Draper & Unimig

[Smudger]

As always I'm looking for a Rolls Royce mig for Skoda money and I know it just never happens but sometimes, just sometimes, there are good buys out there (surely!).

Does anyone have any advice on the Draper units? They seem a bit swish with digi readout but is it just top show?

Similar question for the Awelco/Unimig.

All advice appreciated

 

[irondarren]

The answer is you get what you pay for, pay £1000 and that should get you a good 250amp machine, pay £200 and that will get you a small clarke.

What do you want to do with the machine, what sort of welding?
For DIY car body repairs the clarke machines are OK and reliable

 

[Smudger]

I've had a Clarke 130 for about 20 years but this last few months I've been using my mates Snap On (Cebora?) 185 unit which was much improved over the Clarke.

I guess it's mostly to be used for car bodywork and the odd fabrication job, but nothing over 6mm. My old Clarke is working ok but I just want something better now.

 

[irondarren]

If you want a full size compact unit, i dont think you would go far wrong on a portamig 181, thats 185 amps and reasonably priced. goes down to 20amps for the real thin stuff or up to 185amps for thicker stuff. or they do a 211 which is just ahigher power version that goes to 215amps plenty enough power for 6mm. Not sure on price you would have to pm weldequip, and of course they are British built machines if you like to be nice and patriotic and buy British

 

[Smudger]

Been looking at portamig, Steve has been good enough to send me info and I'm seriously thinking about one.

I've been reading a lot and tbh I wondered if I should just stick a decent torch on my trusty old mig and save some pennies. It seems to be just the torch what lets it down as (probably due to its age) it seems to have a few decent bits going for it... Two transformers, and what looks like a half decent alloy wire feed unit. (you tell me!)

Am I being a tight Yorkshireman and should I just get my hand in my pocket and get myself over to Blackburn?

 

[irondarren]

It depends a new torch could make wonders out of your old machine but my own personal feeling is, as a MIG machine gets older it seems to loose power and become not as nice as it used to be. Its always difficult to tell because the drop in performance is so fractional over time you just don't notice it, its either than are well made new machines are just so much better.

I believe weldequip has himself a unit somewhere in the dark damp corners of lancashire, possibly not that far away from you. It might be worth going to see him face to face, he may have the odd demo machine around, which means you can try it and compare to your own one. that would be the easist way to tell

 

[weldequip]

Am I being a tight Yorkshireman and should I just get my hand in my pocket

Yes! That Clarke machine is 20 odd years old! and this is what something decent should look like inside...



Compare it to the Snap-On 185
weldequip

 

[malcolm]

Wow - so that's what the Clarke looked like before the cost down. Wasn't any more than 5 years later they went to bendy plastic top roller holder and a single transformer with capacitor instead.

If you are feeling really tight go for a new steel liner and swan neck liner for the Clarke. Should make it work as well as it can. The only real advantage of the more expensive welders for me is their lack of sensitivity to power settings and wire speed adjustment (still weld nicely even when you have them set up roughly). My (never and worse) Clarke had to be set near perfectly and twiddled a lot.

Edit> Forgot why I posted - I'm not sure you do get what you pay for with Draper. Lot of their stuff being advertised at double the expected price (often but not always with a half price offer). Smells of marketing.

 

[weldequip]

Wow - so that's what the Clarke looked like before the cost down.

All the cheaper brands used to have decent wire feeds etc. on them Malcolm.
weldequip

 

[Smudger]

I'm feeling like a trip over the 'hill' is looking imminant but my poor old Clarke keeps looking at me and reminding me of all the good welds we had! Especially as it seems it still has the 'WOW' factor!

Perhaps I should fit a new torch and keep it for back-up... Just in case the Portamig breaks down!

 

[weldequip]

Stick it on eBay!
weldequip

 

[irondarren]

always worth keeping a welder as back up. just store it in a nice dry place and it will be fine, but if you buy a portamig i doubt you will ever want to use the old one again