Chinese handheld Arc (stick) welder - just how sketchy is it?

A look at a dubious looking hand-held stick welder.
mikeselectricstuff merch : mikeselectricstuff.creator-sp...

[@notsonominal]

First welds on the internet? Brave man!

[@MrBigShotFancyPants]

Very used wire brush for a virgin welder

[@br6768]

_"Significant amounts of ignorantry welding"_

[@GloriousReign]

😂😂

[@TechGorilla1987]

For anyone reading this that has never welded, if you use those welding glasses to weld, you can expect to look like a fool that visited a tanning bed, wore goggle and fell asleep. The reason why a welding helmet is a helmet is the UV skin burns. Don't get it twisted, it's every bit as bad as a sunburn. I found this out by watching a colleague do some welding while holding a spare welding glass (oblong shaped) over my eyes. Not one of the old guys warned me, but they sure laughed the next few days as I was in pain and had a visible square of white skin around my eyes.

[@-allround-]

Makes me laugh even now

[@firstmkb]

The 15% duty cycle acts as EMF noise protection, because it would be difficult for anyone to locate you and fine you.

[@TornTech1]

"Convenient at high Altitude" translated into "working up a ladder" really did make me chuckle!

[@firstmkb]

Thank you - that whooshed right over my head!

[@repatch43]

Honestly that is FAR better than I expected!

[@dangoldbach6570]

For a first time weld, this isn't bad! You should've seen me! Just a couple things that really helped me, strike the rod like a match, it is a lot less likely to stick. Next, try a rod called 6011, it is nicknamed "garbage rod" because it will weld through the nastiest rust and paint so you don't have to be as picky cleaning up your steel. Third, with 6011, use a "whip" technique, thats where you hold still for a second, then rapidly move forward about an inch and then back to the front of the melt puddle, this will give you a good strong weld, you got it down when it gets that nice stack of coins laid sideways look. Also, definitely DON'T weld anything galvanized, the white/ yellow fuzz that forms is a dead giveaway if you do get into it. The fumes from it are BAD news! And don't forget the most important part, HAVE FUN! Welding is just cool!!

[@bairfamilyfarm1336]

6011, a farm hand’s favorite! I can’t tell you how many of those I go through in a year!

[@TheL0k3]

you wont die from zink you'll just get a nasty taste and a headache.

[@DextersTechLab]

That did better than i expected TBH. For someone with no other welder and a need to make really basic random one-off things like a bracket for your workbench or fixing something i could actually see it being useful.

[@1pcfred]

That's my take. It's not ideal pro kit but for a hobbyist it's the ticket. I have a big welder and I could see myself breaking that gun out for some things.

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

for a first attempt at welding you had a right good go at it. i can actually see a use for this, it would be much better if they gave you an electrode holder on a lead and put the main circuitry in a box at the other end with the grounding clamp

[@ocayaro]

Say what you like but I give the Chinese 100% for balls and 100% for industriousness.

[@sarinsarin7898]

the chinese copy EVERYTHING that is a good brand so use at your own risk.

[@ocayaro]

@@sarinsarin7898 The west copies much also that you know little about. Today, advances in science in the west are being driven by Chinese students. Pick up an impactful scientific journal sometime and look at the names. Hmmm, I wonder why!

[@sarinsarin7898]

@@ocayaro lol, riddle me this, for instance, why is it that your friends the chinese built an almost exact replica of the f25 or f35 cant remember now stealth fighter jet yet the US had ALREADY built such a aircraft?????????, have the US forgotten how to make stealth aircraft?. Oh and why is it that when you can buy an electrical item designed by a western country yet built in china (to cut costs) the chinese factories all of a sudden are building the EXACT same thing with no brand name on it????????. Your journals mean absolutely nothing when it comes to copywrite laws and patents, im not trying to discredit the intellectual people of china, they are an intelligent people, thats not my point. My point is that because most things designed by the west (because of greed mainly). The chinese do copy ALOT of designs because they know it sells (who wouldn't). I think its smart if you can get away with it, thats my point. I have had my say and am now done with this section.

