Harbor Freight Welder...Is it WORTH it? Titanium Unlimited 200 long term review.

In this video i give you guys my long term review of the Harbor Freight Titanium Unlimited 200 multi process welder. I have used the welder almost every weekend for 2 years and it has been great. I turn it on and it works every time. I have not used the TIG or Stick processes so, if I was to buy a welder I would go with the Unlimited 170 instead of the 200. It is cheaper and only does MIG.
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[@pmdoit]

I bought the Titanium 200 a couple of years ago also. I absolutely love it! Although I would like to have another machine as a dedicated stick. I did buy a dedicated Titanium TIG machine because I found that I really enjoyed the tig portion of this machine and it got me started doing a lot more TIG. So one more machine, a small stick machine just because of its portability. I do have a huge Millermatic that weighs a ton, but I like the portability of these harbor freight Titanium machines. I have used all functions of my Titanium 200 and run several spools of wire through. It works great with no problems.

[@CFairNH]

Nice review, good to hear your thoughts. I have the 170 and really like it. It has been trouble free for me! Definitely a good product for the money!

[@csabin312]

I bought the exact same welder a year ago to teach myself how to weld. I have gone through way more tips than you have but I didn't know what I was doing. I really like it.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Awesome, glad to hear it👍🏻

[@laytonlawson9893]

if you buy nozzle dip you can get it off of amazon for about a pint and a little bit goes a long way it will make your tips last way longer

[@kshepthedrummer]

I've had the Vulcan migmax 215 now for about 3 years and absolutely love it. I've never had an issue, never replaced any parts other than the tips, and use it all the time. People like to shit on harbor freight, but for the money, their welders can't be beat. I can weld sheet metal, and I can stack dimes on 1/2" thick steel. So it does whatever I need it to. Zero complaints

[@frankr.2392]

I purchased this 200 Unlimited the same day of your video 12-17-2021. Two weeks later I'm getting it out of the box and wondering if I should have purchased the warranty. After hearing you have run it for two years without any problems I absolutely feet better. I selected this welder primarily for the MIG being certified but, I also do stick and aluminum that I will use to build my fishing boat. Thanks for the great information about the quality of this welder.

[@SkyBlueOffRoad]

1000% got this welder because you used it. I have built my 78 f250 D44 front axle, trussed, one ton steering and front radius arms so far. Did i mention I was an arc welder and never really used mig. Best welds I have ever made. Thanks for sharing dude. You and Nate are my go to for TJ content and tips. I tell my friends I am building my TJ for PNW trails hahahaha. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Haha, awesome👍🏻

[@VictorVectorJKU]

Great quick review Kelly! As always! Nice to get feedback on products that I know I can trust 🤙🏼

[@viking8781]

I've had the same machine for 2 years and had no issues at all. One thing people should know, which I didn't, dual voltage machines like this don't have much output on 120v. If you even want to run 1/8" rods you need to use the 240v plug. Not a problem if you have that available.

[@200130769]

That is really helpful information. Thanks a lot for the input.

[@erichughes9098]

Thank you Kelly for giving me something to think about 😎👍

[@josephheyob1403]

I have the 170, great little machine. It’s been rock solid for 2 years zero issues. Just finished welding my truss and getting ready to tackle my skid plates. Has more than paid for itself making parts. Have a great local metal recycling place. Hasn’t blown throw gas to bad but does like to run for a solid second after releasing trigger.

[@WilliamPozo]

i'm curious what the real street price is for the 170 after all the coupons. Anyone know the price I should be shooting for? GREAT Video!

[@boriskarloff598]

@@WilliamPozo You could possibly get it for $450-$500. I paid $450 for mine a year and a half ago, great little unit.

[@MberEnder]

The gas running for a second after letting the trigger go is the post flow. If you hold the gun in place at the end of the weld it's supposed to help protect the weld while is cools a bit. Most machines have a way to adjust the post flow.

[@1nvisible1]

*Anyone have part number for replacement Tig torch for this unit?* *I called and HF doesn't appear to have them in stock independent of the total package.*

[@OEFarredondo]

​@@1nvisible1 buy another one and return the old

[@MberEnder]

I have a pair of Onyx Tillman elk skin gloves. They're by far my favorite gloves ever. They insulate as well as mig gloves but are almost as flexible as tig gloves. Would recommend them.

