want to weld something? But if I need 220, then I'd rather find a way to get it. The ad says the Ward unit will weld up to 1/4" metal, which seems plenty thick for most applications, so why would I need 220 again?

It's also unclear to me whether these are AC or AC/DC.

Any other factors about the welders that I'm missing due to my inexperience?

Thanks.

[joshuabardwell]

... as long as you're commenting, this one looks pretty nice to me.

Ward Power Kraft AC-DC Arc Welder

[k0ua]

Joshua, you are going to be a lot happier if you can find an old Lincoln tombstone or any 220 volt welder. The 120 volt 50 amp welder show in the ad is about as close as you can get to the low end of welders. It is just not a whole lot there.. It is AC only, And yes 50 amps will weld light materiels. The 20% duty cycle is well... weld a while and wait a while..It is non adjustable, oh geez.. what am I saying... run don't walk...away. Save your 70 bucks. and put a little with it and get a decent welder. This welder has no redeeming features.. I am sorry. Been in your shoes years ago, Not knowing if you will even like welding, so you don't want to invest a lot of money in a good, one. Trust me you will like welding, and you will learn it if you try... Go get a decent welder. Thanks for listening.

James K0UA

[k0ua]

... as long as you're commenting, this one looks pretty nice to me.

Ward Power Kraft AC-DC Arc Welder

This is 100 times the welder than the first one.. you could actually learn how to weld with this unit and the price is right if it all works.

James K0UA

[joshuabardwell]

Been in your shoes years ago, Not knowing if you will even like welding, so you don't want to invest a lot of money in a good, one. Trust me you will like welding, and you will learn it if you try... Go get a decent welder. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for the input, James. I know I will like it and I'm not trying to skimp! Just still figuring out what I need to look for in a welder.

Can I expect that 220 unit to run off my generator? Is there a formula for circuit amp draw based on amps at the electrode?

[k0ua]

Thanks for the input, James. I know I will like it and I'm not trying to skimp! Just still figuring out what I need to look for in a welder.

Can I expect that 220 unit to run off my generator? Is there a formula for circuit amp draw based on amps at the electrode?

See if you can find the manual, for the wards 220 volt welder, online and get the input current rating needed for it.. but it may be close to 50 amps. so 220 volts X 50 amps =11000 watts.. so you are not going to run it full bore on the genny.. BUT you can likely run some of the smaller electrodes like 3/32 6011 on AC and try some 3/32 7018 on DC at about 75 or some 7014 at 100 amps. That should be maybe 20 amps input on 220 volts. for 4400 watts input. Your genny is likely to work here. But ideally you get some 220 out to the shop. New Inverter welders are a little more efficient than a transformer unit like this one, but $100 is hard to beat if everything is working.. DC is one heck of a lot better than AC, especially for a beginner in my opinion. So much smoother arc, and opens up more electrode choices. The old Wards is infinitely adjustable by moving that lever in the middle. I have heard they can get dirty connections wise, but it is a chance you take, Overall tho, I think it is worth the risk.

James K0UA

[Shield Arc]

I bought this welder back in the 70s. Really not a bad welder at all! Did a lot of Tig welding with it. Only stone I could throw is when Tig welding and you only want 3 or 4-amp change, the slide arm can be aggravating! I ran this welder on a 30-amp dryer outlet in the garage for a while. If I remember correctly I could only run about half of a 1/8-inch 7018 before it would trip the breaker. But if I didn't stuff one rod after another I could run 3/32-inch 7018 OK.

I tried it on my 10,000-watt generator just to see if it would work, it did.

[deereman75]

I would save your money. I have seen 225 amp Lincoln tombstones for $30 more then that. Those old lincolns can actually make some nice welds. Now I can make better ones with my inverter, but if my inverter blew up, I could go back ( but I wouldn't be happy about it)

[mikehaugen]

Learning to weld to weld with a crappy welder will be very discouraging and then you will not stick with it and you will never learn to weld.

get it... "stick" with it, hahaha sorry it is late in the day for me (I work 3rd shift).

[dex3361]

Buy the wards ac/dc welder. They are good welding machones to learn on and may be all you will ever need. That is if all works well. Not much to go wrong on one either. You can likely run it off your generator but not full amps.