Reply to Thread

Re: How cheap can you go??

When manufacturing hangar doors I ship all time to Canada. It was not a big deal. I think vendors see dollar signs on magic line.

Dave

Originally Posted by whtbaron

We can buy from Amazon.ca, but due to exchange, freight etc. the prices will be significantly higher. A lot of the American vendors won't ship to Canada or accept Canadian credit cards so I usually just start on the Canadian site to avoid going through a lot of that and dealing with import duties etc. You have to pay attention to where the vendors are or you can still get caught


Hmmm.... specs say output is DC... surprised me. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...?rrec=true#spc

There is a cheaper version, but it's actually still higher than the other unit's sale price...

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...-0588193p.html

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by California

Can you buy from Amazon there same as US? I see welders with better (bogus) specs on Amazon for half that price, several around $70US. The dual-voltage ones might have considerably stronger output.

And Amazon lists inexpensive 3 year warranties from an unrelated vendor alongside the Amazon price, so you aren't risking much to try one.

That is indeed the cheap end of the market! just make sure it isn't AC-only.

We can buy from Amazon.ca, but due to exchange, freight etc. the prices will be significantly higher. A lot of the American vendors won't ship to Canada or accept Canadian credit cards so I usually just start on the Canadian site to avoid going through a lot of that and dealing with import duties etc. You have to pay attention to where the vendors are or you can still get caught


Hmmm.... specs say output is DC... surprised me. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...?rrec=true#spc

There is a cheaper version, but it's actually still higher than the other unit's sale price...

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...-0588193p.html

Re: How cheap can you go??

Really the 120/240 machines with PFC are the ticket for 120 volt use.. my friend still uses the Thermal 161s I sold him years ago,,It's mostly little stuff around the fishing boats, but super handy.. he still has his 95s too.. The shielded wire, and the stick combo is a nice thing when you don;t know what you might need.. I just have 2 lbs INE .030,and some rods handy, and good to go.. It's a lightweight thing all in it's own.. The Blue Demon stuff is really pretty good, and not lowest quality type of units.. It's basically on the level of Klutch, and a lot comes out of the same place.. Most of the time I just use my Esab caddy mig 160, since it's a excellent co2 welder. output over 200 amps with good voltage,so good hot little welds.. (also the Klutch 220 si )Still have my Thermal-arc LM-200/Esab transformer for dual-shield spray arc things.. I still enjoy using the big transformer CV353 three phase unit. Just such a nice dual shield arc.. Just putts along at the full tilt of the .045 wire..It's nice to have small, and overkill too.. I will probably unload the klutch 220i and be down to only two 120 volt China made units. My lowest cost stuff, and perfect for beating around.. Just small, and handy. Very capable little things, and the 140 MSI is certainly very powerful. The INE 240 volt stick welder edges out the Austrian Lorch/ Esab, and Thermal-arc LM-200 in the stick mode, but all are top tier there. (IMO) Really impressive little Italian unit.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Its kind of worth some effort, if I knew then what today kind of thing,,, so if I was trying to do good and get bang for the buck it would be a 210 class feeder and a 150 class dvi stick. Got a neighbor manages easy with a 175 feeder he has had for 25 tears. He can run any machine made, can do his hometime jobs with 1 machine. I have done most/all mine at times that way simply for ease and convenience.
Most of out work isnt really bigger than hobby type its just more frequent. I have ran big stuff when I work for others and occasional contracts but really many small electrodes for every big one over the years, even in Iron and fitter work, lots of smqll rods. Ran lot of little rods on SA200s.

Re: How cheap can you go??

i dont care about flux but a 3/32 7018 on a long cord is kind of a useful thing. my Max does it but not at that price,,,, which is what again? A single minor salvage event would return the investment. Any cheaper and they would be paying you to carry it to the car. I looked at HF, a Clone to the Max looks about 320$. Is that correct? But to tell the truth,,, I only ever run it on 120. Couple times a few rods in a row but mostly a couple 3 half a dozen or so once in a while. If I was a newb or starting over and didnt already have a shop machine or 3 the dvi would be on the top of my list.
I try to put myself in Joe Hobby position and maybe even new guy. The Veg is in that spot. I try to keep the bias that I am a career welder in check,,, what if I was starting over, what if I was newer, what does today look like vs what we had to user and choose from 40. 30, even 10 yrs ago.

Re: How cheap can you go??

It comes with a free loaf of french bread?

Re: How cheap can you go??

