Harbor freight vs eastwood mig
- Thread starter zoegrant
- Start date
I agree, the extra money spent now for a Hobart, Miller or Lincoln will pay off over the long run. I have a 5 year old Miller water cooled tig and an older larger Lincoln mig and have never regretted spending the extra money. We have done a lot of production welding over the years with both.
deuce_roadster
Well-known member
Good advice given. If I am going to use a tool very infrequently I would buy it at HF then it goes into my "brother-in-law" box. I have a toolbox full of low end stuff that when I get asked to lend a tool, they get the whole box to use. If I am buying a tool that will be used frequently, I step up and buy quality. I actually found that the cheap multi-tool I bought at HF has worked quite well and has got me out of a jamb or two making plunge cuts on my deck!
My MIG and TIG are older Airco machines that will outlive me. (the TIG weighs 845 lbs as it has copper windings)
My MIG and TIG are older Airco machines that will outlive me. (the TIG weighs 845 lbs as it has copper windings)
philipswanson
Well-known member
I much prefer Miller. Stay away from HF. They are crapola. I know, I bought one a while back. Couldn't get it to feed right. A real POS. Big waste of money.
supereal
Well-known member
Buying equipment is similar to buying tools. Get the best you can afford. I still have tools I bought in the 40's ( am now in my 80's), and they are still better than most items of today, unless you are investing in SnapOn or other top brands. Remember, if cheap was as good as good, there wouldn't be any good!
JSeery
Member Emeritus
HF has a new line that it is getting good reviews. Vulcan is their new line. I have a Hobart, it was rated fairly high and reasonably priced. There are a lot of video reviews online that can give you a little insight into how the different units preform.
I have always had a very low opinion of HF in general although I do use a few items from there, like disposable brushes. Anyway, I had noticed a really improvement in their quality lately. I purchased a welding cart recently and it was heavy duty and well constructed! I have noticed it is the same cart sold by other suppliers but at a much lower price. So, need to pay attention, still not sold on them in general, but some items are starting to be good quality.
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The desired end result of your project, coupled with your abilities is what you should be weighing. If money is tight, functional results can be had with harbor freight junk. If abilities are lacking, spending big bucks aren't gonna give you much better results.
Entry level to learn some basics, and not wasting a bunch of money before you give up and outsource labor, hf might be the way to go. Now if you are truly committed, used quality equipment is probably the way to get started.
Entry level to learn some basics, and not wasting a bunch of money before you give up and outsource labor, hf might be the way to go. Now if you are truly committed, used quality equipment is probably the way to get started.
One thing to keep in mind is repair. I purchased an Eastwood TIG. I only at most had 40 hours of use, if that (out of warranty). The unit stopped working (HF, but would not start the arc). I took it to my welding consumable place, been in business for 40 years. Their repair place said they won't work on Eastwood welding machines because they diagnosed one a while back and then requested printed circuit board from Eastwood. Although they claim they stock the part, they wouldn't send it to the repair shop. I requested a schematic and a list of available parts from Eastwood, and they refused to send them to me. They said they can only send to repair shops! Curious as I bought a replacement Lincoln TIG and their schematic is in their owners manual!
The moral of this story is be sure you can get your machine serviced locally. I now have a $700 Eastwood boat anchor.
The moral of this story is be sure you can get your machine serviced locally. I now have a $700 Eastwood boat anchor.
philipswanson
Well-known member
I am surprised by their quality improvments.
deucemac
Senior Member
I bought a Lincoln 15 sp 110 mig on the recommendation of the welding Instructor at the prison where I taught auto mechanics until my retirement a few years ago. He told me he had 6 of those units operating 6 hours a day 5 days a week by inmates. He said that they couldn't break them and were dependable. If a flock of inmates can't break something, it has to be strong! I bought mine and have been completely satisfied ever since. I've welded stuff I should have used my big welder for and had no problems. I use Flux core wire for the convenience of welding outside without the worry about having the shielded gas blown away. The big thing about buying Lincoln is Home Depot and the other big box stores have consumables available 7 days a week. Try that with a HF or Eastwood on a Sunday when you are in a hurry! Always good stuff from Lincoln or Miller. I haven't used Hobart for years but they are Miller's economy line and do well too.
flatford8
Well-known member
I read a tool review on small MIG welders by the editor of a motorcycle magazine a few years ago. This magazine always pushed “ Buy American “. The editor contacted Eastwood and they would not tell him where their equipment was manufactured (country). I’ve owned a Lincoln 135-110 V that I was very happy with, now I have a Millermatic Autoset 211 110/220. I agree with JSeery on HF raising their quality. I’m happy there’s a store not far from me so I can get a good look at something before I purchase. So after all this ramble I would go with a Lincoln or Miller 110V buzzbox.......Mark
corvette8n
Well-known member
I have a HF $89 mig welder, tried to weld some holes in my mower deck, it kept blowing right through no matter how much I played with the settings, the only way to weld the holes shut was to back the metal up with a copper spoon.