[@raymondsauceda621]

I've had mine since 2020 and I love it . When my millermatic went out I was looking around and my son worked at harbor freight and he got me the 200 .The only issue I've had are the nobs are to sincative. I put I flat peice of fome behind each nob. Now when I bump it they stay set .

[@turnerappleton5026]

I had those Vulcan tig gloves. They’re great but they only lasted me a couple weeks mig welding/fabricating everyday. I use Tillman tig gloves and they are great and durable

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Man you must be hard on things, lol. I will have to check out those gloves

[@ibrigs19]

I got the same welder and came to the same conclusion, if I were to do it again I'd get the 170. That extra 30 amps is only available on the tig setting by the way, so if you're only doing mig the 200 and 170 are effectively identical. I've also found the recommended settings in the Miller smartphone app to be MUCH better that the recommended settings under the side cover on the machine.

[@smileycamel5635]

Great review, I was considering getting one, I think I will go with the 170, thanks!

[@adamfrench8735]

Great video thanks for the honest review

[@jarltroyreviews]

The unlimited 200 is my dream machine with my retirement budget, so for now I am using the Titanium Flux 125

[@JohnVHLife]

Awesome, I recently got the 170, a little different to get the settings right for me, as Im used to huge commercial welders, but Ive got it welding fantastic, hope it lasts! Ill have a video up soon.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice👍🏻

[@JC-lf8pr]

Good review. I had the 170 and it was solid for light steel applications. But my friend has a 200 and I welded a fair amount on it. I decided to return the 170 and give the 200 a try. The 200 is solid also but I find with the added power and especially with heavier gauge steel that it plows through and produces a better weld. Most home DIY folks in their garage could make it with the 170 for sure.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, good to hear👍🏻

[@nicholash8021]

I just bought this welder a couple of weeks ago. I was glad I had a dedicated 20AMP 120V wall outlet in my garage. But I needed a 25' extension cord and was advised to get an 8 AWG cord "to be safe". Then I noticed power cord on this welder is only 14 AWG. So yeah, a short 8 AWG extension cord between the 14 AWG welder and the 12 AWG wall outlet makes a lot of sense...

[@gainsrc]

Even the metal glue gun HF sells has worked well for me. I have since upgraded but nothing wrong with HF tools in my opinion.

[@eztrucking6211]

I love my 200 but I also use tig as well still have new stick but it's best I've ever had 👍🏾👌🏾💪🏾

[@Gearhead.327]

An honest review, thanks!

[@2AOverland]

I have the same one and zero issues!! I’ll be using it to put a Barnes truss on a Ford 8.8 axle this weekend 👍🏼

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, good luck🤟🏻

[@2AOverland]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 thanks man!

[@mavisthedestroyer6260]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@paulbenabise]

Unless your welding aluminum your fine with 75-25 argon - co2 for tig. I’m a Miller guy my self. I think I might get my kid this Welder for his first one. Thanks for the review.

[@kishredbird3599]

Haven't personally heard of using Co2 with tig

[@johnlongstick4002]

Yo ! The stick on this machine is pretty good too. I wanted to try tig but I would also need another only argon tank unless that 75-25 works with tig let me lmow

[@paulbenabise]

@@johnlongstick4002 75-25 works great for mild steel and stainless for aluminum you’ll need a machine that does A/C,and 100% argon. For mild and stainless steel D/C works great with 75-25.

[@joesears773]

Great welder. I have had mine for 3 years now and it's great. Mig gun needs to be replaced after 3 years of abuse. Learning TIG on it now, definitely harder than learning MIG but just gotta practice. Stick works great when I used it.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Good to hear

[@richardvillanueva8786]

Have you replaced the mig gun yet What's it compatible with

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

Got this same one as well and have been loving. Starting on some DC TIG welding too with it.👍

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, how do you like the tig?

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 I'm not great at it, but just need more practice. It's lift start, which makes stopping tricky, but I've been researching some tricks that Jody at Welding Tips and Tricks has on his channel👍

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, yea it is a scratch start so it’s not ideal if you TIG a lot. But good to learn on and if you use it a ton get a stand alone TIG machine with a pedal.

