Good homeowner welder?

[s219]

Yeah, I spent all last night reading about the PA-140 and 160, and the 160 looks hard to beat. I am leaning in that direction.

 

[muddstopper]

I have been using one of these AC/DC 225/125 for over 30 years. I think it cost around $300 way back then, I see by the ad that prices have gone up. It loves 1/8 7018 at 105 amps and will weld the 3/16 7018 pretty well at the 125amp dc setting. It has reverse polarity also. I have welded car sheetmetal using small rods and up to 1 inch thick stuff using multiple passes. Never had a problem with it, still has the original ground clamp and stinger. I have also owned a hobart handler 125 and Lincoln 135 110v wire welders, but found them to not be sufficient for most of my welding needs. I sold both those machines and now have a 175 amp miller wire, but for heavy metal I still pull out the old Lincoln.

There are a lot of better welders on the market, but I bought the lincoln as a starter machine and have never seen any reason to upgrade to anything that probably wouldnt be any better for my uses. It welds today just as it did when I first bought it 30 some odd years ago. Its just my opinion, but if you are going to buy a new machine, get one that you wont wish was bigger or better 30 years from now. If I ever need to purchase another welder, it will probably be a diesel powered portable.

 

[arrow]

Yeah, I spent all last night reading about the PA-140 and 160, and the 160 looks hard to beat. I am leaning in that direction.

The 140 ran about 100 amps on 110 voltage. Anyone know what the 160 does on 110?

 

[deereman75]

The 140 ran about 100 amps on 110 voltage. Anyone know what the 160 does on 110?

I think the 160 is 220v only. Also, the 140 needs I think 30 amps 110v for 100 amps output.

 

[k0ua]

I think the 160 is 220v only. Also, the 140 needs I think 30 amps 110v for 100 amps output.

The new 160 will run on 110 volts also now.

 

[deereman75]

The new 160 will run on 110 volts also now.

I didnt think the new 160 was out yet.

 

[k0ua]

Its on their website now, biggest change is the 110 volt option.

 

[deereman75]

Its on their website now, biggest change is the 110 volt option.

Did not know that. I will take a look at it. (not that I need it )

 

[k0ua]

Did not know that. I will take a look at it. (not that I need it )

Nah, I would say you are pretty well fixed up.. we will get you into TIGing later on, when you get bored with all those pretty stick beads you been running. You would like TIG pretty well I am sure. TIG is more tedious, you cannot go as fast, and it requires a certain physical coordination between both hands. (move, dip,move) But the results are nice, and the lack of smoke is a blessing. Not the mention the ability to easily work on thin workpieces.

James K0UA

 

[rjmack]

i think the 110v option is probably more gimmick than anything else.

having said that, my pa200 works reasonably well on 240v, especially given the price.

on the other side of the coin, forget buying parts or getting any sort warranty service (at least in canada) other than getting a replacement unit when the once yearly shipment of new ones comes in... and you pay for the shipping of your defective machine from wherever you live, to ontario.

for all intents and purposes, when they fail... they are literally a throw away machine... of course, i have no idea how long it will take to fail. it may work fine for decades... there is just no way of knowing at this point.

however, they are still light years better than any a/c machine. i doubt that i will ever buy into the argument that d/c output is anything less than exponentially better than a/c output.

it's an old saying and i believe it still holds true today... 'no self-respecting welder uses alternating current'.

if you are at the level where you don't know the difference between a/c and d/c output, at least try to understand that it is extremely important to have d/c output, and that it probably makes sense to buy one of these ultra-cheapo chinese machines, if that's all you are willing to spend... being careful not to break it.:thumbsup: