Tried a cheap flux core welder from harbor freight and compared it to a miller i borrowed off a buddy for a week on a 3/8 plate job

the miller ran circles around it with no spatter and actually fused the metal right the first pass instead of looking like a bird nest, has anyone else regretted going the budget route on a critical weld?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_ross24d ago

Yeah the cheap ones just don't put out enough heat to actually penetrate. You end up chasing puddles and burning through wire trying to get it to stick. Miller is worth the money if welding is something you do more than once a year.

the_rowan24d ago

Chasing puddles" is kind of the whole point of flux core though, especially on thicker stuff where you want to really lay down metal and not have a perfect autobody finish. I mean, a little spatter just means it's actually fusing, and if you're not doing code work, who cares if it looks ugly if it holds? The cheap HF welder might take more passes but it'll get the job done for a fraction of the cost, and Miller's price tag is hard to swallow for something you might not use all the time.