Bought a Harbor Frieght wire feed welder today.

[Mancar1]

hdpusher, Thanks for the reply. Which one I get will depend on how many beans are left in the jar after the kids, their kids, and their kid's kids are taken care of for Christmas. Boy what-a-bunch of kids.

[Mancar1]

hdpusher, Thanks for the reply. Which one I get will depend on how many beans are left in the jar after the kids, their kids, and their kid's kids are taken care of for Christmas. Boy what-a-bunch of kids.

If ya have'nt read my post already. My wife got me a Lincoln K2185-1.

[hdpusher]

Just a update on the longevity of this little welder. Its been 4 years now and it still works great. I just used it for several days last week making goat pens and panels gates. I've also lent it out to other people and no one has complained about the results the achieved. You just have to know its capabilities and limitations. To date I've went through several tips and 5 rolls of wire.

Still a good buy for the money in my opinion and experience.

[hillcountryflt]

I am considering my options for a mig welder and enjoyed reading about your experience with the harbor freight low-cost unit. I ran across one review where the owner said his welds improved considerably when he obtained flux wire from Lincoln and quit using the wire from HF.

[hdpusher]

I am considering my options for a mig welder and enjoyed reading about your experience with the harbor freight low-cost unit. I ran across one review where the owner said his welds improved considerably when he obtained flux wire from Lincoln and quit using the wire from HF.

I used HF and Hobart wire for no other reason than HF and TSC were the only places open when I needed it. I had decent results with both. I think I'll try some of the Lincoln wire next time.

[ToughOldFord]

I like my HF welders, discussing this recently:

Harbor Freight has come a long ways on their welders, I bought on of their blue ones many years ago and while it works, was not impressive. Most of the issue with it was trying to get a steady wire feed out of it. We didn't have a welder at work so whenever a small job would pop up I'd throw it in the truck and bring it to work. Lately the need for it started becoming more regular so late last year I bought the newer equivalent of the same welder at HF for work. HF has updated their welders and the options are slightly different and they are painted black now. Got it unpacked and I could see be inspection it was heavier duty than the old blue ones and once I had it set up and going I was impressed, wire feed issue is gone and the thing welds great! There's quote a lot of good reviews out on them too. I won't hesitate to get another one.

Model and cost?
Also on your old one you can replace the wire feed selector with one that give smooth adjustment instead of clicks.

The one I bought for work is this 90 amp one, it's just a little 110V flux core, I don't have access to 220 @ work:

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... -8494.html

I had one of their coupons that put the price @ $89.

My old blue one is a 100 amp, when they did the updates they lost 10 amps. I think the feed problem with the old one is in the rollers that grip the wire and pull/push it through, it'll stop feeding and just spin and I'll have to use pliers to tug the wire and it'll start going again. Adjusting the tension doesn't help it much. I'm sure it could be fixed with a little ingenuity, but it's a non-issue for me now.

Because I've been wanting an actual MIG for a while and after the success with the HF 90 up there I waited until they had a coupon for this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... 68885.html

I got it for $160. It's a 170 amp, 220volt mig/flux. I've only used the flux so far, been paying taxes and insurance, etc lately so no funds for a Argon/Co2 tank yet.

Don't mean to thread hijack, but maybe it will help the OP make a welder decision if he decides to go that route.

Still don't have my Argon/Co2 yet though...

[tqwrench]

I like my HF welders, discussing this recently:

On this recommendation, I just went out and bought a 240v Mig. Going to start messing with it tonight. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and last poster for the information. We'll see how it works. I'm a newbie to welding, but have been around welders enough to know some tips & tricks. If anyone knows a good book on the subject, I'm all ears.

[ToughOldFord]

I like my HF welders, discussing this recently:

On this recommendation, I just went out and bought a 240v Mig. Going to start messing with it tonight. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and last poster for the information. We'll see how it works. I'm a newbie to welding, but have been around welders enough to know some tips & tricks. If anyone knows a good book on the subject, I'm all ears.

How do you like it so far?

There's quite a bit of help on youtube as far as welding tips go. This guy has a series of videos:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckE2009

[undertakerman]

Now this is my worth. I bought a 90 Amp Harbor Freight wire welder although the box reads "Mig" 3 or 4 years ago and wasn't pleased at all. Ran both wire and flux core wire and the result was the same. Even with the wire setting and Low Amps setting according to the manual it was too hot and would blow through 18 gauge sheet metal. I returned the welder to harbor freight and got a full refund. Since then I have read several articles on the Harbor Freight wire 90 Amp welder. Since then I read 10 reviews rating the welder from 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the highest. The highest rating was 2 stars.

[hdpusher]

I like my HF welders, discussing this recently:

On this recommendation, I just went out and bought a 240v Mig. Going to start messing with it tonight. Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and last poster for the information. We'll see how it works. I'm a newbie to welding, but have been around welders enough to know some tips & tricks. If anyone knows a good book on the subject, I'm all ears.

I have no experience with the HF MIG welder but I'm glad this post helped you out. I dont know of any good books, I just recommend good practice.

[hdpusher]

Now this is my worth. I bought a 90 Amp Harbor Freight wire welder although the box reads "Mig" 3 or 4 years ago and wasn't pleased at all. Ran both wire and flux core wire and the result was the same. Even with the wire setting and Low Amps setting according to the manual it was too hot and would blow through 18 gauge sheet metal. I returned the welder to harbor freight and got a full refund. Since then I have read several articles on the Harbor Freight wire 90 Amp welder. Since then I read 10 reviews rating the welder from 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the highest. The highest rating was 2 stars.

