Hi, I just found this forum the other day when I was looking for info regarding purchasing a new mig welder for diy hobby use.
It seems to be a fine place too ;-)
After much research, scouring ebay & various online sellers, I removed the Wolf & SIP migs from the equation from info gained here. Which pretty much left Clarke, Sealey & the Sealey Siegen (which I quite liked the look/spec/price of).
Upon phoning the Sealey agent, it turns out the Seigens were purchased by Sealey & are produced in China - ok for occasional use but not of the same quality as the Italian made 'red box' Sealeys.
I kind of dispelled Clarke as we had one (105 EN or 151 EN - can't remember now! gas/gasless) a few years ago & despite the general consensus on here, it seemed to be a cheaply made temperamental thing.
So I went for a Sealey Mightymig 150 - gas/gasless with all the bits to weld both, it arrived today......
Initial impressions were good, the welder assembled easily & accurately, all existing fasteners were tight & it appears to be well painted (quite a rare thing nowadays!), the opening door to feed system was nicely hinged - no balancing the cover on the workbench like on the Clarkes. The feed ststem too visually looked better quality than the Clarke - particularly the spool holder & brake.
I did however expect more than four power settings from a machine that is rated from 30A to 150A - is this the norm???
However, I'd say that the Clarke has a better quality gun (is that the right word?)
My first small task was to reposition a badly placed bracket on a mild steel motorcycle exhaust. I was surprised at the finished weld - pretty decent for a first time out & with gasless wire, no fiddling with speed/current or feed brake. It just worked with none of the grabbing & spitting that afflicted the Clarke from new.
So far, very impressed 9/10
Phil
It seems to be a fine place too ;-)
After much research, scouring ebay & various online sellers, I removed the Wolf & SIP migs from the equation from info gained here. Which pretty much left Clarke, Sealey & the Sealey Siegen (which I quite liked the look/spec/price of).
Upon phoning the Sealey agent, it turns out the Seigens were purchased by Sealey & are produced in China - ok for occasional use but not of the same quality as the Italian made 'red box' Sealeys.
I kind of dispelled Clarke as we had one (105 EN or 151 EN - can't remember now! gas/gasless) a few years ago & despite the general consensus on here, it seemed to be a cheaply made temperamental thing.
So I went for a Sealey Mightymig 150 - gas/gasless with all the bits to weld both, it arrived today......
Initial impressions were good, the welder assembled easily & accurately, all existing fasteners were tight & it appears to be well painted (quite a rare thing nowadays!), the opening door to feed system was nicely hinged - no balancing the cover on the workbench like on the Clarkes. The feed ststem too visually looked better quality than the Clarke - particularly the spool holder & brake.
I did however expect more than four power settings from a machine that is rated from 30A to 150A - is this the norm???
However, I'd say that the Clarke has a better quality gun (is that the right word?)
My first small task was to reposition a badly placed bracket on a mild steel motorcycle exhaust. I was surprised at the finished weld - pretty decent for a first time out & with gasless wire, no fiddling with speed/current or feed brake. It just worked with none of the grabbing & spitting that afflicted the Clarke from new.
So far, very impressed 9/10
Phil
