Eastwood Mig 135

[Marty256]

Anyone here used this mig welder. It's on sale now for 199.00 but if it's junk I don't want to waste my money. The Hobart and Lincoln are twice the price so I'm a little leery.

 

[BD1]

Save your money for a real machine. Put that money on a Miller, Lincoln, or a hobart. You will be glad you did. That machine is pretty close to the HF one and the other imports.
You can check on WELDINGWEB for input on these imports. Almost ALL sponsored sites remove any negative feedback so everything posted is positive. There are many horror stories about these too.
http://weldingweb.com/

 

[CNGsaves]

The larger Eastwood that runs on 240v would be better.

If you absolutely only have 120v available, then Hobart Handler 140 is a nice unit on a budget. Look for one on CL . . . often in the $250 to $400 range.

 

[owenst7]

You can pick up a 125-140A Lincoln at Home Depot periodically for around $300 give or take. I've picked up two in the past four years, and helped a friend track down a third. I think people buy them, can't figure out how to use them, and return them. Both of mine were labeled as refurbs, but the tips didn't have any spatter on them at all. I think they're great little machines for the price and I won't ever go back to being without one. I use it all the time where I can't drag my big 250A machine out or I don't want to/can't clean off all the paint, rust, etc.

Pretty sure I paid $280 for the first one and it came with an extra whip for some reason. I picked one up last New Years Eve for $325. I've had luck haggling with the store manager on them too, so that is worth a try on a discount/refurb/returned item.

 

[Ign]

Do not do it. Seemingly built by Fisher Price

 

[Marty256]

thanks for the input I think I'll save up and buy American!

 

[Showkey]

The Eastwood is a decent machine with good price point, free delivery , 3 year warranty and good support. I have the 175 amp 240 v it's been flawless priced at $479 delivered.
In the case of MIG the guts of the other machines are NOT always US parts. Not all branded units are the same construction and depends on the where it purchased. Assembled in Mexico or China or assembled in the US from "global parts" might come up when you do some reasearch.

Read the reviews on all the machines. Like some of the independent reviews....

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/lincoln-power-mig.html

 

[Thephranc]

I have one and its a perfectly good welder for non-industrial use. It is a "real machine" and will lay down a weld just as good as a big name welder for twice or more of the price.

 

[owenst7]

In the case of MIG the guts of the other machines are NOT always US parts. Not all branded units are the same construction and depends on the where it purchased. Assembled in Mexico or China or assembled in the US from "global parts" might come up when you do some reasearch.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/lincoln-power-mig.html

I actually just had to take apart my Lincoln 125 from Home Depot here several months ago due to melting down a buss bar from a loose connection...which was completely my fault because I wasn't checking it despite dragging the machine all over the place in my truck.

The construction quality inside was substantially better than I expected, and I was able to source the parts for it locally. The wiring was heavy and used olefin jacketing instead of cheap hard PVC. The wiring diagram printed inside the case was very thorough and labeled very well. The jacket on the wiring was labeled 100% corresponding to the diagram, and even had the date/shift/time it was manufactured on the reel (which tells me this was an ISO facility with quality control, so they could track down failed product if something doesn't meet QC). The board was set in a high temp epoxy and had vibration dampening built in to the mount. This machine is one I had been using for about three years and had only ever been used on the highest voltage setting (welding mostly 1/8"-1/4") and I had never obeyed the duty cycle on it (I've never actually had the thermal shutoff trip though). I saw no signs of heat damage on the insulation or mounting for the transformer, and the insulation was still flexible.

I'm not saying the big box store 110V FCAW/GMAW machines are nearly as heavy duty as a light production machine, but they are substantially higher manufacturing quality than the majority of consumer grade tools I've taken apart. I would say the manufacturing and QC methods are probably largely the same from the consumer machines like that even up to the 250A machines, but the critical parts with substantial cost like the transformer, fan, etc. are all sized with a much lower duty cycle/safety margin. from what I saw, the biggest difference I see between them is the duty cycle, and even then I know that 20% at max output is a conservative estimate. I know I exceeded it just about every time I turned the machine on. I haven't ever had an import welder apart so I can't compare it to that, but I certainly don't agree that the name brand machines are built poorly...they're built light, but the quality is still there and I don't agree that durability with them is an issue so long as you aren't trying to use the machine well beyond its rated specifications.

From what I've seen looking at the 110V commercial machines at my LWS, I think the commercial machines are primarily designed differently to address the literal throwing and banging around that your average employee is going to put them through. They're a lot more durable in the sense of mechanical abuse, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have fans that will provide more cooling despite dusty environments, vibration, etc. They definitely replace a lot of the plastic of the chassis with metal (looks like the sheet steel is all the same, but the plastic parts on my machines are aluminum on the commercial machines). If you're going to be throwing the machine around a lot, or having a $10 an hour guy use it on a job site for you, I'm sure you'd regret buying a Home Depot machine over a commercial one with the service your LWS should offer. If you're a guy at home that will be using it in the garage and always have it on a cart, you might want to consider if you need to worry about it being dropped and overheated constantly. Personally I think the money saved would be better spent on a second machine with higher output...either SMAW or GMAW, whichever works for you.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

thanks for the input I think I'll save up and buy American!