Flux core wire by design is made to burn hot to be effective, so it really is not the best choice to weld sheet metal. Regular MIG wire would not work in my welder because it is incapable of using a shielding gas. So if MIG wire was used very poor results should be expected and the weld should not be trusted.

[hdpusher]

I like my HF welders, discussing this recently:

Harbor Freight has come a long ways on their welders, I bought on of their blue ones many years ago and while it works, was not impressive. Most of the issue with it was trying to get a steady wire feed out of it. We didn't have a welder at work so whenever a small job would pop up I'd throw it in the truck and bring it to work. Lately the need for it started becoming more regular so late last year I bought the newer equivalent of the same welder at HF for work. HF has updated their welders and the options are slightly different and they are painted black now. Got it unpacked and I could see be inspection it was heavier duty than the old blue ones and once I had it set up and going I was impressed, wire feed issue is gone and the thing welds great! There's quote a lot of good reviews out on them too. I won't hesitate to get another one.

Model and cost?
Also on your old one you can replace the wire feed selector with one that give smooth adjustment instead of clicks.

The one I bought for work is this 90 amp one, it's just a little 110V flux core, I don't have access to 220 @ work:

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... -8494.html

I had one of their coupons that put the price @ $89.

My old blue one is a 100 amp, when they did the updates they lost 10 amps. I think the feed problem with the old one is in the rollers that grip the wire and pull/push it through, it'll stop feeding and just spin and I'll have to use pliers to tug the wire and it'll start going again. Adjusting the tension doesn't help it much. I'm sure it could be fixed with a little ingenuity, but it's a non-issue for me now.

Because I've been wanting an actual MIG for a while and after the success with the HF 90 up there I waited until they had a coupon for this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... 68885.html

I got it for $160. It's a 170 amp, 220volt mig/flux. I've only used the flux so far, been paying taxes and insurance, etc lately so no funds for a Argon/Co2 tank yet.

Don't mean to thread hijack, but maybe it will help the OP make a welder decision if he decides to go that route.

Still don't have my Argon/Co2 yet though...

On the wire feed issue... The roller that feeds the wire can be "flipped" upside down from the grooved part of the roller to the smooth part or vice versa. This can help with the feed issues some people are experiencing. Adjusting the rollers to tight to make up for wire feed issues can deform the wire and this can cause problems by pushing the now deformed wire through the liner. Also make sure the liner is clean too... Blow it out with compressed air. Check the transition of the wire through the tip and make sure it is smooth.

[ToughOldFord]

Now this is my worth. I bought a 90 Amp Harbor Freight wire welder although the box reads "Mig" 3 or 4 years ago and wasn't pleased at all. Ran both wire and flux core wire and the result was the same. Even with the wire setting and Low Amps setting according to the manual it was too hot and would blow through 18 gauge sheet metal. I returned the welder to harbor freight and got a full refund. Since then I have read several articles on the Harbor Freight wire 90 Amp welder. Since then I read 10 reviews rating the welder from 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the highest. The highest rating was 2 stars.

Flux core wire by design is made to burn hot to be effective, so it really is not the best choice to weld sheet metal. Regular MIG wire would not work in my welder because it is incapable of using a shielding gas. So if MIG wire was used very poor results should be expected and the weld should not be trusted.

Exactly, the 90 amp HF welder is flux core only. It works fine for what flux core is intended, but not sheet metal/body work.

[ToughOldFord]

On the wire feed issue... The roller that feeds the wire can be "flipped" upside down from the grooved part of the roller to the smooth part or vice versa. This can help with the feed issues some people are experiencing. Adjusting the rollers to tight to make up for wire feed issues can deform the wire and this can cause problems by pushing the now deformed wire through the liner. Also make sure the liner is clean too... Blow it out with compressed air. Check the transition of the wire through the tip and make sure it is smooth.

Thanks for the tips HD, not sure when I'll have cause to pull that welder out again, but when I do I'll give them a shot.

[hdpusher]

Now this is my worth. I bought a 90 Amp Harbor Freight wire welder although the box reads "Mig" 3 or 4 years ago and wasn't pleased at all. Ran both wire and flux core wire and the result was the same. Even with the wire setting and Low Amps setting according to the manual it was too hot and would blow through 18 gauge sheet metal. I returned the welder to harbor freight and got a full refund. Since then I have read several articles on the Harbor Freight wire 90 Amp welder. Since then I read 10 reviews rating the welder from 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the highest. The highest rating was 2 stars.

Flux core wire by design is made to burn hot to be effective, so it really is not the best choice to weld sheet metal. Regular MIG wire would not work in my welder because it is incapable of using a shielding gas. So if MIG wire was used very poor results should be expected and the weld should not be trusted.

Exactly, the 90 amp HF welder is flux core only. It works fine for what flux core is intended, but not sheet metal/body work.

Often times people think a cheap welder means it only welds thin material but thats not the case. The problem is cheap welders have a narrow window in which they can be used effectively and with flux core wire thats usually on the hot side. Not saying they cant be used to weld thinner material but it takes some experience to accomplish this.