I'm in the markets for a small stick welder I can carry to jobs. I don't need and engine driven unit as I have a generator set I use at home regularly. I have been doing a few things building brackets and putting exhaust systems back together and I figured stick would work the best for this type of application. I only need to run one of two sticks per job and then put the thing away. I looked at the Miller Thunderbolt 160 and 210 models and figure they might be the best and most cost effective for my needs. I'm looking for any feedback on these inverters or any other brands.
If i was you i mite try one of harbor freight welders.
Welding business by me has one of the small miller 120/240 stick welders, I think its a "maxstar" 161. Its only 15 lbs and they love it for carrying in and doing quick jobs. Says it welds well and is super handy. I see the new thunderbolt ones are only 15lbs also.
Any experience with the Harbor Freight units I can hang my hat on. I've never had a problem with the Miller line.
From what I have heard the "Vulcan" brand at Harbor Freight is not bad, not cheap, but decent quality. I've use the little Miller Maxstar that weighs 10 lbs. I think it was 90 amps on 120V power, we ran 1/8" 6011 and 3/32" 7018 on grain elevator repairs, it was much easier to pull up a cord and have the machine in the basket with you than trying to readjust an engine drive 95' below. Plus you had the 120V cord for the grinder anyways.
I second a smaller inverter based machine. Light and small. They’ve come down a lot in price.
I just bought a vulcan mig, with solid wire. Had it on the end of a 50' cheap extension cord, in a barn, that won't run a 1 hp motor air compressor. That lil HF welder did a great job of welding a 1/4" wagon spindle back together, and also welding a 15 MM nut onto a tractor. Think I paid like $159, fer it!
An Esab Miniarc 161LTS is another option with good reviews and approx. $800 cheaper than a comparable Miller Maxstar 161STI and about $20 more than a T-Bolt 160. The Miller T Bolt 160 is a lower end machine. The Esab has 35% duty cycle compared to the T-Bolts 30%. Esab also has versions for Tig if you require it. https://www.esabna.com/us/en/products/arc-welding-equipment/mma-equipment-cc/miniarc-161lts.cfm https://store.cyberweld.com/mima161stlti.html https://store.cyberweld.com/esmi161lts05.html https://www.amazon.com/ESAB-0558101694-MiniArc-161LTS-Package/product-reviews/B008S0OFB4
I have quotes of $485 for the 160 - 210 model from the local dealer. Why would I want to pay more to buy something off the internet that has little or no service support?
Wow. Esab has dealers and service centers in the US. The 161LTS has been on the market for several years with great reviews. If there were problems they'd be posted all over the net. 100 day money back guarantee, hot start and arc force (Miller only has hot start), and more duty cycle (maybe why it's 3lbs. heavier). That's easily worth $20 to me. Your also paying $120 for an MVP plug and cable bag with the Miller. Hobart is the same machine as the Miller but without the MVP plug and cable bag. Typically anything Thunderbolt from Miller is their lowest end machines. Sorry the specs. are from a place that sells all 3 for comparison. Esab are typically less expensive than a comparable Miller but the Hobart clearly shows you pay a lot more for the Miller name. The Esab is more comparable to the Maxstar 161 which is considerably more expensive. https://store.cyberweld.com/miller-thunderbolt-160-stick-welder-907721.html https://store.cyberweld.com/hobart-stickmate-160i-500570.html https://store.cyberweld.com/esmi161lts05.html
I have the Esab 161LTS and absolutely love it, quite small and will run on 120 or 240v. I use it for fence and gate repairs on our ranch and power it from my Honda eu7000i generator. I don't have enough need for a dedicated welder-generator.
Thanks! Apparently a lot of other owners love them too. That why I suggested it. Most welding supplies don't do their own repairs. Repairs and warranty are usually done though electrical/welder repair shops authorized by the OEM.
If your looking at a Miller Thunderbolt, you may want to checkout the Hobart Stickmate line. Same exact machines with gray paint instead of blue. The Hobart version will naturally be less costly.
See post 10.
