Do any of you have this welder?

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Dusterdude72

Dusterdude72

IN MOPAR MUSCLE MAGAZINE
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Do any of you have this craftsman welder ? http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00920569000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4

just looking to see what things people have to say about it from first hand use.

all the reviews on it look great and I know people personally who have used it that says it performs just as good as the comparable 110 miller welders.

I am not looking for the baddest thing on the market or anything....just an upgrade from what I have now and I decided to get this welder at sears because they offer the layaway program which is good for me because I don't have that kind of cash to drop in one chunk after spending so much money on the duster already.

I am going to be replacing panels on the duster and what I have now is just a cambel hausfeld 110 flux core welder with high and low amperage which really sucks for sheet metal......so I figured before I even attempt replacing my panels that I would invest in a gas mig welder that I can dial in the heat range on more and make for cleaner welds and I also needed it for a 110 because thats what my garage is wired for already.

what do you guys think? work good for odd jobs like exhaust work,body panel replacement...things like that. I am not going to be welding 3/4" thick steeel or nothing...most welding I do is around 1/4" thick...any big jobs I need done I take to a buddys shop where he has 3 phase setup.
 
check the wire speed and heat/voltage dials...

do they click from setting to setting or do they allow infinite adjustment...which what you want ....

and you want to use gas.......
 
70aarcuda said:
check the wire speed and heat/voltage dials...

do they click from setting to setting or do they allow infinite adjustment...which what you want ....

and you want to use gas.......
Click to expand...


infinite adjustment on wire speed and 4 heat positions that click on each position. and I plan on running a 75% / 25% gas mix.
 
Yes. I have that welder. I was a certified welder many years and had a big miller. the transformer burnt out and my family got me the Craftsman for father's day a couple years ago. I thought it was a joke, but I have been very impressed. It will do everything you could possibly ever want to do with a car. It will weld 1/4" in a single pass if you know how to finesse it. It does a nice job.
 
good to know.

anything has to be an improvement to what I have been using!!!!!!

this cheap little welder I have been using does OK on some stuff but being that you really cant control the temp range on it.....welding sheet metal is a joke and you spend more time fixing burn through than you do fixing the initial project. not to mention the welds it lays are not the prettiest and the amount of spatter it leaves behind causes more work.

I have used it long enough that I got the tricks down to making it lay decent welds but I still do not trust it enough to use on my brand new panels for the duster.....so I figured what better time to upgrade even if its not a $2,000.00 or $1,000.00 machine .....it still looks to be a good machine from what I have heard so far.
 
I have that one and it's been good to me. I've done everything from welding in body panels, to welding my fence, to building brackets with it. I've welded up to 3/16" steel with it. I do want to get the gas for it, though, to eliminate some of the spatter.
 
I believe that Clarke makes them. If you look at a comparable Clarke and that one, they seem to be the same except color.
 
StrokerScamp said:
I believe that Clarke makes them. If you look at a comparable Clarke and that one, they seem to be the same except color.
Click to expand...

yeah from what I gather you are right....looks like clarke manufactures them and craftsman brands them.
 
I've been using an older version of that welder for at least the last 10 years. I've used it for everything from sheet metal patching to building commercial glass racks on trucks and trailers. It's a great little welder for the money. Definitely use the gas mix you mentioned. Keep it to 1/4" or less and it will do fine. I borrowed a friends mini Hobart when mine was down for repair once and used it to spot weld some replacement panels on my old truck. For some reason that thing worked sweet on that gauge metal, much better than I could adjust my Craftsman to. But mine did better on heavier gauge material.
 
I'm done buying ANYTHING from Sears, and here's something important you need to realize.

ANYTHING you buy from Sears (and a few other relabel joints) MAY NOT be "the same" as Miller, Lincoln, John Deere, whatever.

What this means is, that welder "might" have some special parts built (more cheaply) under exclusive contract to Sears, AND THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL EVER GET REPLACEMENTS is through Sears. It might be the circuit board, the drive motor, or even a smaller lighter transformer.

I used to work on HVAC, and have run into this problem several times on Sears--built equipment. The really troubling thing is that Sears may or may not be able to supply parts "later on."

I say, stick with name brands. Lincoln, Miller, and a few others.
 
most of the bargin brand welders are made by century,or they used to be.for the money id look for a used older miller mig like a miller matic 200.
 
67Dart273 said:
I'm done buying ANYTHING from Sears, and here's something important you need to realize.

ANYTHING you buy from Sears (and a few other relabel joints) MAY NOT be "the same" as Miller, Lincoln, John Deere, whatever.

What this means is, that welder "might" have some special parts built (more cheaply) under exclusive contract to Sears, AND THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL EVER GET REPLACEMENTS is through Sears. It might be the circuit board, the drive motor, or even a smaller lighter transformer.

I used to work on HVAC, and have run into this problem several times on Sears--built equipment. The really troubling thing is that Sears may or may not be able to supply parts "later on."

I say, stick with name brands. Lincoln, Miller, and a few others.
Click to expand...

like was said before.....I think it is manufactured by clarke , which is a somewhat name brand. not to mention I have a warranty so if anything in that time frame happens to it than I will be covered...and if they can't get me the part than they will be getting me a new welder haha. But I see what you are saying and thanks for the input

340 8BBL said:
most of the bargin brand welders are made by century,or they used to be.for the money id look for a used older miller mig like a miller matic 200.
Click to expand...

looks to be made by clarke .....and I would look for an older miller but I have been looking for awhile locally and can't find anything ....not to mention the idea of a warranty I like AND like I mentioned at the beginning of the thread....I am not made of cash right now and the sears layaway option helped sway my vote lol.

might not be a top dog welder but if it will do the things I am looking to throw at it than I will be happy....like I mentioned earlier ...anything is better than what I am using now lol.

I just wanted to see what those who own or have used this welder thought about it.

thanks again guys ...I appreciate the info
 
the only thing with this welder that if you need parts you have to go back to sears to get them..Lincolin is haveing a good sale on them now it mabe more $$ but you will have a better welder that you can get parts for at any welding shop..just tring to help...Artie
 
Dont forget that on Sears.com you can put stuff on Lawaway. My Clarke is similar to this and LOVE IT. I bought a better welder for the same reason you did and im sooo glad i did.
 
I wanted to add that my welder has a distinct preference for .23 wire vs .30. It will weld with the thicker wire but using .23 makes a significant difference in getting a nice weld. Turn down the wire speed and amperage and use .23 on thinner gauge metals with this rig.
 
Tractor supply has a pkg deal on a 130 with 110 volt it has gages,cart helment everything to get started I just bought one I can believe how nice a job it does. Made my miller/hobart.
 
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