[Shop-talk] Harbor Freight & spare parts(was: MIG Welders 115 v vs 220v)

[Marc]

When I was making this decision a few years ago, having never welded, I 
decided to buy a quality machine from a local welding supply place. I 
wanted to be sure that I wasn't having issues with the equipment since I 
was just learning to weld. Plus I can get free advice from the experts 
there... BTW, what I bought was a Hobart Handler 180.

HF has some good products for occasional users like myself. I wouldn't 
use them if I had to depend on making my living with them though...

One product they have I've been curious about is a little 220v TIG 
welder for about $200. Anyone ever use one of these?  If so, can you 
comment on their usefulness? Do they work well enough for occasional 
hobbyist use? Obviously there's no foot pedal, but I think thats 
probably fairly easy to remedy...

Uh oh, hope I'm not hijacking this thread...

Marc



Chris Kantarjiev wrote:
> When I was shopping for a welder a while back (I *still* haven't
> bought one), the usual big 3 were recommended, along with
>
>  www.htpweld.com
>
> Miller and Hobart are same company. Hobart is their consumer product, Miller
> is their commercial product. Both are excellent machines.  Lincoln is also a
> name brand machine and a good choice. Parts are easy to find on a saturday
> afternoon at the welding supply store!