[@samsanderson7159]

I bought the 200 a little over a year ago. Overall I like the machine. I did replace the ground clamp with the nice brass one that H.F. sells. The only other complaint I have, is that for whatever reason, every now and then when I release the trigger it will feed about 4 inches of wire out of the gun. It gets a little annoying, but I cut it and move on. My machine also runs a little different than the guide inside the lid. It's about an amp off in most cases with .035 wire. If I were a professional that needed this machine every day, I would spend the money on a Miller. But I'm not. So for a multi process machine this one is well priced and I can use it to learn TIG. I have everything I need now (including gas) but the free time. Lol

[@walterbargersr3402]

Recommendation if it's feeding two or four inches of wire out of the machine before you turn it on take the tension off the wheel and then put it back on that should help it God bless

[@samsanderson7159]

@@walterbargersr3402 thanks, I'll try that.

[@chriserickson4417]

Thank you for a great video!

[@ozzynomicon2817]

I've got the 140 multi and I tig weld with it. You need to buy the stubby kit for em. The ones they come with are too small for a proper puddle. I am planning on upgrading to this one soon as I need more voltage for working on pipe as I use the stick welder to fit up mounts to level it out on the ground. I use my 140 in an industrial setting and it performs admirably. The only issue is not really an issue just convenience is that the heads are not adjustable.

[@dixiemae5042]

Thanks for the review

[@jhinton088]

Hey kelly not sure if this will reach you but i could use some advice. I know you have titanium 200 i also have the same welder. Using 75/25 .35 wire. Im curious on what setting you used to weld and get penatration welding the truss to the front 44. Ill be using the same welder and same 150 hp44 welding a tnt truss up. The tubes are 1/2 tubes and the truss is 3/16. Just wondering what settings you used if you remember. Any other pointers using this welder setting up suspension would be great.

[@mikep95133]

Did your .025 sheet metal wire require a .025 roller ? Where did you get the .023 roller and .023 tip ?

[@nathanialmoore2614]

Very helpful thank you

[@HydeMyJekyll]

I can’t even imagine not having to replace the nozzle in two years. One of my welding jobs had me replacing nozzles every day or so. They just slowly burn up as you weld, and we had probably 3-4 hours per day of arc time.

[@johnmcknight4776]

Thinking about getting that titanium welder. Would it run off a generator. Which generator would you have me pick out at Harbor Freight.

[@bocamint4937]

I am thinking of getting one of these. Anything you leave out in the environment here will either rust or otherwise be reclaimed by nature. I'm looking to make general outdoor stuff that lasts. How did this thing work for welding Stainless with the wire feed? Can it be used to weld stainless without gas?

[@michaelelliott2026]

Great review Kelly. Thanks for taking the time to post this one. There will be a LOT of people who will befit from this. One question--I just responded to moejr14’s issue with the high rate of gas consumption. You can see my response to him (i.e., I had the exact same experience). Can you advise to how long the pre and post flow rate is on yours and whether you believe your unit uses an inordinate amount of shielding gas compared to other similar welders you have used? Thanks and keep posting-your channel is great.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Just responded in the other comments

[@DavidHerscher]

Great video. It’s kinda driving me bananas though that every review i can find on this welder starts out with, “I only use this for the MIG…” Like, brah, i want to know about the TIG. There are a billion cheap MIG units out there, pick one, you’ll be fine, it’s MIG. Ok rant over. Again, great vid, thanks!

[@richardvillanueva8786]

A dedicated tig unit is always best

[@931PORSCHE]

Love the vid i was thinkn bout gettin one of those welders so can some custom stuff for a overland truck build. But Curiosity can we get a 2 year review on how the apex winch is holding up?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

👍🏻

[@kb9429]

What are you using for your power supply?

[@Rube_Toob]

Thanks for the info. I’ve been learning on a flux 110 this year and I want sure if I needed to get into a Lincoln electric or just run with another harbor freight welder

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

I started on that HF flux welder. The Titanium 200 is night and day better. Makes welding something less frustrating, at least for me.

[@betosgarage]

Bro same ! Did you run an upgraded HF or when Lincoln ?

[@lukewalker1116]

whats the deal with your bottle? whered it come from ,what size,how much did it cost, how much to fill it? have you ever tried to weld with co2 only?

[@dustin9258]

Probably a dumb question, but can you weld titanium with this?

[@roy8207]

Question for you if you can get back to me or not. Do you go through gas a lot? 600 pm

[@mgarc1960]

Thanks for the review. Will the 170, have enough penetration for suspension work?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Absolutely, if I was to choose a welder I would get the 170, I haven’t used the tig or stick process of this one.

[@patronnine4jr710]

What’s the duty cycle?

