Titanium Easy Flux 125 Vs Century FC-90 - Flux Core Welder Comparison

Easily two of the most popular flux core welders for do it yourselfers and hobbyists are the Titanium Easy Flux 125 and the Century FC-90 (among others). I compare the two machines in this video and do some welding on 12 and 14 gauge steel. It doesn't actually turn out well for the Titanium and I am going to return it.

[@andrewbossman4970]

You have to run the Lincoln. 035 in the titanium!!!! And upgrade the ground clip also....and it runs amazing! One of the best flux 125 welders I ever used!. I believe it can do more/better then advertised!

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I did run the Lincoln in the Titanium the second time around. Ive welded with the century for a year or two with a cheap ground clamp and it welded much better. I am confident that the Titanium is a solid machine, but I definitely got a dud.

[@deathofcayde-6968]

I've seen the Titanium do very nice welds in other videos. Could be you just got a lemon that is not set up right. I'm sure Harbor Freight will replace it and it's worth a second try. Otherwise you'll end up paying a restock fee. Don't forget you also have the better ground clamp on the Century so it's not a fair comparison. I bought the Titanium because I've seen plenty of videos where the Titanium works just fine

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I am 100% sure it was a lemon. They returned it without the restock fee. I decided it was financially convenient to return it and get my money back and then just try again later.

[@richardkidd5026]

My titanium is burning through crap like crazy really don't believe the voltage regulator is set up properly

[@WHEREVER-I-ROAM]

@@richardkidd5026 Sounds like Lincoln is the WINNER Made in AMERICA (I hope) GOTTA look into that

[@Eric_W_Knives]

Getting ready to buy a little welder for my knife making hobby to fab some tools and equipment. Was leaning torward the fc-90. Your video helped from a non pro perspective. Thanks

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Awesome, good luck!

[@hfjeff2736]

Derek great video and thanks for the review. I am also a novice and looking to purchase my first flux-core welder. I am looking at these exact same brands/models plus a couple others (Klutch 140i and Hobart Handler 125). I like the size of these 2 machines and being inverters, they are substantially lighter than their transformer counterparts. These reviews take a lot of time and effort. Keep up the great work.

[@ericxiong6582]

I have the Century FC-90 and it works fine. If you want the best price, buy it from Home Depot's website and have it delivered.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Thanks for watching! I think they are both solid choices minus having a bad out of the box machine. So if you haven't pulled the trigger on a machine yet, let me offer another option. Its the Forney FC-i 140 or something like that. I might have reversed the name around but either way, its a good option. I like it because its right around the same cost as the two welders in this video, but it has the ability to hold 10lb spools saving you a lot of money in the long run. Also I believe it has a slightly better warranty at 1 year (if I remember correctly) and the Titanium is only 90 days and the Century is like 6 months. There are a lot of good machines out there, I think the Forney is also a solid choice. I would definitely go DC no matter what you end up buying though. Better cleaner welds than AC. Good luck!

[@itsnegl3ct341]

Handler by far the best bang for your buck all hobarts does is metal work there one factory is local great quality for 110-120v

[@anthonymarino4260]

have a Hobart 140 works great

[@GuestInvitado-gd3bi]

Absolutely, HOBART is one of the greats and with an open mind, FORNEY is also a name brand. 👍👍

[@grantplowdrey9134]

I just purchased the titanium 125 as well. I bought mine last week and will be trying it out today. I completely agree that you got a dud based on the multiple positive reviews on the welder. Thank you for making the video! I thought it was very informative and don’t let the arm chair critics bug you, there’s always some asshat that has a negative thing to say! Anyways keep up the great work!

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Thanks a bunch! Good luck with your welder!

[@Can-am2022]

Good video.. thanks to this videos i can choose tools..

[@baldeagle242]

Great video Derek, thanks for sharing.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Thank's for watching.

[@baldeagle242]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects You're welcome. You should consider opening an affiliate account with Harbor Freight and posting a link to their welders. I ended up purchasing a larger version of the Titanium welder after watching your video. I would have definitely clicked your Affilate link to purchase if you had one. Thanks again. 🦅👍

[@JerryEly]

Hello what extension cord can I use what gauge ? Did you check the gouge of the tutanium instructions?

