arc/tig inverters

[philip smith]

can anyone help me out with a question !! im thinking about buying a Clarke weld arc/tig welder can anyone tell me if there any good before i purchase one as iam thinking about buying a Esab arc/tig welder which one is best for money????

 

[daleyd]

There's a world of difference between Clarke and esab .

Clarke are generally the lower end if the market (nothing wrong with that as long as you are aware of it) esab are a manufacturer of top notch welding machines.

 

[Mr shiney]

Take a look at thermal arc as well. Excellent welders. I own both the MIG multi mode and the TIG202. Can't fault them.

 

[Pete.]

Take a look at thermal arc as well. Excellent welders. I own both the MIG multi mode and the TIG202. Can't fault them.

I thought I'd won one of those last week on eBay but got pipped at the post. Right on my doorstep too

 

[Mr shiney]

Probably me!

I did my Level one and two TIG on one. Lovely machine.

 

[Richard.]

can anyone help me out with a question !! im thinking about buying a Clarke weld arc/tig welder can anyone tell me if there any good before i purchase one as iam thinking about buying a Esab arc/tig welder which one is best for money????

Which esab were u thinking of buying?

 

[Kent]

I run an ESAB, I shouldn't even consider a Clarke as a comparison. I think the 160 amp ESAB comes with HF start rather than lift that's the better one economically from ESAB as you need to buy the MMA stuff not the TIG torch and reg etc. Mine is the Buddy ARC but I never use the higher power settings and buying the TIG stuff even as non ESAB renders it a little less economical than it looks on paper at first glance and it lacks HF (which to be fair is no big thing for this sets use for me personally).

 

[Richard.]

The buddy range is ok if you are aware it's designed for hobby use and not comparable to the Swedish made Caddy.
But then the price of them reflects this.

 

[Tigman]

Ive got a Thermalarc had it for 15 years or so I would say , its never let me down , runs on 240 v and 110 v ! never tried on 110v , scratch start tig nice little machine cant think of the model no , but its served me well !

 

[cianh91]

I looked at a few set ups and ended up buying thermal arc hf start and slope down all on basic enough kit at very good price hasn't let me down once so very reliable

 

[Kent]

The buddy range is ok if you are aware it's designed for hobby use and not comparable to the Swedish made Caddy.
But then the price of them reflects this.

They are very stupid then because they only really market them through all the wrong dealers to reach that "hobby" market. Caddy is TIG primarily with arc as secondary and Buddy is ARC primarily with TIG as an add on accessory, cheaper because its lower tech without the more expensive torch etc.

 

[wheresmejumper]

They are very stupid then because they only really market them through all the wrong dealers to reach that "hobby" market. Caddy is TIG primarily with arc as secondary and Buddy is ARC primarily with TIG as an add on accessory, cheaper because its lower tech without the more expensive torch etc.

Caddy and buddy are not process related,they are more quality derived
You can have a caddy arc,and buddy tig

 

[Kent]

Caddy and buddy are not process related,they are more quality derived
You can have a caddy arc,and buddy tig

Can you now- I must remember to believe all I read and contact ESAB and sell them some decent marketing training

 

[wheresmejumper]

Ive stick welded with caddy arcs and they performed better than buddy tigs.along with costing over 4 times as much

 

[Richard.]

Can you now- I must remember to believe all I read and contact ESAB and sell them some decent marketing training

You can buy a caddy arc caddy Tig and caddy mig. Buddy Tig and buddy arc.
Caddys are expensive and built in Sweden buddy's are the cheaper hobby range and although they perform good they don't match the caddy, as said above the price difference is massive.

 

[Kent]

The point I am making is ESAB don't make stuff for the Hobby market, they have no established supply line into this market. The caddy has more complex power management allowing more power at the end of a long lead (this can also be handled by thicker thicker cabling or generator use- in fact I run the buddy off up to three 25 mtr cables without any great difficulty) Arc force manual settings to the user rather than built in and memory function for two settings a funny stinger I should wish to change. If the user decides this set is for them fine I am a guy who likes things as tough and low tech as possible as useful is as useful does

 

[wheresmejumper]

Of course they make stuff for the hobby market.if you cant observe the quality difference yourself then look at the price.and the country they are farmed out to.
EWM Loch Fronius do they make a welder costing £200 - £250? If they could make one for that money it would be made in China and aimed at the hobby market.or they would quickly go broke

 

[Richard.]

Esab make some blinding stuff the buddy's came out to the market as an affordable range for home hobby use so people could afford esab in there garages, the buddy's are made in china to esab spec so they can be produced cheaper and we as the consumer can afford them. They don't match the caddy on quality no where near it I'm afraid to say but that's not a bad thing and esab are quite clever about it because like WMJ said above others don't offer this range so esab have a nice share of this market.

 

[Richard.]

Kent there is nothing wrong with the machine you have and it is not a rebadged brand, it is designed by esab to esab spec it's just built cheaper and to a lower standard so it can be more appealing to a home use market. I'm not saying it's unsuitable for workshop use, if your using it in your shop you will know already it's just fine.

 

[matt1978]

It's made in the same Chinese factory as the ThermalArc 175 and the Jefferson brand as is sold in Northern Ireland, exactly the same machines with same components.

It's what ESAB describe as a Tier 2 product. It's NOT there professional range, like the Caddy range, which is there premium Tier 1 range. It's aimed primarily at DIY/Hobby users but that's not to say its rubbish or it won't do a job, but I am sure I read somewhere that the warranty is voided if used in a industrial environment regarding the Buddy arc range, but I could be mistaken.