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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Chicago and HF Welders

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jackal5

03-01-2005 18:05:12




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Anyone have any experience with either of these brands of MIG welders? Adequate for light work or junk?

Thanks




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Catskill Pete

03-02-2005 16:03:22




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 Re: Chicago and HF Welders in reply to jackal5, 03-01-2005 18:05:12  
I"ve had the Chicago Electric 115v mig for about 5 years now. It gets the job done, but after you you use a good Lincoln or Hobart you wonder why you bought the cheap one. Admittedly I bought it because of the 120v portability, and I wasn"t sure how much I would ever use one. Well that was then, now I half way wish the CE one would go up in smoke so I could convince myself to spend the money for a better one. But like I said it gets the job done. The problems with it are the pain in the neck variety, somewhat uneven feed on the wire, a trigger that requires a death grip to keep it going when it gets warm, and recently the handle has developed a gas leak so I"m currently stuck with flux wire only. That said if you think you will only use it once in a while its probably worth the savings. My .02

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Neal

03-02-2005 05:52:58




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 Re: Chicago and HF Welders in reply to jackal5, 03-01-2005 18:05:12  
I can't speak of the HF mig welders, but I have both the 120 and 220 volt Harbor Freight spot welders. I am convinced they are identical (except for the decals)to the Hobart spot welders. They both use the exact same parts breakdown diagrams, including the same part numbers.The only difference I could see was about $250.00 in the price. Having said this, you still need to watch what you buy from Harbor Freight, as some of their stuff is not worth bringing home from the store.

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Big Jim

03-03-2005 01:44:17




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 Re: Chicago and HF Welders in reply to Neal, 03-02-2005 05:52:58  
Most of HF"s stuff is Chineese copys of solid brands. What ends up biting you is that the quality of the materials is lower and the quality of the machining is worse.
If I need something that I"ll use occasionally, HF gets the nod. If I"ll use it often and/or hard, I go somewhere else. From what I"ve read on other forums, nobody really likes their welders.



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Bob02

03-01-2005 19:38:34




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 Re: Chicago and HF Welders in reply to jackal5, 03-01-2005 18:05:12  
I've seen them but afraid to buy one. I think a person would be money ahead in the long run to stick with a Lincoln or Miller brand.



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