[@goneweldin8181]

I been using mine for two years and can lay some pretty beads with it just turn it up and make sure that your material is clean cuz it makes a huge difference when your working w less power

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

It's not a bad machine, I just definitely got a dud.

[@dkdogs]

I have the titanium and it’s rock solid, thankfully! I love that little welder.

[@johnmbarsness]

Really good review, thanks

[@sailawaybob]

I'm very much a novice welder sad because my Dad was a professional welder but didn't teach any of us welding so pretty much self learned with help of you tube. My first welder was the old harbor freight welder I bought with a coupon but wanted something better watched tons of videos and rad reviews and went with the century which is made by Lincoln it's super light and compact and again I'm a novice and need to practice way more but impressed so far.

[@jayyambrovich3740]

Derek, you mentioned the crappy quality of the ground clamp. I honestly think that the ground clamp was the problem but since you have returned it no use second-guessing it now. Greetings from a US retiree now living in Portugal.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I’ve heard of a lot of people that do that, what’s the draw of retiring in a different country? I love the US to much to ever consider leaving it!

[@jayyambrovich3740]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects Primary reason: very similar to California where we lived but WAY MORE AFFORDABLE. Lived in Europe before and we love to travel so this makes it easy.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Very cool. Enjoy your retirement!

[@andrewbossman4970]

Yes!! A better ground clamp would have been night and day....I felt the same way he does..ready to return it....then I got some lincoln wire and a nice ground clamp....now it's the only welder I use...from thin metals up to pretty thick metals!. The titanium can do it all!! Go get one people!

[@sailawaybob]

Oh and I think the wire you use makes a lot of difference in the quality of a weld.

[@pondacres]

Another good one, Derek. I'm way with you about the controls on the fc90, they're a pita....can't see them w/o tipping the machine up, and then I kept confusing the amps with wire speed just like you. That titanium has good reviews, so yeh you probably just got a dud. I've returned an angle grinder and other stuff to HF, duds. It does happen with HF.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I am not sure why I never said it when recording because I know I thought of it 2-3 times, it just never got out, but on the FC-90 the numbers are just so tiny its hard to read as well. They definitely need to redesign is a little to be more like the Titanium. Ya once in a while you'll just open something out of the box broken. It happens.

[@frankcrawford416]

I put duct tape next to each knob with the symbol V for volts and WS for wire speed with a sharpie.

[@mgoody8782]

It would had been interesting to see you use the replacement unit instead of walking away from it. Like I always say “the customer is harbor freights quality control department “

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I understand. I considered not even posting this video because of that, but I guess I felt like I already put the time into it that I did and sometimes things don’t work out and it was reality so I posted it. I’m not going to rule it out completely. I might revisit it someday.

[@kellyklaask7su990]

Can either one take the large wire rolls or are you limited to the small rolls because it doesn't look like here is enough room for the large rolls in either one. Thanks.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Small rolls are the limit.

[@amely8393]

I have seen a roll here and there come defective, that looks like the problem you were having, i have never seen one come out defective, i had mine for about two years, i am as happy as you with the century, i also have let the students use my welder in the classroom from 8am to 5 pm, and never failed so i think you are right maybe you got the dud...

[@SilverFangDX]

Hello I just purchased my first welder and it happens to be an fc 90, I've seen quite a few videos on these inexpensive machines and most people say that they wouldn't use it for anything structural. I wanted to use it to make a ladder rack out of 1/8 inch square tubing, so I guess my question is, is it possible that the welds could hold up or is it out of the capabilities of this machine? I would really appreciate any help or resources.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Hey Erick, thanks for watching! So the FC-90 is capable of welding (fully penetrating) steel up to 1/4 inches thick according to the specifications on Northern Tool, a retailer that sales the machine. I am not sure why people are saying they wouldn't use it for anything structural. If you use a quality wire with it, get good full penetration welds, and run good beads with proper settings, you should have a really solidly built ladder rack at the end of it. People on the internet love to hate on flux core for some reason. I watched a Weld.com video, produced by professional welders, and in one of their videos they talked about how lots of massive ocean-liners are welded up with .045 flux core wire. Those are pressure vessels being welded up with flux core! All of this is just a friendly opinion of mine that I share with you, its not professional advice or anything but honestly, flux core is a great process and you should have no problems doing what you want to do with it. I just probably wouldn't build steel buildings with a little 120v flux core welder. Ladder rack built with 1/8" tubing should be good.

