Eastwood welders

[fowlwishes]

Anyone have any experience with any of the eastwood welders or plasma cutters? I am thinking about picking up this pair for light work.

http://www.eastwood.com/mig175-and-versa-cut-plasma-cutter-kit.html

I wont be using it to do heavy fab or continuous welding. Maybe a little more than the average homeowner but not full professional use. Any opinions?

 

[Hinez Wengler]

Re: Eastwood wleders

Anyone have any experience with any of the eastwood welders or plasma cutters? I am thinking about picking up this pair for light work.

http://www.eastwood.com/mig175-and-versa-cut-plasma-cutter-kit.html

I wont be using it to do heavy fab or continuous welding. Maybe a little more than the average homeowner but not full professional use. Any opinions?

Rubbish.Study plasma before you buy. You need much clean dry air. No lubricator on the air system like most mechaniks.
Lincoln has a good welder warranty.The 180 dual is a great mechanic machine.It also works great with CO2.That will save you much gas money.
Esab and Hypetherm make the best plasma.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Eastwood is generally lower cost products, but they usually pick pretty solid products to offer, and have outstanding customer service that can make a huge difference.

Yes, you can spend thousands upon thousands on Esab and Hypertherm and love them. But will you ever make use of their capacity at those prices? If you need to haul a brick from the home store to your house, do you really need a $100K Freightliner? Determine what your needs are and look at appropriate options. Maybe you do want to upgrade later and buying that larger system may make sense now to save on upgrade costs later.

As for the plasma cutter listed, I'd rather go with their Versacut 60 model for the upgrade capacity, but that's my personal choice. I'd also choose the TIG 200 combo that lets you do aluminum and has all the accessory present. They have a combo deal with cart for about $1500, which I know is more than you're looking at, but it's what *I* would consider and I am actually in the market so this might be on my list.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-tig-plasma-and-cart-kit-48198.html

Eastwood offers the same warranty period as Lincoln of three years with the option to buy extensions if desired. No advantage to either one there.

Look around, determine your needs, see what is available.

 

[bsaint]

If you really can't find a used one, they seem to be alright.

 

[that-guy]

i have the TIG200 and the Plasma 40 and love them both. great quality and awesome customer service. it was a big learning curve since i had no other users to go off of when trying to dial it in, but over time it has turned out to be great

 

[sberry]

I agree Eastwood backs it, its not perfect but it sure is priced right. Might be worth a whirl.

 

[Professur]

When they first came to market, I got a hold of Matt to ask him about it. He said straight up ... yeah, they're made in China .. but so are all the parts to everyone else's welders. These are made to Eastwood's specs and QC, and they're supported on this side of the pond with Eastwood's warranty. No having to ship it back to China and pray, no having to wait 4 months for it to maybe come back.

In fact ...

Hi guys,

I wanted to clear up a few of the concerns on our new Eastwood welders that I've seen mentioned her and on a handful of other forums.

1.These are NOT rebadged or rebranded welders made by another large company for us with our name on it.
-These welders we designed and tested in house here at Eastwood. They were designed to be EQUIVALENT to the Lincoln Mig Pak 10 (our 135) and the Mig Pak 15 (our 175). We oversaw every step of the production process to make sure these were designed to our specs and expectations. Our main concern is to give you a welder that is built to the same specs and quality as a industrial welder, but priced towards a serious hobbyist.
-We go so far as to back our welders with a 3 year warranty. That is backed by Eastwood Company, not by a 3rd party company, like people seemed to be confused about. We didn't begin offering these for a "quick buck", in fact we are working on designing further products to add to our welding product line (can you say affordable TIG and Plasma cutters?)

2. Consumables- Our welders are made with a Tweco style gun (the same as most major companies including Lincoln use). Therefore all consumable parts (nozzle, tips, etc) are available at any local welding supply store. We are enthusiasts here ourselves, and we know the frustration of needing a part or supplies halfway through the job and not being able to get it! (for me this past weekend it was running out of mig wire at 5:30PM on a Sunday and realizing the only local "Farm" store that would have wire closed at 5 )

3.These welders were not the ones you may have seen on Ebay a year ago for sale. Those were simply another company's welder we were retailing under their name. These welders are brand new welders that we designed from step 1. Any other welders you may have seen previously were before we began manufacturing our welders.

If you guys have any other questions or concerns feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to answer them!

***In fact I can offer anyone that is on the fence about one of our welders the chance to try it for 30 days with a hassle free return policy. Buy it, use it to weld your rusty project car, patch a frame on the same project, your sons go-kart, your fence in your yard, your neighbor's shed doors, whatever... If you don't like it or it doesn't meet your expectations (which I highly doubt!), than give us a call and we will be gladly take it back and refund your money.***

Hope that cleared up a few questions and concerns.

