sip welder advice pls

[asda]

hello all ive been offered a used sip topmig 196 turbo,trolley and large bottle for £200 (needs new torch too). anyone have any experience of this machine and does it use the same wire feed that causes the usual problems? would it be worth 200 quid anyway ? all help appreciated

 

[weldequip]

200 quid is the right price (depending on condition) considering the large gas bottle, but begs the question why's he getting rid of it? And yes, it uses 'that' same wire feed.
weldequip

 

[asda]

thanks for the reply weldequip its a friends second machine used as backup to a murex but never gets used as the murex never breaks down. i need a welder for 1mm sheet and fancied it cos of the 25 amps. would a new clarke 90 pro do a better job ?

 

[weldequip]

Ahh well, I had it in my mind that it had been used for wrought iron work or something like that; a common buy in that fraternity, even though it's strictly a garage machine. Sounds like it's not been hammered then & will give you much more top-end power than a Clarke Pro 90... go for it. A new torch will cost you around 40 quid so may be worth haggling on that!
weldequip

 

[asda]

yes its the second machine in a garage and little used. handy to get the bottle too. ill give you a shout for the torch if i decide to get it thanks again

 

[Alex]

I think for £200 you could do better for a 2nd hand welder. I dont mean to totally disagree with you weldequip but my experience with SIP was not a good one and you mention that the wire feed assembly is the same.

There was a used Cebora unit in my local machinery shop and it was bashed a bit but it was certainly a brute and looked like it was built to last, massive it was too. price was around £250.00 complete.