Notgrownup
Well-known member
It gets decent reviews and I just need a basic welder in the shop. I don’t want to spend tons of money on a welder , I was considering a basicArc stick welder but I think the Flux core wire will be more flexible.
Think I will buy a HF Titanium easy flux 125
- Thread starter Notgrownup
- Start date
thickhead
Well-known member
I almost bought one about a year ago because of all the great reviews and the price, wound up with a Hobart Handler 100 instead because of the long warranty instead of HF’s 90 day warranty. Did cost about $40 more but has been a great little machine for me - might be worth a look to see if it suits you.
https://store.cyberweld.com/hobart-handler-100-500572.html
https://store.cyberweld.com/hobart-handler-100-500572.html
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
Holy ****, thanks for the tip...
thickhead
Well-known member
No problem. 
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
I am going to study this a little more.
NGU, Personally I would stick with the Harbor Freight. Why? Simply the Harbor Freight stores are all over the place. If you happen to have a problem with it simply return it. The other brand would more than likely send it out and lord knows how long it would take to return. Just my too scents worth, Ken
sberry
Banned
I would go stick before flux.
txvwnut
Well-known member
Hobart is sold through Northern Tool and if there’s a HF around an NT store shouldn’t be too far away. I too second the Hobart as they are a great welder for the home shop. Get one that has all the gas hookups so if you get tired of flux wire switching is easy.
sberry
Banned
You should run and hide before they figure out you stole it.
Why?
Especially since no one knows what is being welded.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
American Locomotive
Well-known member
HF only has a 90 day warranty. You aren't going to be able to return it if it dies after 90 days. Sure you can buy the extended warranty, but at that point you might as well just by the equivalent machine for the same effective price from a better brand.
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Hobart is sold by Tractor Supply as well. Reading the other posts it seems like a lot of the "farm" stores sell Hobart.
I've not done any flux core welding since I have a MIG, so no opinion on FC vs stick, but I am starting to see the appeal of that little HF welder.
Only 15lbs, $125, and no tanks to deal with. Add a 100 foot extension cord and it seems like it could be a pretty handy portable light repair welder if you had a need for that.
I don't, nothing I weld can't be easily brought close to my cart, but I can see why it would be popular.
I've not done any flux core welding since I have a MIG, so no opinion on FC vs stick, but I am starting to see the appeal of that little HF welder.
Only 15lbs, $125, and no tanks to deal with. Add a 100 foot extension cord and it seems like it could be a pretty handy portable light repair welder if you had a need for that.
I don't, nothing I weld can't be easily brought close to my cart, but I can see why it would be popular.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Best advice ! Worth the extra money !!
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
If you learn stick, everything else is easy !
The problem with stick is anything decent requires 240V.
Pontiac787
Well-known member
Northern has the Hobart 125 for $355 with free shipping and you get a $50 gift card. If you need a helmet, wire, etc. you can use the gift card for that. I just did that with the Hobart 210. I got a $200 gift card which I used for wire, a helmet, etc. and ended up getting another $20 gift card for that purchase.
One thing I found is that Northern has competitive prices on wire but their nozzles and tips are more than double the price of Cyberweld.com.
One thing I found is that Northern has competitive prices on wire but their nozzles and tips are more than double the price of Cyberweld.com.
The problem with alot of the older and smaller flux core machines is they were AC and would make some ugly welds. But with mild steel flux core needs to be run DC. And guess what the Titanium 125 is DC and can make some good welds, even on thick stuff. This was two passes on each side, the center piece was 3/4 inch thick, done out in the field off a generator.
Attachments
kmacht
Well-known member
I read the reviews and tried buying a titanium 170 this weekend. The first one the wire feed diddnt work at all. You pull the trigger and the gas flows but the wire motor to advance the wire never moved. I exchanged it for another. This one the wire feed was also screwed up. You pulled the trigger and the gas turned on 5 seconds before the wire very slowly fed. After you let off the trigger the gas immediatly stopped but the wire kept going for another 5 seconds. It was impossible to use and get any sort of reliable bead out of. I returned it and went and bought a hobart handler 140 for the same price from tractor supply. Its only a 110 machine and doesnt have the bells and whistles of the titanuim 170 but it also diddnt take up a whole weekend of time running around buying and returning trying to find one that works. I have had good luck with most of the harbor freight stuff but the titanium welder was a compleye dud in my opinion.
MileHighRover
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2018
- Messages
- 1,120
My Titanium 125 has been flawless. Great little machine for the home user.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
That's really only true of the really cheap and nasty flux core machines.
"classic" name brand flux core machines like the Hobart and Lincoln 110-140a units are all proper DC units.
ThePostman
Well-known member
I saw this thread earlier today, and the first thing I thought was get ready for the people that say spend half a grand, get a big *** cylinder, go for 240v, and it must b made by miller, hobart, or lincoln. If you are just learning, that model is a good gateway, it can pay for itself really fast patching exhaust if you practice. Use lincoln wire, $12 or so a spool at home depot.. That being said, my first was a hf 125 flux core, if you can lay a decent bead with that, or fill in holes on exhaust, sky's the limit with proper equipment. I have the titanium stick 225 also, I've stuck a lot of metal together with it, 6011, 6013, you start to push it with 7018 depending on thickness. But if you want to do exhaust pipe, 1/16 6013, dialed down, do it all day. Learn, you will look at metal "garbage" a different way, especially if a neighbor throws out a bed frame. Free angle iron, cut the ends off. Find the puddle, control the puddle, move the puddle. Exhaust is a little bit more finesse, but doable, and not looking like hack garbage if you know what you're doing. I've seen a lot of ****** exhaust welds, but they've held.
