John F Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 Right... Up to now I've been using Capt. Flimble's Clarke 160 EN for welding up the panels & chassis on my Maserati, but since he's buying Dan's Lancia Beta HPE next weekend there's bugger-all chance I'll ever see it again. So, I need to buy a welder. My local Machine Mart has got two welders in stock – a Clarke 160 TM (280 quid) and a Clarke 205 TE (430 quid). I'm mainly going to use it for panel and chassis repairs, i.e. from about 1mm up to whatever Land Rover chassis are made of when they're not falling to bits. So the question is: can the extra 150 quid for the 205 TE be justified? Or should I look for something else entirely? Ta for any advice.
Rocket88 Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 Reading a few reviews the cheap one seems to be a lot of people's weapon of choice for car bodgery. If you've used one, and liked it, I'd stick with it.
Station Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 I had a 151TE and it was good enough, I sold it on the weekend though.
HillmanImp Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 I had a 151TE and it was good enough, I sold it on the weekend though. That's what I have and its done the job wonderfully for a few years now.
cobblers Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 My mate has a (what I seem to recall is a) 161te and it is a proper nice welder. It seems to be happy welding anything from well thin body panels where you should really have cut more out instead of just wire wheeling the rust back up to making brackets from 6mm plate. Wire feed and power seem to be really consistent and repeatable, and overall it's quite sturdily built.
scaryoldcortina Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 The thing you have to realize about any Mig over 150A is that you can't run them to full power on a 13A domestic supply. There is no point buying a 200A over a 150 unless you are prepared to pay a part-P certified electrician to run you a separate feed from the consumer board.
John F Posted June 16, 2011 Author Posted June 16, 2011 Cheers for the replies, fellas. I'll probably get the 160 TM then.
Station Posted June 16, 2011 Posted June 16, 2011 I had a 151TE and it was good enough, I sold it on the weekend though. That's what I have and its done the job wonderfully for a few years now. Yes, it has a few issues with the wire corroding in the hose and a few tanglements at the pulley wheel, but it's spot on, even with my standard of welding (ie very poor). I've heard most Clarke's over 200 quid are good.
John F Posted June 16, 2011 Author Posted June 16, 2011 Ooo, I've now discovered something called Portamig (http://www.weldequip.com/portamig-mig-welders.htm). These monkeys go down to 15 amps, apparently, which is half the ampage of the lowest setting on a Clarke 160 TM. Perfect for rotting Italian 'steel'. Very tempting, even though it's more than my Calibra cost me.
John F Posted June 17, 2011 Author Posted June 17, 2011 Portamig 185 is too bloody tempting, it would appear... I've just ordered one.
cort16 Posted June 29, 2011 Posted June 29, 2011 Sorry to bump this but I'm looking to buy a new welder as my old one's doing my head in as it's over powered, massive and a bit beat up. either the Sealey SUPERMIG 150 at £260http://toolstoday.co.uk/shop.php?sec=prod&prod=5670&cat=53&load_page=Sealey+Supermig+Professional+MIG+Welder+150Amp+230V+-+SUPERMIG150 or the Clarke MIG 160 TM at £294http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Clarke-MIG160TM-Turbo-PROFESSIONAL-MIG-Welder-/230638293399 Anyone any thoughs as they look like a similiar spec and price diffence would go some way to getting one of them payasyougo proper gas cylinders?
Ratdat Posted June 29, 2011 Posted June 29, 2011 I can't comment directly on the Clarke 160 but I've had my Clarke 175te for nearly 10 years and it's been spot on. At first I had difficulty getting the wire feed tensioned correctly... it would either slip, or the wire would kink in the rollers (serrated rollers) but after a while I got it set up right and it's been great ever since. The torch now needs replacing as it's getting a bit battered but it's done a hell of a lot of welding in the time I've had it. It's been good for everything from thin Japanese bodywork up to repairing and making implements for my tractor. It seems to be prefectly capable of welding just about anything I require. In short, it's been very good value for money!
scaryoldcortina Posted June 29, 2011 Posted June 29, 2011 I've got a Sealey supermig 150 that I've been using for about 5 years now. No complaints with it at all except that the torch was a bit flimsy - It lasted about a year, then got replaced with a universal one (which is almost shot now and needs changing again)
Vin Posted June 29, 2011 Posted June 29, 2011 Portamig 185 is too bloody tempting, it would appear... I've just ordered one. I've got a Portamig 185. I'd been using a SIP Migmate for many years but I was sick to death with the crap wire feed. I came into a bit of money so I thought I'd splash out and the Portamig was the cheapest I could get with a metal wire feed. The fact it was handbuilt by an outfit near York, appealed too. It's a fantastic bit of kit. Make sure you're at home when they deliver it as it comes on a pallet, which takes 2 people to lift. Not ideal when it's just a van driver on his own....
cort16 Posted June 29, 2011 Posted June 29, 2011 Just bought the super mig. Now I'll have no excuse for shite welding.Anyone want to buy a cheap but well abused Super MIG 200?
cort16 Posted June 30, 2011 Posted June 30, 2011 £50. It'd weld pretty seriously thick steel if you could get it enough juice but I happily use it for welding 1mm steel and less. Downsides are it weighs about 14 ton, the back wheels are missing and it's setup for gassless as it needs a new liner. Oh and I'm in Scotland near Glasgow.
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