The HF Titanium Flux-125 was my very first welding machine. I liked it. I accidentally burnt it up when I plugged it into 220V instead of 110V. I have some other equipment that can use either, and I mistakenly “remembered” the HF Titanium Flux 125 as also being able to, but it’s not. So, as the replacement for it, I shopped carefully and bought the YESWELDER Flux-125. It can do gasless flux core welding (using either .030" in or .035" in wire), MMA stick welding and Lift TIG welding. It does not have a gas setup, so to do welding that requires gas means you need a separate gas setup. It comes with both a wire feeding handle/switch and and a stinger for stick welding. It runs on 110V, and was easy to setup and is easy to use.
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Just trying to visualize how you managed that? Have you got 220V coming out of a 110V outlet in your shop or did you have a 220V plug on the welder?
Some welders have a switching ability inside.
Just remember extension chords will play into the 110v stuff.
That’s a amazing price for a nice gas capable welder. I highly recommend getting a gas tank lots of places will do returns etc. it’s like trade a tank.
And tig gas and mig gas are not the same so that gets a bit tricky as well.
Lift start tig is ok especially at that price but a pedal and ac is great for doing aluminum etc.
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Several devices that can go either way, 110/220, will have either a 110 plug with a 110 to 220 converter plug, or the other way around. But in this case, it was even more simple than that. I have a step up/step down transformer that turns 110 into 220, which I need for my plasma cutter, my electromagnetic sheet-metal brake, and my spot welder. The transformer allows you to plug either a 110 style plug or a 220 style plug into any of its outlets.
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Oh, I see. Convenient but also very easy to make a mistake if your not 100% focused. Sounds like you could even step up 220V to 440V and easily put it into a 110V device with that transformer if you’re not careful!
Yep, and for me it was a quick, easy, $200 (or so) mistake.
It can only do either stepping down 220V to 110V or stepping up 110V to 220V.
Just purchased it. I’ve been telling myself to buy a MIG machine for a while now so this helped me pull the trigger. Thanks for info and link!
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Thanks for the post - I’ve wanted to get a welder to tinker with for a long time and the price point sent me over the edge.
They also have 15% off coupons for the YESWELDER brand of Mig wire and auto-darkening helmet, so I added them as well.
Now to find something to weld!
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I just want to add 2 cents here about PPE, do not skimp on it. Auto darkening helmets are not all created equal and you only get one set of eyes. Hobart has some for $68 to $135, can spend a bit more on a Miller or Lincoln. I had a cheap one, kept getting headaches and eye strain from it and wasnt the most comfortable thing out there. Switched to a nice Miller and all of that went away when doing welding projects on top of being comfortable. Ear protection is a very nice thing to have, grinding and welding is a lot louder than you may think. Gloves you don’t need to spend big bucks on, but I would suggest an insulated glove for your support hand doing MIG. MSC Direct actually has some less expensive gloves that are well made as does your local weld shop if you have one. Make sure your shirt is made of cotton and is long sleeve (welding sleeves are actually quite nice) as it tends to not burn like poly or melt to your skin should a hot piece of slag land on you or sparks from grinding hitting you. A welding jacket is another option should you want to go that route. A good pair of jeans and leather foot ware (eg work boots) will help protect your lower body.
If you have tried every setting on the machine, every position, and prepped the material properly and you still aren’t getting a good looking joint, try some wire from a reputable manufacturer. Beyond that it is all practice and familiarity with your welder.
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I have never regretted spending money on better PPE.
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Good advice! The only time I can imagine when someone might regret anything regarding PPE is if they fail to use it and suffer because of that.
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What? I can’t hear you over my tinnitus… I had ppe, just not enough. 