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Snap-On Pro Mig Welder 160 Amp - any good?
hellbent345 - 16/11/08 at 10:32 PM

I need to get another welder, my little one has done the job admirably once i got a good reel of wire, but isnt powerful enough to weld the 3mm plate boo si i need to get a welder powerful enough to weld the 3mm, but with the ability to knock the power down to weld the thinner gauge again, is snap on the tool for the job? ideally needs to be cheap and quality haha two words that don't sit together well!
thanks al

[Edited on 16/11/08 by hellbent345]

AdamR - 16/11/08 at 10:40 PM

Two words: "Clarke" and "151TE".

hellbent345 - 16/11/08 at 10:48 PM

is that the same as 150 te? thanks for quick reply chap

mark chandler - 16/11/08 at 10:51 PM

Snapon tend to rebadge quite a few things these days, I think the low end welders are Cebora based machines. You end up paying for the name, if you want a quality welder then you get something with Miller on its side.

Clarke te151 is a good budget choice from personal experience.

Regards Mark

dhutch - 16/11/08 at 11:39 PM

The 151TE certainly seams to outsell anything else for kitcar/diy welders going on the recomended lists. A bit like the R888 tyre. Although i feel a lot of people who recomend them have never used anything else and are just passing on the infomation. (not that theres anything wrong with that, ive used neather)

How much would you be looking at for a 180amp Miller? Second hand? - Where should i be looking.

Sorry to jump the tread a little, but ive been looking to get a welder for a while and now seams about the best time.
- Would be used for all sorts of odd bits and cars, but also for bits of bracketry on the narrowboat too, which would be 3/5/8mm stuff. Somtimes 5/6mm onto 10mm.


Daniel

Danozeman - 17/11/08 at 07:30 AM

Id go for the clarke aswell. Snap on will be a rebadged something for alot more moolah.

Clarkes what ill be getting later on.

g.gilo - 17/11/08 at 09:01 AM

snap on used to be rebadged "lincolns",
but not the best lincolns, if you can find a lincoln sp170 you will not get a better single phase set for steel or ally. only fault is it comes origanally with a barnard torch, not the most loved torch. graham

[Edited on 17/11/08 by g.gilo]

hughpinder - 17/11/08 at 09:41 AM

Why not keep the current (haha) welder for thin stuff, and buy a cheap arc weld for the small amount of thicker stuff that you need to weld on a kit car.

Hugh

David Jenkins - 17/11/08 at 12:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
Why not keep the current (haha) welder for thin stuff, and buy a cheap arc weld for the small amount of thicker stuff that you need to weld on a kit car.


Exactly what I did - but I am fairly competent at stick welding (by which I mean that I rarely get the electrode stuck on the work, and know what's required if I do. I can also make a respectable weld... which is useful...). I also quite enjoy doing it.

Don't go too cheap though - a better-quality stick welder with a decent transformer makes a world of difference. At a one-day welding course at the local agricultural college I used an 'Oxford' welder that stood 3 foot high, probably weighed 1/4 of a ton, and most likely made in the 1950's! It was hard to weld badly with that thing, once you'd learnt the basics.

I don't recommend that you buy one of those though...

[Edited on 17/11/08 by David Jenkins]

Peteff - 17/11/08 at 03:35 PM

Snap On mig welder is a rebadged Cebora. If you want to weld thin stuff with the arc welder get an inverter which may also give you the option of scratch tig if you want later with a valved torch and gas bottle.