hello everyone,

im just wondering if its best idea for me to buy the MIG welding from HARBOR FREIGHT, re they good? have anyone on this HT have that kind of welding? re they function real good? please let me know bec i will like to buy it someday, thanks..
feedback..
from vic

 

help me out, fellas

 

You get what you pay for, and please be a little more patient than a half an hour next time. Are you that desperate to go out and buy that junk tonight or something? Theres a "high" and "Low" setting. You be the judge

 

well, why should i be bothering to buy a expensive one even im unemployment right now and im from newyork. of course, what do you think? everyone got laid off in ny so im one of em. purpose reason, i just need that equitment so i can fix my car and probably sell it a good reasonable price, ya kno

 

ahhhh hahahahaha funny ****!

seriously.... your better off buying a used lincoln or miller. when you're done with it you can actually sell it for what you paid.

You buy HF and expect to get $20 for it because everyones gonna assume it's broke.

or you can take your chance and buy used HF

 

yeah, true ..
but where can i buy the used one from? is there any website for that? pls let me know, thanks..i mean im autobody and its good for me starter, ya kno
also, im first year student in autobody class

 

look on craigs list ny

 

yea, i did tha and nothings there..gotta keep lookin..bec my eg 4 door had minor rust on quarter panel

 

wow i have a headache after reading this guy's posts... holy ****!

 

wuts wrong wit tha, its nothing wrong to ask or a noobie to learn..im proud to be a rookie,

 

If you're talking about welding body panels one of the low end Harbor Freight welders will not work for you. They don't have enough adjustability and will just blow holes in sheet metal. Keep looking for a good used Lincoln or Miller.

 

Really look on craigslist or something for what you want to do. Get a good name brand used gas shielded mig welder. Miller, lincoln, hobart. People always argue "can it be done with this machine" the answer is yes! Technically you could stick weld a turbo manifold in the 6G position outside in the rain and yes it could be pulled off. As far as unemployment, why not get a good machine and try welding stuff for people? just a thought

 

yeah, true
thanks for helpin me out and im gotta think about it, thanks..

 

I own one and i regret every dollar i spent on it.

It has been nothing but trouble and iv'e used it less than 10 times and had to take it apart about 4 times, and this last time the gun came apart and its useless now.


like everyone else said, you get what you pay for. just take you stuff to a welding shop or muffler shop and have them take care of the welding for you. probably cheaper than buying a welder anyways.

 

tell you the truth i had one and bought it used if you take care of the tips it will last, but if you continually let the wire get burnt in it it will be ruined. Mine worked for a while but it was used like i said. No need to buy an expensive welder if your just welding sheet metal. FYI dont get stuck like me mine is broke and there is no replacement parts

 

Why would wire burning into the tip EVER ruin a welding machine? Please explain

 

the tips are hard to come by and harbor freight does not sell them. I got the last pack from a welding shop around here and they said that no other welder uses these tips. The end of mine stripped out and now i cannot replace that piece.

 

that sucks bad

 

i have the 171 mig i think tahts the 160 amp welder from HF, it works very well for waht im doing with it but it cant weld anthgin thinner than 22 g even then you need to know how to operate the machine... ive had it for about 2 or 3 years now and have no problem with it.... the only down side is you have to use 0.8 welding wire.. bc i cant chane the wheel to feed the thinner wires and tech help is very good.....


but i would have bought somethign else. mig welders are not that expensive you can get a used miller or lincoln for cheap.... or even Hobart sells decent welders i know people who have had them.

i jsut bought a miller tig welder recently but im still going to keep my HF mig welder for quick thicker stuff!

 

ah, okay. im using this to fix my quarter panel which thats a purpose reason but i forgot what amp it is, i think its 90, unsure about that. is that good or not?

 

TIG is what you should be using on something that thin unless you have a high end MIG welder (something with an advanced pulse feature).

Here's an old saying: 'a grinder will make anyone a good welder'

 

ha, good point..

 

You don't need pulse to fix a panel. I don't see what the problem is with using a halfway decent 110 mig. You're just making a series of tacks

 

yeah, i just ordered it other day and i probably return it back. then try to find a better one..*sighs

 

If your just going to tack it you can user MIG. If you want a good bond I would braze it for better strength and later appearance. It takes longer is the only drawback.

The latest pulse technologies allow you to mig weld a solid bead with tig like accuracy and low heat for thin metals. Sadly those welders cost $10k or so.