[@evan010101]

I’m a reasonably skilled welder and I think this thing isn’t terrible. It’s cheap and compact enough to be worth keeping one in your van just in case - and it will clearly do light duty welding ok. Typically for working in difficult locations you have a compact inverter that goes on a harness or belt. Not sure if this is really better or worse for that application. The bulk of the unit will definitely get in the way for a lot of tasks though, compared to a normal electrode holder. If they did a cheap spool gun like this I would say that’s more useful.

[@Broken_Yugo]

You can get those little compact inverters with conventional cable connections for as little as $50 (plus cables) on eBay, probably the same welder in a more sensible box.

[@hinz1]

It's like trying to write with a pen, attached to a sledgehammer....

[@fidelcatsro6948]

hahaha lol

[@melwilson514]

Big Clive would have fun with this

[@markfergerson2145]

AvE would cause all of us to have fun with it.

[@Palmit_]

Holy fuck Mike. You're the ONLY person EVER to glow a stick, bend it numerous ways AND keep it's flux intact. 100% legend. also. this video was funny af.. MOAR!!

[@90SecondsofAviation]

One huge problem I see is hot sparks flying into the unit and melting the insualtion on transformer or something on PCB considering how close is the electrode to the actual unit. A DIY shield in front would help with this problem I think.

[@DeathbyKillerBong]

welding 101, clean surfaces, make a puddle, move the puddle.

[@RocketCityTech]

Those “welding glasses” hahaha 🤣 great way to melt plastic right to your eyeball directly

[@doobedoobedo1]

Seeing your welding technique I think you're a natural and may have found your new vocation.

[@Space_Reptile]

keeping the unit on (and its fan running) but having the clamp not connected (or on something safe and out of hands reach so you cant possibly create a short) Would be a good idea to help it cool down, as just turning it off after you are done might heatsoak all the components and kill them

[@sparkyy0007]

Quite impressive performance for it's size. 70-80 A on stick is fine for small repair jobs up to 3/8 in. Not for big jobs, and I can see the weld sparks eventually shorting out the boards especially doing overhead jobs.

[@livinMicro]

so it welds - 12 minutes in only to see that it works? for a person that might need to do a few inches of welds per year why would this be a bad thing? I don't understand why there are so many channels shitting on people being able to use cheap equipment to do small jobs. rate it at homeowner grade or less but this thing welded better than a harbor freight mig welder.

[@ocayaro]

Very eloquently put.

[@Silver_o]

Quite frankly I think people just want to shit on things because they find it fun, and popular to do so.

[@TheModelator]

I own a lipo battery version of these welders. I work as a car recovery driver, we attempt a repair on a car before we tow it. This has been handy for repairing exhaust brackets, small things that have broken away etc. The weld from them is rough to say the least as you can not get a stable amperage, But if you are stuck at 3 in the morning, miles away from home. It did repair a broken car spring hanger on the side of the motorway, The family on their way to a holiday, this would have been a major dissapointment to the kids. 25 minutes of jacking and welding they were happily on their way. I know these are cheap Chinese crap and they don't last that long. But for my application of the welder, it may be used only for a few minutes, once every few months. I would not use this for any prolonged welding. Plus I can weld anywhere, even on the side of a motorway if you shield the flash from passing motorists.

[@scottyleics]

Great review as always. Fuck the haters, we all know this is an electronic channel not a welding one.

[@IanScottJohnston]

Impressed that it didn't end up in the bin! I guess a nice unit for Mike to have around. Would love to see an experienced welder give it a go.

[@chrisellingson123]

Those 'welding glasses' are going to give you a nice face tan. My guess is that you are supposed to poke them through newspaper or cardboard to protect your face.😂

[@DEADB33F]

I'm actually kinda impressed by this. Not commenting on the safety or sketchiness of it but it seems like it's more than capable of laying down a bead.

[@Lion_McLionhead]

Never saw Mike struggle so much in a video. Welding without gloves is crazy, but at least he moved the electrode in the right direction. No need to worry about millions of dollars in hospital bills in the UK.

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

lol 5 mins of welding isn't going to send you to hospital with arc burn is it, the nhs would laugh you out the building

[@jimmyb1451]

I don't often weld. But when I do, I do it naked. 🤣

[@RyanDanielG]

would make a great B movie prop laser gun/scifi gun with that big winding in the front. great vid!

[@grahamparks8885]

I can imagine the target audience for this is hole-in-the-wall repair shops in developing countries that bike and motorbike KZbin tourists end up at when something snaps. Any welder is better than no welder…

[@Lemon_Inspector]

Wouldn't they just buy a normal cheap Chinese welder instead of a cheap portable Chinese welder?

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Good point, altho they probably have one of those enormous welders made in Pakistan from scraps of anything, in a roadside shop

[@handlesarefeckinstupid]

2 car batteries and wire works as well as this unit.

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Yay!!! A new video from mikeselectricstuff !!!! You've been missed! Also, I want to commend your bravery for using that death trap, and even more daringly putting your first-ever welds on worldwide social media. Huge bollocks, Mike. Huge.

[@fjs1111]

Mike, it worked a lot better than I expected and your weld wasn't that bad, not as messy as mine first was.

[@1pcfred]

By the time I ever tried stick welding I'd been gas welding for a while. So I was used to looking at a puddle and walking it. But when I was done and my bead had flux on it I was horrified until I chipped it clean.

[@fjs1111]

@@1pcfred It's definitely a lot harder then would appear. When I first started I welded a chair that broke together (overly confident), then it broke when my father sat in it. I've only welded a few things since, maybe got a little better lol!

[@1pcfred]

@@fjs1111 welding is a skill developed through practice and training. The people really good welding all have a lot of experience. There's no shortcuts that I know of. I guess being trained by someone that's good can save a lot of time figuring things out for yourself. You still have to develop the mental pathways for it all though. The muscle memory and what have you.

[@fjs1111]

@@1pcfred It's going to take me a lot of chairs then :-))

[@1pcfred]

@@fjs1111 I don't weld frequently myself so I do a few practice beads before I try to weld something I care about. I try to practice on something like what I'm going to do the weld on. Same thickness metal. Then once I'm getting a good bead I tackle the actual weld. Of course if practice goes good and the bead on work doesn't that ticks me off. That's happened.

[@tinygriffy]

Not long and your standard 200 Amp arc welder has the look and size of a typical ball pen and indeed has a Bluetooth ground clamp...

[@rkan2]

Not quite the size of a ball pen, but I could see this being much smaller. Wonder what you could do with GaN transistors and the like.

[@iamdarkyoshi]

Personally I'm interested in getting one solely on the fact it takes up very little space and I could use it at home, as opposed to going to a friend's metalwork shop just to weld a couple bits of steel together

[@robertw1871]

The performance is surprisingly good…

[@chrisj2848]

Nice video Mike! I like that you tackled something totally random in this teardown! Loved it.

[@TurboBaldur]

It sure looks like it welds, but it also looks terrible ergonomically, I feel like it'd be better to have the power supply at the ground clamp and have a lead running to the electrode, holding the entire welder in your hand and trying to weld can't be comfortable.

[@eDoc2020]

I was just thinking the same thing a few seconds before reading your comment. Put the power supply on the fixed end.

[@NSoupFog]

this is an awesome in depth video, its obviously adventurous :)

[@BaconbuttywithCheese]

After welding in board shorts and a tee-shirt for "a small quick job", just once, I can fully recommend 10 minutes of gearing up leathers even in 100% humidity is worth it.

[@erroltheterrible]

Even just a long sleeve shirt + jeans, no need to go full leather...

[@ellenmadden8343]

Welder duty cycle is a percent of time over 10 minutes. My

[@deeperlayer]

That is actually very nice piece, i will buy one for sure it is very handy literally for quick fixes and if you wanna be accurate it seems fairly easy to add an extension cable with proper stick holder. i love it!

[@1pcfred]

Yeah that's my only gripe with the unit. Holding it all up looks to be a bit much. But for its size it's got some power. It was going over 170 Amps. For hobbyist use I'd say it's all you need. It'd tack together some garden furniture or what have you.

