Clarke MIG151EN or SealeyMIGHTYMIG150?

[Inverted]

Hi All,

This is my first post on this forum, and as you can probably guess I'm looking to buy a welder!

I will be using it to build the spaceframe chassis for a kit car, the thickest steel I shall need to weld will be about 5mm, 6mm at the most. I'll be using it mainly inside a garage at home. I've not welded much before, but a colleague at work is going to guide me initially, plus I reckon this site will prove invaluable!

I've seen the these two which both look pretty good and I've read some good reviews for both.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-150AMP-Gas-Gasless-Mig-Welder-KIT-CO2-Wire-Tips-/390196348991?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5ad983c83f

or this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clarke-Gas-No-Gas-Mig-Welders-Welding-Machines-Full-Range-/400269351926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item9c008d98b4

Opinions on both based on actual experience would be great,

Thanks in advance

 

[Mick - Ford Focus]

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Welcome To the Forum - Mad As A Box Of Frogs Sometime's But Worth Hanging Around.

It Appears All The Experts Are Otherwise Engaged

I Think You May Need Something A Little Larger In The Amps Department For 6mm.

I'm Still New Here And Still Learning.

Mick

 

[keith19]

Look up the specs while you're waiting for more opinions to be posted. As Mick rightly states, neither would be powerful enough for 6mm. They might manage 4mm in short runs okay, and maybe 5 mm prepared joints in short runs, but they will be gasping at that sort of output which is right at the top of their range. If you figure on doing much at 6mm I'd say you need a mig of around 180 - 200A to do it at all easily.

They are both pretty evenly matched. The 151EN has 60% duty cycle at 62A, as opposed to the Sealey 150's 60% at 55A, so a bit more grunt in the Clarke towards the top end, but not a lot to get excited about.

Check the Sealey goes down to 30A low output; you'll need that or lower for vehicle bodywork and other thin metal jobs. I think - hope - that Sealey have improved the bottom end output; a Sealey 150 'Pro' model I used regular maybe 15 years back only had a low of 35A, and took quite a bit of practice to do bodywork nicely. Further up the range it performed faultlessly.
Check out the wire feed on the Sealey too, as we used to get a little trouble with ours now and then; it was a pretty weak plastic thing, and used to get changed at least once a year in daily use.

As for the Clarke 151EN, I have one of those now and it's a good willing little workhorse. It taught me to use gasless wire too, which is something I'd never tried before, but comes in useful outdoors.

I think both would suit as hobby machines, and last some years. Parts should be easily obtainable for both, too. But really only useful up to 3mm, and 4mm in short runs.