No doubt you heard it all before by question about first welder and plug rating

[roosie]

Right i need a welder to do mainly car related items. im a believer with got bigger the better.

I did like the look of R tec 180 mig but my friend said it will be overkill for what i want.

so being as it was VAT FREE day i went into Machine Mart and was looking at getting the Mig160tm https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/mig160tm-welder/

the salesman was getting me a bit worried saying my electrics must be ok for 16a i think he said or it will be fatal.
Now my wife and kids were there you can imagine there faces even tho i built my garage and done the electrics and got it checked out after. but it made me think.

I have a consumer unit in my garage with:

B32a breaker on the sockets in garage.
The cable used is 2.5mm twin and earth on the sockets.
the sockets are standard household type plug sockets.

first of all whats the view on 160tm welder for a £300 welder?

and also what plug would you use if you dont use a household plug? or is it just a case of bigger fuse in standard plug?

thanks for help guys.

 

[cumbriasteve]

It would work fine on a standard domestic plug, there is a very small chance it may pop the breaker running flat out but to state it would be fatal on a normal supply is the sign of a person with an IQ of <1

The 160 (actually a 150) has always been a popular welder and used by many hobby welders and car restorers.

The R-Tech would not be overkill, a good machine offering more functions (MMA) and a better torch for the extra money and again works on a normal plug and supply.

GYS 160, also a machine worth considering, rated highly by members that own one.

 

[BrokenBiker]

all single pase welders will run off a 13A supply really, you will just be limited to about 130-150 amps usually, although there are plenty of people on here that report running at 250+ amps on a 13A supply

 

[WorkshopChris]

I have absolutely no idea about your choice of welder but anything well built under 180a should be ok on its lower settings on a 13a plug, it should weld for short periods at max power without popping a fuse. If you find i does it to often just get your electrician to fit a 16a socket wired with 4mm cable on a 16 amp MCB.

I have no idea what the salesman was on about. As a 160a machine it will either work for a while then blow a ocasional fuse or it will work ok.

Have you had a look at the GYS range of migs.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I've not seen anyone state 250A+ before, and certainly not with a mig - 200ish with a decent inverter tig maybe, but that's a different animal.

im sure ive seen posts on here that have said some are running high amp migs on 13A although i was a bit dubious about what size nail they had replaced the fuse with...

 

[brightspark]

im sure ive seen posts on here that have said some are running high amp migs on 13A although i was a bit dubious about what size nail they had replaced the fuse with...

maybe u have but some folk just stretch the truth a bit far just agree with them and take it with a pinch of salt

 

[BrokenBiker]

maybe u have but some folk just stretch the truth a bit far just agree with them and take it with a pinch of salt

the last time i tried running a mig at 150ish it just kept blowing fuses on my supply, but it was an old one that had a hard life...i can run my inverter MMA welder at nearly full amps and its fine.

its not a difficult job in most cases to run 16A if its ever a problem

 

[roosie]

thanks guys, i did bring home the MIG 135TE which looks tiny and inferior and by the time i brought a uprated regulator, hose, and 0.8mm reel i could have got the Rtec with another £80 which comes with the extras i bought.
im going to take it all back and get a r tec i think.

were is cheapest place to get a GYS160

 

[roosie]

I take it were on about this one?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GYS-SMART...804627?hash=item1a109befd3:g:NcEAAOSwGYVW9ZU3

 

[WorkshopChris]

Link at the top of the page :-
http://www.weldequip.com/gys-smartmig-162.htm
£ 378 in the vat

My nearest supplier has it for £350 excluding the vat.
http://alliedwelding.co.uk/product/mig-welder-smartmig-162/?v=79cba1185463

Might be worth a search to see who your local dealer is.

Both would need a regulator and gas. If buying from a dealer locally you might get a discount on the reg if its going to get them a sale.

 

[roosie]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GYS-SMART...804627?hash=item1a109befd3:g:NcEAAOSwGYVW9ZU3

just seen this with a included postage price.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Sometimes it's worth an extra few quid not to buy from ebay, looking at that supplier he is not a welding specialist, that may be ok but he would be unlikely to offer the same support you would get from a known and reviewed supplier of welding equipment.