Doesn't even have to be American to be good, it just seems that welder is in the very low echelon of low-end MIG welders. I would look into a 240V unit or one with dual 120V/240V capabilities, if all you have for now is 120V available. You're fairly limited with those smaller machines.

 

[Scotts1200]

Anyone here used this mig welder. It's on sale now for 199.00 but if it's junk I don't want to waste my money. The Hobart and Lincoln are twice the price so I'm a little leery.

I'm on my 2nd Hobart 140 in 4 years.
Im not impressed with Millers low end Hobart Quailty.
I Bought a Eastwood mig 175 on Deal of the day, for much less and it came with a Spool Gun.
Duty Cycle is 10% Higher on the Eastwood and Comes with a 3 year warranty.
Yes, it was made in China. So is Hobart and Lincolns comparable units......

Oh yeah! Did I mention Less then 1/2 the price of Hobart 180 without a spool gun, Infinite Power Switch And Free Shipping.

Ordered my Eastwood on a Sunday got it on Wed afternoon.

After reading Reviews I was weary but they offer a 30day free return.
So I tried it. I have been giving it Hell ever since.

I love with My Eastwood Mig 175.

If something happens to my Eastwood after 3 year warranty Runs out.
I will buy another one. Remember less then 1/2 the price and better options.

I plan on buying there 60 amp Plasma next.

I think hobart/miller and lincoln need to step up there Game.



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[Crazyjake8493]

I'm on my 2nd Hobart 140 in 4 years.
Im not impressed with Millers low end Hobart Quailty.
I Bought a Eastwood mig 175 on Deal of the day, for much less and it came with a Spool Gun.
Duty Cycle is 10% Higher on the Eastwood and Comes with a 3 year warranty.
Yes, it was made in China. So is Hobart and Lincolns comparable units......

Oh yeah! Did I mention Less then 1/2 the price of Hobart 180 without a spool gun, Infinite Power Switch And Free Shipping.

I've considered that machine a while now. Glad to hear you like it and that it's working out for you! If I'm ever in the market for a MIG, I'll probably look at that one. I wish they'd sell it without the spool gun for less, maybe $400. I know it would sit in a drawer if I got it. But the machine intrigues me. I've also heard that Eastwood is very good about honoring their warranty if there's any problems.

I wouldn't even look at the 135, I've never cared for 120V MIGs.

 

[Scotts1200]

I've considered that machine a while now. Glad to hear you like it and that it's working out for you! If I'm ever in the market for a MIG, I'll probably look at that one. I wish they'd sell it without the spool gun for less, maybe $400. I know it would sit in a drawer if I got it. But the machine intrigues me. I've also heard that Eastwood is very good about honoring their warranty if there's any problems.

I wouldn't even look at the 135, I've never cared for 120V MIGs.

I bought my mig175 on "Deal of the Day"
It was $433 shipped.

If you buy one, you can always sell the spool gun.
I'd buy a extra spool gun for say $50-75
And let it sit in my drawer.
Without a Doubt....
Im sure others would pay more....

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[snyder]

I bought the eastwood 135 mig six months ago and absolutely love it.
I got it to weld in new rocker panels on a car and have used it to weld exhaust pipes and other small jobs. It has worked flawlessly with no wire jams or other headaches.
I do use inert gas with it, never flux core. For a hobbyist I think it fits my needs perfectly.

 

[Stooge]

Surprising to hear about the Hobart 140, I had one for a couple of years and never had any issues with it, used it pretty regularly and ran both gas and flux core through it. Ended up selling it to a buddy when I bought a 211, so im not sure how much use it gets now but I haven't heard any complaints about it either.

 

[speedfreek1210]

My dad has the Eastwood 135. We've had no problems with it. My brother ( who works in a high performance/fab shop) has used the **** out of it while restoring his '73 duster. He says it works great for it's intended usage.


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[74grabber]

I have had my 175 for a year now, put about 10 bottles of gas through it. I like it, smooth operation, common consumables, and honestly over 15 years shopping there eastwood has never let me down.

Before that I had a Hobart 140 and a lincoln 140 over the years. all great welders.

For a cheaper one I wouldn't go any less than eastwood brand new and would try to find a used name brand.

If you really can wait a little bit until financially I would go with a lincoln 210MP, that's what I intended to get but I had a hard time justifying 1200 sitting in the corner not getting used enough so I went eastwood. But everyone's situation is different.

 

[trackwelder]

Buy a Miller or Lincoln. Yes the Eastwood is cheap and has a warranty but what do you do with it after the warranty expires? The big names in welding have repair and parts availability in every state in the nation.

 

[Showkey]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^You call them and they send the needed part.........this is the garage and these boxes are not complex.
same thing the Miller dealer will be doing............call the manufacturer for parts. Then hope they are not obsolete on a 20 year old machine.

 

[bigredmf]

My 135 showed up yesterday, hope to start working on a cart this weekend.

BTW I was able to use a 10% off code so it ended up costing 179.99, with shipping 194.99

Has anyone had any success using .035 fluxcore with this welder to weld to its "rated" 5/16" capacity?

Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Red