My point was the quality of clarke and rtech is the same.regardless of where each is made.
fwiw the german supplier of the machine that looked suspiciously like the rtech had them for sale before rtech did
In respect to WMJ's first point an inverter machine will put out higher currents before tripping over a transformer which is not really a quality issue they are totally different.
Inverter types are a lot better than they used to be as the old transformers were far more reliable hence there is still a lot of old clarkes about.
I would agree they are both good quality machines but in very different ways. I'll bet the RTech is nicer to use and weld with but I'll bet the Clarke will out last it in the long run of things. But we will see.
RTech is a good company here in uk and they provide us with affordable quality units so we can't complain.
It might weld like an esab but IMO
It's good but it's not esab good.
The quality issues i had with the clarke were, obviously the fuses blowing, the step selector (1/2 min/max) the wire feed was a bugger to get right, built in torch and the overall eas of use when welding. I know cant compare the rtech to the esab, if i could afford an esab there would have been one sat in me shed ages ago, but from my experience with the rtech and clarke, the rtech is far better than the clarke. Now, let me say this, im comparing it to the clarke 145 as thats the only machine ive used by clarke, my origonal reference was to the quality of the 145, not a higher end clarke machine, also i was comparing it to a 180a transformer stick welder. Like i said, if i could afford an esab or a miller or even a portamig, i would have had one ages ago, so if my post about the clarle machine offended anyone, i apologise.
I agree the flexibility of the variable volts and amps is nicer than the limited step control. I had a play about with the RTech 250 amp mig last Friday and it was a nice machine to use. Power consumption will be lower than the old transformer type. BUT........ I'm a sucker for the old classics me. I'm a massive fan of the old murex and BOC stuff and they are a nightmare to run on domestic supplies because of there large fuse rating.
If I were to own one, itd be the rtech.its way more flexible. But to say its higher quality is false.
Higher quality to me means better component parts, assembled better,more professional overall feel to the finished product.it has nothing to do with getting the wire feed speed right or any other operator error