Last edited:
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
All I want it for is lightweight welding like welding a angle bracket on my trailer or a ring on there to bolt hold downs for my Harley in the trailer, very light uses...My son in law has a Stick, MIg, Tig, plasma cutter Oxy/ acet set up so if it’s heavier duty I can go there...
My shop is more set up to work on my Motorcycle and woodworking than anything but I think it would be nice to have a little welder around.
My shop is more set up to work on my Motorcycle and woodworking than anything but I think it would be nice to have a little welder around.
I like HF and have the Vulcan MIG, but if just starting out, I think I'd go for that Hobart, at such a relatively small price difference.
sberry
Banned
Why?
Especially since no one knows what is being welded.
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
There is a different selection of electrodes. Stick is very high quality and can do unlimited thickness. The mvp run 120/240 and will run 1/8 lo by on 240. They run 1/8 6011 and 3 /32 ho by on 120 v which has about retired my engine drives. So easy to move, works well with cords.
R_Holiday
Well-known member
I had one and it works very well. I was not very informed and it couldn’t weld what I want to weld which was 16 gauge stainless steel. I sold it and got a mig welder. For mild steel hobby projects it’s a good buy.
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
Well my son in law told me today that he might be upgrading his MIG set up and I could get his Miller set up...I will see what he decides.
That’s not a bad route. If that doesn’t work, I’d consider the Hobart before a HF unit.
My first MIG was a Lincoln flux core. Yes it works, but nowhere near as good as a unit with gas.
I’m with sberry, I believe I’d rather have a DC stick welder with small rods if I could get away with it before going flux core.
MileHighRover
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2018
- Messages
- 1,120
Please explain.
thickhead
Well-known member
Looks like you can get the Hobart direct for $225 shipped.
https://www.hobartweldshop.com/handler-100-wire-feed-welder/
https://www.hobartweldshop.com/handler-100-wire-feed-welder/
R_Holiday
Well-known member
Another good option is a nice used mig machine and a 20lb bottle of CO2. Welds nice and doesn’t cost much to refill the tank. It costs about $20-$25 and you get 174 cubic feet of gas.
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
This is a gas mig set up Lincoln 140 ,... He is buying a Nice set up so I know where it’s coming from.. lightly used. All I need to get is a tank, mask, gloves etc?.
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
Now I need to shop for a gas tank, auto darkening helmet and such. I am going to buy Lincoln brand wire I guess. Looked at their helmets as well... I am excited to practice with it. I welded with stick in shop class and my cousin was a welder and showed me how to lay a decent bead. I have used my SIL Miller mig in the past ... I will get some scrap steel and sheet metal for practice...
GeoRoss
Active member
I picked one up in March for $150. I'm new to welding and based on the reviews and videos I've seen I thought this would be perfect for the projects I have in mind and to get my feet wet. So far I've run about 12 labs of wire through it and as far as I can tell no nuns have died. I've welded up sides for my trailer, a dozen brackets, etc. So far so good.
It is small and easy to work with. If you don't have a lot of room, this works well. It is really portable. I need to see what the amp draw is when welding because I do have some projects that are at an off-grid cabin that this will be perfect for if my small generator is up to the task.
Would I weld up an off-road bumper or build a suspension with it, no. Does is splatter and leave little bb's, yes. Does is stick two pieces of metal together, yes. My welds are pretty ugly compared to people with experience and better welders, but this got my foot in the door for cheap. I do plan on learning to Mig and possible Tig weld, but the cost on entry was higher than I wanted to go for the projects I needed to do now. I do agree that the wire it came from is not as good as the equivalent Hobart or Lincoln.
It is small and easy to work with. If you don't have a lot of room, this works well. It is really portable. I need to see what the amp draw is when welding because I do have some projects that are at an off-grid cabin that this will be perfect for if my small generator is up to the task.
Would I weld up an off-road bumper or build a suspension with it, no. Does is splatter and leave little bb's, yes. Does is stick two pieces of metal together, yes. My welds are pretty ugly compared to people with experience and better welders, but this got my foot in the door for cheap. I do plan on learning to Mig and possible Tig weld, but the cost on entry was higher than I wanted to go for the projects I needed to do now. I do agree that the wire it came from is not as good as the equivalent Hobart or Lincoln.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I started out with an old Lincoln buzz box, sold it when I moved and bought a Lincoln 135 running flux core. Was never really very happy with it, so I upgraded 10 years later to a Miller 211 MIG based on the recommendations here on the board; needed something better when I started the '32 frame.
It was a great decision, I love the autoset feature. My welding improved overnight.
Still have the Lincoln 135, I'm going to try it with a bottle and see how much better it does running MIG than Flux.
Agree with Carey, If I had it to do over again I would probably have kept the buzz box running stick and bought the 211 later.
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Mig welders can run flux core, so you could even just get a spool of flux core wire and be about where you would have been with the Titanium.
When you get tired of that buy a tank of CO2 and find out why most people prefer MIG.
OP
Notgrownup
Well-known member
I’m looking for a tank now.. I found a 51” full for $200
American Locomotive
Well-known member
I run both fluxcore and solid core in my Lincoln MIG. Don't have a problem either either wire, honestly. Flux core makes a big mess for sure, but it's pretty easy to lay down nice beads once you dial your settings in. I feel like a lot of people just buy a flux core machine, set the dials to some random numbers, and then never bother to tinker around with the settings to really dial it in and learn the machine. Then they go online and complain that flux core is terrible.
I'd much rather have a flux core machine than a stick machine with tiny rods. Stick is way more difficult to get right than flux core, IMO.
I'd much rather have a flux core machine than a stick machine with tiny rods. Stick is way more difficult to get right than flux core, IMO.