Any thoughts on Boweld

[KemppiFrog]

Hi, saw this on the bay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIG-Welde...d278977&pid=100238&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=141562145018

Has anybody bought from them? Duty cycle looks good; Obviously chinoise, but 2 yr warranty.
It could fill the gap for an occasional 200amp mig and light enough to cart around for site use as mig/mma
KF

 

[skotl]

Looks like one of the generic rebadged chinese inverters, doesn't it?
£265 seems a pretty good price!

 

[Bill Edwards]

At that price it's easy to think 'worth a punt'.
After all, it may be a decent unit that could essentially be the same as a branded one but without the price tag.

For me, the wire feed is the important part for a MIG, something you can't evaluate until you're actually using the thing.

 

[skotl]

Indeed. And even if the seller does a runner you now have 180 days with Paypal and, to be honest, if one of these things is going to fail then it will probably be in the first couple of weeks.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Well, I would have to say that you need to be prepared for it to fail at any time - in other words, allow for it to pack up just outside of the protection - but yes, like with most electronic things, the highest risk is at the beginning.

 

[Richiew]

Caveat Emptor I reckon. Please give us a full review if you buy it though. I've bought quite a few welders and other related tools and found that price is fairly well related to performance. If it was as good as it looks they would be charging more. Free lunches and all that.

 

[PTvor]

Something makes me think a replay of the R-TEch vs the World thread may be coming on.

I'm off to get my battle bowler.

 

[skotl]

Something makes me think a replay of the R-TEch vs the World thread may be coming on.

I'm off to get my battle bowler.

Yep! Was thinking the same.
But at £265 this is a bit of a bargain (and I speak as a big R-Tech fan)

 

[Richiew]

Kemppi needs to get it bought and do a video review to save arguments. Stuff like that is always tempting.

I bought an over specced and underpriced TIG welder last year. Wish I had saved my money. This item looks very similar, that's my only concern. There is less to go wrong with a MIG/MMA unit so it may be a better buy, who knows?

 

[PTvor]

Yep! Was thinking the same.
But at £265 this is a bit of a bargain (and I speak as a big R-Tech fan)

And the thread about the Sif machine and the look-alike from a Polish company - could be the same one, I can't remember - for about half the price.

It's the same sort of proposition as MigTig, Stahlwerk and several others, although I'm not sure Stahlwerk do MIG. It looks like a hell of a lot for the money, but you don't have the established support and if anything went wrong, you'd have to mess about dealing with a company in another country. That might be nothing or it might be a big deal, oh, and PayPal.

I'd be more tempted if they chucked in a service manual including circuit diagrams.

 

[skotl]

Well, we probably don't want to redo the r-tech (etc) threads so how about this; in response to the OP, we don't know much/anything about boweld; it's a generic unit; it seems like great value; if you pay by paypal you effectively have a 180 day warranty; buyer-beware.

There - that should hopefully short-circuit the r-tech debate, right?

 

[Richiew]

Fine by me. I have no intention of arguing how many extended warranties you can fit on a head of a pin and what they should cost you.

 

[PTvor]

Well you've convinced me.

I'm just wondering what Kemppi's going to do, he's actually got no more information than when he started, and no delighted customer has come forward as yet, but I'd be interested to know what happens if he takes the plunge and buys one.

 

[PTvor]

I still reckon we should have a double blind test see how the cheapies fare against the higher end stuff on common weld types

Surely the main question is the durability and the hassle of fixing it if it fails, rather than weld quality when it's working properly. I suspect things like rollers are generic or could be bought from this company in Poland, but I don't know.

 

[Richiew]

I have to disagree with you PT. At that price, the item (as an inverter) is disposable. I would rather it welded well during the 2 year warranty and anything outside of that would be a bonus. Just done a bit of googling and the cast ally wire feed looks similar but not identical to the R-Tech welder that we were trying not to mention earlier. Just sayin'.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Been in the sack while you night-owls have discussed it. I too, was looking at the other known brands that they sell and thought that it improved their image.
I hadn't thought of the paypal 180 day warranty, as I rarely use them. Missed the R-Tech discussion too. My feeling is that if it last the two years, it will have earned it's price and probably paid for a better machine as well. Who knows, I might trip over a second hand decent make in the meantime. Good second hand gear is not common here, compared to the UK and shipping is problematical.
I looked at Stahlwerk for a Tig unit, they do do a Mig but not what I need (combo unit).
The roller set up looks way better than the one that conked in a friend's machine and he paid more for a much lower grade machine.
Thanks to all for chiming in, I will report back on events.
KF

 

[jandri0309]

Hello Welders.

I am new to welding and i am looking for my first MIG welder for light work around the garage. The seller Boweld is selling cheap MIG welders on ebay, and this one has captured my attention:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIG-Welde...150647?hash=item4d3c2e52f7:g:ITIAAOSwwE5WXbTi

Have any of you worked with these welders?

Should i rather spend my money on beer

All comments would be welcome

regards Johannes.