[@TheFrogfeeder]

I just wanna weld some thin patches on my truck floor, just ordered one of these type machines, so far it looks like it’s gonna do what I need it to do, gets here Monday.

[@jimdennett46]

when the stick is in dc reverse or negative, ⅔ of the heat is in the rod and ⅓ is in the base metal. that's for thin metal. if you put the welding rod in the ground handle and made the welder clamp to the base metal ⅔ of the heat would be in the base metal and ⅓ in the rod. that's for welding thicker metals. over a quarter inch.

[@adeyemibabatunde1814]

@mikeselectricstuff Very useful, straight to the points. Concise, clear and cover all essential things This is how video should be presented Thanks Watch your voice and health

[@tx5brent]

A lot of modern welders drop the open circuit voltage down to reduce the risk of getting a decent belt off of an isolated power supply. That thing will give you a pretty noticeable zap at 80v open circuit. As for the welds, it looked like it did quite well, the voltage and current can very wildly with arc length so measuring those parameters with an experienced welder using the machine is a better idea.

[@tHaH4x0r]

I have no idea why, but for some reason the comments on this video are absolutely hilarious compared to other videos of yours. Apparently cheap shitty chinese welder machines draw in a special kind of crowd...

[@miklov]

I enjoyed this, never seen a welder like that! Thank you =)

[@tuttale]

My initial concern is the transformer windings enamel being exposed to spatter.

[@airmann90]

Yeah it's pretty wide open up front there lol

[@deeperlayer]

there high air flow forward so that wont be an issue

[@rkan2]

@@deeperlayer "high air flow"... even if the fan is high airflow - I don't think the airflow is high enough to push splatter away at the other end where the transformer is.

[@deeperlayer]

@@rkan2 it is enough unless you wanna weld all the way to the stick end... if you have a stick holder you would know it wont reach

[@Then.72]

200 amp’s on a 10 gauge rod is why the box section has holes blown through it

[@ovalwingnut]

DaZZled and impressed. Far more power than I would have guessed. As a long time (garage) "stick welder " (aka Buzz Box). I could "HEAR" that is sounded useful. The heavy weighted hand-unit seemed to be the only downer. I would grab that in a heart beat for small jobs (not general work, mainly do to the goofy factor:). You gave it some heartache and it continued to work. Bravo! That was a shock (no pun intended). Little bit off your area of expertise... but your job was weld done. Thanks so much. p.s. I generally despise any off shore equipment like this. But you can always dream :) Cheers!

[@TheChipmunk2008]

I don't mind off shore stuff (even chinese) if it's well made to standards... problem with chinese stuff especially is they are MORE than happy to cut corners if pushed on price... and if they're told to do it as cheap as possible, this is what you get. :) I was impressed by the bead on Mike's first ever weld, till the thing he was welding to the box section just lifted off...

[@1pcfred]

@@TheChipmunk2008 Stick welding isn't the easiest thing to pick up. By his second bead he'd improved a lot. Heck I can fail to tack stuff sometimes myself and I've had a few goes at it by now.

[@ovalwingnut]

@@TheChipmunk2008 I do agree with that Chip'. My bad for putting all off shore tools in the same tool bad.. Clearly tools of varying quality are available. As we know, it's basically ALL made across the pond (somewhere). I've just run into some stinkers. But like they say, if you need it and it's the only tool you have available.. it's worth a $1,000,000 :) Thanks for the comment. 200 points awarded. p.s. If mike just accounted for thickness.. well, that's a pass (pun intended)

[@ovalwingnut]

@@1pcfred Stick welding is pretty hardcore :) Or is that flux core? Cheers

[@1pcfred]

@@ovalwingnut I've never done flux core. I imagine it's a lot like stick welding though There's flux involved.

[@aserta]

I've had to go up a ladder to weld stuff, the small factor stick welder i needed worked just fine. I'd imagine it would be absolutely horrible to weld up with this. :))

[@Circlotron]

I like the fact that the fan continually blew the smoke away.

[@actionjksn]

I have a large Hobart 230 amp 240v welder and I think this thing is awesome. I did not think it would work nearly this well. By the way the hotter you can run it without burning a hole the better, because you want good penetration for a strong weld. And don't travel too fast, you have to give it time to make a good puddle. It's always easier to weld if you can lay the work flat.

