PA-300, my opinion.

Shield Arc · May 24, 2014

dragoneggs said:
On the knob sensitivity... is one amp or two that much of a difference??? Just curious :confused3:

Not really, just makes you feel better that you have that kind of control!

Mark @ Everlast · May 24, 2014

lilranch2001 said:
I just bought the PA-300, im not into collecting welders, may as well free up the space it is taking up

If it's got a wheel kit, then screw a little piece of flat plate to the top and you've created a welding cart to hold the PA 300 along with a little bit of irony.

aczlan · May 24, 2014

Reverser said:
:laughing: Yeah, instead of the sound of frying bacon, It's more like the sound of the cat tippy-toeing through the living room.

With a piece of bacon in its mouth

Mark @ Everlast said:
If it's got a wheel kit, then screw a little piece of flat plate to the top and you've created a welding cart to hold the PA 300 along with a little bit of irony.

Could even gut it to scrap the transformer and make a storage box out of the inside

Aaron Z

muddstopper · May 24, 2014

Mark @ Everlast said:
All the AC tombstone lovers who keep saying how good they are probably are ready to hold the ground in one hand, and clamp the stinger to their tongue and throw the switch and fall into their grave by now over this thread. Someone is got to still be saying, oh, there's not that much difference, but testimony here, seems to be there's a lot of difference not only in AC versus DC output but inverter vs. transformer here too. Not saying that a buzzbox is not a legitimate place to start a welding career, as mine started there, but I know the difference and now do so many other people.

I have no idea how many bought. I got a request for 17 manuals. A couple after the link was uploaded. Taking an educated guess, it could have been upwards to 30 or 40. A lot of guys pm'd me that did not post here but are members who saw the thread that bought a welder.

My tombstone served me well for 30 years. We'll see if this machine holds up that long. With that said, I traded the old tombstone a few months back because I upgraded to a better quality welder. I was honestly tempted to buy the pa300 and saw the ad soon enough to get it for the $270 price, but I simply didnt need it so I passed. With the cheap price tag of the PA300, buying a new tombstone probably doesnt make much sense, but for a first welder, if you can find a AC/DC tombstone for $100, its still a very good machine.

Mark @ Everlast · May 24, 2014

It reminds me of the old tootsie pop commercial, where the kids ask the wise owl, how many licks does it take to get to the center of the tootsie pop. The owl says "lets see, one, two, three, CRUNCH! Three, it takes three". The kids are dismayed because the owl just bites right through the hard candy. The announcer cuts in and says "How many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop???....The world may never know".

yomax4 · May 25, 2014

5 Yr warranty divided by Amazon cost, add features = Free. Transformer machine lasts 30 yrs with marginal welds and no features = marginal. I Own a dozen welders and enjoy this new century of advancements. The only thing funny about this whole string is people arguing about stick welders of all things.

muddstopper · May 25, 2014

yomax4 said:
5 Yr warranty divided by Amazon cost, add features = Free. Transformer machine lasts 30 yrs with marginal welds and no features = marginal. I Own a dozen welders and enjoy this new century of advancements. The only thing funny about this whole string is people arguing about stick welders of all things.

Didnt notice anybody arguing. 30years, maginable welds. I hope that wasnt a reference to my welding skills. I will readily admit I am not a professional welder. While there are a few folks here that make their living with their welders, I would guess that most here dont. I dont see nothing wrong with buying the best tool you can afford, but if the personal needs dont warrant a Limousine, then you make do with a taxi. The Limo might make for a more pleasant ride, but the taxi will get you there. For the record, I wouldnt trade my Idealarc or my miller for a tombstone, but I got by with the tombstone for a lot of years before I could afford an upgrade. With the new technology getting better and cheaper, if i didnt already own what I have, I would be looking at the newer stuff to.

square1 · May 25, 2014

My thinking that there must be noise for work to be done is is being reshaped. Actually ran some 6013 @ 50 amp welds last night without blowing through anything (hopefully they hold). The pieces, 1 1/2" angle tabs to 1 1/2" pipe to bolt my trail rake to the FEL, were rusted so having the ability to turn up the Hot Start really helped. I might take pics of my work and post them, but first the Pros have to promise not to laugh

Shield Arc · May 25, 2014

square1 said:
I might take pics of my work and post them, but first the Pros have to promise not to laugh

Well I'm not a pro, x-pro. I have yet to meet a weldor who was born with a golden arm. Everybody had to start somewhere, and we all make mistakes.
Here if this makes you feel any better, here is one of mine.

gwdixon · May 25, 2014

Shield Arc said:
Well I'm not a pro, x-pro. I have yet to meet a weldor who was born with a golden arm. Everybody had to start somewhere, and we all make mistakes.
Here if this makes you feel any better, here is one of mine.

Ahhhh...now I feel better too!!! :laughing: