chinese machines.

[ilovemygt35r]

hi
my first post and very sorry to post yet another "recommend me a welder thred" been lurking for a couple of months desperate to pull the trigger and buy and start welding.

Ive been wanting to learn to weld for ages cant really understand why i didnt do it 30 years ago, anyway not knowing anything about welders im finding it really hard to chose a welder as there are so many types makes and function.
my needs are to learn to be able to weld every type of metal, would really like to learn to weld ally and titanium, but mostly i have lots of projects and ides and things that need fabrication.

I thought it would be a good idea to learn tig welding using a relatively cheap machine then maby step up to a ac/dc for later after i have a gained a bit more skill.
ive been scouring expensivbay but the sensible part of my brain says dont buy second hand as how would i know if worked properly.

anyway ive been looking at a chinese tig 6000 feedback and 6 years, they have a 2 year guarantee and by the looks of it they do follow this up i have asked a few buyers of these machines and they seem very happy with the quality.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110467174701?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

would really appreciate honest views on this machine and the correct way ( TIG) to enter the wonderful world of welding

Thank you

 

[the snooper]

you wont weld ally with that machine
what sort of projects are you wanting to do ?
maybe a mig would suit you better to start with

 

[ilovemygt35r]

hi snooper yes i do realise that, was thinking my welding needs will be up to 6/7mm, but 99% of the time 1/2/3mm fabrication.

 

[the snooper]

if its just mild steel you are wanting to weld mig will be faster and cheaper, do you need a tig ?

learn to weld with mig save up and move up to tig with a/c

 

[Ducati]

hi
my first post and very sorry to post yet another "recommend me a welder thred" been lurking for a couple of months desperate to pull the trigger and buy and start welding.

Ive been wanting to learn to weld for ages cant really understand why i didnt do it 30 years ago, anyway not knowing anything about welders im finding it really hard to chose a welder as there are so many types makes and function.
my needs are to learn to be able to weld every type of metal, would really like to learn to weld ally and titanium, but mostly i have lots of projects and ides and things that need fabrication.

I thought it would be a good idea to learn tig welding using a relatively cheap machine then maby step up to a ac/dc for later after i have a gained a bit more skill.
ive been scouring expensivbay but the sensible part of my brain says dont buy second hand as how would i know if worked properly.

anyway ive been looking at a chinese tig 6000 feedback and 6 years, they have a 2 year guarantee and by the looks of it they do follow this up i have asked a few buyers of these machines and they seem very happy with the quality.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110467174701?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

would really appreciate honest views on this machine and the correct way ( TIG) to enter the wonderful world of welding

Thank you

If it costs £89.00 to post it to you @ 5 - 11 days, then if it develops a fault, it will presumably cost you £89.00 to post it back for repair plus 5 - 11 days there and 5 - 11 days back, so a possibility of being without it for a month or so.

Lots of feedback but 99% of it is for consumables @ £2.00 - £25.00.

I do like this note in the T&C :

2. Before leaving the factory, each welding machine is tested and inspected many times. However, because we use DHL Express delivery, the machine transportation may cause loose connections, which is normal. Before testing, please check whether the internal connections are connected.

As Snooper says, getting to grips with a MIG or even a simple stick welder would give you a good feel and understanding for the work.

Getting used to the dexterity needed, the settings, the sounds and the feel with a stick or MIG will give you a good grounding, but without the extra complications of TIG.

If you then find limitations to the MIG set you can always update to TIG without the steep learning curve required if you started with a TIG set.

One other advantage with MIG is that whilst you are practicing on all your bits of scrap you can use cheap pub CO, it won't give the best of welds in all circumstances but will keep down your costs whilst learning.

Good luck with your new hobby.

Don't forget the other essentials a good mask, gloves and read up on the safety aspects.

 

[ilovemygt35r]

hi Ducati
i read on another forum somewhere members taking about these Chinese machines, they liked them and faulty machines are fixed by parts sent, which made me have a look at them ive asked a few ebay member who have brought and they seem quite impressed.
didnt see number 2 in terms, thats a dumb thing to say.

 

[Ducati]

hi Ducati
i read on another forum somewhere members taking about these Chinese machines, they liked them and faulty machines are fixed by parts sent, which made me have a look at them ive asked a few ebay member who have brought and they seem quite impressed.
didnt see number 2 in terms, thats a dumb thing to say.

It does mention a fault finding process in the T&C, though it's not too clear, however, like much machinery, there are the ' favourite faults ' which occur frequently.

If they have this system set up well, with rapid replies and do infact post the parts quickly that can't be a bad thing.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I moved from stick welding to MIG welding, my line of thought was...will just get a cheap MIG and see how it goes and if I get away with it will buy a good one... I wasted £250 on 2 sets before I gave in and bought the 'good' one.

I think a MIG or TIG machine is certainly one of the tools where quality will produce results, save money in the long run and provide the best chance there is of mastering the skill.

 

[ilovemygt35r]

ok thanks for your replys, i kinda thought you would recommend learning mig first

 

[Shox Dr]

Also don't forget you have Import Duty, Disbursement, and VAT on the lot.

You can buy a 180amp Tig set here for £200. With warranty

 

[chunkolini]

shox Dr, where from?

 

[Shox Dr]

I thought Tec Arc did one for that price. But looking at Weldquips site they are £529.

maybe it wasn't that make. I bought one for a company 3yrs ago for £239

 

[pedrobedro]

I bought £50 worth of bits from shop-river earlier this year and had to pay Parcelforce something like £6 by card before they would complete the delivery to cover duty. It was still a good price for the parts. A friend of mine bought a Chinese AC/DC tig a few years ago to see how they rated. It was before shop-river set up an ebay shop and I can't remember the seller. He used it for half an hour before it packed up and it cost him nearly £200 to send it back, almost as much as he paid for it. It was gone for 6 weeks and when it came back it worked for another fortnight before it broke again when it went into the corner of the shop and is probably still there or gone in the scrap. He has other good quality inverter machines and his favourite is still an old Miller transformer.