[@Silverado1st]

Awesome vid and info! lmao @ Take it apart first to have a look before you plug it in and melt it. I love it! I have the Arc-130 digital version coming in today. Just curious to see how well it will bead together thin stuff like old couch hardware, bed frames and such. What rods would go well with it. Would be nice to have for quick easy on the spot repairs, something to pair with an old 2.5 kw gen set for temporary mobile fixes. I'm a disabled retired army combat engineer and I always found welding to be very relaxing. If not for myself but to also help out family and friends. Plus I find not as many people bug you while your welding lol

[@robinborkowski5598]

Most people don't know what a duty cycle is and how it's measured, most professional welders are around 50-60%, home welders 20-30%. the duty cycle is measured as, how long you can weld at full power, in a 10 minute period of time, example: 20% duty cycle , you can weld for 2 minutes and then stop welding but leave it on so the fan can cool it. 15% would be 1 minute and 30 seconds of welding. the reason there is no trigger is so you can leave it on to cool it when you aren't welding. Believe me a non welder is going to fry those circuit boards long before the transformer.

[@darcynappa2500]

True

[@actionjksn]

My Hobart is rated for 20%. Plenty enough for me. Most welding jobs don't require you to weld long periods uninterrupted.

[@robinborkowski5598]

@@actionjksn no doubt you have an inverter welder, fine if you can do the jobs you have with that welder then your well suited for each other. I don't have a problem with that.

[@actionjksn]

@@robinborkowski5598 it's just a plain old ARC welder. I would probably get more use from a mig or tig welder,but this is just what I happen to own. I don't really use it that often the last time was I fixed the mount for a foot peg on my buddies motorcycle, it worked perfectly for that.

[@robinborkowski5598]

@@actionjksn I didn't say they are bad , and even with inverter welders you can get up to 40% duty cycle, but they cost a fortune. If your making your living with a machine, you want the best you can afford, if your using it for odd jobs you buy the one that will do the anticipated jobs.

[@dean5263]

Interesting. Keep following your passion.

[@joshwalker5605]

Neat video but I feel like a gun form factor like that is just about the worst possible choice for a stick welder. Thanks for taking the bullet for the rest of us! :-)

[@stefantrethan]

Grinder and paint mike, grinder and paint...

[@mouldyboats]

...me the welder I ain't!

[@Psi105]

I bought a similar shape handheld welder from aliexpress last year, but it was for stud welding, rather than a stick welding. Basically welding nail-like studs directly onto automotive panels so you have something to pull out dents with. It worked pretty well.

[@jothain]

That at least makes actual sense. But stick welder as handheld? Insane...

[@johnbelwell2461]

Hahaha i laugh at those guys bellow saying how bad his welds are, as if he advertised himself as a welder! Welders are among the biggest know-it-all jerks on the planet. I don't respect anyone's experience and knowledge if they act like a jerk, if you're new to welding and listen to those guys' opinions you're going to hate it before you even start with it, they will criticize your first welds and your machine like you're supposed to pay 10.000 just to learn how to weld, they will kill your ambition and they'll behave like they're dead serious about you doing a huge harm to something and wont listen a crap from you. Don't listen to anyone unless you wanna sit in the corner like a wet cat and happy welding everyone!

[@inarinukka7729]

That's right. I also see this way of thinking in the field of electronics hobbies, here in Europe there have often been heated debates in relevant forums in which some "specialists" with their large factories boast their fine equipment and kill the enthusiasm of young people for expressing their "one and only rights" views. In the past, these disputes have concerned components and their procurement, the lion's share of "specialists" think that it is only wise to buy semiconductors from a special reseller, who of course does not sell these 1-2 components to the average citizen. Then, these "professionals" offer to sell it themselves for 3-4 times the price of Mouser, for example. Actually, I have been forced to buy parts from China couple of times due to circumstances (because it is not easy to get elsewhere), even the power controllers and PFC, LLC etc. converter IC circuits have so far arrived 100% working, even from China, where they are also sold to large and well-known resellers. So it really isn't always necessary (not listen to these stories like "you must have and you must buy") that you have to have a fancy and expensive fleet of equipment to operate in a certain field or you only need to get equipment or details from the places with the highest mark-up andonly with the most famous names to create something. No, sometimes you dont really need to this, even not listen this rumors. Well, it really seems that electronics as just a hobby has actually been killed for a last decade now. Added to this is the junk thinking that "everything can be bought in a store" and the negative general attitude towards manual creation ... the result is that the "makers" sit in bed all day long, grow fat with burgers and boast that only IT (gaming junk, betting junk, cryptojunk, etc.) is all what world need.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