-Matt/EW

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?41965-Eastwood-Mig-Welders

Sounds like they're definitely willing to put their money where their mouth is. For what it's worth, I have a Lincoln SP-170-t myself. Used off Craig'slist for $400 a decade ago.

 

[Gamble]

That's all BS. They are rebranded for sure. And the mig is a decent machine, the plasma is hit or miss. Mainly miss being they are a mosfet design. I blew one up after 2 uses. Almost jumped off the table.
Tig is meh at best. Still old cheap mosfet technology. No ability to stick weld, bare bones basic package.

 

[gus1962]

For me, I consider it an investment. For not so serious professional use, you'll be fine with that welding machine .

 

[dwatsonkc]

I have the Eastwood TIG, MIG, and Plazma. Bought all 3 on sale for about what a MIG would cost. Almost done with a complete metal replacement on a restoration Alfa Romeo. I've went through 3 rolls of wire in the MIG.

Never had any problems. In hindsight, as much as I've used the MIG I should have bought a nicer one, but hasn't been any issues yet.

 

[alxdgr8]

I bought the TIG200 and 40A plasma combo last year ($999 last Christmas). Put them both on a HF cart. They both work great for my garage. I had never TIG'd before so this fit my budget and use case perfectly.

 

[BD1]

Do you feel lucky ? Buy one. It could work fine. It's not a MILLER, Lincoln, or a Hobart but it is suppose to be a welder. If it works you did well, if not send it in for repairs and you should get it back in a couple of months. Many horror stories have been posted about the cheap imports. Well do you ? Good luck.

 

[Hghgrad]

I've got one of the 180 migs, it works well and I can use Lincoln consumables...which I already have on hand.

 

[EdT]

I purchased the 200 amp TIG/ 60 amp plasma combo last fall. There were some issues which I wish hadn't happened, but i must say the customer service was first rate. I bought the TIG to learn about the process and see how well it fits my needs. I had no delusions that the welder would be the best machine ever or that it would be my forever welder, Now that everything is working properly, I have done a lot of work with it and I have sold enough stuff to pay for the machine so I guess anything else I get out of it is gravy. I'm getting better with the process and have a better idea what I would be looking for in a fancier machine at some time in the future.
I haven't really used the plasma cutter yet other than to test it out and it seems to work fine. About the closest thing I'll ever have to a light saber. Pretty amazing!

 

[Bill Bowman]

I just (yesterday) received a flier from Eastwood with a 25% off coupon on anything. It's good until August 18,2014. If you can't find one on line, send me a pm with your address, and I'll send it to you. Bill

 

[fowlwishes]

That would be great Bill. PM sent!

 

[MagnumForce]

If the welder is not Red or Blue don't waste your money. If the Plasma Cutter isn't Yellow, don't waste your money.

 

[rodm1]

I went with a name brand because I bought cheep last time and the machine didn't work out of the box. The reason I went name brand is I wonted a machine that whose guaranteed to work right.

Nothing is worse then being a new owner and not having it work right and not have the experience to now it.

 

[bsaint]

If the welder is not Red or Blue don't waste your money. If the Plasma Cutter isn't Yellow, don't waste your money.

Esab makes good welding machines too.

 

[popskull]

I have the Eastwood 200 TIG welder and have been looking at the Plasma for a while now, but I don't think I would use it as often as I use the TIG. I am a novice welder who probably gets 10 hours behind the torch every month, if I am lucky. So, I knew that I would not be doing any heavy duty welding, no high duty cycle stuff, and nothing terribly thick. The welder itself has worked flawlessly for the 2 years we have owned it. The one issue we had is the gas line on the torch head disintegrated and caused a leak, but Eastwood replaced it for free and sent a whole new torch and lead.

I cannot think of a better beginner machine, to be honest. Not all of us can drop $3500+ on a Lincoln or Miller. I have been working on my technique lately with a manual pulse and I think my welds are turning out okay for my experience level. This said, I am having one hell of a time getting my aluminum welds to turn out well, but I am sure that can be brought back to my lack of experience with it.

This is a short bead I did on the rear end for my Mustang, manual pulse, E3 Tungsten, 3/32 ER80 rod, 1/4 steel to a bearing cup:

 

[erty67]

If the welder is not Red or Blue don't waste your money. If the Plasma Cutter isn't Yellow, don't waste your money.

so the Harbor Freight welders are good??? They're blue! I thought a white Hobart is better.

 

[bsaint]

HF welders are black lol.

 

[MagnumForce]

Red=Lincoln, Blue=Miller, Yellow=ESAB.

I would get a good used one of those over a new anything else.

