Clarke 255TE

[doggone1]

Hi looking at a Clarke 255TE 240v are they any good cant find a manual for one appear to go down to 30 amps so guess it would be ok for car as well as bigger stuff any idea on value its 3 years old but in good working condition

 

[Engineer]

Car welding will be an awful lot easier if you can stretch to a used pro quality MIG set with copper windings and proper wire feed mechanism. Its quite possible to do car work with the Chinese sets, but its just a lot easier if you have a set which is better built.

 

[shenion]

It should be fine, they are decent sets.

Aluminum windings only make a difference on duty cycle. Actually that can be the same if a heavier gauge wire is used.

They are not Chinese crap as Engineer keeps implying (made in Italy). I had a 130 and it was a real nice machine. Real easy to learn on and had a nice smooth arc.

 

[doggone1]

Thanks for the replys i didnt think it was a cheap chinese welder they retail for about £900 not that that makes them any good.
How do you guys know the specs regarding windings etc i cant seem to find that info anywhere.
I see that most people on this site rate the cheaper clarke welders but not the more expensive ones is this just on a value for money basis Thanks Ian

 

[gavuk]

I've used the smaller clarke's....130-150amp and they are a very capable diy machine and compare well to sealey and cebora/snap-on 130amp....and are good value for money second hand buys ,the larger clarke 255amp at least from new £900+ competes with in my opinion much better machines ,portamig/tec-arc being the forum favourite ,but cebora,thermal arc,and a number of more professional machines,if it is going for over £300 then look at other second hand units ,if its over £400 then compare with brand new smaller machines ie portamig 180amp brand new with a good warranty,a lot depends on how thick you need to weld and if you prefer a warranty.....180amp will weld up to 5mm but the 255amp in most cases should be able to weld that thickness for longer without overheating whilst also being capable of 9-10mm on occassions....if its selling for over £300 shop carefully and good luck

 

[shenion]

Below 180A the Clarke's are good. Aboive 180A, the price jumps to where you can get a better machine for the same price (I.e. a PortaMIG.)

 

[doggone1]

Hi the price is £350 not negotiable i wont use it that much just hobby really but do have a project on my tactor to weld a looader mount that will be 8mm and 6mm mild steel hence the need for a larger welder

 

[gavuk]

I don't think a 255 has that high a duty cycle 60% at 150amp?....have you got 3 phase ?

 

[doggone1]

No only single phase duty cycle isnt that important to me as i wont be doing that much but I did like the look of the portamigs got me thinking that might be a better deal is there a waiting time for them

 

[Wozzaaah]

Engineer, you've added plenty of good info to the forum since you joined but your fixation with copper windings is starting to sound like a stuck record.
Most of our members are diyers looking to start welding on a bit of a budget, they're not looking to spend big bucks on 'industrial sets' and they're very unlikely to know (or be able to find out) if the used sets they're buying use copper or aluminium for the windings.

Doggone, that Clarke will be absolutely fine as long as it's in good working order, probably a very nice machine to use.
How much 'bigger stuff' do you intend to do and what sort of thicknesses?
If it's a lot then duty cycle will come into play but for the odd little bit here and there it shouldn't be an issue.

FranV8, I've moved your question to it's own thread, this one's about buying a Clarke, not an R-Tech.

 

[gavuk]

I'm sure there is a wait for a portamig,but most owners here would say they are worth it (I don't own one)...my local steel stockist supply tec-arc off the shelf which are the same manufacturer,although i'm not sure if they are exactly the same spec,I've also never bought anything from Steve (weldquip) ,sorry mate,but i have no hesistation in recommending him .At home i use a 180amp mig but use an invertor arc welder for thicker sections as do a few others on here it depends a lot on your work .
Mig is ideal for light fabrication/cars... for heavier section... unless you are doing a fair bit ,it can be cheaper/more fllexible option to have an oilcooled or invertor stick welder as well.....if you only weld steel, a larger mig may well be the correct choice for you ..

 

[doggone1]

Thanks for that Wozzaaah i dont intend to do a great deal of thick stuff and when i do i dont intend doing it in a hurry so i think i will be able to mange quite well with this welder many thanks for the info

 

[doggone1]

Thanks Gavuk that is something else for me to think about ive done a fair bit of mig welding in the past but never used a stick welder so it wasnt something i had thought about are they easy to use i think ill do a bit more reading on that section thanks for the info Ian

 

[gavuk]

It's not as easy as MIG..especially on positional welding.....however not impossible to learn...and a great excuse to get an invertor which is tig capable ......it is great as a maintenance tool with a selection of rods.....worthy of investigation.......considering the expense of 200amp+ MIG....but your needs may be a lot heavier and frequent than most diyers ,,in which case the MIG is ideal.....

 

[Engineer]

Sorry my mistake for thinking MIG sets from Clarke was likely to have been made in China, didnt realise they were Italian.

Personally I have found proper industrial quality MIG sets which are copper wound to work more smoothly on thin materials, which is going to make them much easier to use on thin car body work, which I guess is what most DIY types want a MIG set for?

Cost wise you certainly wont get a new pro standard MIG set for £900, but it might be worth looking at used ones which often sell on Ebay for around £250.................