I can confirm that. Of all blue collar workers I have meet welders have been of the most arrogant pieces of excreta I have ever meet.

[@jackarmstrong46]

welding duty cycle is 10mins. So 15% is 1.5 minutes at 120a followed by 8.5 mins of rest I'm guessing to keep the unit cool. most welders are 70% duty while industrial are 100% literally never need a cool down.

[@dwylhq874]

Thank you so much for opening this up to show everyone. "disintegrating is possibly the failure mode on this thing" ... indeed.

[@SigEpBlue]

I do some welding as a side job, mostly FCAW and MIG, and (rarely) SMAW when doing heavier stuff. I'm not convinced there's an advantage to this thing's "portability" over a traditional SMAW source, especially when you've got to wield the entire weight of it in your hands. That's not great when the quality of your welds very much depends upon your ability to control your hand movements, and I'd imagine that after a few minutes straight of welding, one would be struggling to hold it up, let alone steady. I do think you're right that it needs to be given a fair shake by an experienced stick welder, and I'd like to see a follow-up video.

[@Broken_Yugo]

Yeah, this has zero advantage over a regular lunch box inverter welder, which you can also buy dirt cheap from china, and probably has better cooling.

[@Wyowanderer]

GREAT video, thank you. It doesn't break the bank, and an average guy could use it t do light repairs around the house for a low price. Of course, a box of warm, dry 7018 will weld pretty good just connected to a couple starting batteries, so that might be a good place to start. Thank you for going to the trouble to review this.

[@jondough76]

If only it was pink..

[@dangerotterisrea]

Big Clive would be all over that like a tramp on chips!

[@ovalwingnut]

Good answer... in five words no less. Cheers!

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@dangerotterisrea he'd have 2

[@NiHaoMike64]

Probably too small for Big Clive, though...

[@railgap]

What in the wild world of sports?!? I've never seen anything like that gizmo before! You never cease to amaze me with the wierd stuff you find to take apart. I've been a fan of your web site for a long minute - so glad you started a YT channel, too!

[@railgap]

I"m sure it constitutes a very stiff welding supply... for its size... XD ROFL

[@rolandleusden]

You can make it a lot more reliable, change all the IGBT's and electrolytic caps to parts from a reliable distributor like RS, Farnell, Digikey and so. The IGBT's and electrolytic caps are usually low quality and under rated as these are the most expensive components.

[@klausbrinck2137]

That´s just a different PCB-layout for the power-side of a mini-welder, and mini-welders function reasonably good. I don´t think it´s even lower quality than my 17€ mini-welder (althought mine claims 25% and not only 15% duty cycle), since this thing costs 9-10 times more (only based on reasons of "novelty", of course, but still...). What all of them miss, is a soft-start, and a rod-anti-stick-feature. Both features demand costly and voluminous components (intergrated circuits get cheaper and smaller, but power-resistors and iron-powder-ring-coils cannot get even cheaper or smaller), and so, would´t fit the price- and size-tag any more.

[@paulcalman5509]

Hello! Just found your channel and am liking it very much! Cheers

[@mpy1202]

I think the only reason for this is for the manufacturer to save on copper cable to the electrode clamp.

[@JJFX-]

You're a braver man than I to wrap your bare hands around this.

[@poprawa]

I love, that you can see varnish in aluminum tint on transformer wounding right from outside

[@YeahNahMaybe947]

Man that looks as sus as a suitcase by a riverbank

[@SpeedyRV]

As someone who has purchased some crap welders before, I will say that is not the worst welder I have seen. Definitely hard to use as the bulk would prevent you from getting in the proper position.

