TITANIUM FLUX 125 VS. CHICAGO ELECTRIC! || HF Titanium Flux 125 Review

Is the Harbor Freight TITANIUM Flux 125 worth the extra money? In this video we run some tests to find out! (SPOILER: IT IS)
🚨WILDFOX FABRICATION MERCH🚨
wildfoxfabrication.com
Chicago Electric (black) flux welder: www.harborfreight.com/flux-12...
Titanium flux welder: www.harborfreight.com/easy-fl...
Filmed on the Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 w/ TAKSTAR SGC-598 mic and Feiyutech AK2000s gimbal and edited in Final Cut Pro

[@belavet]

This video actually helped me lean towards getting the titanium. I have no idea what I'm doing and a lot of the videos on here, while informative, seem to come from people that are pretty damn good at welding. Coming from your own mouth, you're "no great" but there's a very clear difference between the two units. I hope you don't take offense to that. I appreciate the video!

[@WildfoxFabrication]

I love this comment actually. I agree 100% lol

[@adamfields1986]

Hey man loved the video. Your personality is pretty great even in just a review video.

[@tomvermeulen1082]

Thank you for not asking me to subscribe or hit smash slap, punch or penetrate in an otherwise undesirable thrusting action. So I did exactly that. Thank you young sir!

[@brandongochie4325]

Best comparison video I’ve seen for these two welders. Thanks for the info and input.

[@lunarrn]

I'll subscribe Nice to see a young man interested in something besides playing video games all day and night.

[@gavincarroll2553]

I would be doing stuff other than playing video games working or going to school if I had the stuff I needed to do the stuff I wanted that's why I'm watching this to find a gasless welder to build a trike

[@christopherjeffers5160]

i want to donate him a grinder. Wish my son played in the garage more .

[@sdriza]

wait until he finds girls.... (at least I hope these younger guys still find interest in that over video games???)

[@Tommy.McLean]

I'll second that

[@Coolshortsvideo1]

@@sdrizanah cars and building stuff over girls any day

[@joshmartin7924]

First time seeing a video of yours. You got great editing technique and was a good video with just enough humor. Hope you keep it up. 😊

[@rpddoc]

I’m 50 years old and have all of 30 minutes welding experience on thin sheet metal from 13 years ago. Your vid is making me choose the Titanium as I need all the help I can get at this point. Sure, I can pay somebody to do my projects, but I want to learn myself. Thanks!

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Thank you for the comment! The titanium will definitely help you figure it out!

[@YourUNKus]

@@WildfoxFabrication Same boat here but even less experience ... question --> are your wall outlets 15 or 20 amp circuit (120 V I assume) I'm worried about constantly tripping my 15 A breakers

[@WildfoxFabrication]

@@YourUNKus my garage breakers are 20A at 120v, it will work okay on a 15a breaker unless you’re running it maxed out full tilt and then you may occasionally trip the breaker. But it works on a 15A breaker most of the time

[@Slim1423]

Welding your own stuff, will more than pay for a cheaper welder at Harborfreight. Just make sure to get the proper eye shade protection for your eyes before welding. Gotta protect your eyesight, to prevent going blind.....

[@madmanmanx]

I came to watch the review but stayed because you’re funny. You got a good personality bro.

[@bigfhandsbigbooty]

super happy that wasn’t beer keep up the vids my man... wish my kid was as interested in these things as u are big up Sir

[@prophez23]

I just got the Titanium yesterday and although I've been a blacksmith and custom knife maker for 17 years I have very very little experience with welding and I finally decided to change that. I've used a few stick welders and I tried gas mig welding a couple times but I suck at it badly so I didn't want to shell out big bucks until I got a little bit more experience in welding and I gotta say I'm very impressed with what this little machine is capable of. For someone who knows almost nothing about welding I was able to build a decent little welding table. I think with a few weeks practice I'll be pretty decent at it.

[@javiercontreras9048]

I got the Chicago 190 and welds really good, with practice and playing with the limited settings you can weld no problem. I do have the titanium 125 as well. Nice little welder for sure.

