Harbor Freight Chicago 130 amp TIG / 90 amp arc Inverter Welder Review Part 1

[imchet]

Wow, I can't believe they actually put the power switch on the front where it belongs! Hey Lincoln Electric, take a hint already.

[dlscadlsca]

Hello thanks for info on welder Great Help. after

your review decided I needed one purchased a

unit via EBAY it is missing Operating Manual if

I could Email you Pay Pal Payment would you

be able to make Copy of Operating Manual.

Dwight L. Scates

[mpellegran]

i got mine for 199 and even tried my argon bottle for aluminum. no go. tigs and arcs steel very well, though. bought to augment my tiny 80amp wire feeder, and this thing is great. but no foot control for tig ;-[

[reap62]

i gotta say ive heard a lot of good things about harbor freight stuff theyre not millers or snap on tools but you get what you paid and then some so theyre definitely worth it for someone whos a backyard guy or even for smaller shops

[Shootingstarvideo]

The chinese and jews already own this u.s.a. get used to it.

[snakeoil24]

Chinese Junk keep buying their crap and sink us further into the toilet

[dieselwarriordotcom]

Please post a video of the work you did with it, and explain how it did please. I am wanting to get into doing some mild steel TIG welding, but Im on a shoestring budget. Thanks!

[wrenchbender320]

fucking garbage

[CRJarvis]

Can it TIG weld aluminum?

[hangoutsumtime]

@CRJarvis no

[CRJarvis]

@hangoutsumtime sorry lol i had asked before i looked and found the answer on the next page. i also found out that it Can Tig weld Aluminum. Just not vary Good.

you need to run it in DCEP and it will do it. just not the best way.

[ExtraSilver]

hi does anybody know the output voltage of tig or MMA welders?  thanks

[pfun41]

do you have alot of harbor freight tools? cause i se some multicolored sockets on your toolbox and i kno hf sells them

[chefron8]

I wanted to ask about the welder you have under the one you are talking about. What kind of electricity are you running the blue one off? I have one just like it except the color and brand. When I got it it needed a new plug and I put a dryer 220 plug on it but it just doesn't have much juice. Is your shop wired for some kind of special industrial power?

Thank you.

[herring7]

I ended up getting a 200 amp inverter welder by "Smarter Tools". It's really smooth, but it's not a TIG unit. But it has a 100% duty cycle at 120 amps so you can keep going even on heavier metal. I thought it was pretty good for $250.

[MacsCanfly]

lol you have my same exact radio

[kenx626555]

very informative post!thanks

[evifj]

I would like to see some tig welding with it PLEASE>>>>> IT WOULD HELP US ALL OUT ON THE SEARCH FOR A CHEAP WELDER.

[qwertrewq9879878712]

please show me the second part of the video I´m really interested in watching what could be done in simple square mild steel tube 1.6 2.0 mm thicknes

[thetrinity1010]

Even though Harbor F has a bad rep for it's products being made in China...they seem to work just as well, if not better than most products I purchase other places. I have every welding machine Harbor Fr. carries and NONE of them have EVER gone bad. My miller from a weld. manf went bad in a year and a half. I've been welding for 37 years...Harbor F has good welding machines.

[Sleeko11]

Just don't buy anything from Harbor

Freight. It's all made in China, using pilfered intellectual property.

[woi2ld]

is there any delay on the gas....will the gas run before and after the arc..?

[scartail123]

Good video... Very informative...

I have this unit myself. I'm almost word for word with "olov244". And think it is a great unit to "tool" around with in the home garage.

[jcorsaro]

It is a pile compared to the nice stuff I have like my Miller Dynasty, and miller passport, but it does make welds, and some don't want to spend $3500. I have even welded with a set of golf cart batteries, and jumper cables, it made a fine weld in a pinch and it did not cost me anything.

[olov244]

i bought one after searching welding forums, it's actually not that bad for a dc tig. i got mine for $160 new, $35 for hf regulator, $55 for a yellow jacket 10/3 cord(the one with the machine is just too small), and $10 for a plug end. once i got gas/tungsten/etc it was good to go. no classes and i started on aluminized stainless exhaust. it's also NOT a scratch start, it's a lift start(or whatever it's called) but scratch method works. get the proper accessories and then test it on video

[TheLightningStalker]

Those "through hole, older style" components rock your world.

[owvenus]

hey , were's the part 2. no time? Its good you did the HF tig and you took the top off , that's very imformative. HF was known for china made stuff they sell pretty cheap . but now i've seen the innards i guess i'll buy one too. i do slight motorcycle repair and i hope i can use this for light aluminum welds on bike parts, you know what i mean. great video and i checked out ur other vids. cool man. keep it up.

[jcorsaro]

I was able to do some decent welds on steel from .040 to 1/8" thick with the HF welder. Your not going to be able to do aluminum welding with this unit since it is DC only. I would recommend a Miller Diversion 165, it's not much more than the cheapest Chinese made AC TIG welder, and works very nicely for waht it is.

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

this is really useful as Im considering getting an inverter arc welder having worked on the regular ones which are ok but limited in capability with thinner sheet

(im only a beginner but very interested) thank you!

[Walterronny]

i was using it for ago some weeks already, i have to practice a lot yet, do you have some videos how looks your welds? ill appreciate it a lot.

[d3javoodoo]

Do some welding with it so we can see the quallity & duty cycle???

[jcorsaro]

I have yet to hit the duty cycle limit, and have it shut down to cool off. I will tell you, the #9 style TIG torch will melt in your hand before the welding unit overheats.

[tclonedelta7]

when are you going to part 2???????????

[jcorsaro]

I know, I have some of the videos shot, I have been busy with other stuff. For a quick review: it arc welds much better than a AC buzz box, but not quite as nice as miller inverter box. It TIG welds good, but the torch is overheats quickly.

[tclonedelta7]

thanks thats what i wanted to know

[Walterronny]

Ok! ill be waiting for how good looks welding you can make with HF 130 TIG!

it's used and i got some new torches and new fillers for it.

Thank you

[jcorsaro]

It DC tig welds just as nice as a miller, it just does not have the adjust ability of a high end tig machine, & the torch over heats quickly. Plus scratch starting the arc tears up the tungsten.

[Walterronny]

ill appreciate it alot looking some results welding with that TIG please, ill get it one soon.

[jcorsaro]

The arc welding performance has been above my expectations. The duty cycle has to be better than the advertised 35%, I welded for 10 min at max current, and it never shut down. It TIG welds alright, the torch over heats too soon, and I am spoiled with high frequency, non contact arc starts on my Miller TIG machine I have taken a few more videos, I just need to put them together and post to youtube..

[jcorsaro]

In order to scratch start an arc you have to strike the tungsten fast and lightly, or you blow the tip off. The TIG performs about the same as a Miller Maxstar I use to have (cost 8x more). Lift starts & HF starts on the Miller are nice, but at the price of this unit, you cant ask for too much more. It will make a good hobby welder. It work much better than any of the cheep 70amp transformer AC welders, and better than my Miller buzz box as long as you don't need to weld over 3/16" steel.

[freddytk421]

I'm getting one of these this weekend. Can you show how to use the lift arc or scratch or whatever that method is I have never used a tig without a high frequency or foot pedal. I can't wait to try it out I bet its great. I totaly love the 80amp inverter.