Harbor Freight Titanium 125 Flux Core Welder

[5030]

I just checked. The black Chicago Electric 125 Flux is 38 lbs, no mention of inverter, still AC output (so major splatter!). It seems to be the same transformer-based dog as always.

I had their earlier version. It was rare to find an application that matched its (only) two voltage settings, Voltage Too High, or Voltage Way Too High. Maybe fewer transformer windings saved them a few cents. Just a frustration-maker! I replaced that with a similar Century with DC and a variable voltage dial, no more frustration, I could do nice work. The black HF Chicago is a bad frustrating joke for a beginner to start out with.

In contrast the modern HF Titanium 125 Flux seems excellent. HF should retire the black CE 125.

They won't because some people like the very cheap stuff. I don't plus I want and need reverse polarity because I always use shielding gas 75-25 argon / carbon dioxide. Keep the weld puddle clean.

My Hobart Handler 210 amp machine (transformer based) just keeps welding with no issue. In fact I own 2 of them. Just marginal for globular transfer actually and globular transfer makes little to no splatter anyway.

 

[5030]

Not sure how I "boogered" up the threads on my tip holder on my Titanium 125 but I cleaned it up with a 6mm tap. The industrial supply did not have a bottom tap just the starter tap so I used it until it bottomed out then cut it off to finish cleaning the threads. I'll just pick up another starter tap should I mess it up again if they have it in stock. This was the last one that they had. View attachment 878223

Most likely because you ran the wire with no stickout and it fused itself to the tip.