New stick welder

[Gary Fowler]

Bought the Hobart AC/DC from Tractor Supply 15 years ago or so. Works good for what I need it, but I also don't need to lug it around, and if you already have the Bobcat 225, neither do you. The only thing I ever did was take off the cables and add plugs so I can use an extension for reaching outside the garage.

The new inverter ones are great, but a lot more to go wrong. If all you are doing is stick welding, keep it dumb and simple. If you want to get into TIG, then look at the better inverters.

Nothing wrong with using TIG with an old style transformer machine, in fact they run quite well. The only problem with the inverters is longevity which may not be a problem with homeowner machines at all since they dont see 10 hours days of welding x 5-7 days per week like commercial duty uses. I do know that one contractor at a fabrication shop where I was managing construction invested in all inverter welders and had several failures in less than 4 months of use. They were convenient to use for sure and only needed a heavy extension cord to move around.
Just like most modern day "stuff", the inverter welders seem to be disposable unlike the old heavy transformer welders that typically last forever + 10 years. My old Miller transformer still works as good today as when it was new but it does weigh hundreds of pounds and even on wheels on concrete, it is hard to move. Fortunately I dont need to move it around much other than to clean around it occasionally.

The one other con to inverters is that they are very easy to steal. One would need a good forklift to steal mine.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

It's all great for thought. But reality is that I've seen transformers fail as well, even a few months out of the box. Fans fail, switches fail and many have electronics these days, even if they are transformer based. I've seen transformer cores delaminate and all sorts of issues.

Inverters are given a bad rap about failing. Years ago they did. It was a new technology, but few realize that inverters in welders have been around since the 80's, and many are still around. We've been selling them since 2004, and though the product has greatly changed, I do have the frequent privilege of talking to and upgrading many satisfied early customers from way back with units that have either just experienced a failure, or are still pounding their machines daily. And those early machines were not nearly as good as they are today or even 7 to 10 years ago. So, fearmongering aside, and when you actually look at the facts instead of quaint anecdotes that are offered as axioms, you will find that you will likely be able to repair your inverters longer than transformer machines since many companies are discontinuing transformer lines of welders, and in turn parts and service for them as well. They (inverters) are easier to diagnose and repair, with less labor too than they have ever been. Just like on a new car, one plug in can tell you everything wrong with it, and what is going on inside. They are making the transformer parts cost so high that they are best retired as boat anchors. In an ideal world, a transformer may have an edge on an inverter in durability, but the quality of weld, ease of welding, and portability offered by an inverter is a genuine selling point. But undoubtedly, there are and have been inverter welders somewhere along the way that have outlasted a transformer welder.
I have had transformer machines. One of them was a very one that is often mentioned here as a great starter welder. I've had fans and switches fail on these units myself, and seen many more. The point is that they all fail. When? Who knows? The thing you have to look at is "Can I get a part for it, or did I just blow 400 dollars on a welder?

If you are thinking engine drives are worry, free, think again. They can be nightmares to maintain and service. Right now, the idle shut off valve on my ranger is bad. Needs a carb kit too. And I had to rebuild the idle board (yes electronic item) which cost 150.00 to fix my board. I couldn't get one for Lincoln for at least 6 weeks for (iirc)450.00. Tiny, simple little board! When I queried why I couldn't they said that it would be a minimum of six weeks because they had to wait until they had enough orders to make a production run. They would not "one off" a board and had to wait until production could be scheduled and then they had to go through the distribution route. See, I have anecdotes too.

Not everyone is going to have the same experience and will disagree. I understand that. But I deal with many, many people (100's if not 1000's) each year calling me about sob stories about their old, trusty Miller or Lincoln did so-in-so, or broke and it will cost more to fix it than they can buy a new one from us for a fraction of the cost of repair...and get a 5 year warranty to boot. Of course your mileage may vary, but it is indeed a roll of the dice. It's not as cut and dried as some people would lead you to believe.