Spot the difference!

[daf45]

Here are some pics that I hope will help people researching what welder to buy. All four pics show small runs of weld side by side.

In the first pic, the welds on the right were done about a month ago on a Clarke 160T and those on the left were done today on my new Portamig.
I hope it is obvious in the next pictures which is which!

The metal, gas, and everything else are the same. I have only started welding this year so some of the improvement is bound to be my steep learning curve, but THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

Two from the front show how the bead of weld looks and two from the back give an idea of penetration / fusion or lack of...

If you are going to buy a welder to learn with, buy the best you can possibly afford. Its that simple. Steve - thank you very much for the all the advice and the Portamig, and thanks to Malcom for organising a superb website!

 

[Rail_Head]

crikey what difference a 'proper' welder makes !!!! puts my SiP to shame (obviously!)

What model portamig is it? I am going for a 211 in April

Happy welding.......

 

[RichT]

To be fair, it does look like the Clarke kit wasn't used quite right

I was making similar welds to the ones on the right with my SIP 130 when I first started, but after some practice I normally get good welds similar to those on the left. Though, I do admit, the SIP is temperamental and it is tempting to replace it.

Maybe the Portamig is more forgiving? I'm interested to have a look, but I searched on ebay and couldn't find any?

Anyway I'm all for making things easier and more consistent, so if the Portamig is working for you, then good! The pics certainly look like you've had some success with it

 

[dazdread]

Contact Mr "weldequip" on here, he seems to be your man

 

[Haze]

eek!

im supposed to be buying a Portamig 181 at the end of this month, but the 211 is only a little bit more :O

what do i do what do i do.........

 

[RichT]

How much are they? Where are you seeing these prices? I can hardly find any info on google about them. Mostly just comes up with this forum haha

I think I'm happy with my SIP to be honest. But I would like to see some more info on the portamig...

 

[daf45]

I went for the 211. It's not that much more once you have decided to go for a quality machine. You just need to PM Weldequip for info and prices, he's not meant to 'advertise' on here.

Rich I know what you are saying about technique with the Clarke examples, but I have had very little practice in the month between. The Portamig is so much easier to produce reasonable looking welds with. It turns down so low there is no need to pulse the trigger or stich together thin sheet, the Clarke certainly didn't work like that.

 

[RichT]

Yep, definitely sounds like a first class bit of kit.

 

[Flat on my back]

You rotter!!!

Sounds like a challenge to me Daf!!! What can a 160 really do!
Damn fine work, for a beginner?

Torches at 12 paces it is then.

When you trading up or do i start saving the pennies?

 

[Alex]

I tend to agree with RichT, it doesn't seem like quite a fair test, dont get me wrong i'm sure the Portamig/MTA welders are superior, but I can lay beads with my Clarke easily as good as the ones shown for the porta.

The only real criticism I have for the Clarke is the torch trigger being a little cheap feeling, but it certainly doesn't cause bad welds.

oh and the bad earth clamp, which is being kindly sorted by weldequip, thanks

 

[weldequip]

You can get perfectly good results with smaller, cheaper machines when everything is set-up just right. Quality machines tend to be much more forgiving, mainly down to a decent wire feed motor/assembly but also overall component quality; copper transformers, decent switches, torch etc. etc.
weldequip