The Chicago Electric Weld Machine is good ???

[dumaster]

i see in harbor site a tig welder , look above

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91811

this welder is good or no ???

i need home tig welder for hobbyst welding , chicago is good ??? , have other welder ???

Chicago Electric have a WebSite ???

Miller Welder = www.millerwelds.com

Ready Welder = www.readywelder.com

Chicago Welder = ????

Please Help Me !!!!

Thanks

Eduardo

From Brazil !!!

[Tom Slick]

that welder is DC only and with only 130 amps max. you will do 1/8" mild steel max, no aluminum.

[massajamesb]

I have welded 1/4 plate with 90-110 amps. Good penetration.

If you need a heavy duty machine, such as a shop or industrial need, stick with Lincoln, Miller, Esab, etc. in the form of a 220 volt machine. There are also brands such as Hobart (owned by Miller) where in you can buy a quality machine for a much cheaper price. 200 amp minimum.
If you are looking for a small welder to keep around the house, or for occasional shop or light industrial use, look at the Miller econotig, or the Hobart equivalent
For an even lighter duty machine, look at www.usaweld.com and give HTP a try. They have a 80 amp model that might work well for a hobbyist, that is under 300 dollars USD, plus the cost of the tig torch.
The Chicago Electric welder may fuse metal, but the heart of a welder is in the transformer. With a cheap or poorly wound transformer, you will see very sloppy and failed welds, as well as a short life span. The inside of most Chicago Electric machines I have seen is short of high end quality.
Especially with GTAW, the transformer matters most. If you can't get a smooth clean arc, then you won't have any welds come out worth keeping. The smoother and more stable the arc, the cleaner and stronger the welds will be. Hope this helps.

[Tom Slick]

I should have been more clear;
90-110 amps stick welding 1/4" plate is good but to use it as a tig you need more IMHO. you run into duty cycle issues when you have your machine cranked up and I'm sure they are overstating their 35% duty cycle.

Since you "need" a tig welder I am assuming you want to weld aluminum. you need to have a machine with AC to weld aluminum.

The other question is if Chicago Electric is any good. They are Harbor Freight's own brand and Harbor Freight is known as the cheapest place to get cheap tools of questionable quality.

[massajamesb]

Originally Posted by Tom Slick I should have been more clear; 90-110 amps stick welding 1/4" plate is good but to use it as a tig you need more IMHO. you run into duty cycle issues when you have your machine cranked up and I'm sure they are overstating their 35% duty cycle. Since you "need" a tig welder I am assuming you want to weld aluminum. you need to have a machine with AC to weld aluminum. The other question is if Chicago Electric is any good. They are Harbor Freight's own brand and Harbor Freight is known as the cheapest place to get cheap tools of questionable quality.

I agree. I as well should have been more clear. Thank you for the clarification. When I wrote that, I had assumed he was referring to GMAW.

I believe we feel the same about the product quality.

[dumaster]

Thanks for help and explanations !!!

[dumaster]

Originally Posted by massajamesb For an even lighter duty machine, look at www.usaweld.com and give HTP a try. They have a 80 amp model that might work well for a hobbyist, that is under 300 dollars USD, plus the cost of the tig torch.

James

I liked this TIG of the HTP, he wanted to know if he exists some store that commercializes HTP and that it can send for Brazil, you can help me?

Thanks and Best Regards

Eduardo

[massajamesb]

They do not have a store that I am aware of. I would check Ebay as well, as they sell on there frequently.
Or are you asking if someone can export one for you?

[JohnnyVegas]

I have their wire flux 90amp machine. I grabbed it just to learn basic welding. It works great as far as a newbie goes but replace the tips and flux core wire with Lincoln brand to get the best results.

in my limited understanding to weld aluminum you will need a tig setup over 200amp with a spool gun. this will run you some $$$$. try brazing with some super alloy rods they have out their. i have some coming soon to test them out. just need a propane torch.

For a newbie the "China Freight" 90amp wire mig welder is great. Considering it's $100 right now. My welds are improving and until I install a 220v in my garage this will have to do.