 

[Bill Bowman]

George:

Got your pm. I'll drop the flier in the mail tomorrow a.m. Good luck, and hope you can save a few bucks. Bill

 

[BlueBomber]

I recently bought both the Eastwood 175 and the Versa plasma cutter. I've only used the plasma, but am really happy with it. Compared to my chinese 3-in-1 box with the plasma, it purrs like a sportscar.

 

[that-guy]

to all that are saying "all because its China built, its junk" and "if it isn't red, blue, or yellow, dont bother" did you actually test out any of the Eastwood products to give a legitimate review to help another person decide upon buying one or not???

your not giving any actual information, just that you will forever nut-swing about the products that you have always used. is the big red, blue and yellow great? ofcourse they are, but not everybody does this for a living, and wants an affordable/reliable solution to do this as a hobby.

so to all of those who want nothing more than to give an opinion simply because they have no facts, please, with all due respect, SHUT THE **** UP

 

[that-guy]

I have the Eastwood 200 TIG welder and have been looking at the Plasma for a while now, but I don't think I would use it as often as I use the TIG. I am a novice welder who probably gets 10 hours behind the torch every month, if I am lucky. So, I knew that I would not be doing any heavy duty welding, no high duty cycle stuff, and nothing terribly thick. The welder itself has worked flawlessly for the 2 years we have owned it. The one issue we had is the gas line on the torch head disintegrated and caused a leak, but Eastwood replaced it for free and sent a whole new torch and lead.

I cannot think of a better beginner machine, to be honest. Not all of us can drop $3500+ on a Lincoln or Miller. I have been working on my technique lately with a manual pulse and I think my welds are turning out okay for my experience level. This said, I am having one hell of a time getting my aluminum welds to turn out well, but I am sure that can be brought back to my lack of experience with it.

This is a short bead I did on the rear end for my Mustang, manual pulse, E3 Tungsten, 3/32 ER80 rod, 1/4 steel to a bearing cup:

thats a great bead, and though i haven't used the E3 tungsten yet, it seems to work good for you

i personally have been doing more alum than anything else and feel i have it down pretty good. i am using 2% lanthanated for everything now, but soon want to make some comparison passes using all of the different electrodes to decifer which is best for what

my gas line also got a tear in it which they replaced for free, but i am no longer using their supplied torch. i picked up the same one but with a flex head and gas lens...LOVE IT!!!

 

[Professur]

That's all BS. They are rebranded for sure. And the mig is a decent machine, the plasma is hit or miss. Mainly miss being they are a mosfet design. I blew one up after 2 uses. Almost jumped off the table.
Tig is meh at best. Still old cheap mosfet technology. No ability to stick weld, bare bones basic package.


__________________
Longevity 200ex
Thermal Arc 186 AC/DC
Tweco 141i
Longevity ProMTS200
Longevity ForceCut 62i

I'm sorry ... but this is the single funniest post I've seen this year.

Popskull, I gotta agree with That-Guy .. that's one sweet looking row. I'd love to see the cross section of that.

 

[Stooge]

I have the Eastwood 200 TIG welder .....This is a short bead I did on the rear end for my Mustang, manual pulse, E3 Tungsten, 3/32 ER80 rod, 1/4 steel to a bearing cup:

ooooh purdyyy

the only eastwood machines i've used have been a 120v mig that was running fluxcore and one of their tig machines that a friend's brother has/had (i dont know if he still has it). i wasnt terribly impressed with the mig, it was a little jumpy and overall just felt more toy like than something i would want to be able to rely on. but they are budget friendly and depending on what you are doing, i could see them being more than proficient.
i didnt get much time on the tig machine, but my opinion of it is pretty neutral. its priced right if you want to get into tig welding but dont want to commit the $1500-$2k average/minimum for a machine from one of the big brand names, but having used the miller and hobart machines before the eastwood, my opinion may be a little biased. i dont really have anything bad to say about it, it just didnt have the quality feel like the other machines i've used. i i dont remember hearing about any component failures with his machine, although i dont think he was very happy with the foot pedal and he was looking into upgrading the torch last i heard. i would probably look at an eastwood before an everlast, mostly due to the abundance of negative reviews of the everlast machines and customer service.

i have been eyeing one of the eastwood plasma cutters for awhile though, i dont know if i would use it enough to justify buying one of the pricier companies units, so eastwood may be the choice for me for a plasma.

 

[dmeadow]

I've got the Eastwood 135. I'm just a hobbyist user, but it has worked great for what I do. I had a leaky hose after a year and they sent me a new hose under warranty-- no problem.

