thoughts on this welder?

intended use- hobbyist level, art projects and shit...

https://yeswelder.com/products/mig-welder-mig205

 

What's the predominate feature you're gonna use on it? I like stick welding for simplicity of getting started, never been a fan of flux core and much prefer to use gas if MIG welding.

 

Like a clear Lexan casket....."remains to be seen"

If I'm reading it right, this one can do any of those- just can't do aluminum

 

Only welder I've had/played with was a HF 120v wire feed- the wire feed was beyond unreliable and as a result I hardly ever used it and ended up pitching the thing when we moved

 

You’ll have to seek Phil’s “elsewhere” to get the true expert opinion, as I believe he has been issued a vacation from here.

 

@Britt

 

I bought their machine off kickstarter last year that is like this but adds plasma cuter as well. I have only used it for gas mig a little bit but it seems to do that fine.

They seem to have used some standard connections so you can replace the torch if needed. Not sure what style consumables are used as i got a $hit ton with my machine.

For a hobby machine it should be fine.

 

Plenty of Youtube vids on these. Should be ok for the parameters given.

 

Career welder/fabricator here...

5-10 years ago I would have told you to run away from that thing. However, after dicking around with one that looks exactly like this at FabTech a few years ago. I am somewhat impressed... Although it really depends on what you plan on doing with this unit and what you're expecting out of it. Honestly not being able to do Aluminum sucks, not having high frequency kind of sucks, especially if you want to do stainless or Ti stuff because tungsten can contaminate that shit easily. Not having a liquid cooled torch sucks. Air cooled torches are bulky and heavy, and of course get hot. Shouldn't be super bad if you're not capable of doing aluminum though.

I am not really aware of how well the MIG process performs on these machines so I cant offer much there.

If you're looking to do mostly MIG welding, I'd buy a MIG welder.. You can find used Miller 160-211AMP rigs for around $800-1000 and they'll do anything you need them to do. They are super easy to get parts for and they will last years. I have had my Miller 190 for a long time and it paid for itself in 2 jobs. (Race car stuff) I'll be selling it sometime in the near future as I am moving up to a Miller 256 MIG for my home shop.

If you're really only looking to TIG weld again I'd buy a TIG only or TIG/STICK (almost all can do both) I have had some seat time with one of those Eastwood setups and for the money I was really impressed. For $300 more than the welder you linked in your post you will get a MUCH better machine. High Frequency TIG starts, Inverter technology with pre-post flow, WP17 torch, ability to weld aluminum (you will thank yourself when you make a quick $50-100 just for turning your welder on for someone)



I've been fortunate enough to be a pampered princess for the last 18 years and have mostly used a Miller Dynasty 350, 400, or 700 at whoever was employing me at the time.. When I started my personal business in 2013 I bought an HTP InverTIG 221 machine with everything I needed. I mostly work in the motorsports world for my side hustle, but that welder has done everything a Dynasty could do for half the price. (besides some really thick aluminum which I RARELY had to deal with, and if I did would just pre-heat, and rent a helium mixed bottle to help with penetration) That welder has literally made me 10's of thousands of dollars in the last 9 years. I only had one issue with a mother board and HTP USA sent me a whole new unit NEXT day shipping, under warranty, and I still hit the deadline I gave the customer.

It's funny seeing this thread though, I literally JUST bought a Miller Dynasty 350 yesterday.. I've been wanting a Dynasty for my personal shop for a while, but the HTP does great, and Dynasty setups are $12,000-18,000... This was way too good of a deal though, and I know the entire history of this Dynasty as I helped unpack it and set it up 5 years ago.

Now I'll be putting the HTP in the race trailer so I can help racers in need at the track.


TL/DR If you have your expectations set knowing you're buying a $500 welder and are expecting that $500 welder to do $500 welder things, you should be fine. However, even name brand multi-process welders have never impressed me.

For $800 you can get that Eastwood which is a good AC/DC TIG rig.

Heres a link. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-t...kedid=580522474071&wickedsource=google&wv=3.1

For less than $1000 you can get a decent MIG.

Not sure where your from, but if you're close id be willing to let you test drive some of my rigs and help you figure out what you want.

I attached a bunch of pictures because we should have a fabrication thread. LMAO

 

That's just showing off.

 

Great info, thanks! The one I asked about is like $310 right now, so as long as it's not a huge PITA or just junk I think it'll suit my "dipping a toe in" needs. The thought of making easy $$ on the side is nice, but the thought of rando's showing up asking for their junk to be melted together is less appealing.

 

What consumables does it use? Are they readily available?
We have people bring in different (non Miller or Lincoln) machines with "simple" issues. Drive roll problems and even basic wiring glitches.
Worst case concern would be where or who would repair if needed.

 

Just curious, what are your reservations about flux core?

From the limited info I've learned, and small amount of experience I have sticking pieces of metal together, flux core is stick welding with a MIG gun.

I love it for the simplicity of my at home projects. Built a bar for changing my own tires, welding replacement stabilizing legs on my trailer, small stuff like that.

 

I use the same one and love it. Had to adjust the wire tension per the manual and it's been great for the past 5 years or so.

 

Invertig has a sweet 300 amp unit now... but prices seem to be going up.... quality looks awesome though.
Just had a Valentine's Day sale they had on a sweet water cooled package.


I weld with a green Chinese DC Everlast. No complaints and can light up at a super low 5amps for thin gauge stuff. It has lasted longer than I expected.

I've heard of the Yes welders... I would follow the advice of the expert. Go with a more dedicated machine rather than multipurpose. And Maybe go up a half a rung with alphatig or everlast.

 

i actually bought a mig off ebay and it works better then the Lincoln that was stolen from my shop.
Both are 110 and it blows me away how good it works.
and it has a setup for tig and it was 320 to the door.
I have a Miller 300 Syngrowave to tig with but needed a mig for other jobs like exhaust and fixing stuff i didn't want to tig.
200A Digital Mig welder 110/220V IGBT MIG ARC LiFT TIG 3 in ! welding machine.
i run it on 110 and i not a fan of 110 but this works better than some 220V machines ive used.
good luck.

Steven

 

They are throw away machines
I have longevity Tig 250 for 8 years now, no problems.
Recently picked up Primeweld Mig 180 if I need to weld something outside. It came with spool gun for aluminum but have not tried it yet.
I like it as two separate units if one goes bad I still have something to use.

 

I'm just a hobbyist with zero professional skills, but really my hatred for it comes from having to clean it up afterwards

I get it, it has its use, like in outside windy conditions where gas doesn't work. But having a wire wheel is pretty much a requirement for cleanup. Hell I'd prefer to use stick welding over flux core. If I ever add another welder to the mix, using gas MIG all the way.

 

I welded some thick steel plates with a .045 flux core for a random project one of my employers took. It was out in the field during August. That was a spicy day. literally just made pass after pass with this thing screaming with T8 wire. One of the perks about being the "kid" while growing up in the shops was that I got to do all the neat projects/jobs no one else wanted to do. Especially when you get into the shops for after-school/weekend work starting at 16 years old, but you still look 12-13 years old. LMAO.

 

It worked.