Thanks guys, I'll look into them. My other issue is the plugs to run the thing. I've got two different plugs in my shop, and another different one on my generator. Do they make adapters to go down to the small size on the boxes?
Miller has a 4 prong to 3 prong adaptor but it's pricey. There's other types of adaptors too. https://www.millerwelds.com/accesso...lblazer-big-blue-full-kva-adaptor-cord-300517 Generic ones are a quite a bit less expensive or you could probably make one up. https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-Welder-Adapter-4-Prong/dp/B06VWJZ684?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_6
Thanks
I might have heard of someone making a really short extension cord with two different ends, but I would not want to name names
John, Did you wind up buying Blue? Had a chance to play with it? How do you like it? I bought an Everlast dual voltage unit several years ago that works well. Gave it to my son to play with. Looking at the units mentioned here and like the price and weight of the Hobart. Thanks for any input. Darryl
I haven't had the chance just yet. I got wrapped up in getting a Komatsu WA600 back into operational condition for the last few weeks. What did you do about plugging the machine into all the different 220 plug ins that are possible?
Thankfully, all my stuff have this plug and I have one bought and one shop made extension cord with same make/female ends. I guess I should look at making an adapter since there are a lot of the 4 blade 220v plugs out there. Hope the Komatsu doesn’t give you too many fits. Darryl
I had the ESAB 161, worked excellent. I also put 2 in the high school I taught welding at - kids liked them and I did a lot of demonstrations using them for tig and stick. My portable now is the Thermal Arc 161. Very nice machine. I sometimes run it off a 100' cord from the miller bobcat 225nt. I just make a short adapter for when I need a different plug -except for the Miller Bobcat. I bought a 15' extension cord that went from 4 prong to 3 prong.
I've got three different plugs for my house, shop and generator. I want the machine for doing small simple things in the field so probably decide on the generator first. I've worked on this model of wheel loader for years so the biggest issue is cost and availability of parts. The worst issue is the rust stuck sheet metal bolts. I have to wear gloves because I bark off plenty of skin when a bolt breaks in a small area and my hands jamb into something hard and sharp.
ESAB has some nice machines. I’ve got a 40 year old Hobart MIG that is still running strong. Picked up a Hobart 210 MVP recently. I like the price. Simple machine but has worked well- 110/220, too. It is heavy! I like the weight specs of the Miller and Hobart 160A units (and again, the price of the Hobart). Seems it doesn’t take much these days for me to tear off a chunk of skin...
I have a Hobart Handler that is over twenty years old and like it very much. I'll keep it in the back of my mind till I finish with the wheel loader.
While I have a couple arc, and a MIG welder the old Lincoln arc welder gets used the most, it is 65 years old. Looks pretty rough, and the switch is broken so you have to turn it off with a screwdriver, banging the switch down. Still welds better than the guy operating it!
Welder I was working with this week had a small miller. Runs 110 and 220 with two different cords. He had a shoulder strap, and put it on his shoulder up a step ladder with a 4' lead. Says it works great with 6011/ 6013 to tack up the beams we were working with- 3/8" to 3/4" plate, for a tack together. He was going to fire up his bobcat gas welder for the 7018 to fill it all out. He was just running the suitcase off the 110 jobsite power, from a heavy extension cord- maybe a 100' cord. I asked him about how he likes it- he said its a lifesaver for little jobs, and saves stringing out a bunch of lead.
They are super handy. When I worked at West Edmonton Mall they had a hand held 220 welder. I had to weld on the top of the roller coaster and it was I think 273 steps up the stairs. It was way easier carrying the welder up than dragging 100's of feet of welding cable up. There was a power outlet part of the way up and we zip-tied a few long extension cords to the stairs. The video below shows the stairs starting at about 53 seconds. The original tires for pulling the cars up were discontinued and required regular changing. I think they were 12 or 14 ply and they had do some modifications to fit some other tires that didn't last as long as the original type.
