Thread: Welding Machines Chinese vs Big Brands

To date i have only ever bought new or near new Chinese welders besides this i have used an old CIGWeld portable MIG around 2002

about a week ago i picked up a quality ESAB older model MAGMA 150A MIG and ARC welder combined, while i was looking over the unit i was asked if i would like to try run a bead to see the machine working, i said why not

i masked up and ran a bead around 40-50mm the machine was still on the sellers settings and was a cold weld but i instantly felt comfortable welding with this machine, there was no jolting of the wire feed it was so smooth and the arc was consistent through out the weld, the machine just felt so comfy to weld with

now when i last MIG welded using a Chinese brand MIG i couldnt get consistency the arc would be erratic and every time i changed position the wire would feed differently sometime it would feed really fast than i add a 90 degree bend to the lead and it will feed really slowly

today i was running low on gas and thought i would try the ESAB machine on 1.6mm aluminium, the sheet has been sitting outside in all weather conditions i only gave it a brush probably for the worse rather than good anyway i tried a mid to mid high settings and gave it a go, it welded ok than i thought i would slow the machine right down as i was getting a lot of penetration, i think number 2.5-3 on both settings the weld came out really nice kind of looked like a MIG gas weld on steel how it has the small streak thru the weld

no burn thru on the lower setting and only 1 hole blown on the higher setting, i was welding the same 1.6mm sheet using the ESAB as i was using the LOTO's MIG months ago the LOTO's absolutely destroyed the job with the spool gun but it does weld the thicker material nicely

i had contamination in the weld's today using the ESAB machine because i was using the liner still left in the machine, i didnt clean the material properly and it was just a quick test to see how it welded, the ESAB machine had two 90 degree bends in the gun lead one at the machine and one at the torch with no one birds nest or erratic wire feed this was using 0.9mm aluminium wire

IMO now using both a quality machine and a budget machine i can see why guys spend the money on expensive quality machines, the overall feel, the handling, the quality of components and most of all the weld quality is far superior to that of a budget model

Here is a case of, you get what you pay for.
Kryn

I have had two SIP portable welders, one i have now but i have not used it and one i had a year or two ago and only used it once but nothing is comparable to the ESAB, the ESAB is a big transformer unit on wheels compared to my previous MIG welders which were portable models some being inverters and others transformer

while i was welding on number 2.5-3 of 9 on the dials i was very surprised i actually had good spray welding, where as the Chinese MIG spool gun was very unhappy on anything less than setting E and 6

And in that there lies your problem... "SIP"

I brought one back in the early ninetys, never could get a good weld out of it it was so bad it turned me off MIG welding so I stick welded everything instead, thank god for 6013's
Even at work during shut downs I weld cracked floor plates up(25~5mm depending on how much has rusted away!)I still grab the rods all the "real welders" reckon Im crazy but in a few years their dual shield MIG cracks and mine from 15yrs ago are still not cracked

I couldn't stick weld for the life of me Harry haha but i have only ever tried on cheap welders, i think the electrode actually stuck more and for longer than any of my blobs or holes of welds lol

i just can't grasp the whole adding more stick as needed i lose arc than the rod sticks and it gets frustrating plus with the long rods i don't have great control ability or aim, i have seen guys holding the electrodes but i have been weary of this

up untill now i thought my MIG skills were almost as bad as stick but the other night i ran a super smooth bead on the steel and was impressed than a couple of days ago MIG welding the aluminium was a breeze

possibly my problem all along has been my budget and limiting my self to cheap welders built to a budget rather than a welder built for a job

i have to admit my last TIG machine was a nice bit of machinery that came from China but i can only wonder what a $1500-$2000 brand name TIG machine would weld like in comparison (last TIG machine was a Magnum AC/DC 200A TIG same as the BossWeld)

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

i have to admit my last TIG machine was a nice bit of machinery that came from China but i can only wonder what a $1500-$2000 brand name TIG machine would weld like in comparison

For that price it'll still be a Chinese machine ... try tripling or quadrupling it and you're getting in the market for American or European.

Originally Posted by Legion

For that price it'll still be a Chinese machine ... try tripling or quadrupling it and you're getting in the market for American or European.

I have a old AC HF TIG box i picked up a few weeks ago i haven't used it yet I'm going to keep an eye out for a older model possibly vintage model AC TIG welder either 240v or multi voltage i may be able to snag one thats 200A or so on 3 phase with the option to re wire for 240v

if i was to spend $1500 on a welder i would probably go a used machine now and buy better quality rather than a new Chinese welder