[@SilverFangDX]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects thanks for taking the time to reply and giving me some insight, your videos are pretty entertaining and I'm looking forward to future content. Keep up the good work!

[@jayyambrovich3740]

Erick, when someone says "structural" they are referring to large steel beams (I-beams and the like, typically known as ´red iron´. What you are proposing is well within the capability of the FC-90. Carry on

[@seabass22]

Think guy I work with uses a flux core to weld on stuff. Build trailers and what not.

[@seabass22]

@@jayyambrovich3740 would this little welder be enough to fix rotted red iron posts on a big camper canopy? I inherited it but a couple posts have rotted at the ground. Need to be cut and fixed.

[@garyanddoris6022]

If ya have welded for thirty five years like I have you don't have to worry about letters and numbers I can tell in the first quarter inch of weld if I need to go up in wire speed or amperage......

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Makes sense.

[@benjaminshiflett8066]

Just got the 90. Works great.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I've had the 90 for a few years. Good little machine that is capable of doing a lot for a little money. Good luck with it. Thanks for watching.

[@benjaminshiflett8066]

Right on. Keep up the good work Derek! You definitely earned a new sub!

[@garyanddoris6022]

Does the titanium have a polarity reverse option ???

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

No that you can change on the outside of the machine or easily inside. But it's there.

[@curtwuollet2912]

One thing that doesn't get mentioned about duty cycle is the inverter machines cool off much faster than a machine with a 35 pound transformer.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Thanks for the tip.

[@JeepTeriyaki]

the titanium 125 is 3 minute run 7 min rest for duty cycle

[@teshuvahemmet3036]

Thanks for the info

[@charliebeck1448]

Change your ground clamp it will make a big difference

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I need to get another one. I returned the original one and didn't replace it.

[@TheDopalgangr]

How ya feeling buddy? COVID all gone? My wife and son have it now too.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I haven't had symptoms for over 7 days. I'm feeling 100% back to normal. So pretty good, thanks for asking! Hope your family gets through it ok with just mild symptoms. It's miserable no matter what, but most of us are still fortunate to not have long term effects, or even severe short term effects from it.

[@brandonkahuna1251]

From everything ive seen about the titanium , it's a roll of the dice what you will get and it may or may not work. The FC-90 is just a damn good machine.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Yes it is. Thanks for watching.

[@william38022]

I like Harbor Freight too and I’m an inside track club member have been for years however some of their stuff is not too good and if you spend a substantial amount of money on anything in that store don’t walk out the door until you put the two year replacement plan on it,,,I’ve got a titanium 170 that wouldn’t work right out of the box it would not drive the wire the meter just flashed,,,, I took it back and they returned it no questions asked and they allowed me to purchase a second two year replacement plan on the replacement because you can only use a replacement plan once on the tool you buy it for so I did,,,,, I haven’t even used that welder yet it’s still boxed up in the garage and I don’t feel like going outside in the cold playing around with it right now,,,,, I could heat the garage up easily enough however I don’t weld in there I only weld outside I have a small garage and it’s wood and I store fuel and other things that are flammable out there so I don’t feel comfortable doing any cutting and grinding or welding of any kind in there,,,, it’s all done outside on my concrete patio,,,, it’s just too dam cold right now I hope mine works when I finally open it up and try it again in the spring,,,,these lightweight jobs really seem great however I have an older flux core only EZ Hobart 125 amp 120volt little wire welder that has been bulletproof I wonder if I shouldn’t of got another Hobart instead idk???

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Well here is my philosophy on HFTs. Especially their newer updated better quality products. If you spend, like you said, any real substantial amount of money there, take that product home immediately and use it. Use it hard. This way you make sure if you did get a dud or just one of a small bad batch or something, it will show up there in the first 90 day free warranty. If not, then you are probably safe with it and it'll last you as long as anything else. Good lucky with your machine! hope you get a chance to go use it soon.

