thinking about upgrading my welder...your thoughts!

[Matthew3901]

thinking of upgrading my welder from a HF special to this:
Is it a good though...primarily doing autowork and small stuff nothing heavy.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-mp200i.html

 

[jallyn]

looks promising. the last guy i knew who bought a personal home/hobby use (race cars) bought a low-end Hobart for about $450.

 

[370]

Ok i'll be "that guy". Save a little extra $$ and buy yourself a Lincoln 210mp. Same stick,mig, tig configuration and you can add a foot pedal (still lift arc but you have amperage control at your foot). If your not planning on using the tig function anyway then look into a Hobart handler 210. Both these machine I believe offer a better duty cycle, better warranty, american construction, ease of parts availability, and a nationwide network of service and repair centers. Consumables are easy to find as well. You can get Hobart consumables at TSC. Just my $0.02

 

[Ign]

Yep, I think you'll regret it. If not now, in a year.

The price point simply makes no sense - a MIG, TIG and stick in a single box w inverter technology and digital displays for less than $600.

Having personally handled Eastwood's 135 MIG I'll never touch any of their machines again.

And can anyone shed light on why they claim 3/8" max with MIG but only 1/4" with stick? Are they just banking on multiple passes with wire? A true 200A with 6010/11 should blow thru 1/4" plate if you pause for a second.

Ok then they say the machine has 30-220A output. But then it says MIG is 200A max and TIG/stick is 175A max. Nothing is spec'd as having 220 despite the initial description.

My guess is that the machine is over-rated and poorly constructed. I base this on my previous experience with an Eastwood machine, the sketchy description and the price.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[AndyA]

You've already had a taste of welding, and apparently you liked it. At this point, I'd guess you're not going to quit welding. Save your money, buy a quality machine that's oversized for what you need. (200amp @50%duty cycle) Then you'll be able to use it for the next 20 years. Yes, it's more money to pay now, but the $ per year works out better in the long run.

Miller, Lincoln, Esab, and maybe Hobart would be the only brands I'd consider.

I don't have any experience in the multi-process machines, so I can't make any recommendations there.

Also if you decide to quit welding for some reason, the name brands will hold a better resale value. Not that I'd ever encourage someone to sell tools. Blasphemy!

 

[Ign]

^^^good points. I paid $1000 for my Ironman 210 circa 2003. IIRC 60% duty cycle at 150A (this was pre-Handler thus big machine on integrated running gear). It's been my primary wire feed for 13 years, so that works out to $76 per year with no end in sight (just used the hell out of it yesterday).

I've never once managed to actually hit the duty cycle on it and I tend to weld most everything at the top 2 power taps. I see people trying to re-sell this very same machine for $1k today, but I think they're dreaming. Still, it could go for $400-$500. ITW support means I can still get parts & tech support today (not that I've ever needed it).

Granted, this is not a multi-process machine so not apples to apples with OP's choice; merely an example of the benefits & durability of a brand name machine