Wondering about this welder?

[zukedude]

I am looking at buying a mig welder but I found this one on ebay and it seems like a good deal but I am not up on the whole tig and plasma cutter crowd so someone look at it and tell me if its worth it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAT-416D-40A-Plasma-Cutter-160A-TIG-Stick-Welder-MMA_W0QQitemZ280380598948QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Welders?hash=item4147fc6aa4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14\\

Joe

[ZukiJon]

Might not get your money's worth on that one....... looks like a rebadged version of a Harbor Freight special. When buying welding equipment I shy away from all off-brand (Harbor Freight especially) (and some name brand stuff). I don't think I know anyone that has bought HF welding equipment and hasn't had problems (not A problem.....many problems) with it. And the ol "if it gets ya thru a few years, ya got yer money's worth" mess I don't understand. When I buy something like that, I expect it to last a long time.




BTW.................... TIG is a little more difficult to learn than MIG........

[zukedude]

I ended up finding an American company that imports them.  They claim they are the best grade of Chinese welders out there. Oh and I found a post from a guy on pirate and he says that it works really well and he is a fabricator.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/giant-tech/index.php

From what I have found out they are not sold at harbor freight its just a Chinese company that sells them to other company's for them to re badge.

This model is last years that they no longer sell but they still have the parts.

http://www.plasmametalcutter.com/

[Errol]

I looked at allot of welders including that one when i was thinking about buying one.  It seems like its kind of hit or miss with those cheap ones some people say they work good others say its a waste of money.  I eventually decided to look for a used welder and found a Millermatic 130xp on craigslist for $375  seemed like allot better deal to me than not knowing how good of an item i was buying and if i decide to upgrade or some thing at least it will hold some of its resale value.

[ZukiJon]

I ended up finding an American company that imports them.  They claim they are the best grade of Chinese welders out there. Oh and I found a post from a guy on pirate and he says that it works really well and he is a fabricator.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/giant-tech/index.php

From what I have found out they are not sold at harbor freight its just a Chinese company that sells them to other company's for them to re badge.

This model is last years that they no longer sell but they still have the parts.

http://www.plasmametalcutter.com/

Well, if you trust it........ I wouldn't buy one myself or tell someone else to buy one. They're the same Chinese units that HF sells would be my guess. I'm not sure if parts are easy to get when it breaks. I'll stick with my Lincoln , Miller's not too bad either , and if I had to..... I'd buy a Hobart  (all have been around for years and have good reputations). Good luck with that. This is just my opinion...... which I have based on what I strongly believe to be facts...... doesn't mean it's right or wrong



BTW...... if it means anything, I'm a welder. 

[ack]

I'm beginning to think that ANYTHING you buy on ebay is gonna get you into trouble.

I got a letter from my bank stating that I have "tentatively" received my money back from Ramsond for the 418 that I purchased but never received.  This may change on appeal.

I get the feeling that some of these sellers figure that the buyers whom they screw will walk away from the loss.  Mine was $495.

Ramsond may be in for a big suprise with me...

[my996duc1]

CRAIGSLIST only for me !!!
Ebay jacked me once and never again.
Craigslist is always great... cash and carry. I have sold and bought all types of stuff with zero issues.

Cruise around on craigslist. You might be able to find a good used welder even if you have to take a drive to get it, atleast you will know and see what you are getting before you hand over any cash.