[@mazda3mike]

You can run a mixed gas with tig. You only need 100% argon when welding aluminum

[@allensnook7760]

Howdy fellas,good news yes its a good welder and has variables too adjust ur weld puddle so that was nice,i too bought the 200 titanium,bad news i didnt get the extended warranty cause i was sold on its good reviews a bad mistake after less than a yr of use the wire feeder has died.yes i can still tig or stick weld.but when i went back to harbor frieght to see if i could have it repaired they told me they have no service center to send to even at my own cost.basicilly im screwed!!lucky for me i had an older 140 flux core welder i was able to finish my atv trailer project with.so buyer beware protect urself get the warrenty.by the i checked for blown fuse,none exists!!snookie pa.👍💥🖐

[@ibrigs19]

They sell parts on their website now so you can order what you need and replace it yourself.

[@wildbill23c]

@@ibrigs19 Only certain parts, and none of them are for anything that would actually need replaced unfortunately.

[@bloop6812]

I have the titanium 125 and recently bought this unit both on sale. Don't buy anything unless it's on sale. If you see something you like st HF and it's not on sale wait a little while and it will be happens all the time at HF😊

[@GTRliffe]

reflective tape for your glove area that gets hot

[@jeffreymcmahan339]

Is the 170 good enough to put. C notch on an s10 frame?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Absolutely 👍🏻

[@TheBurntSportsman]

I got one on clearance. Have yet to use it but I paid roughly $450.

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Nice, that’s a good deal. You will like it👍🏻

[@moejr14]

Are you supposed to use the grooved drive roll for flux cored?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yes, I believe so.

[@richardvillanueva8786]

Yes knurled for flux V for hard wire U for aluminum

[@jacobswearingen4484]

I have the same welder and am also only using the mig function because I am too cheap to buy argon lol

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Lol, yup, same boat.

[@wildbill23c]

LOL, yep, that's the expensive part, well mostly buying the cylinders, once you have those it isn't so bad, well like $100 to refill them or less depending on the size of cylinders you buy. I'm thinking smaller ones so they're easy to move LOL.

[@savannahaugh4762]

Do you know if it has a foot pedal option for tig?

[@bobrat]

It doesn't

[@claymccoy9823]

I am new to welding and i have a question. I bought the Titanium 200. When I turn off the gas the pressure bleeds of rapidly. About 20 seconds. Checked all the external gas fittings. Is this normal? No help from Harbor freight.

[@richardvillanueva8786]

Look into "post flow" You should have a setting to "dial down"

[@wildbill23c]

@@richardvillanueva8786 There aren't any pre-flow and post-flow settings on these welders at all, nor does the more expensive Vulcan have that setting. Unfortunately you have no choice I guess, too bad as I understand it'll really go through gas like crazy because it continues to flow after you release the trigger. I just bought mine today, haven't even unboxed it let alone taken it out of the trunk of the car yet LOL. I already know I'm gonna have to spend several hundred dollars to get welding gas bottles and have them filled, so no need to do much with it until that point...and I'll have to pickup the spool gun as well for the aluminum welding I would like to do with it.

[@richardvillanueva8786]

@@wildbill23c good to know ive yet to run one

[@hannouna]

Is this a no wire welder? Sorry looking into starting to weld

[@wildbill23c]

Its a multi-process welder. You can MIG (Wire), TIG, or stick weld with it...although it seems nobody has bought these things to do anything but MIG weld so that kind of leaves a lot to be desired with these reviews, they only do 1/3 of what the welder is built for so 100% pointless getting a multi-process welder seems how there's an abundance of single process MIG welders out there for a lot cheaper.

[@cutweldngrind]

I can get this for $450 at an outlet store but not sure how the Tig works on it. I been wanting to learn to Tig.

[@1nvisible1]

*Which outlet store?*

[@cutweldngrind]

@@1nvisible1 Here in South Texas many people buy returns or over stock and just sell out of small businesses. I can still find these in the city which is 60 miles away in New and used conditions.