[@xxfaction6xx]

Thanks man. Helped a lot

[@jamespaschky5061]

Best KZbin video I've watched in a while bro. Keep it up

[@donaldbaker6961]

Sold.....thank you man I’m getting one today thanks for the video

[@myrealname2022]

Awesome review, keep it up!

[@jlsgarage872]

You definitely changed my mind on what I'm getting the extra 60 or so dollars is definitely worth it with the titanium

[@scottb4029]

While I did have the the Chicago welder, I recently purchased titanium 125. I love it as well. I am waiting for some dinse 25 connectors to arrive, so I can utilize the welder as an arc and as a scratch start rig. Nice video, good framing and entertaining . Keep up the good work.

[@mk-gh1bd]

Thanks for the video. Great quality, commentary and helped me decide against the funny metal canister.

[@randygreen7871]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing!

[@tonygallo8570]

Did a wonderful job on comparing those two welders for a young man like you glad you're into this other than video games and you did a wonderful job good personality and you educated me I would go for the titanium also

[@ryanc1102]

Really good comparison for sure, I will say just to be fair I've seen a few guys with maybe a few more years experience that can run a pretty good news with the Chicago electric but probably not as easy to achieve as with the titanium

[@matthewsalvador9783]

New subscriber.... nice comparison video

[@buttfacemcghee]

Subscribed because this video is awesome. You’re awesome. I have the Titanium also and it’s a phenomenal little machine.

[@-DIYPRO-]

Titanium weld lookin good! As you can see round tubing/ piping is an art.

[@21psd]

Great job man!! Good honest and accurate review. I have the Chicago Electric model too, and my welds look just like yours! lol

[@WildfoxFabrication]

lol, since this video I've tried the Chicago electric a few times again (after months with the titanium) and I can actually make some pretty dang respectable welds with it. its just way harder to do than the titanium. thanks for watching!

[@Rfloyd5wanafish]

To add to this. I have the Chicago one, and this morning could not get a wield to hold. I watched the video, went down to harbor freight and picked up the Titanium, and came home and wielded the item that I spent all day yesterday trying to put together. I am not a wielder at all. Just a DYI guy. well worth the upgrade for the low price.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Thanks so much for the final decision on the Titanium Flux-125. You did an awesome job. Fred.

[@robertblackshear8963]

Great review. Both are pretty good machines.

[@ayitsyaboi]

Great comparison!

[@justnolan06]

thanks for the info!

[@r.g.4011]

Great video. Thank you. Now I know what one to buy as my first welder.

[@william38022]

Man that new DC 125 inverter they got looks pretty sweet,,, I thought about getting it just because of the light weight of it it would be easy to carry around however I got the 170 titanium inverter welder instead,,,I haven’t even used it yet it’s been too cold outside,,,, when it gets warmer I will try it out,,,I have a Hobart EZ 125 one of the older ones it’s flux core only it doesn’t have a gas valve but that’s been a really great unit overall,,,, you’ve done a real fine video here👍

[@TypicalWater]

Great job showcasing these welders! Also a fire beat you have on this video, would love for you to release the beat.

[@7outdoors4life]

Gracias amigo!!! Buen trabajo!!!

[@josech5743]

Great video bro thanks

[@mrradio2187]

You sold me bro, great video and excellent welder!

[@blktop]

Nice videos bro keep it up! I have the black one I’m just starting up but this is making me get the green one it’s on sale rn too!

[@GMApplemonkey]

LMFAO @ 0:39 .just playin man.great video

[@OB1974]

Very well done.

[@russ9320]

Hey I can't get my Chicago electric torch gun put back together do you think you could post a video of that?

[@jocarr1791]

What's with the mic so close the packages are being opened?

[@williamgrissom9022]

I got the cheap black welder 15 years ago (actually mine is blue) for $89. I've fixed many things with it, both auto and home, so paid for itself many times over. The welds aren't purty but a grinder fixes that, and could be more me than the welder. I've welded up to 3/8" steel and it gave good penetration (turned blue on backside).