[@gizzyguzzi]

At least you could return it to HF. I see you recommend the Forney, if I buy it online and get a bad one, how do I return it? Same with no name chinese welders on Amazon, or the Amico or YesWelder. I can get Hobart 100 for $225 and it has 5.3.1 warranty. Others have no more than 1 year warranty, or even 6 months. Titanium is now $199, but I can buy an extended warranty, and deal with a store.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I’m going to respond to this comment in a video. Sound good?

[@wftxidiot6518]

I'm gonna try the "Reboot" brand 4 in 1 welder... We'll see how it goes

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I tried to get them to send me one once but they weren't interested. They don't look bad.

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

👍👍👍👍👍👍 I had a Hobart Handler 190 finally went out Winter Harbor Freight got the titanium 125 it it's a very good welder for a beginner soon as I get my Hobart Handler 190 fixed I'm acute the titanium 125 for a backup or I still might use it Bob Elkhart

[@davebanach9891]

Yea titanium might be a little off, I’ve welded plenty of corner joints using 1/8 inch steel plates and have yet to blow a hole. I use stock settings and the wire that it came with.

[@davebanach9891]

Though I do have to add my uncle used it to weld a body panel on a truck and it blew a lot of holes (thin metal). He is used to a Miller with better controls and he didn’t get this one figured out, he kinda though it was cool though bc of its size.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Ya definitely something wrong with the one I got. I'll revisit it someday.

[@elecride4725]

thank you!

[@jamesp9998]

Did they hit you with the 20 percent restock fee ?

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Not in this case because this thing did not work.

[@frankmarti8984]

Thanks great information I do have one of each and they both do decent work and you bet it can the machine but at least harbor freight will take it back no questions asked

[@twobanger21]

Didn't' you also say that the polarity might be wrong?

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I did say that but I can’t change the polarity in the machine. It’s like it was hooked up in the factor wrong. It almost seemed like that’s how it was behaving.

[@topg8085]

I'm getting a Century FC 90 this week.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Awesome dude. I have had mine for a while. I definitely recommend it.

[@alexmanzanero]

flux core/ dc electrode negative?? maybe that is the problem

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Ya flux core is supposed to run DC Electrode Negative. 75% of heat goes into the base metal, 25% goes in to the wire. It's reverse polarity. There was no way to easily change it. I think that the polarity is wrong in the machine. Maybe something else.

[@alexmanzanero]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects True, true, thanks for reply

[@juanavalos3803]

It is a mchine adjustment is al the titnium graph is. Rough estimates to where to be. It doesnt account if the power supply quality.

[@abruptlyblunt]

actually you are probably the perfect person to make a video like this because you most represent the average person who's going to be buying a welder like this, pro's don't use 110v welders........

[@Engraved_In_Mind]

Titanium is a very good welder.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I agree, I will have to try it out again someday.

[@frankcrawford416]

The fc is the gold standard. Harbor freight has to prove itself. No one questions about the fc. The titanium may be as good, but certainly not better.

[@JeepTeriyaki]

My 125 Titanium easy flux works good. you definitely got a dud. I do have a lincoln weld pak 90i FC just came in the mail today hopefully it works well. Just running cheap ARCCAPTAIN 0.30 wire. few body repairs to do on my Jeep We'll see if the Lincoln is better. a few less amps should help on the thinner stuff! BTW when i got my Titanium the ground wire slipped out of the clamp.. Before i reattached it was welding like SH**! They didnt fasten it very well. Poor ground was a big problem. Thanks for sharing

[@lowboostgarage8925]

I had the same issue with the titanium I returned the machine to the store but they didn’t gave me money instead they just gave me a gift card for harbor freight I’m just pissed

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

That’s unusual for HF. Usually they have top notch customer service in returns. I think there were a set of duds going out of the manufacturing plants.

[@abritton77]

I bought the most expensive titanium welder. it was great for 6 months or so. Then it would randomly stop feeding. It wasnt the trigger. I dealt with that for a few more months and then it burnt up. I dont deal with Harbor Freight much anymore. Often times they arent the cheapest anymore. Their prices are getting higher. You can buy a made in the USA tool box for cheaper than theirs.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

What made in the USA box? That’s too bad. The titanium stuff is supposed to be pretty good.

[@abritton77]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects Craftsman

[@jameshall7539]

@@abritton77 craftsman is made in china

[@josephalcindor6323]

Its not the welder bro it user the user. Those harbor freight welders are good budgets and work great. Could be something with the welder you could have gotten a bad one.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I got a dud I think. I can lay a decent bead. Far better than I did with that machine. I’ll give it another shot here in the future.