 

[GSEninja]

I've had my Eastwood 135 for about 4 years now and it has not given me a single problem.. Self taught with the flux core wire and then moved on to MIG.. one of the best purchases I've ever made

If I could have afforded one of the higher end welders I may have started with that, but I'm glad i have the Eastwood!

 

[sberry]

I have never heard anyone say they didn't work, at least ok, but not sure how much experience most of the users have to compare with.

 

[JamesB]

I will throw my $.02 in. I have had the Tig 200 and VersaCut 40 for the last two years and have been really impressed with both. I did a lot of research before I made the purchase, and I would have much preferred to get a name brand Tig and Plasma Setup, but it wasn't in the budget, so I went with Eastwood and have not looked back. While they are basic units, and the Tig lacks some of the adjustments that the fancier and more expensive units have, for what they are, they perform very well. These are build for the Hobbyist, and for that market they are a great value for money.

Both the tig and the plasma have taken everything I have thrown at them, and I have never hit the duty cycle. That includes welding quite a bit of 1/4 inch aluminum and cutting an 18 inch 1/4 inch plate in a single pass with the plasma cutter. I use the plasma cutter for pretty much everything, it cuts both steel and Aluminum with ease, and if you have a steady hand use a straight edge you can get cuts that look like they came off a shear.

I have found the Tig works best on steel (DC), I can results get that I am very happy with on DC, not close to as nice as popskull welds are, but I happy with them.
The AC on aluminum has been more of a challenge to get a clean welds, and I am far from an expert so I think that is a lot of it, and also a lack of adjustment on the machine. Inspite of my lack of skills, with some fiddling, and gas lenses on the torch, I have been able to get good looking welds on Aluminum and strong to boot.

A few issues I have run into: The included regulator isn't great, but it works, I dropped mine early on and it broke, so I replaced it with a Victor Regulator/ Flowmeter for cyberweld that was well worth the Money.

A few weeks ago the gas supply hose on the tig torch split right below the torch handle, I contacted Eastwood and they sent me a new torch with no questions asked under warranty, they really stand behind their products. That is the only issue I have had. One thing to keep in mind: I had wanted to upgrade to a water cooled torch, but after some research I found that there is no easy/not very expensive way to do this. The air cooled torch in fine, it just gets pretty hot when you are using it for long periods of time.

This turned into quite a book, so to sum up I recommend Eastwood welders to anyone, as long as you know what you are getting into. Would I use one for Aerospace welding? No. But, if you want to learn the basics of welding on a solid unit that will grow with you for a good while, Eastwood is a great choice. In fact, one of their 220v Migs is on my short list to upgrade my Millermatic 140.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

If the welder is not Red or Blue don't waste your money. If the Plasma Cutter isn't Yellow, don't waste your money.

That sort of snobbish attitude really doesn't help when someone is asking for an honest opinion of a specific brand of welder. It only makes you look like a jerk, and I doubt that was your intent.

I am honestly curious about these and would be in the market, but your comment automatically makes me *NOT* want to have anything to do with any welder that is red or blue as a result. Again, probably not your intent, but your comment poisons those brands accordingly.

Without any actual experience with the Eastwood products, can you honestly give any respectable or honest opinion?

I have never driven or worked on a Lotus Elite, but that doesn't make me an automatic expert to tell others that nobody should even consider any vehicle other than a Ford or Chevy.

I say this all because you probably didn't mean to come off sounding elitist, but that's the impression you made.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I have never heard anyone say they didn't work, at least ok, but not sure how much experience most of the users have to compare with.

I don't know much about the performance record of the Eastwood welders, beyond that they recently shifted to machines built to spec for Eastwood alone, and that the specs were pretty decent. I'd be curious to see more results with actual owners.

What I *have* heard about Eastwood in general is their highly regarded customer service. They don't hesitate to make things right at their dime, not yours. Being able to call them up and deal with any company in an open and friendly manner can be huge to garage hobbyists like me. Since they sell far more than just welders, that customer service could be very important indeed.

That impresses me enough to seriously consider the Eastwood welders and cutters.

 

[erty67]

HF welders are black lol.

 

[MagnumForce]

For 90 bucks it probably tacks perfectly fine no penatratrion on anything else but I bet it tacks good, lol. Might as well get a resistance spot welder.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I pulled the trigger recently on the Eastwood 200 AC/DC TIG and the Vertacut 60 combo. I didn't get the cart since the cart was $80 and cost $50 shipping. Nope, sorry, just picked up a generic cart at Harbor Freight for $35 and will be modifying that. Already made a better and more secure bottle mount.

FYI: 80 CFM bottle purchased on sale for $179 from the LWS with the first fill up free with 75/25 argon. The lease option was $100 deductible and $15/mo, plus a $45 fill, so within two months it pays for itself already by purchasing the bottle if that is an option.