[@Slim1423]

Some say the Blue color welder from Chicago Electric was made in Italy, but the Black color welder wasn't . I don't know about the quality of either personally. Never owned either one.

[@frankthespank]

The green one I would guess is a DC welder and the black one is AC. If you or anyone else wants to know what the difference is between a DC and AC flux core welder, well… there ya go. I had purchased a complete welding setup at Harbor Freight and just as I got it out of the box the guy I was trying to buy a welder from on Craigslist who I thought had ghosted me finally replied back and said if I still wanted it $150 gets it. It was for a like new Hobart 125 EZ. Still had the original spool of flux wire inside of it that was barely used. I think I got a good deal…. Only thing I upgraded was the negative clamp for it. It welds very nice, if I was buying a welder today though and couldn’t find a deal like that I’d probably go with that green welder from HF. Does the black one work? Absolutely! I bet with enough practice and “grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain’t” you could do some nice work with it but the green one is what… $80 more? I know that’s almost double the price of the black one but I’d go for it.

[@jennawhite5822]

the green one is too light to be copper winding, I'm wondering if he used the same wire in both

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

I like your video it was a good video keep up the good work👍👍👍👍👍

[@hammersadventure]

Initially I was skeptical because of his age. But it was a good informative and helpful comparison. Good job keep up the objective brief vids

[@EasyMoneyCrew]

great video man thank you! what was the song you used in this video?

[@WildfoxFabrication]

It was some random beat I made on garageband a long time ago. It is atrocious lol

[@kaneetsate1662]

Great video, thinking of going pick up the Titanium Welder

[@WildfoxFabrication]

do it! still using this machine and havent had a single problem with it

[@imxploring]

Great Video! Looks as if the Titanium 125 has a much hotter and consistent arc. The results speak for themselves.

[@jennawhite5822]

did you use the same wire in both welders?

[@simplybeanjelly]

This is the exact kind of video I was looking for! I wanted to see what beginner welder I should get. Was tempted by the low price of the Chicago electric, but it's obviously not as good, and I definitely am willing to get the titanium.

[@eldongarner787]

This Test comparison is an AC to DC welder.. The Chicago electric is AC . The Titanium is DC . No good comparison. The flux wire is a DC wire. I have gotten good looking welds using the AC machine. Many people have converted the AC machine to DC and gotten good looking welds.

[@garinhash]

does this plug into a standard house outlet? or does it need a outlet with a higher amperage circuit?

[@WildfoxFabrication]

its a standard house plug, it needs a 120v 20a circuit, most garages are on a 20 amp circuit just check your breaker box just to be sure. it might work on a 15a circuit as long as the welder isnt at full power but it might trip the breaker a lot

[@christophersmith8507]

Like the video. Your welding is not bad. No matter what type of welding it is, even if you have done the same thing over and over again the first piece is usually not the best. If you like welding TIG is really good for welding just about everything, but more expensive to get started. You need different bottles of gas. One reason Flux core is great. Also liked your style of video making, editing, good flow, informative, and well spoken.Your video actually helped me decide which one, Titanium.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

thanks for watching! glad i could help!

[@raysult]

Great video ! 👍👍. Good comparison. How is it holding up now a year later ? I wanting to upgrade from my old Harbor Freight 90 amp flux core welder

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Still workin hard. If you watch my recent buggy series i used this welder to make the whole thing

[@groundhitter9209]

Great video, what wire did you use in the review for the titanium? Was it the wire that came with it in package? Going to buy one this weekend.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

I can’t quite remember, I think it was, but I highly recommend the harbor freight vulcan 0.030” wire it makes really clean beads

[@NetsarimTheWatchman]

Great video. I must say from what I saw, both did not penetrate properly as advertised. This is most likely a settings issue that can be overcome by adjusting to find what's best. I use a CE 170 AMP for flux and it does a great job. However I do always have to run a higher wire speed.

[@michaelb.42112]

THIS is the video I was looking for as a solder experienced worker, but ZERO welding experience. I think my soldering skills should help me at the start, but I still NEED to learn the basics first.

