- Thread starter flatmajor
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irondarren
Member
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just looked at the company website rated out 65/200amps. cant believe the bottom start range is 65amps. even industrial machine start at 40amps. will check some more but if 65amps is the lowest setting no good for cars
shenion
Tool Pack Rat
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Look at the forum shop.
Second hand is fine if youa re willing to service it and you trust the seller.
Second hand is fine if youa re willing to service it and you trust the seller.
irondarren
Member
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Check the forum shop out, clarke 160amp. well known brand spares available. if bought from forum shop you can phone up weldequip and abuse him over the phone (not that its likely to break). plenty of folks here have clarke machines and are happy with them.
Trouble with second hand units you dont know how they have been treated, if they break you have no warranty.
http://www.weldequip.com/clarke-160tm.htm
Trouble with second hand units you dont know how they have been treated, if they break you have no warranty.
http://www.weldequip.com/clarke-160tm.htm
I have no experience of their MIGs but a search for "Cobel" will likely turn up a few of my comments on my Cobel DC inverter TIG. I'm very happy with it for what it is - not too sophisticated but not expensive either. I'm the third owner - the forum member I bought it from had simply done the few TIG jobs he'd needed to do. He'd bought it from another forum member.
(I remember doing something similar on a car forum - three of us owned the same car twice each over a period of about 8 years
)The Clarke MIGs get a good review on here.
flatmajor
Going profesional
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- 328
Have a look at this one, this rated from 35 amps to 190 amps.
Description:
This MIG shielding gas welder convinces with its easy operation
and its compact construction.
The current is adjustable in 8 settings from 35 amps to 190 amps.
The wire feed is infinitely adjustable and allows for the use of wire 0.8mm or
1.0mm thick.
The device can be used with solid wire and gas or with cored wire
without gas.
The convenient handle and the two guidable rollers allow for the
simple and easy use of the welder.
The welder comes to you complete with shield, burner and a 500g
roll of wire.
You will be thrilled!
![MIG200-300[1].jpg](/forum/data/attachments/11/11277-a168d85a8044699a578972379ef4d13a.jpg?hash=oWjYWoBEaZ)
weldingscotty803
what you staring at??????????
- Messages
- 1,172
I have no experience of their MIGs but a search for "Cobel" will likely turn up a few of my comments on my Cobel DC inverter TIG. I'm very happy with it for what it is - not too sophisticated but not expensive either. I'm the third owner - the forum member I bought it from had simply done the few TIG jobs he'd needed to do. He'd bought it from another forum member.
(I remember doing something similar on a car forum - three of us owned the same car twice each over a period of about 8 years
The Clarke MIGs get a good review on here.
i was one of the owners of the above tig. brill little machine, couldnt fault it. did the jobs i needed it for.
how you getting on ith it anyway billj
I'm getting on well with it, Scott. Picking it up slowly, due to lack of time to practice, but have done a couple of little projects in stainless and I really like the control TIG offers. I'm touching down less with the tungsten now since I started using a makeshift welding table and sitting down to TIG 
Have burned a couple of arc rods for practice too but am finding it hard to master striking them without sticking whereas I've always managed that OK on AC welders. I'll get there, though.
As you say, a great little machine. Haven't needed to refill that gas bottle yet, though
I think the problem with Chinese stuff is not the quality nor the features but the lack of support from the box-shifters. We've already seen in other threads that many of the "quality" names have Chinese-made products in their line-up. The difference is that they guarantee to support them. If, heaven forbid, something did go wrong with the Cobel, I suppose I might have to bypass Cobel Welding completely and try to find support from someone like Shop Rriver. Acceptable for me as a DIYer but maybe not for a professional fabricator for whom time is money.
Have burned a couple of arc rods for practice too but am finding it hard to master striking them without sticking whereas I've always managed that OK on AC welders. I'll get there, though.
As you say, a great little machine. Haven't needed to refill that gas bottle yet, though
I think the problem with Chinese stuff is not the quality nor the features but the lack of support from the box-shifters. We've already seen in other threads that many of the "quality" names have Chinese-made products in their line-up. The difference is that they guarantee to support them. If, heaven forbid, something did go wrong with the Cobel, I suppose I might have to bypass Cobel Welding completely and try to find support from someone like Shop Rriver. Acceptable for me as a DIYer but maybe not for a professional fabricator for whom time is money.
I'm sure 30A really is the highest acceptable minimum setting, with 25A or less being preferable, so 35 amps seems like poor design.
They say: "The wire feed is infinitely adjustable and allows for the use of wire 0.8mm or 1.0mm thick." It seems like a contradiction - infinite vesus 0.8 or 1.00mm. What about 0.6mm, which must be considered essential?
The gas and no-gas polarity switch option (and that's all it is; so cheap and simple for them to add) must be welcome.
They say: "You will be thrilled!" I don't think I'd be thrilled with that machine.
