Harbor Freight Welder

[Suzukidave]

Fathers Day was the last day of the sale on the 180 Mig welder so i scampered to the store and got me a Fathers Day present

[Desert_75]

I'll be interested in some reviews, my neighbor has a fancy welder and helps me out a ton. I'd like something just for small projects and have considered the HF mig.

[Suzukidave]

I checked out the HF 180 welder first on this site that talks welding http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?23 ... -and-Tests" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and beside a few mods they said it was a great welder for the money and through today $270 http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mi ... lders.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . And i put down for the 2 yr extended replacement plan that is $80 . Once i lean how to use it i may switch to mig / gas instead of the flux core setup it comes with so it will weld cleaner .

[Zook-e]

Go to mig now. You won't regret it. It took me several years and I switched when I did my WWII jeep and wondered why it took me so long. Gas is fantastic and the way to go.

[buffalodave]

I have lots of HF stuff, some of it is very good, some not so much...

The welders do work OK, BUT they do not have a gas solenoid in them. That means, unlike almost every other brand that I know of, that if you are using gas, when you open the bottle the gas just flows out the nozzle until you shut it off. Most welders including my Lincoln flows gas ONLY when you press the trigger...

I suppose if you are going to flux core weld everything then that isn't a problem... but the only gas that I know THAT IS free come's out of my rear end NOT the welding supply store... ARGON ain't cheap...

Their welding helmets DO WORK FINE...

[Zook-e]

You can like I did, purchase a gas solenoid on e-bay much cheaper than with the kits.

[Suzukidave]

That welding site gives some tweeks for the 180 including a gas shut off http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?51 ... -flux-core" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

[buffalodave]

I know that one could be added... BUT if I have to modify a brand new product to work the way it should have out of the box, and since the parts to make it work correctly cost nothing, why don't they build it in and add 5 bucks top the price...

The funny thing is there is no mention of this in the manual...
The old saying that you get what you pay for is often true...
I have no problem with HF I was there Sunday...

[Suzukidave]

I agree with you Dave , it would be nice if they had the gas cutoff in the welder already . I also have a Lincoln mig ( but not with me here ) and if i remember right it was between 4~500 and it does have more controls .. like you say you get what you pay for . When i learn how to use this just a couple of jobs and it will pay for itself . I will let yall know how i do with it