[@eaelionheart76]

I went with the Titanium welder. Bought it yesterday. Glad I did.

[@TVOSSlade]

Do you know where I can get replacement parts for the gun I need the nozzle ,tips and that piece you put the tip on

[@WildfoxFabrication]

ebay will have the more specialty parts but you can get the copper tips anywhere that sells welding supplies, harbor freight has good quality cheap ones sold in 5packs i think

[@TVOSSlade]

@@WildfoxFabrication I went to tractor supply and Harbor Freight Today and they do not have the part I need I even called their part department over the phone and they said they do not have the part. The part I’m looking for is the thing that the tip twists into.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

@@TVOSSlade oh youll need to go on eBay for that

[@philos212]

Great comparison video as I am comparing these two welders at the moment. I have never welded in my entire life. I am leaning towards the Titanium. Question is - can this be used to weld a trailer, such as steel reinforcing tubes to an existing trailer to make it stronger? I am considering 12 gauge or may be a little thicker. Will it hold? TIA.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

It should work fantastic for that

[@obedreyes1107]

The grounding😂😂 I will get the titanium tomorrow, thank you for the video

[@kingsoulsurfer41]

What is better for auto body repair

[@stevengegar9709]

It's good to see a youngster as yourself learning a trade , BUT , this old man is doing the same . hope you are a successful welder young MAN

[@AnonymousAnonymous-jy6ei]

Could you use a magnetic induction gun to heat he two pieces up and then weld together? I know nothing about welding btw.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

usually you need some sort of filler metal to join the two pieces together, otherwise they’re just kind of glued and not actually fused

[@chicagotruckerlifeforlife5570]

Thank You…I Buying One This Weekend…👍

[@BoneStockShtBox]

Just so you know this video is at 999 likes now that I have liked it 1 away from 1k bro! Liked the video man keep it up

[@rolando7979]

Awesome review!. Was about to buy the Chicago Electric... after viewing this......TITANIUM FLUX it is!!!!

[@carlosduran5672]

SALUDOS estoy por comprar una Chicago que me recomiendas.

[@william38022]

Your welds look just fine to me the way I look at it I don’t care what my welds look like sometimes we break things and if we’re fortunate enough we are sometimes able to put them back together again that’s all I worry about if I can fix it and make it work

[@waynegretzky8464]

Function over form!

[@DA-rf7zj]

Hey, nice video - video. It's actually just the question I had about which one to get. You sold me - Titanium.

[@william38022]

I wouldn’t get rid of that black welder you may find yourself in a position where you need it as a back up someday

[@WildfoxFabrication]

I agree

[@coolmind781]

dude you say see you tomorrow did you change your shirt.......lol good video

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Work clothes lol

[@lowellirish]

Thanks! I was thinking of buying the HF125 today...on sale for $109. I think I'll wait and get the Titanium for a little extra.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Good decision, often times you can find a coupon for $179 for the titanium

[@Genman510]

Good job

[@benkanobe7500]

Young Man, you definitely have the right personality to do this KZbin stuff. Keep it up. I'm going to subscribe if for no other reason than you are fun to watch and entertaining (and you provide useful information, you just make it fun).

[@WildfoxFabrication]

these kinda comments make it all worth it! thanks man!

[@pirihern9329]

Bought the Chicago electric 125 flux welder a year ago. Still haven't used it. Would have gotten the titanium one after watching your video

[@kenneth6731]

I did the exact same thing. The green one blows the black one out of the water, period.

[@dragonsbreath6080]

Just brought the Chicago electric 125 over the weekend. Haven't used it yet.

[@JohnDuckIT]

Thanks for this video kid , I’m a grown ass man trying to pick up a welder

[@jessegil5101]

You're crazy bro lol good job

[@jimbop101]

The Beagle approves. Good info, Great delivery

[@OU812NVME]

Do the DC conversion to the Chicago electric welder...150 amp bridge rectifier, 40 volt to 50 volt compasidor and a 100 ohm 10 watt bleed resistor...it changes it to DC like it should be, uses less energy to weld and you will use less wire to weld...a lot less wire and welds look just as good as Titanium :)

[@WildfoxFabrication]

That’s always an option, but for the price and effort of doing that it’s a better deal to get the titanium anyways so there’s not really much of a point

[@sugamai]

Thx bro, I have the chicago electric flux 125 but I've gone through three. They all blew out something inside. I also had it on a 20 amp outlet so I don't know why it kept failing on me. I'm gonna buy the titanium one today and return the other one.

