Clarke MIG welders?

[OKish]

My mig welder recently blew up in my face and i need to replace it, it was a 220 amp unit that ran off of 240v single phase, i found i can get a new Clarke 180 amp mig with everything except the gas bottle for 350 dollars. are these dependable welders or should i look elsewhere? thanks guys.

 

[GHarman]

BLEW UP!? There are a lot of brands of cheap welders out there. Every brand requires maintainence. The more you use it the more maintainence they require. There is a thread that was started a few months ago that asks a similar question. Go to thread search on the TDR website and use 'MIG welder' and 'the shop' in your search criteria. GregH

 

[OKish]

yea, it over loaded or something and a cap blew and the damn thing lit on fire. haha. it was a 1500 dollar unit from italy too.

 

[GHarman]

There is a lot of good equipment out there. Have you pursued a quote for repair? Im sure your unit is not designed as a throw-away. It may be cheaper in the long run. GregH

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I bought a Hobart 180 through tractor supply, about $650 I think, it's a pretty good unit. I haven't ever used a Clarke but their prices sure look good.

 

[KWentling]

My Dad had a cheap Clarke that was pretty much useless. He has a Lincoln 155 now. I believe he gave the Clarke to his son in law. You get what you pay for. Clarkes more expensive machines might be OK. Can't say. I'd stick with Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart. I have a Lincoln SP-125 and a Lincoln 255M. Both are fine machines. Like was said above, I'd check on repairing what you have before buying a smaller machine to replace it.



Kim

 

[OKish]

i wish i can get pictures of it, but i was able to save the argon tank, but it went up in flames.

 

[DJW]

My advice unless knowing a person with experience of a particular Mig Welder, I would seek advice from a professional welding supply shop. Most even have a shop at the store where you could try one fitted to suit your needs, and later on, if you wanted to upgrade, or otherwise, they could help you with that. The Millar 210 I find excellent for light and medium heavy duty work, they retail for around $1200, and a good buy compared to a lesser cheap "Throw a Way". If one values their labor good tools are a MUST

 

[JRD]

I work in a Metal Fabrication shop and all we use are Millers and Lincoln's. There is an abovious reason for this. Yes they are more expensive but are much more dependable and consistent machines. If you buy a 350. 00 mchine and have to pay 100 bucks every 2 weeks fixing it, what do you gain? Nothing but more down time and frusteration. Using both brands of machines as far as MIG welders go, Id opt for the Lincoln's. The Millers have a tendency to start cold at first then get hot as you continue your bead. Spend the money and get a Miller or Lincoln. Clarke's, are okay I guess if you use the welder once evey few months to tack weld some sheet metal together...

 

[Deejayare]

JRD's got it "goin' on". I've worked in Struc. Fab shops since I was 15 and owned one. Nothing but Miller for me. I've had the Miller matic 250 I presently use since 1999. They run forever and won't let you down, even when one maxes out the duty cycle.



I've known some expert welders who prefer Lincoln. They say they run a prettier weld.



Good :uck,

Jake

 

[GHarman]

I have to weigh in for Miller. After 20 years working for a government prime contractor, on stuff that requires blood from all of us If I tell what I did; Miller equipment was always at the forefront of our welding. Maintainence, production. manual processes and semi-automatic. Lincoln was a distant second. On a special 4 month assignment we rented Lincoln Welders. I went through at least one every couple of weeks :--) . While waiting for a replacement from the supplier I used an old Miller Big-40 ( all units were portable Diesel power supplies. ) The same Miller each time: . All equipment breaks down and maintainence is required. :-laf The more you use it the more likely it will break. Entropy works. From a reliability standpoint I was never shut down because of a broken Miller Welder in any process. My personal shop has 2 Miller powersupplies. A portable Trailblazer AC-DC, CC-CV- Generator ( Including 2 wirefeed accessories ) and a 350 Syncrowave. Both machines are 17 years old and I have only had to replace the low oil shut off on the Trailblazer ( ONAN engine ). I am not doing production anymore. This equipment will find a good home at a childrens camp ( TYL ) when I hang up my hood for good. :{ Happy Thanksgiving ALL GregH

 

[y-knot]

For the true welding professional there are but two names for welders, Lincoln and Miller. Everything else is junk.



Not sure how much you know about welders, you said you had a 220 Amp unit that blew-up. I don't doubt it Blew-Up but I do doubt it was a 220 Amp unit. More likely what happened was it was a 3-phase unit and you rigged it to run on a single phase, only it didn't last. Your probably lucky it didn't burn your house down or worse, shock the hell out of you.



There are many cheap brands, Clark is but one of them, and in welders you really do get what you pay for. If quality counts in your world I would highly suggest you look into a Miller or Lincoln welder. If it doesn't then try one of the other brands and get yourself a fire extinguisher. Good luck.