I used my Blue Demon yesterday outside..Worked fine with 3/32 7018 on a long cord.. I sold off my Thermal-arc 95s, and use the 90sti in it's place. Really the other Amazon Blue Demon I have is the 140 MSI, that has a real nice powerful 120 volt stick, and self-shielded wire feed. I upgraded the gun to a Tweco Mini-Mig gun that I cut up to fit it...No shielded gas coverage, but just not what I wanted in a 120 volt unit. Probably into both about what a 95s cost me, and is far more capable. with little increase in weight.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by Xsbank

Attachment 1738393

Usual disclaimers about Apple cameras...

Can you buy from Amazon there same as US? I see welders with better (bogus) specs on Amazon for half that price, several around $70US. The dual-voltage ones might have considerably stronger output.

And Amazon lists inexpensive 3 year warranties from an unrelated vendor alongside the Amazon price, so you aren't risking much to try one.

That is indeed the cheap end of the market! just make sure it isn't AC-only.

Re: How cheap can you go??

When I saw it today I was reminded of this thread and as a matter of fact I have a SW200 which I don’t use enough so bang bang

Re: How cheap can you go??

So is that just a drive-by shooting, or are you going to buy?

Re: How cheap can you go??

Attachment 1738393

Usual disclaimers about Apple cameras...

Re: How cheap can you go??

Depending on the machine,on stick/tig most are around 90amps peak. Enough to wet-out 3/32 7018 The output is real, and measured on a good meter..(Tektronix / a spinoff from Danaher Corporation)
The lift-arc is good as the Thermal-arc machines, and those are excellent . The Klutch models are made by the same manufacturer and claim lift-arc, but are scratch start.

OCV is 75 ,so good there..

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by Brand X

This is the Amazon one. Huge difference in quality over the $25.00 unit.

Remember, it's how low can you go, and be decent too,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S4JTZG4...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Scott, did you say they $69 Blue Demon has lift-arc for TIG? And 80-90 Amps output when the wind blows right? Some of those cheap inverters have high output, but not a very good power factor/efficiency. OK if you have a 30 Amp supply.

Hey, how about someone trying to parallel the outputs on 4 of these? That would be cool.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by whtbaron

Although in fairness, the $25 one quoted is in Malaysia...

This is the Amazon one. Huge difference in quality over the $25.00 unit.

Remember, it's how low can you go, and be decent too,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S4JTZG4...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by Oldendum

I had to laugh - Jeg's is selling the Blue Demon BlueArc 90STI for $215. So much for their "lowest price guarantee".

Although in fairness, the $25 one quoted is in Malaysia...

Re: How cheap can you go??

I had to laugh - Jeg's is selling the Blue Demon BlueArc 90STI for $215. So much for their "lowest price guarantee".

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by whtbaron

Oh oh... sure hope I don't run into that with a 100 pack.... haven't seen them yet.

They were good to deal with. I sent them photos of digital calliper measurements showing the difference between OEM and theirs.


They refunded my money and I chucked them in the lathe and refaced them.

Hey. You might have to buy a lathe [emoji41]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by Lis2323

I got all my 100 amp Miller plasma consumables from the Riverweld web site.



No problems until I got a batch of nozzle tips where the flanges were a touch too deep. Everything fit together well but machine sensed the cap wasn’t “tight” and would show an error code.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Oh oh... sure hope I don't run into that with a 100 pack.... haven't seen them yet.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Plasma torches on machines Like Miller/Lincoln.Thermal Dynamics/Hypertherm/Esab really do work best with quality consumables. Aftermarket Centricut,Profax,Thermacut etc..The lowly Esab clone on the Cheaper china stuff do ok on the low rent stuff. Although the Real PT31 XL/XT does best with the above.. The little Hero-cut 35 is plugging away fine,and responded well to a better quality Swirl ring.. I am still a big fan of those arc sonic units, only because of how the cheaper units would use to blow up if you looked at it wrong..

Re: How cheap can you go??

I dont recall, spent 3 or 4 large on my last one. A main feature I considered at the time I never did use. The modern 250$ unit makes it cute even,,, like you said, one job it paid for between a couple men,,, easy Big difference in the amount of work you gotta do where thats the first payment on a $3800 unit. If mine blows up tomorrow thats the first thing I am going to do, replace with a cheap one.
The plasma I have now is the second in my career, must be 20 yr now. I have it a long time but considering its potential duty cycle not used like a bat out of hell. Lots of little cuts. I see some fancy stuff but this is one of the handiest features of my shop/bench. Can do so much of the cutting over the box.
A side benifit is its a great catchall for steel bits local to the bench. I dont put grease or even gobs of painted and no trash in it but nice to toss a nut or a nail in there without having to hoof it all over to the larger scrap can.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by whtbaron

