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Thread: Mig Welder under $1000
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7th Nov 2014, 09:06 AM #31Senior Member
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I am pretty sure that if you had to contact Token or Bob, they may be willing to let you go out and try their units. I am sure they have demo/evaluation machines. I think at one stage Everlast also had eval machines, but not sure of their price bracket.
Good luck
Al
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7th Nov 2014, 10:22 AM #32
If its an inverter welder and thus a switchmode power supply, the frequency should not matter a cracker and the fans will probaly be 12V DC run off the logic board anyway.
But I would not bring one in from the US, for the above reasons.
Pluss no matter how ya get it here it will cost you in freight and exchange rates and GST at the customs barrier......so lets say AU$1400
When it gets here, dealer supported it will probably be a $2000 machine once the Australia Tax is paid.
When I baught mine a couple of years ago for $700 ish, I looked at a lincon...it was still a small spool machine with a similar current...but it was like $1200....AND mig only.....and the torch was not as good, probably required lincon only consumables too.
At the time I could have baught a higher rated, better , MIG only machine for $500
Like so many things, it simply does not pay to buy low end, name brand, US, product in Australia.
It may still be worth buying US name brand items in the mid to upper end of the market, but all the low end product is designed to compete (only just) in the US with imported chineese product.
AND still support high name brand margins.
By the time it gets here it will be poor value for money.
If ya want MIG only..look at this..https://www.tradetools.com/products/MIG180GG
cheersAny thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
Most powertools have sharp teeth.
People are made of meat.
Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.
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10th Nov 2014, 04:58 PM #33Philomath in training
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I bought my Miller helmet out of the US some years ago now and at the time had big discussions with the local agent and Miller about warranty - they were saying that warranty only applied in the country of purchase so if I imported they would not support the product. My rejoiner was that if I was a US welder and took my helmet with me O/S to do a job, did that mean that I wouldn't be supported? Things went quiet for a while. I can understand their point of view but for me it was an issue of global parity pricing as much as anything. I believe that global brands should have global warranty.
As for local servicing - that should be investigated too. WESS are a big supplier in SA but have signs up all over the place that unless you buy from them (and the proof is an enormous sticker they put on the side of a unit) they will not repair. They don't repair some brands anyway but this is in addition to that, although I've never put them to the test. As I have a secondhand Lincoln plasma, I hope not to need to...
Michael
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10th Nov 2014, 06:11 PM #34
If I come across any supplier that will not repair an item unless it was purchased from them......guess what...it won't be purchased from them...not by me....regardless.
You can bet your boots their equipment and the servicing is over priced too.
particularly in the lower end of the market.....brands mean bugger all these days.....except may be higher price for a generic manufacturerd item.
Its not like welding is a market full of technical inovation
This whole overpricing of US made brands in this country is rediculous and there is absolutly no justification for it.
It is profiteering pure and simple.
cheersAny thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
Most powertools have sharp teeth.
People are made of meat.
Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.
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10th Nov 2014, 09:49 PM #35Most Valued Member
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I understand your perspective and agree that we certainly do get held to ransom by some of the big boys. Not welding related, but I just bought a genuine ignition module for a brush cutter from the US for $40 incl postage, the same module here was $160.
You are correct regarding the technology, or lack thereof embodied in many welding machines. If we look at some commonly used processes, we need to remember that the hard yards were done many years ago and now the Chinese and Eastern Europeans are cashing in by copying technologies that they had no investment in. There is still development work going on at the upper ends of the field with Lincoln STT and the Miller equivalent making inroads into the pipeline welding field, but down where us mere mortals tread we are still pretty much beating our washing on the same rock we have for years.
How many are aware that some cutting edge technology in Aluminium welding was developed in Australia? WIA in conjunction with the CSIRO developed the CDT machines, which stands for Controlled Droplet Transfer. Similar to pulse mig, but not quite the same and brilliant for Aluminium work.
I do sympathise with the local dealers to a degree, (this varies with dealer attitude too) and I don't believe the problem is at their level in many cases. I too would be miffed if you didn't support my business, or at least give me a chance to quote on a machine, but then wanted me to go out of my way to help you when you needed service and advice at a local level.
I have seen the pricing at my local Lincoln dealer. On a handyman level machine, they would be lucky to make $50 on a new machine in many cases. That $50 is rapidly eaten up by the time spent to sell said machine, explain its use and correcting the inevitable newbie mistakes. Salt is then rubbed in the wound when the owner then buys consumables online or elsewhere in order to save 50 cents.
I don't know the total answer, but I do know that if we don't support our locals, then they will cease to exist. I also believe that we have never had it so good as far as the machines available to the home user and the prices paid overall.
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11th Nov 2014, 12:19 AM #36
The answer is the big US companies selling to the australian market at a reasonable rate.
As it stands the dealers for many things would be better off buying full retal out of the US than buying thru the local distributer.
I know of australian licenced distributers of audio equipment who don't even buy direct from the manufacturer...they buy at what we would call "trade" from a US distributer....while the US "dealers" buy direct from the manufacturer at "wholesale".
I know that some retail stores in the US buy more and pay less than the australian distributer....hell some items sell retail for less in the US than the australian distributer pays.
I also know that there are wholly owned subsiduaries of the US manufacturers distributing product into the australian market at rediculous margins
EVEN more rediculous...it is cheaper to buy some australian manufactured 4wd product ( like air lockers) from a major US retailer than from the austrailan campany that makes them.( including freight)
In many of the products there are just two many hands looking for a far too generous cut.
In many cases I have seen australian companies like carbatec bypass the whole US greed and go direct to the tiawanese or chinese manufacturer.......and be able to sell a product at a fair price.
There are however a very few US bassed companies that ship direct from factory world wide and charge a fair price in evry country that supply.
Moving with the times, there are a few companies that have completely done away with the distributer chain all together and ship direct to the retailer from the factory from wherever.
I like many others have grown weary of being asked to pay well over the odds for just about everything ...just because we are in Australia.
As for service....hell...some of the US and Japanese bricks and mortar retailers, can turn around waranty claims faster than the local distributer.....because they have more service staff and hold more spare parts.
I'VE HAD ENOUGH AND I WON'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
CheersAny thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
Most powertools have sharp teeth.
People are made of meat.
Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.
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11th Nov 2014, 12:45 PM #37
Soundman,
Most of the major US tool brands, welders included, are either made in China or are built up from Chinese components. Don't worry though, when the Chinese finally decide to pull the rug out from under the US economy everybody is going to get it bad, not just Australia.
Remember that movie Bridge on the River Kwai? "Me thinkee you build railroad now...".
Rob
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11th Nov 2014, 12:51 PM #38Golden Member
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I've just had an extremely good service experience with Miller. In their case I think the price is justified by the service and support. And the aftermarket accessory range is pretty good.
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31st Dec 2014, 03:13 AM #39New Member
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You do not say power voltage
You can choosing Hobart 210 MVP or if you pay a little money you can use Millermatic 211
You can read review:
http://pickwelder.com/hobart-handler...r-reviews.html
http://pickwelder.com/miller-millerm...1-reviews.html
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31st Dec 2014, 10:13 PM #40Senior Member
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not in australia lol
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1st Mar 2015, 05:28 PM #41Novice
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Figured I'd update, got home a week ago to a welder awaiting from Token tools. Yet to try it out though, need to pick up a 15 amp extension lead!
https://weldingstore.tokentools.com....s-mig210s.html
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1st Mar 2015, 06:27 PM #42Senior Member
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