[@andymouse]

Surprisingly good I would say, but ive only used TIG. Nice to see the safety worked great review...cheers.

[@fredleonard1547]

Looks great for the home handyman.

[@dr_jaymz]

It is welding and doesn't seem short of current. It has a thermal trip. What more do you want. It looks like just the job to bodge stuff in the field, its obviously not intended for welding long seams. But looks ok for me.

[@railgap]

"What more do you want." Penetration? Just a thought.

[@railgap]

"doesn't seem short of current." - and you base this on your welding experience, do you? You must do a lot of welding, golly!

[@benjasper5165]

@@railgap That's the beauty of the word "seem" in that sentence. He doesn't need to justify it further.

[@dr_jaymz]

@@benjasper5165 good point well made!

[@davemould4638]

@@railgap He is probably basing it on the measured current shown during a weld.

[@steelplasma256]

It's actually much better than I expected so I guess I'm too pessimistic. I was expecting there to be just a wire connecting the mains to the tip inside with a weight attached.

[@isavedtheuniverse]

I wish it had 2 switches, one to disable the output and one to fully shut it off, that way the fan could keep running all the time.

[@evan010101]

That’s how all arc welders work though - you leave it on all the time with the fan running, and just don’t touch the electrode to the work when you’re not using it.

[@isavedtheuniverse]

@@evan010101 Sure, I get that, but its not really a valid reason to continue the design choice. Especially considering this thing is targeting first-time welders or welding in unusual locations. People who aren't going to understand the heating and duty cycle implications of switching it off between welds. Or situations where it might be super useful to set this heavy thing down for a moment.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

For a Chinesium product im actually quite impressed. For the odd welding job here and there i guess its actually ok. If you had clean metal joints i think you could get a reasonable result with it. Your material had rusty surfaces, so the result was never going to be great. Arc welding is about the hardest of all to do. As you have to "Strike" the arc and then maintain your hand movement to keep the rod tip and a constant 5mm from the surface while at the same time feeding the rod as it burns away.

[@21gioni]

5 mm distance from the surface no no no. The rule is a constant steady short arc length

[@rods333]

I used to love these welders I wanted one since I was a kid

[@dorsetengineering]

I’m a skilled stick welder, I’m tempted to buy one and try it for the lols. However with that volt/amp curve, that’s not going to weld very nicely. The output connector looks like a standard dinse socket so you could swap the polarity relatively easily

[@isaacwhite7411]

well my welder weighs about 80lbs its a portable hobart mig135 A 120v and for the size and weight of that unit it would be worth it just to tuck in a tool box for short welds and dang 15% duty that would be suitable for small repair stuff on a short notice.

[@sarahjrandomnumbers]

Love the welding safe glasses... 🤣

[@sdgelectronics]

I've got a Chinese plasma cutter and a Chinese Tig welder in the garage, but I've never plucked up the courage to plug them in. The similarly lack EMC and fuses.

[@xenoxaos1]

I've never done stick welding only mig. It was my dad's and haven't had a need for a weld since moving that would be worth renting a unit for a 2 minute job or buying a light use welder. However, for a person that would make only a few small welds a year max, not having to refill the argon bottle every time because of a leak or left the valve open and just being able to throw this in a drawer, it doesn't seem half bad.

[@1pcfred]

From what I've seen of it that's a welder you have there. I'm impressed. It's got some grunt for its size. I'm no pro welder but I can manage to run a bead.

[@kencreten7308]

Good video. Thanks so much.

[@MarkShinnick]

Nicely Done, Thanks :)

[@Tadesan]

Looks good!

[@noisytim]

I see the appeal of the handheld format. Too bad it’s not yet been done well. Surprising that this thing wasn’t more flimsy. In a few months, when this gets randomly recommended to peoples “home” tab, and the youtube welding experts come here - the comments are going to be a battlefield…

[@TheChipmunk2008]

yeah, more of a 'dumbell' format would've made more sense, simply for ergonomics, maybe the earth lead and xfrmer in the base below the hand, a slim handle (with trigger switch) and an electrode holder and the electronics etc in the top half? And you're NOT wrong about the comments section

[@joblessalex]

Big Clive sounds a bit off today

[@FreeTheUyghurs]

Legitimately clicked on the video before realizing it wasn't a Big Clive recommendation.

