Buying a welder, is it worth it?

[Rooster_UK]

Hi all, New here and first post, but defo not last?...lol
I am looking at a SIP 196 W, been offered it for £250.00
Searching round, they are new from about £650.00 up to over a grand?
What are your thoughts please?
Is it worth it, should I break his arm in the rush? I am very, very tempted after only welding with small hobby migs for years?

Ta
Karl

 

[ben8vgte]

My experience with SIP products has been very poor, I'd not buy anything sold by them every again!

But not having used that particular welder I cant say for sure, just my opinion on their stuff in general..

 

[Rooster_UK]

My experience with SIP products has been very poor, I'd not buy anything sold by them every again!

But not having used that particular welder I cant say for sure, just my opinion on their stuff in general..

Fair Comment Ben :0

 

[Jim_gsxr1000]

I wouldn't touch sip with a barge pole, much better out there for the money

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Firstly, a couple of questions, just to help with your purchase,

What is your budget available to spend, secondly, what is your area of use? meaning hobby welding, or is this machine going to be used extensively for fabrication on a weekly or even daily basis?

If its a hobby unit, a small unit such as a clarke, Sealey etc. are good bits of kit,
are very popular, Larger units, such as a cebora (snap on), Lincoln Electric (pricey but good) for the more heavy duty factor.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I had one of the older SIP's and it was not good at all, in fairness though I have read the newer SIP's have improved a lot, not sure of the accuracy of that though.

The price is ok, although you could get a new Clarke 150 for that money, depends if you need the extra power or not.

If you decide to go for it then make sure you or a mate who can weld gives it a good test run.

 

[the repair man]

I like SIP welders, I have SIP mig and tig, and have no problem with them. True they're not the best, but they are made in Italy, not china, have proper british support, which is good, and spares are ten a penny.
As mentioned if this is for professional use, get something better, but for home use I have no complaints. My tig is superb, but then I'm not..lol

 

[Rooster_UK]

Cheers for the comments lads.
It is for home use, I am going to be building trailers and market stalls and the odd car repairs. With the stalls about 2mm thick steel and the trailers up to 3mm thick, I think this SIP will cope? I won't be manufacturing all the time.
The fact the parts are readily available and not expensive appeals.
This is just out of my budget, but the Mrs has a donation for me....lol

I know the SIP welders have mixed reviews, the ones I have been told to stay well away from are the smaller ones, someone said 140A up, they are pretty alright, anything lower and they trip like mad and I would be buying a new one in 6 months.

 

[the repair man]

As standard they have wire feed problems, but its a very easy fix, you can buy or make a part ( piece of steel with 2 holes in! ) A lot of people, including myself, put a seperate transformer on to the wire feed motor and pcb, again very easy, 2 wires, also a steel liner on the torch helps.
After these mods, they are as good as most lower budget welders, ie clarke. They actually share some parts with the clarkes. They are very reliable welders, just built to a budget.
Or at least, I have found them reliable. I currently have a 130 turbo, which will do 3mm all day long. This is my 4th sip, and I haven't had one give up yet.
It is simple really, buy what you can afford. If your budget wont stretch to something better, I would have a SIP over a Chinese thing any day. At least I know they are uk based.
I also found out that SIP / Ryobi are part of the same company. I personally think ryobi make great stuff too, again, they are not dewalt, but they are 1/3rd the price.

 

[Rooster_UK]

As standard they have wire feed problems, but its a very easy fix, you can buy or make a part ( piece of steel with 2 holes in! ) A lot of people, including myself, put a seperate transformer on to the wire feed motor and pcb, again very easy, 2 wires, also a steel liner on the torch helps.
After these mods, they are as good as most lower budget welders, ie clarke. They actually share some parts with the clarkes. They are very reliable welders, just built to a budget.
Or at least, I have found them reliable. I currently have a 130 turbo, which will do 3mm all day long. This is my 4th sip, and I haven't had one give up yet.
It is simple really, buy what you can afford. If your budget wont stretch to something better, I would have a SIP over a Chinese thing any day. At least I know they are uk based.
I also found out that SIP / Ryobi are part of the same company. I personally think ryobi make great stuff too, again, they are not dewalt, but they are 1/3rd the price.

Thanks for that.....Mind made up with all the comments here and the lads from work.
Cheers everyone.
Speak to you in other area's no doubt....

 

[harvey639]

i have one of the larger more industrial sip migs and i cant fault mine
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=33578&page=1

http://www.northerntooluk.com/weldi...tml?fhsearchterm=sip+mig+welder&search=SEARCH

 

[Rooster_UK]

Well I got it...I hope it serves me well now and I am not posting "oh I wish I had listened"???

Cheers lads, n lasses if there are any?

 

[BillJ]

n lasses if there are any?

Yes, there are.

 

[the repair man]

Well I got it...I hope it serves me well now and I am not posting "oh I wish I had listened"???

Cheers lads, n lasses if there are any?

Do let us know...where did you get it from?