Harbor Freight Titanium welders?

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich) 04/29/2019 at 18:59 • Filed to: None

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Not for welding titanium, but the brand name, if you can call it that. As far as cheap welders go, how are they?

So far, Princess Auto (the Canadian equivalent of Harbor Freight) doesn’t yet have similar models. The ones that I’m looking at in particular are the Titatium 140 or the 170 (dual voltage) model. What makes it more difficult is that there is no Harbor Freight up here in Canada, so that would mean having one shipped to the border and pick it up there. Does Harbor Freight routinely have sales or coupons to knock the price down a bit more?

I’ve been on the lookout for a welder for quite a while now. I’m not quite ready to shell out Miller/Hobart levels of money, and it would be nice to get something with fully variable wire speed and amperage. (Most of the lower-end Lincolns I’ve seen at big box stores only have 4 or 5 settings for amperage). For the money, the Titanium series welders seem like they could be decent.

So far, I think my short list is:
- Harbor Freight titanium series
- Everlast Power-iMig 140
-Eastwood tools Mig 135

Thoughts?

VincentMalamute-Kim > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 19:12

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I have no experience with HF welders. I try to stay away from HF electrical tools.

I do have experience with cheap ass welders and ended up throwing it out. I replaced it with the Eastwood 180 MIG and it works fine. Internet says Everlast should be good too.

50ford500 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 19:21

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I’m not sure on welders but the electric drill I have from HF is over 15 and has been granted unnatural long life. I thing it’s armature must have shards of the One Ring in there somewhere

punkgoose17 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 20:10

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They have some welder coupons online. I did not see the specific welders you were looking for. It is easier than looking at the website on a phone like I am doing now and there are some special mail coupons too.

I am also wondering if their welders are decent.

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 20:46

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I really expected some good things when they came out with the omni line. A friend bought one and I played around with one. They are just ok. They will put down a bead and it can look good. The connectors are however very cheap and there was a delay between pulling the trigger and anything happening that was odd. By the time you replace the parts like the regulator, torch, and buy decent consumables you really aren’t too far off from say a Horbart or maybe even deeper in if you don’t have the appropriate coupons.

Eastwood was a hit or miss. Friend bought the tig unit and had to return it or have them send out a repair board twice before he got it to a working one.

I have an E verlast TIG 185 and I’m pretty happy with it. It welds reliably, is compact enough to move around and we haven’t hit any of the duty cycle limitations.

I have a H obart handler which I can whole heartedly recommend.  If you plan on welding steel for the most part it will do what you need, is very light to move around and uses miller parts. I bought mine second hand with a tank and cart for about what they go for new, but even at new they aren’t prohibitive. 

BaconSandwich is tasty. > StudyStudyStudy 04/29/2019 at 21:13

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I borrowed a Hobart Handler 140 from a cousin for a while.  It was decent, but around here they sell for ~$750, on sale.  Most of the time the price is $850.  I suspect, if a person could get the Titanium 170 on sale, it would still end up coming in for less.  Although the whole “buy once, cry once” thing...

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 21:20

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That is odd, last time I checked they were around $ 500. Granted you mentioning princess auto makes me think you are a neighbor to the north and things get funny crossing the border with import taxes and such I imagine.

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 21:24

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https://factorypure.com/products/hobart-500559-handler-mig-115v-140-amp-welder-manufacturer-rfb?variant=8128169115757&cmp_id=1543107296&adg_id=60380508898&kwd=&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwwZrmBRA7EiwA4iMzBO6EuK9n_cwztZ3yA3dBo6CCdfue7J7opNRohyK29pNBe9MnJ-ld5RoCdcUQAvD_BwE

Refurbished for $440.

Regarding i nfinite adjustment on the amperage knob, it really isn’t needed. The steps are almost easier in some way and most metals will fit in the chart , but I will say you do need at least adjustment in the wire speed which most welders in that range supply.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > StudyStudyStudy 04/29/2019 at 21:24

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Yeah. Exchange rate isn't great. Take any price and multiply it by 1.4. :(

plak424 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 22:17

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I’ve had good luck with Eastwood welders. A friend bought a TIG, MIG, and plasma cutter that I used to help him build an exhaust for a cobra swapped lincoln mk8. I liked the Eastwood MIG enough that I wound up buying the MIG 135. Its worked well enough so far for patching up my rusty miata and rebuilding the exhaust on my brothers old Corolla before we sold it. 

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/30/2019 at 02:55

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Ouch, guess I should go visit while the rate is still good :).

To answer the question posted though, harbor freight routinely has coupons usually 20% is pretty regular. Sometimes you can’t use it on welders though, although when my friend bought his omni they rang him up with one.

I’m with you, as much as a nice miller or lincoln might be, they aren’t worth the premium to a casual welder. Hobart definitely is going to be more budget and user friendly in some ways, and if you can find one used I’d say you would be hard pressed to pass up on it.

What do you plan on welding? 

BaconSandwich is tasty. > StudyStudyStudy 04/30/2019 at 10:26

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I've got a number of small projects in mind (e.g. an artistic dinosaur skeleton for our front flower bed, a new gate latch, a new BBQ stand, stuff like that), but eventually I would like to weld up a chassis for a locost.

EmmeyerIII > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/30/2019 at 11:08

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I have the Eastwood 135. Surprisingly, exceeded my expectations. Im not a professional, but being able to control heat and wire flow at this price point does help with learning ability as well. With a bottle and solid core wire i was able to put down some really nice welds. 1/4" is max metal thickness though.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > EmmeyerIII 04/30/2019 at 12:39

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I don't imagine I'll be welding material that thick. When I borrowed a Hobart Handler 140, the thickest I did then was 1/8". 

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/30/2019 at 18:23

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A multi process welder would definitely be useful if you decided to TIG the chassis, and it is nice for tacking things together for art and is quite a bit more serene and less violent then a MIG can be, granted MIG will be able to do most of that unless you plan on using chromoly for the chassis, I believe TIG is preferred for that.

Not sure how popular this stuff is up north, but it m ight be worth while to find a local hobby welder and see if they may be interested in upgrading in the near future. That is how I ended up with mine. Bought my friend’s used hobart and he upgraded to a 200 amp lincoln.  The local welding supply shop may be able to point you towards someone as well.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > StudyStudyStudy 04/30/2019 at 20:14

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The trick is to find a TIG with a high frequency start. It seems like a lot of the cheap ones are scratch start. I wouldn’t need to go all-out and do aluminum (AC), but if there were DC tig units for a comparable price, it could be an interesting option.  For the chassis I was thinking 1.75" DOM steel tubing.  (Or if I go the locost route, 1" square steel tubing).

Unfortunately used equipment here is either non-existent or just as expensive as new stuff. Or beaten to within an inch of its life, and still just as expensive. :(  Most people I know (in person) aren’t into the same kind of stuff. :( 

StudyStudyStudy > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/01/2019 at 01:54

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You are in a rough spot, the only reason I would recommend the harborfreight unit is if you have one nearby so you can exchange it when it fails otherwise it is a pretty big risk . If you have to drive across the border that may prove to be more of a nuisance.