[@globin010252]

As you say, amazing that it is even possible. Great portability, good little repair machine for the tool bag. If it could be paired with a car starter battery pack and battery powered angle grinder, one could do 5 minute(?) bodge jobs in any location. Certainly not for serious work.

[@rkan2]

I'm sure you can find some nice 12V welders that eat this for breakfast :D

[@dimitar4y]

Sweeet! Someone reviewed one of these finally! I already got a buzzbox that'll last me a lifetime but I was curious about these.

[@Bianchi77]

Creative video, thanks :)

[@TechGorilla1987]

As someone with hearing issues, it can be somewhat difficult to understand you at times as you're very soft-spoken, but the fact that you're reviewing this is most excellent. I look forward to you imparting your knowledge on a piece of equipment that I may actually be able to afford. :D

[@sloth1992]

Ordered a different version of one of these it works good for what it is. Nothing wrong yet. It’s cheap but great for small projects.

[@Francois_Dupont]

i got to say! i have a very big welder with a old school transformer inside that weight about 40kg. it is unusable and cannot keep a good steady ark. it take me a good 5mins of scratching the rod like a match in order to first start the ark. when i first saw you using this i was very impressed! it seems to have alot of power! where i live we only have 110V 15amp from the wall, so it might explain my failling and your success.

[@rkan2]

I think it is all about the modern semi like mikeselectricstuff said! You could probably make this output like 10x++ more amps using a bit more expensive semiconductors :P

[@RooMan93]

It's got a style to it of some random tool from 15yrs ago that you find at a boot sale.

[@1pcfred]

There's a bit of Buck Rodgers going on with it. It reminds me of the old soldering guns.

[@McTroyd]

I'm sure Mike knows this, but anyone else watching, make sure your camera has a UV filter, or be sure to put one on the lens. Image sensors can be fried as easily as retinas by these things. That said, having no welding experience but having seen lots of cheap electronics, that welder isn't as bad as I might have thought it would be. Could also be a useful problem solver, or something to keep in the truck tools. I think I'd personally prefer the lighter stick electrode though.

[@Astinsan]

It’s melting away the material like its set to high isn’t the issue. You are not close enough. The arc is flopping around blowing material away. You want to start the arc. Move in to create a pool. Bring the rod closer to the pool then pull away. Do this all the way across.

[@haphazard1342]

Not a surprising result for someone who says "I've never done any welding before". The fact that it functions at all is the amazing part.

[@joefarr3304]

I don't like the way they have crushed the mains inlet cable but as a tool I can see it has it's uses. There have been times when I wished I could weld a bracket or something small and could never really justify the cost or the space requirements of a full size welder. Be handy for some contractors to keep in the back of the van etc. I think it has it's place.

[@za_ozero]

It would be even more convenient if the welder be combined with spare tire or a jack. /s

[@actionjksn]

It would be great for welding rebar together.

[@LuisTeixeira]

Maybe also the same for other welders, but the 80 volts open circuit voltage seems a bit on the borderline in terms of safety, considering that there are exposed electrodes and DC current involved...

[@ryanmalin]

Even a 19vdc tig welder will light you up if you get between the sparky end.

[@dimitar4y]

60 can zap you quite powerfully if DC. Like car/scooter batteries. 40 can get through wet hands/wounds.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@dimitar4y I used to work in the plating business. That is all DC currents. I did reel to reel plating, and when you got between the two strips while setting up or splicing, you certainly feel that limited amount of current. The large barrels would knock you on your ass, frankly.

[@dimitar4y]

@@TechGorilla1987 Oh, I was thinking the hf start on tig welders. Those don't really hurt that much. Or damage.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@@dimitar4y Ahh. I have never had the pleasure of TIG welding yet. I'll have to leave the floor to you on that, my friend. Stay well!