Buzzbox vs. Inverter welder

[k0ua]

Inverter, haven't fired up the AC buzzbox since getting the Everlast Inverter.
DC is so much more pleasant to weld with.. Course if I was storing it an an old damp barn,, well I would put my buzzbox there, but not my Inverter, full of electronics. But my inverter lives in a nice cabinet in my shop in the house.

James K0UA

 

[crazyal]

My Sears buzzbox I think still works but because it's so heavy it's spent it's life on top of some wood on cold cement. The bottom is rusted to pieces and the part that slides inside rarely works without lots of fiddling around. For me I would opt for the inverter. The weight savings is worth it. You can place it on a shelf out of the way until needed. Personally I think the large transformer welder's days are numbered.

 

[DavidVT]

I am a novice stick welder. I learned some SS tig welding with a small but very effective inverter at my last job. When it came to buying a welder for home, I wanted to start with stick. I ended up with an AC/DC Hobart, same as you can find at Tractor Supply these days. A big heavy machine that should last me for years to come.

Since having the welder (kept in my warm but damp basement), I have begun to wonder if I should have gone with an Inverter solely for portability. I bought the big Hobart for welding on the tractor, attachment, my trailer, etc.. (big stuff)

When my SS outdoor boiler cracked in several places, I considered trying to fix it myself. I opted to hire one of the guys I used to work with. He shows up with a very portable inverter half the size of a briefcase and a bottle of argon. He plugged into the long 110v extension cord for my truck's block heater and scratch tig welded for hours.

To use my welder in the same location via hand truck, I had to jury rig a combination of power cord and welding cables to reach the almost 100' from my 50amp welder plug. Let us not talk about wet grass, jury rigged power cables, power joints balanced on plastic kitty litter boxes,etc. (I do plan to install another welding outlet at that end of the house when I move my generator -- enough with the scary power cord thing)

I still like my Hobart but wow it sure is nice to hand carry the inverter welder to the work!

I welded a ball hitch onto the end of my scraper blade today with the Hobart. It was easy because I just backed the tractor up to the basement bulkhead where the welder lives.