Good offer ?

[cockers]

Hi all ,
Great forum , reading lots and learning some great tips.
Am just starting out welding , done some years ago but now about to start again , but out of touch with it really.
Just got offered , becker inverter ac dc tig welder and plasma cutter 160a ,
for £150.
Is this a good offer ? Its new , and does not look a bad tool.
But is it a good tool for learning ?

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum.
Not up to speed with that make, is it a rebadged Chinese make?..if so what is the spares and repair back up like.
Most people prefer separate machines, easier to repair and cheaper to replace.
If you want some advice let the members know what sort of work you intend doing and what your budget is, then they can tailor the advice to you.

 

[zx9]

Just got offered , becker inverter ac dc tig welder and plasma cutter 160a ,
for £150.

AC / DC tig + Plasma for £150 sounds too good to be true

 

[octo0072000]

this is feedback from ebay on Becker welders now no longer a registered user
looks like drop shipper box mover not good

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...2&userid=felzen_group_europe&ftab=AllFeedback

 

[Country Joe]

Hi there, and welcome to the Forum.
I took a gander earlier, and couldn't really find much about the item you're asking about.
Didn't really find much at all:-

This doesn't look too promising:-

http://www.werkzeug-news.de/Forum/ftopic13308.html

Noticed the "you get what you pay for" - just over half-way down the page, though!



Nor does this:-

http://importer.ec21.com/buy_lead/Buy_becker_inverter_welder_AC--18011948.html



Does the welder look anything like this one?

http://www.yopi.de/prd_4492984

Neither the Amazon link, or the E-bay one come up with anything, though.

I don't want to come across as a pessimist, but I'd probably give it a miss.
The second link seems to be someone looking for help with a non-functioning version of this type of machine.
I fear the comment by ZX9 may prove to be true!
Risky at best, I would think!
All the Best,
CJ

 

[cockers]

hi all
thanks for the replies.It was offered to my dad for me.
It does look like the one in your link country joe.
and i too thought it was was too good to be true.
I will be using it for some restoration work , race car prep/building and chassis modifications and building.
Have some old units (chassis and cars etc) for practise etc , just thought it would do someone for starting before buying better separate units.
like the plasma cutter , mig welding and would really like to get tig welding as well.
any more advise on good units to use would be very welcome.
Thanks for replies again.

 

[cumbriasteve]

It sounds like you could have a fair bit of use for welding skills, I am going to suggest a decent MIG as the first machine, in the hobby range a Clarke 150 as a minimum, in the 'nicer to own' range something like a Portamig, Lincoln, Esab or similar.

It all boils down to how much you want to invest.

 

[cockers]

thanks steve
will be doing some hunting around , and dont mind paying too much for the right equipment.

 

[cumbriasteve]

thanks steve
will be doing some hunting around , and dont mind paying too much for the right equipment.

The right equipment is the key factor, although I had stick welded for years and knew my way around arc sets I knew little about MIGs.

Before joining this forum I dabbled with a couple of MIGs around the £150 mark that were certainly not the right equipment, ended up annoyed with the weld results and wasting a few quid before coming here and seeking a bit of advice.

After a few questions and reading the posts etc, I ended up spending what seemed an awful lot more money than I thought I would have to for a good machine.

Once it arrived and I started welding with it the difference was a world apart from the previous two cheaper machines I had owned.

 

[cockers]

Thanks again steve , thats what i was hoping to hear ,
Its not always spend more get a bettr product , but i was quite sure it was the case in this area.
Will be looking today for some.