This is one thing that is wrong with today's society. Thinking bigger is always better. Americans can be so full of hot air these days (sometimes I wonder if there is anything between there ears
). Every time I go to a welding supply dealer, I always look at the welders that they have displayed. When the salesman comes over to me, I always think he has me pegged as a sucker that bigger is always better when it comes to welders and how many amps they put out. First thing out of my mouth is, I'm just looking. Which most of the times, goes in one ear and out the other with them. But they never listen and try to sell me a very high amperage welder. They opened the door, so I asked them, when was the last time that they have welded with that welder that they are trying to sell me? Most will say its been awhile or they have never used it before. And of course, I say, and your trying to sell me a welder that you don't even use yourself. I walk off while laughing and shacking my head. Knowing that there sales pitch just went down the drain. They say, in there defense, what do you intend on welding on? What thickness and so on? I just keep on walking up to the counter to get what ever I went there for (most of the time, its replacing my empty bottle or getting wire). This is one of the reasons why I don't shop at my local airgas welding supply store anymore. I get my torch and welding bottles replaced at tractor supply store. I even buy my wire there (hobart wire). All I had to do was pay a $19 upgrade fee and exchange my airgas bottles for the TSC bottles and pay for the content in the bottle.
As for bigger is always better. That is not true. I have a Lincoln Pro 100 mig welder with shielding gas (argon/CO2). Most will say 100 amps is too small to use welding thicker steel. I say hog wash. Most would be surprised at what I have welded while using this welder. I have welded thin sheet metal on muscle cars (quarter panels, door skins, rocker panels tail light panels ect.). I've welded mounting brackets on rearends before, made solid motor mounts, and welded together 4-link suppensions as well. As for my tractor, I've built a canopy for it, built a 1200 lbs rear ballist for the three point and built a 7 ft road grader for it that I use to make extra money on the side. Even repaired my 7 ft rock rake/landscaping rack that I broke while using my tractor. I've also built a tooth bar for my front end loader bucket that will pickup almost 2500 lbs. The last thing that I've built using my 100 amp welder, is a waste oil burning stove. I'm not going to hunt down all of the threads that I have started while building the items that I have listed above. But I will say, I've welded very thin automotive sheet metal and up to 3/4 " steel with my Lincoln 100 amp mig welder. The kicker here is how you design your project that you are welding and the technique that you use to weld. There are more factors that play a role here but I will not go into detail. Now, the downside for using a low amp mig welder and welding thicker steel. The technique that I use, I have to turn my wire speed up a tad more and I have to slow down my molten puddle of wire. Plus it has a lower duty cycle. I end up using a little more wire, but it gets the job down. And I have never had a weld brake. If someone want to pick and try to punch holes in my way of welding by using a small amperage welder. So be it, I will not argue about it, period. I know what will work and what wont work. Been there and done it, got the t-shirt and wore the t-shirt out (its now a shop rag
).
Some of the comments on this thread even makes me wonder if some of these folks even know how to weld or even know how to use there welder(s) (kind of scary
). Who's building the titanic here? (Not me, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to weld.)
Tag, your it.
