BOC Smootharc 130 Inverter Stick/TIG

**distractor** · 20th May 2010, 02:05 PM

Hello,
So I have been in the market for a new welder for about 4 months now. Initially I thought of buying a good used AC welder off eBay but then I thought that if I'm going to buy a new welder, it may as well be up to date. I researched the Cigweld inverters and found them to be lacking in everything but looks. Then I researched the Lincoln Invertec inverters. The Invertec's look nice and have a nice 3 year warranty and an excellent reputation but they are too much welder for my needs. So I then came across the BOC inverter when I visited my local BOC G&G store.

After a bit of asking around I decided to get the Smootharc 130 for $363. This machine has a 100% duty cycle at 82A and 35% at 138A and runs off a household 10A outlet. It's not the prettiest I've seen but BOC has a good rep and a nationwide 18 month warranty service. The kit comes with 3mtr work leads and a surprisingly good in-depth manual. This post is just a heads up for anyone looking for a good inverter that doesn't cost a small fortune. This welder fits my needs very well for now so I'm a happy chap at the moment. I ran 17 rods at 90A back to back on some 1/4 scrap an it didn't seem to care.

One other good thing about this welder is that it doesn't squeal. All you can hear is the fan whirring and the hiss of rods burning

The only thing I need now is a good helmet as the Weldsmart auto I'm using is a bit big but has served me well. I am thinking of getting a Speedglas 100V. Any suggestions? Some good info >
BOC - Smootharc MMA 130

Please note the orange electrode lead is not from this kit. The stock standard is black lead with a red spring loaded clamp.
I just installed this twistlock one instead.

**Mathuranatha** · 20th May 2010, 10:06 PM

G'day ,looks good . What are the biggest [thickest] rods it claims it will run turned right up ,and have you tried ?I'm looking around for a new welder , probably try an inverter one . Some of them claim to run very thick rods , like in trade tools the 200amp supposedly runs 5mm rods .Be interesting to hear if they do really run the thicker rods as claimed with good penetration .

Let us know how it performs compared to the old ac type . Good luck with it , thanks -- mat --

**distractor** · 21st May 2010, 07:54 AM

Hi,

No information I've seen or heard actually mentions what rods this unit can handle. However I do suspect it is the usual 2mm - 3.2mm rods. I havent tried but I have a feeling it will run a 4mm rod OK for a short while. I burnt some 3.2mm Austarc 12p rods @125A on some T-Joints from 12mm plate and got very good penetration. The arc felt a bit fierce at this amperage but there was no spatter because I held a tight arc length and the weld looked great and this was on DCEP too.

Comparing this to the old AC is hard. I like the intimidating 'hum' you get from an AC box but with this there is just the fan whirring. I see many advantages. They are quiet. They outperform the duty cycle of the AC welder almost every time. They can be configured to weld how you need (DCEP & DCEN). They are small and lightweight. They have a tiny amereage dial instead of the normal winder on AC boxes. I could go on......

**lornety** · 25th May 2010, 11:42 PM

they are a good little welder i wouldn't go over 3.2mm rods the weld will be to cold not much penetration.

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