[@williamgalloway7262]

Your settings and ground are the probems.Also use the vulcan wire instead of the cheap wire. When you listen to the titanium you know the set up is wrong

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Sorry, it didn’t weld like any welder I’ve used and I’ve run at least 5 different sub $500 flux core machines by now and never experienced a machine that welded like this one. It was a dud. Titanium flux 135s are not bad machine. Probably every bit as good as the Century, but I got one bad from the factory.

[@bradperez3649]

Comparing a welder you've have experience using for 3 years. To a welder you've used for 30 minutes. And making a final determination on which is better....Doesn't seem like a fair comparison.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

That is a fair criticism but I would like to defend myself a little. This machine in particular clearly had something wrong with it. I really like Harbor Freight and actually have a minor relationship with a rep from the company. I did not want to trash this machine. As I hope you'll remember, prior to welding, I mostly talked up the Titanium. I like it and will revisit it someday. But this unit was no good. I gave it multiple chances.

[@gizzyguzzi]

Huh. Other reviews like the Titanium over the Century. At least you could take the Titanium back to HF! If I buy something online that will be a problem. The Forney has a one year warranty, but no service centers within 100 miles, they'll probably want me to pay return shipping. The YESWELDER FLUX-135 looks promising for $159, has a one year warranty, but what about support? The Century is available at HD, has 6 mos warranty. The Hobart Handler 100 is $225 and has a 5.3.1 warranty, and I bet I could find a service center somewhere nearby. Titanium is $200 now, ext warranty is available, and at least they have a local store! Decisions...

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

I’ll answer this in a video!

[@Zombiereaper1]

I think you got a dud, it almost looks to me like the ground connection is loose, top me at least. My Titanium 200 works great, good video though!

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Well the ground clamp is pretty much junk but it got a good solid bite on the metal and should do well enough to get a solid decent looking weld. Maybe you mean within the machine, but I actually opened up the machine to see if maybe it would be easy to switch polarity if the polarity was wrong but the connections inside the machine we solid, there just wasn't any markings to tell which was positive and which was negative on the inside. I really want the Titanium 200! I almost bought it instead of my Forney but what caused me to go with the Forney is the fact that I only have 120v power available to me and that is going to be the case for a while so I figured Id save a couple hundred bucks for now, maybe get a bigger machine later. Thanks for watching as always!

[@Zombiereaper1]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects while the ground clamp on the Titanium 200 is by no means "top quality" it is definitely a whole lot better than the one on the easyflux!

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Good to know!

[@rafyelartesano9543]

Century is prestige from Lincoln 💪

[@alfiedelacruz1866]

I think you do have a dud. The one I have works fine

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Ya something was definitely wrong with that machine. Thanks for watching.

[@xtremeautosoundelectronics2067]

Mine works fine...

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Most everyone's does. I got a dud. One in a thousand.

[@xtremeautosoundelectronics2067]

@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects did you get a replacement ? If not you should and do a followup review

[@cliffkeller6972]

Get rid of the harbor freight wire. Stick with the Lincoln wire it’s far superior.

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

At the end I talk about a weld I made with the Lincoln wire on the Titanium. Still had issues.

[@Garage-1881]

Subd

[@WHEREVER-I-ROAM]

They are both cheap welders Its really HARBOR FREIGHT vs. LINCOLN WELDER SAME WITH HONDA GENERATORS AND HARBOR FREIGHT GENERATORS FOLLOW THE MASTERS IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT (IM TRYING)

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

They both are cheap and both not bad.

[@jozsefmihalyi2818]

9 min blabla. Grat.

[@Grey-ke9gd]

Maybe because it's from harbor freight???? Nawww!!!🤣

[@DereksWorkshopAndProjects]

Harbor Freight is good stuff these days dude!

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

Lincoln wire is 100% better

[@soup2nuts1957]

Pull flux dont push

[@havenboydhuffman4828]

Lincoln Electric makes the best wire and the world I know this

[@havenboydhuffman4828]

Harbor Freight wire is junk I know this

[@Grey-ke9gd]

Try a better ground clamp