[@moejr14]

Does your use a bunch of shielding gas? Mine seems to go through gas like crazt

[@michaelelliott2026]

I purchased the Titanium 200 last year. My main welder is a MillerMatic 175 but it was 20 years old so I wanted a backup. I was so curious about the “new” line of HF welders I could not resist and ended up buying the Titanium 200 when it was on a 20% off sale. The first project I used it on was an outdoor fire pit. It welded great but there was one problem-Like you noted, it used an outrageous amount of gas. In particular, I noticed that it had almost 2 full seconds of pre-flow and maybe 2-3 seconds of post-flow. Sorry, but that is crazy and completely unnecessary for a mig welder. After blowing through two tanks of gas I eventually took it back and exchanged it for the MigMax 215. I actually like the torch better on the 200 (fits my hand better for some reason), and the welds are comparable, but the MigMax 215 did not blow out half of every gas tank while I am not actually welding. While I cannot be sure, I believe my 200 may have been defective as I have never used a mig welder that consumed so much gas. Bottom line-ask around to others who actually have one and see if they have the same problem. You may be like me and received a defective unit.

[@moejr14]

@@michaelelliott2026 thank you for the reply. I’ve been floored at how much shielding has it has used so far. I’m gunna try better gauges first and see if that fixes it

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

I just went out and turned mine on and ran it. It pre flows for under a second maybe 1 second before it starts the wire feed, but shuts off immediately when I release the trigger. But I went back and watched video of me welding and it does seem to stay on for about a second after I release the trigger. I don’t feel like I am going through an excessive amount of gas though. 2-3 seconds pre and post, does seem excessive.

[@moejr14]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 and you said your running 15-20 CFh? Do you ah e minimal spatter at that rate?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Yes, it’s not bad, I haven’t had any issues with too much spatter. And it’s usually around 16-18.

[@andrewsoeldner1702]

Why would you have chosen the 170? Just to save money because MIG is all you use, or is there a quality issue?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

To save money and I have only used the mig setting. Everything else is still in the box, years later.

[@nagiyahya4987]

what kind of gas do you recommend ?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

With mig, you want to use 75/25. 75% argon-25% c02 mix

[@cindyizaguirre1164]

Does that one take .045 wire?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

I don’t believe so, I think .035 is the largest

[@coltburk6413]

I can’t get mine to feed wire right. Any tips?

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

Make sure you have the correct drive roller for the wire you are using. Some are smooth or kinda jagged based on flux core or not. Also check and adjust the tension.

[@coltburk6413]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 wasnt aware of the jagged ones. I knew there were different sizes

[@MuddyBeards4X4]

I believe the one for flux core has edges that help feed it

[@coltburk6413]

@@MuddyBeards4X4 I use gas

[@Rickugg]

I know nothing about Titanium !!! I will go for Hobart 210,,,930 !! I guess this like other things, only 2 or 3 companies make all of them. I saw this guy on Matts off road.

[@electricargon2990]

Do all the processes if you are going to put out a review.

[@wildbill23c]

Yep, they're all this way it seems, they get these multi-process welders and never use them for anything more than the $100 Flux Core Welders will do. I bought one of these Titanium welders today and hopefully I can figure out the TIG & Stick functions as those are 2 things I've never done I've used my $100 flux core welder a lot, but that's the extent of my welding knowledge LOL...and everyone says to learn Stick and TIG as MIG is really the most simple of the processes to do.

[@christopherroberts4358]

Use one bottle. Ÿoull get better pen on mig and also use it for your tig......

[@davidpaulsen449]

I've had this welder for 3 years now and wanted to see some other peoples reviews but I just don't see how this is a "long term" review of the Unlimited 200 when you're completely ignoring 1/3 of what it's capable of. It's a multiprocess welder with Mig/Tig/Stick and you're only reviewing 2 processes after 2 whole years because you "can't afford" a bottle of Ar? This is basically a review of the Unlimited 170 and all the comments echo that. It's a good review of those features to be honest but I wish you would have touched on the Tig.

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@sass1ap]

So then this really isn't a long term review..... should have just bought a straight MIG if you aren't reviewing all the processes

[@wildbill23c]

Harbor Freight gave it to him, so he didn't have a choice...wish HF would give me tools LOL.

[@vinnycruise]

I'm on my 3rd one and I've completed about 2 feet of weld. First one never worked wouldn't turn on. Second one had some nutty thing with the motor -it would ramp up faster than you set or slow way down randomly...brand new. Dog shit manufacturers

[@floridastate3247]

Same boat here, I watch these reviews and wonder how they all " luck up" and get working units. 3 different units can't be just bad luck

[@beemerkon]

Is this a joke hey check out this review sorry but the tig and stick I have never used they sent this clown a free welder

[@wildbill23c]

Nope all these reviewers are the same way...so these reviews are completely pointless, even more pointless when the company gave them the dang welder to begin with, to do a review on 1/3 of the machine is useless.