Kemppi miniarc evo

[weldingnovice]

One for sale locally, bloke wants £400.

What's to look out for, and is it reasonably priced?

 

[premmington]

I got a Kemppi Mniarc EVO 180.

Had it years now - I put boxes and boxes of 3.2mm down with it.

Been really pleased with it - fan was noisey from day one. Roars... Honestly it's like a jet turbine when fan cuts in.

Only thing I ever done to mine is clean the fitlers out and use it. Plus I put new longer thicker leads on it from day one.

It will also do "lift TIG" as well... (but has no gas solenoid on it - so you gotta use a valved torch).

I have never used mine on a generator... Always on clean 240v.

Very high OCV - you only gotta wave the welding rod at a bit of metal and it will "light up".

Mine has never cut out for over temp - and it has had some really hard sessions - half a box of rods at time stuff! Small welder - big efficient fan with filters. My only advice is - never use one without fitlers in it - as the volume of air it moves is unreal - you would fill the orange enclosure up with the contents of your workshop. You also gotta watch it sucking stray bits of rag/plastic up against the air intake - like a hoover.

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Price? EVO 180 is about £800 new now.

Lower spec 150 is less than £600.
At the time I was gonna buy a Fronius 150amp MMA invertor - the Kemppi I bought was a bit cheaper and had 30amps more - I have not regretted the purchase at all. (now Fronius do a 180amp dual voltage 110/240v set at £1200 ish).

 

[premmington]

I made a stainless "drop cage" for mine from day 1 out of some scrap - (with cable storage).

Reason being the Miller invertor I replaced died because I dropped it.

 

[E T]

You can't go wrong with those small Kemppi inverters.
I bought the Minarc 150 new about 15 years ago and it never let me down. They're virtually indestructible.
The classic Minarcs don't have a amperage display like the 180 evo. Don't think they ever did a 150 evo.
I don't use it a lot nowadays after I got the Fronius Transpocket 180, but for small jobs away from home it's my first choice.
Half the size and weight of the Fronius.

 

[premmington]

You can't go wrong with those small Kemppi inverters.
I bought the Minarc 150 new about 15 years ago and it never let me down. They're virtually indestructible.
The classic Minarcs don't have a amperage display like the 180 evo. Don't think they ever did a 150 evo.
I don't use it a lot nowadays after I got the Fronius Transpocket 180, but for small jobs away from home it's my first choice.
Half the size and weight of the Fronius.

No I don't think they did a 150evo - the 150 amp one has not got a digital display or lift tig function.


I also got the remote for mine - use it when tacking security grills on up a ladder.

 

[E T]

No I don't think they did a 150evo - the 150 amp one has not got a digital display or lift tig function.


I also got the remote for mine - use it when tacking security grills on up a ladder.

Minarc 150 does have the tig function, but it's scratch start not lift start.

 

[premmington]

Minarc 150 does have the tig function, but it's scratch start not lift start.

I not got a problem with scratch start TIG - wave the filler wire at it - to start arc.

I prefer lift start - I got a HF start Lincoln AC/DC Tig set - but mostly I use lift arc.

 

[weldingnovice]

So complete dumb feck here, it's a miniarcmig.

Didn't know that they did stick machine.

So, is it any good?