What do you guys think of this welder as a nice starter its flux core and also a gas Mig welder (which i would be useing mainly )

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...94164

or


help woul be appriciated greatly im kinda new to the welding thing but ive used an arc welder for years with some old *** machines my dad has :-p

i should be buying this welder within the week so i would like to hear some of your "expertice" opinions

thanks
-John

 

or this one

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...93793

 

Looking at the first ones duty cycle would make me avoid it.

Welding current range: 58 to 110 amps
Duty cycle: 60% @ 55 amps, 28% @ 80 amps, 15% @ 110 amps


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Duty cycle is a welding equipment specification which defines the number of minutes, within a 10 minute period, during which a given welder can safely produce a particular welding current.</TD></TR></TABLE>

At 55 amps (how can you run it that low if the lowest is 58??? anyway) it has a duty cycle of 60%. So you can weld 6 of the 10 minutes at the lowest setting. If you're just tacking a few things together this might be ok.

At full power (110 amps) you can only weld for 1.5 minutes then let the machine sit for 8.5 minutes. Doesn't seem like usable range.

Personally, I'd look online for a good, used welder before spending the money on a cheap new one.

 

what would you recommend a good welder thats low priced very short on budget and im not looking for somethign that could handle welding everyday all day i just need it to fab up things like exhausts, manifolds support braces stuff like that covering holes in body


you know what i mena

 

just get a home depot welder. we still use it in the shop for doing small scale stuff, even welding in the base plates for roll cages.

 

I'd look for a used Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart welder. Supposedly the welders sold at HD and Lowes are not as good as the same models sold elsewhere (i.e. HD sells a Lincoln, but it uses cheaper parts to keep costs down). I've not seen hard evidence of this and for occasional use it will probably be fine.