Richard.
Member
- Messages
- 18,344
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Gents I've spent my whole home welding life using used machines and my work profession with high end new machines
I've had one bad failure with a gys tig. It was not the sellers fault as it worked fine when I got it but it was a lesson learnt. There is always a risk with used so we should do what we can to minimise that risk and buy the best we can afford. Hobby generally means light use but it's not the case a lot of the times my acdc is pushed quite often into the high ends of it's duty cycle and the fan cuts in a lot to tell me it's been worked. I have nothing against Clarke units. They hold their own in their field and still exchange hands years and years down the line. I'd sooner pay for a used Clarke over a new wolf any day. Warranty or not. Cebora machines go for the £200 mark in 160-180 amp versions and they are a decent unit which cost a lot more than that new. Again I'd sooner have a used cebora 180 over a new RTech 180. I'm a big fan of used bargains and I've found some nice lumps over the years that have served me well at a fraction of their new cost. It's about watching regularly and been flexible to travel distance. My first magicwave was a 6hour round trip but it was such a steal and the guy gave me all the time I needed to play with it before deciding. This gave me confidence in what I was buying and that machine was brilliant. I'm gonna stop rambling on now but although there are risks with used gear if your smart you can reduce them dramatically.
I've had one bad failure with a gys tig. It was not the sellers fault as it worked fine when I got it but it was a lesson learnt. There is always a risk with used so we should do what we can to minimise that risk and buy the best we can afford. Hobby generally means light use but it's not the case a lot of the times my acdc is pushed quite often into the high ends of it's duty cycle and the fan cuts in a lot to tell me it's been worked. I have nothing against Clarke units. They hold their own in their field and still exchange hands years and years down the line. I'd sooner pay for a used Clarke over a new wolf any day. Warranty or not. Cebora machines go for the £200 mark in 160-180 amp versions and they are a decent unit which cost a lot more than that new. Again I'd sooner have a used cebora 180 over a new RTech 180. I'm a big fan of used bargains and I've found some nice lumps over the years that have served me well at a fraction of their new cost. It's about watching regularly and been flexible to travel distance. My first magicwave was a 6hour round trip but it was such a steal and the guy gave me all the time I needed to play with it before deciding. This gave me confidence in what I was buying and that machine was brilliant. I'm gonna stop rambling on now but although there are risks with used gear if your smart you can reduce them dramatically.