Oh I know.... the machine I wanted was $3800 Cdn. and I couldn't justify the cost with the cutting torch sitting here. For light work, this little plasma has earned it's keep on the first job. When the magic smoke escapes I'll probably buy the same machine with the pilot arc. I've got a couple hundred spare consumables for it. It has 120 capability, but I put the big plug on and only use it on 240. If I have to take it out of the yard I have a big enough PTO generator and extension cords to run it on 240 anywhere. 90% of my work is in the shop or in front of the doors in summer, which is why I'm not too interested in repeating the exercise with a light welder. I'm hooked on the dependability and quality of the DialArc. If I need a portable welder, I can drag out one of the buzz boxes without much trouble. Again, having enough generator to power them gives me more options.

I understand your position with welders and gensets and all that including a Dialarc. You are a guy can take some advantage of it and are not asking beginner questions etc,,, big difference, Dial makes sense.
I use old equipment, some I kind of got to have but the rate is so low doesnt pay to upgrade or econo, needs to run more anyway etc. Your old stuff would run less if you got inverter,,, ha get lonlier by the day and rust. As I said,,, I got old, I use old, if I was buying today starting out it would be new. Doesnt mean a guy cant be inspired should some relic come along he is infatuated with,,,,, just that its really neat to really weld from 120V.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by whtbaron

$25?? Wow.... I pay more than that for shipping... I thought my $250 plasma was cheap.... but almost a year later and I'm still using it a lot. Found another consumables supplier on Amazon(Riverweld) and got my consumables down under $1.50/set Cdn. so I'm happy with that. Acetylene sure isn't getting any cheaper, neither is the contract.

I got all my 100 amp Miller plasma consumables from the Riverweld web site.



No problems until I got a batch of nozzle tips where the flanges were a touch too deep. Everything fit together well but machine sensed the cap wasn’t “tight” and would show an error code.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Re: How cheap can you go??

Interesting.... apparently Walmart is selling my plasma under a different name. Having a store to return it to would be a plus " if " it works that way... https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Biltek-...RD73WP9NPTBFDS

Edit.... "online only" , no wonder I've never seen them in a store. If that's the case, there's cheaper suppliers on Amazon.

Return policy
Most items sold by Third Party Sellers with a retail price of $150.00 CAD and below can be returned to any Walmart store within 30 days, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to return items with a retail price above $150.00 CAD, please reach out to the Third Party Seller directly.

Re: How cheap can you go??

Originally Posted by Sberry

PHP Code:

$25?? Wow.... I pay more than that for shipping... I thought my $250 plasma was cheap.. 


Your 250 is cheap, not all that long ago that it would have cost close to 1000 to do that work.

Oh I know.... the machine I wanted was $3800 Cdn. and I couldn't justify the cost with the cutting torch sitting here. For light work, this little plasma has earned it's keep on the first job. When the magic smoke escapes I'll probably buy the same machine with the pilot arc. I've got a couple hundred spare consumables for it. It has 120 capability, but I put the big plug on and only use it on 240. If I have to take it out of the yard I have a big enough PTO generator and extension cords to run it on 240 anywhere. 90% of my work is in the shop or in front of the doors in summer, which is why I'm not too interested in repeating the exercise with a light welder. I'm hooked on the dependability and quality of the DialArc. If I need a portable welder, I can drag out one of the buzz boxes without much trouble. Again, having enough generator to power them gives me more options.

Re: How cheap can you go??

I sold off all my blue Demon 90i i bought, and Amazon had another batch..$69.00 and they work well on a decent 20 amp circuit. Output is right at 90 amps..

Jim, on here had the Klutch 120 volt unit, and bought a Blue demon too.. Pretty much the same machine, but the Lift-arc is quality on the Blue demon. Same manufacturer..
He has the Esab 161s, and had my older Thermal TS160 high end dc machine.. Also bought the made in Italy Forney. that Cary has. He has got that to work fairly well with the correct setup.. I don't remember the details.Takes quality input power for sure. Has a bunch more stick tig/stuff.. The one thing is, we both bought the 240 volt INE 1500 stick tig unit, and has one of the best lift-arc/stick welding machines made.. I paid about $170.00

I am still impressed with the 120 volt Blue Demon Mig stick unit. Basically matches my Thermal-arc 95s on output to input amps, and peaks way higher on a good circuit. It's far superior when used on my 120 volt champion 30 amp iverter generator.. It's a place where the 120 volt units can shine..Small genny, and good 120 volt output..