Thread: Inverter stick comparisons

Did they have any contact details? I saw their gear but they only give a parts warranty and there was no phone number or physical address for ROSSI stuff.

John

Originally Posted by gallegos

WeldSmart 200 Amp Arc Inverter Welder MMA / Stick VRD (eBay item 120611494409 end time 17-Jan-11 21:25:52 AEDST) : Industrial

You know what I particularly like about this machine? Power switch on the front. My little BOC Smootharc 130 has it on the front too, while my Unimig 165 has it on the back. Sure, it's a little thing, but it does make turning the machine on and off so much easier, particularly if the machine is parked against a wall.

Originally Posted by welding

Did they have any contact details? I saw their gear but they only give a parts warranty and there was no phone number or physical address for ROSSI stuff.

John

I had a quick look, and found this
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1283863

Looks like I'll be avoiding them based on their treatment of some customers. From what I can tell they call you from a private number, you dont call them.

Address I could only find Castle Hill NSW 2154 via their ACN, someone from whirlpool had a residential address but it wasnt posted.

Diverging slightly but still on topic ---- most of my work these days is MIG using a 200A BOC unit which is great but I still drag out my 30+ year old Peerless arc welder from time to time. I have some jobs coming up which will be offsite and, whilst the Peerless is still a good'un, it's a heavy beast and seems to get heavier as I get older so I'm not relishing the thought of dragging it on an off the truck each day.

I'm thinking it might be time to splurge on one of the inverter welders as they seem to be a lot lighter than the transformer based units. Are there any gotchas to be wary of in regards to operation, longevity and useability with the new technology. The Peerless seems to be unbreakable no matter how much the duty cycle is abused, how tolerant are the new units?

I'm thinking Lincoln, BOC or Kemppi in the 150-160 amp range

I'm using this.


MasterTig MLS™ 2300 ACDC


Mains voltage 1~ 50/60 Hz 230 V -15%...+15%
Conn. cable / fuse delayed 3 x 2.5 mm² -S-3.3 m / 16 A
Load capacity 40 °C 40 % TIG 5.7 kVA / 230 A
60 % TIG 4.8 kVA / 200 A
100 % TIG 3.9 kVA / 170 A
40 % MMA 6.0 kVA / 180 A
60 % MMA 4.8 kVA / 150 A
100 % MMA 3.7 kVA / 120 A
Welding range TIG 3 A / 10 V...230 A / 19,2 V
MMA 10 A / 20.5 V ...180 A / 27.2 V
Max. welding voltage 32 V / 180 A (MMA)
Open circuit voltage 58 V DC
Power ratio at max. current 0.99
Stick electrodes MMA ø 1.5...4.0 mm
External dimensions L x W x H 430 x 180 x 390 mm
Weight 15 kg

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

Are there any gotchas to be wary of in regards to operation, longevity and useability with the new technology.

Hi Gavin,
Yes Gavin, I am here to tell ya that my Kemppi MiniArc MIG (who names these bloody things ) was U/S because of a mud dauber wasp.
The litle yellow basket laid its nest across the frigging circuit board controllingl the wire speed drive.
That cost $400 or so to get going again.

Any of the inverter migs or stick machines are vulnerable to all sorts of electronic mayhem. Accordingly they can be costly to repair. I believe I was fortunate as I have friends in the trade ,so to speak.

If you you lucky enough to come across a older Cigweld Transmig 195 grab one . I saw one stand up to H/School students for 7 years without major problem.
That is as close to bullet proof as they come.
No its not new tech. No its not fancy, but relatively high power ,15 amp takes a 15kg spool and I won't even mention there was one model sold as a rural pack that you could reverse polarity and run (aaaagghhh11) gasless wire.

cheers
Grahame

Dr Wu,
Top stuff .
That is excellent data and will be exceedingly helpful to someone with your model.

Grahame

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Dr Wu,
Top stuff .
That is excellent data and will be exceedingly helpful to someone with your model.

Grahame

Grahame, No sweat on my part I'm afraid, just a bit of cut n paste from the Kemppi site. This little beauty, to paraphrase a line from a movie, makes me want to be a better welder each time I use it, but I would be a little shy about mentioning a price when I see what some are paying.

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

Diverging slightly but still on topic ---- most of my work these days is MIG using a 200A BOC unit which is great but I still drag out my 30+ year old Peerless arc welder from time to time. I have some jobs coming up which will be offsite and, whilst the Peerless is still a good'un, it's a heavy beast and seems to get heavier as I get older so I'm not relishing the thought of dragging it on an off the truck each day.

I'm thinking it might be time to splurge on one of the inverter welders as they seem to be a lot lighter than the transformer based units. Are there any gotchas to be wary of in regards to operation, longevity and useability with the new technology. The Peerless seems to be unbreakable no matter how much the duty cycle is abused, how tolerant are the new units?

I'm thinking Lincoln, BOC or Kemppi in the 150-160 amp range

A mate of mine uses a Lincoln 'lunchbox' MMA inverter for on-site work, can't tell you what model. It weighs around 4kgs and can be used hanging off the shoulder if necessary but more than enough power to do large beams etc.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

If you you lucky enough to come across a older Cigweld Transmig 195 grab one . I saw one stand up to H/School students for 7 years without major problem.
That is as close to bullet proof as they come.
No its not new tech. No its not fancy, but relatively high power ,15 amp takes a 15kg spool and I won't even mention there was one model sold as a rural pack that you could reverse polarity and run (aaaagghhh11) gasless wire.

cheers
Grahame

Grahame, thanks for that but I'm fine for MIG, I had a Brumby 180 for 15 years and have had the BOC 200 amp MIG (which I believe is a rebadged Kemppi) for the last couple of years.

What I'm thinking of is the inverter based stick welder to replace/augment my Peerless unit. The issue with that is the weight now I need to take it on-site frequently.

I had a peerless too .Indestructable but very hard on the back, 4 copper coils.

Any of the well known brand inverter welders. The ability to sling them over the shoulder on a strap is a great asset. The thing to check is if they blow a board ,is there a replacement available and someone who can fit it.

Grahame

Hi Graham,

We have an all new fully digital programmable TIG and stick welder that ships with a Kemppi style TIG torch, Aussie style twist lock holder and earth clamp. Do you guys want some teaser pics?

Regards
Pete (Tokentools P/L)

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Hi fellas, as you can see, a few posts down there's a new player introduced themselves on the forum .
Given that they are here to compete against the other vendors on the local market I thought why not do a comparison with one of their units against what is locally availabe.

DC Inverter stick welders seem to be a popular inquiry ,so DC 160 Amp inverter machines it is.

All I have done is cut and paste the information straight from their own web site when I could. So hopefully if I had not made any monster key errors it should be reasonably correct. I will add though, some web sites are bloody terrible to wade through and don't provide an informed purchaser with all the info required to make the purchase.

So if you all all geed up to rush out and and purchase a inverter to stick in a stocking you are now hopefully better armed to do so.

ho Ho HO
Santa's Trades Assistant

I'd like to see some pics please!

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

What I'm thinking of is the inverter based stick welder to replace/augment my Peerless unit. The issue with that is the weight now I need to take it on-site frequently.

I've got a little BOC Smootharc 130, which while a bit smaller than what you've mentioned, runs 3.2 rods no problem and has a standard 10A plug which is very convenient. I've used it up a ladder slung over my shoulder a couple of times and it weighs bugger-all.