I have one of these guys little stick welders. It is a very good little peice of equipment. The thing will burn 3mm rods all day while plugged into a 30 metre extension cord. It was sold to me by a guy who was an agent for them & also operated his own metal engineering workshop building double decker cattle crates ect... He used them in his workshop for most of the work. He swore by them. I have used mine on everything from repairing light exhaust material right up to welding things onto dozer blade........cant fault it. https://www.ceaweld.com/en/shop/products/arc-welding/mma-en/mma-inverter-en/project-2/
Love the Miller suitcase I bought two years ago. Best stick welder I have had the pleasure to use.
You guys are making my welder itch flare up!
Me to ! I wonder if they are any better than my Miller Stickmate ? It is the only welder I have ever used that is hard to strike an arc. Even when it was new.
Which stickmate do you have? Looks like they branded a couple different machines as Stickmates.
The first welder I ever bought personally would have been Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC. I was still carrying around schoolbooks at the time it has been a good machine for the twenty years hence....sitting less than 15’ from me right now. It is not my go to machine really, but it works when you want to work.
Likely best investment I had made in machine. Has TiG capability, strictly DC but I Like It!!
It is a Stickmate 210i, 240 volt. It supposedly has hot start. It is all I could afford to buy. Any opinions of it are welcomed.
I cannot believe how dumb I can be at times. I have a Hobart !! My memory is going to sh##.
Tinkerer, that is the exact machine as my Miller Thunderbolt. I am not sure if you have hot start or not. Mine does not. I am not entirely sure I like hot start anyway. I prefer a dry candle that will light like it is supposed to My machine was purchased around 20 years ago. Never done anything but plug it in and run it (at several locations) until last year. I had a bunch of 14 gauge to weld. I did not have a MIG machine and had some really small 6013. The machine would not switch to AC. I had never tried. Dirt dobbers. After a half hour it was back together with a thuroigh cleaning and kept welding. I know I have welded 1.5” with mine
No, no hot start in mine. I thought it did. I really like the machine because of the dial for the current settings.
As far as I know Tinkerer, those are about the last of the all mechanical machines. They should be around for a while. I was thought to weld with a 1952 GE AC welder that had a garden hose for insulation on the ground. It is still going. Very similar to the way these will be years for now.
Here is my go to little machine. I have it in a plastic action packer ridding around in the back of the service truck. Instead of like everyone says stringing our the cables it’s just a simple extension cord. I plug it into my eco plug on the Miller 305 and it doesn’t even rev the welder up. I bought it to weld exhaust and brackets when I am doing deletes but I use it for all those little jobs that you tend to turn a blind eye to like stump pan bolt hangers or welding a new nut on the back of a panel. Works so well that every other customer that sees it goes and buys one.
That's for very light duty and not for stick welding. If you can run at least 1/8" 7018 you can repair most anything unless it's really thick steel.
Correct its a little mig running .030. But I tell you its a magical little machine. I had broken roller bolts on a D6H yesterday and instead of burning my expensive arctec uni-chrome rod I just used my little mig. By no means is it a power house but has it unique places.
For small or thin stuff they are good. Very good for tacking small nuts on without destroying the threads but I would have one that does solid wire with shielding gas as well as flux-core. The flux-core they run is only good for about 14 gauge sheet metal at the most. Even 3/32" stick could weld 1/4" steel.
The problem with the thunderbolt 210 is that it only does 220v. The Thunderbolt 160 has the plug for 110 and 220v. Its portable and light weight and can take up to 160 amps which isnt bad considering how small it is. Now would be a good time to buy as they are offering $50 rebates on this model with the Build with Blue. Check out the miller thunderbolt 160 here: https://serviceweldingsupply.com/product/miller-thunderbolt-160-dc-stick-welder-907721/
It still needs at least a 20 amp breaker on 110/120 volts and only goes to 80 amps. Good for only 3/32" emergency repairs or small jobs on thinner material. Still a much better machine than an old transformer AC Thunderbolt or even an AC/DC Thunderbolt. Probably made to compete with Esab machines in that price range. The Maxstars were several hundred $$ more.