A good budget priced welder?

[joshuabardwell]

Let me add two more cents...

When I got my first welder, a buzzbox, it needed new diodes and a new fan. Total cost, just under $100. Meanwhile, my Everlast, if it dies in the next five years, I am covered by warranty. Cost: whatever it take to ship the failed board--or, worst case, the whole unit--back to Everlast. If it dies after the next five years, let's say that I have to buy a new mainboard, and let's just guess that'll cost roughly half what the whole welder cost new. So, let's say that repair cost for the Everlast is between even and $150 more than the buzzbox.

Now you say, "But wait! That buzzbox will keep running for the next fifty years, while the Everlast is going to break and require repair every ten!" Says you! That buzzbox had 20% duty cycle at 140 amps output, and when I was running 1/8" E7018, it had to be run at full output (even though 7018 should run fine at around 120 amps). Hmm... maybe that starts to explain why the diodes were burned out in the first place? I was constantly running that thing flat-out. Did I exceed the (paltry) 20% duty cycle? Uhhh... probably. Was it going to last 30 years? No way. Meanwhile, my Everlast has 35% duty cycle at 160 amps and 100% duty cycle at 90 amps and 60% at 120 amps. Ergo: I'm basically never going to exceed its duty cycle.

So when people say to a beginner welder who's looking for their first welder, "Buy a buzzbox! It'll last you 30 years!" I don't think they're getting the whole story. 30 years of sitting around for eight out of every ten minutes doesn't sound like fun to me.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Joshua what did you ever do with that old boat anchor welder you had?..

I sold it. Think I got like $150 or thereabouts. Put the money towards my PA160.

 

[yomax4]

I agree with Josh's posts on this thread. 25 years ago the Tombstone was the only choice for a home shop welder and half of the guys were still torch welding. Now days we have so many great choices in machines I can understand the new guys confusion. Great post on Arc Force and the differences between Transformers and Inverters. All accurate. This is why I would save enough to buy any welder other than a buzzbox/tombstone..Features like arc force in the new welders can be turned off as to not make learning any more difficult but most could use the help and are not usually whippin the rod when learning. As for machine life, There are inverters both welders and plasma cutters on the job used daily that I sold in the mid 80's..

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

A good explanation. Here is another. An old ITT rotary dial phone (500 series) was state of the art in 1950, and has a minimum of parts to break, it is very durable, and works as well today as it did in 1950, and is all the phone anyone could ever want, right? Well apparently not. New phones were constantly developed, with more features, and more complexity. The rotary dial phone cannot begin to compare to my Motorola Droid Razr M. They still make tombstones and thunderbolts, and they are 1930's technology. They also make Inverter welders with better features, better ratings, and 1/5 the weight for a given output. But they are full of electronics, and common sense will tell you there is more to fail inside the box. So why don't you want a rotary dial phone? What is the matter with you? Why would anyone choose one of these new fangled inverter things, likely made offshore? When the tried and true," rotary dial phone" that weighs enough to give you a hernia is all you should want. I have one by the way, and I put it on a wheeled cart so it can be moved. So that is my comparison, and I believe it to be valid. If you want the old tried and true technology, by all means put your money there, if you want something more modern, put your money there.

James K0UA

Oh. if you want a boat-anchor welder on a cart, with extra long leads, mine is for sale.. $150.

"uh...Hello Sarah, can you get me Aunt Bea?"

 

[joshuabardwell]

This is why I would save enough to buy any welder other than a buzzbox/tombstone..

And here's why I am such a big fan of Everlast (which I own) and companies like them, like Longevity. Yes, those companies make high-end welders that they intend to compete with the Big Boys, but that's not a market that I'm in, so I can't speak to it. The market I'm in is the home/hobbyist welder, and for that market, here's how I see it breaking down:

The person who is not sure they will like welding and just wants a taste: spend $100 on a used tombstone--even an AC-only one--off Craigslist and see if you like welding. Basically, this is the least-commitment way of finding out if welding is for you. If you like it, you are definitely going to want to trade up, but when you do, you'll probably about break even on the welder. People pass tombstones around like they were Christmas fruitcakes.

The person who is pretty sure they like welding: clearly, this person wants DC output. So they can either spend $150-$250 on an AC/DC tombstone OR they can save their pennies for just a little longer and get something like a PA-140ST (Amazon lists for around $300) and get a thousand times the welder. It's a no-brainer for me. Even if we were to stipulate the haters' claims that a Chicom welder is going to blow up the minute it's out of warranty, you'll get five years' of use out of it, and those five years are going to be SO much more satisfying, fun, and educational than if you were using a buzzbox. I think most people would agree that it's a good use of the money.

I just cringe when I see people recommending $300 Idealarcs and such to new welders. The n00b doesn't even know what he or she is missing out on! By the time you're at the $300 price point, I don't see any reason not to get an inverter.

 

[CNC Dan]

"uh...Hello Sarah, can you get me Aunt Bea?"

I wonder how many people here get that reference.

 

[Fordman1981]

I wonder how many people here get that reference.

It was a little before my time but I'd wager it's from the Andy Griffith show?

 

[k0ua]

It was a little before my time but I'd wager it's from the Andy Griffith show?

Yep, Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bea.

 

[k0ua]

By the way, an AC only tombstone buzzbox., just like the one I have except the new one has short little leads is now $300 at the Home Depot. And it don't include no stinking roll around cart neither..

Lincoln Electric AC225S Arc Welder-K1170 at The Home Depot

 

[k0ua]

And if you want DC capability you can get this AC-DC (max 125 amp on DC and a 20% duty cycle) tombstone for $487

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