After sales service is as important as the make of the machine.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Regarding the 'how high can you go' debate on a normal 13amp plug:

I ran a Portamig 235 on such a supply, mostly at between 150 to the 180 amp range setting but did some short runs at full power, in over a year of use it never blew once.

Considering some people blow their fuses at 150 and even less in unfortunate cases it must be a combination of the type of machine and the household electrics supplying it, I don't know enough though to give an accurate answer why there is such a difference in success of not blowing fuses, technically at full power it should have blown every time...but never did...simple as that.

 

[bletchmonster]

If you've got a 32 amp breaker in the garage with a supply to it that's up to it you can run 250 amp mig no problem. 160 will be totally safe .
Only time you need to worry is working on spindly extension leads. The voltage drop can kill lesser inverter welders.
.

 

[Richard.]

I ran an Esab caddy c200i and kemppi minarc mig 200 off a 13 amp supply. As above the bulk of the current was around the 130-160 mark but they both got maxed out for brief periods without the switches tripping.
These are both modern inverters so they are a little kinder on the supply. Mma quickly trips mine at high current,

 

[Henrik]

thanks guys, i did bring home the MIG 135TE which looks tiny and inferior

I've had a 135te for many years now, and for car work and geberal fabrication it's been an excellent welder. Presumably with the r-tech you'll have to get those extra bits as well?

It does look a bit Mickey mouse, though, I agree, but in actual fact it's a pretty decent set IMO (for the money).

The one thing I miss on mine is a longer torch.

 

[Henrik]

Ooh, maybe I should check them out myself

I've half decided that when the Clarke does finally give up, I'll replace it with a murex or similar used machine, mainly because I loved the murex welders at college, but if eg r-tech etc are coming with euro torches nowith then that is a massive plus in favour of them over the Clarke or GPS in my opinion.

 

[PTvor]

I've had a 135te for many years now, and for car work and geberal fabrication it's been an excellent welder. Presumably with the r-tech you'll have to get those extra bits as well?

Which extra bits do you mean? The R-Tech comes with a 3 metre Euro Torch, a single stage regulator and the hose to go from the regulator to the machine. Also a manual and a pressed steel spanner for the torch.

I can't recall if it comes with any spare tips but you'll need more anyway and they're cheap. Apart from possibly a spare tip or two it certainly doesn't include other torch spares.

It does not include wire, the usual rubbishy hand held face mask, or the useless wire brush cum chipping hammer they include with most welders. It does not have a plug fitted.

It does not include an MMA electrode holder, that's extra and they do not throw in any MMA electrodes.

So pretty much what you'd expect, but of course it's worth checking what exactly is included with any machine you are thinking of buying, so you don't open the box your new pride and joy came in and find you can't use it because something is missing, like wire, which you could have ordered at the same time; or it comes with a cheap single stage regulator and you already have a nice two stage regulator, so you could have at least tried to negotiate a discount by not having the thrown in regulator and so on.

 

[Henrik]

Which extra bits do you mean? The R-Tech comes with a 3 metre Euro Torch, a single stage regulator and the hose to go from the regulator to the machine. Also a manual and a pressed steel spanner for the torch.

I can't recall if it comes with any spare tips but you'll need more anyway and they're cheap. Apart from possibly a spare tip or two it certainly doesn't include other torch spares.

It does not include wire, the usual rubbishy hand held face mask, or the useless wire brush cum chipping hammer they include with most welders. It does not have a plug fitted.

It does not include an MMA electrode holder, that's extra and they do not throw in any MMA electrodes.

So pretty much what you'd expect, but of course it's worth checking what exactly is included with any machine you are thinking of buying, so you don't open the box your new pride and joy came in and find you can't use it because something is missing, like wire, which you could have ordered at the same time; or it comes with a cheap single stage regulator and you already have a nice two stage regulator, so you could have at least tried to negotiate a discount by not having the thrown in regulator and so on.

Yeah, I didn't realise the "extra" bits were included in the R-tech welder - it does sound like a stonking deal If I was buying a welder today (and not 2007), the R-tech would definitely be up there on the list.

I guess my point is this: the clarke 135te is not a bad welder per se (I've used mine for 9 years on and off for hobby use, and it has never let me down), but perhaps times have moved on in the hobby segment.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

The R-Tech doesn't come with an MMA lead either, but they price-matched one I was looking at on eBay, which cost less than their one, but was of a lesser spec.