Just how cheap are cheap MMA units?

[matt1978]

I get these all of the time through to my work email address.

Circa £40 for a 230v 200 amp MMA inverter.

I appreciate that at this end of the market, money talks, people generally don't use the units for earning money and therefore the quality isn't as critical but it maybe puts a slightly different slant on some of the prices that the stuff at the DIY/Hobby end gets sold for when in all honesty the sum value of the parts is probably less than £20.

In that instance, are they really that "cheap" and value for money?

 

[blenkie1]

Can remember someone telling me that the early Rover213 (with the 1.3 Honda engine) were being made for £750 and I thought that was some mark up but relativly cheap when you think of R&D, etc. £40 for a welder though!

 

[eSCHEn]

@matt1978 - want to go halfers on one and see how bad it really is?

 

[matt1978]

@matt1978 - want to go halfers on one and see how bad it really is?

I was at a exhibition in Germany and there was a bloke walking round with some on a little wheeled parcel truck offering them out for about 30-50 euro each, ready to take away. They was probably the stock off the stand that was cheaper to sell than to transport back.

Im sure it's not going to be terrible. I'm even pretty sure a lot of members on here will have simerla set ups. Horses for courses.

I was, I guess more interested in people's thoughts of paying around £200-£250 for something that has a raw material cost and production cost of say less than £20 and where bulk of that £250 cost is transport and profit margin or paying lets say £500 for something that maybe has a cost to build of closer to £200.

Even so, the "cheap" unit is half the price maybe even more than half but it's not the same value is it.

 

[matt1978]

To be honest, 40 quid wholesale price doesn't surprise me at all

Not like you can buy one for 40quid all in and have it on your doorstep.

.

Yes, it's not a price that joe public could pay, but you can also be sure if you were prepared to order one or two containers worth that price would reduce again pretty dramatically. The price on the email won't be the best and final price.

 

[eSCHEn]

I was at a exhibition in Germany and there was a bloke walking round with some on a little wheeled parcel truck offering them out for about 30-50 euro each, ready to take away. They was probably the stock off the stand that was cheaper to sell than to transport back.

Im sure it's not going to be terrible. I'm even pretty sure a lot of members on here will have simerla set ups. Horses for courses.

I was, I guess more interested in people's thoughts of paying around £200-£250 for something that has a raw material cost and production cost of say less than £20 and where bulk of that £250 cost is transport and profit margin or paying lets say £500 for something that maybe has a cost to build of closer to £200.

Even so, the "cheap" unit is half the price maybe even more than half but it's not the same value is it.

I quite agree buddy. I am extremely lucky in having a quality German unit but had I paid the same for that 40 quid box

 

[Appyasme]

I wonder if a customer walked into a welding equipment supplier and asked the question, "does this machine come from an international supplier "what do you think the rep would say?

 

[eSCHEn]

The trouble is that those goods get offered, in part, due to 'stretching' the specification. So a stated 5% tolerance part but not EMI shielded is replaced the with a cheaper part which hits the tolerance but has no EMI shielding. You end up with a cheaper set but it's a wee bit flakier.

The raspberry pi had issues in the beginning because they RJ45 used had no mag shielding (cheaper) but had been substituted by manufacturer.

If you have those situations when a company is overseeing QC then what hope is there when QC is purely internal?

 

[matt1978]

No one would ever buy anything if you knew the true cost. Cars, TV's, meals out, ahem, welding machines.

Obviously people, businesses are in the game to make a profit. It's profit which drives everything, but my point is, pro-rata there would be lot more "profit" and other non beneficial to the product costs, such as transport, warehousing etc etc in the bottom end products than at the quality end.

The danger is buying a bottom end product and paying a top end price due to OEM/Badge manufacturers etc.

Incidentally there was a test done in a German tool magazine for 230v inverters.

 

[eSCHEn]

Don't suppose you have a link Matt?

 

[Appyasme]

This is my whole point,bottom end product paying top end price. My concern is, can you trust a supplier to honestly sell you the best piece of kit for your application. I am doubtful. In this day and age the commission only reps will sell sand to the Arabs

 

[matt1978]

In my experience there aren't any commission only reps in the game anymore. But I have to say (there are exceptions) but the general quality/knowledge of distributors and their sales staff in the UK is a long way behind a lot of mainland Europe.

I'd say for every knowledgable and well stocked outfit such as Jim and RH Davey, there are around 10 who are pretty dreadful

 

[Appyasme]

Having been in Technical sales, not on commission by the way,I have come across commission only reps that are quite happy to put 5% on cost.!

 

[Appyasme]

Sorry Matt.Just taken in the sales pitch from someone that hopes your company is well. 10% lower than their competitors they say.I wonder if they have done their homework and looked at the quality of the product their competitors manufacture. You never know when their economy finally hits home you might get a call from them trying to sell double glazing. If you do buy from them just make sure that when the frames are in place that after a week they don`t fall out...................

 

[Kent]

No one would ever buy anything if you knew the true cost. Cars, TV's, meals out, ahem, welding machines.

Obviously people, businesses are in the game to make a profit. It's profit which drives everything, but my point is, pro-rata there would be lot more "profit" and other non beneficial to the product costs, such as transport, warehousing etc etc in the bottom end products than at the quality end.

The danger is buying a bottom end product and paying a top end price due to OEM/Badge manufacturers etc.

Incidentally there was a test done in a German tool magazine for 230v inverters.

Customers only ever look at gross margin as do some companies but the latter go bust