[@sugamai]

Also because the titanium is dc output which is better

[@WildfoxFabrication]

That’s strange. Yeah you’ll be super happy with the titanium. Even if your chicago electric worked perfectly fine it’s still worth the upgrade 😂

[@1dariansdad]

Did you actually pay attention to duty cycle? Most people, including myself, don't and the welder will virtually melt down from internal heat. Luckily my latest black 125 has been humping along nicely for over three years of light use.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

@@1dariansdad I pay attention to the duty cycle, the chicago has 20% at 90a and the titanium has 30% at 90a, ive never ran either of them even close to their duty cycle rating. but im always checking them to see if the warning light has come on, and after well over a year of using the chicago and quite a few months of the titanium ive never seen the warning light come on even once.

[@waynegretzky8464]

@@1dariansdad My friends have the chigaco electric, and were all learning and pretty hard on it! They dont even no what a duty cycle is and i get into shit and forget sometimes myself! But it has held up weld considering were up all night laying beads builkding the forge and fixing are trucks and it hasnt melted yet pretty impressed. Im going to get the titatnium today just because its green. The little chicago is a nice machine tho for sure.

[@_schxzo_]

I know the Chicago electric one doesn’t require gas, does the titanium one require gas?

[@mauroarantes9407]

THANKS .

[@dorisfrantz7803]

I think you're pretty good at welding.. keep at it

[@AXNJXN1]

Your only misstep in this video was not adjusting the voltage from 'Min' to 'Max' to give an alternative reference to weld appearance. Having 'doubled' the wire speed, it would have been fairer to adjust the voltage and THEN see what the weld would appear like. I bet you thought of this later, maybe but it would have been more beneficial. The Chicago Electric welders are crude... but they have repaired much for Americans working on a budget!

[@wcjcnc]

I have this Titanium welder. I threw the wire that came with it in the trash and bought some Lincoln wire and I replace that crappy ground clamp with the heavy brass one. It works great. I have a small engine repair shop so I use it on zero turns, riders, decks, trailers, stuff like that.

[@unclejimmy2630]

The standard spool works fine wym I got clean welds with it

[@arianmartinez5529]

Yea the spool that comes with it is trash Lincoln wire is way better

[@dhatboiidanny]

I have the Chicago you do need to weld on max and around 5-6 speed and you can get some really clean welds

[@jefferycervantes3008]

Very young guy but extremely good at what he does and actually knows what he's talking about!!

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Appreciate the kind words

[@davidcotter4556]

Thanks

[@colin_5839]

Nice! I have a Miller Cricket that someone gave me. It's actually a pretty decent machine! I'm like you, I am pretty decent at welding, but honestly don't do it consistently enough to get really good. Does the fact that you just upgraded your welder mean that there is a crazy project coming soon? :)

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Maybe, maybe not. nobody knows except me.

[@colin_5839]

@@WildfoxFabrication lol ok. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

[@WildfoxFabrication]

you now know what the supposed crazy project is

[@colin_5839]

@@WildfoxFabrication Yup! Lol

[@gregsaiter3768]

What does "Duty Cycle" mean??

[@brym3452]

I use the black one alot cuz its easy set up instead of using my Miller suitcase welder. Its good for all welding thou as long as u use the right wire. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Gideon_Judges6]

Great presentation! You showed the difference objectively but kept the right amount of lightheartedness and charm to keep it interesting. They put those cheap clamps to make you buy the upgrade, amirite?

[@WildfoxFabrication]

Yeah 😂

[@nomoreblahblah]

Good video. I bought the T-125.

[@goodwater2020]

Nice

[@chris_758]

Hey Wlidfox, thnx for forgetting to ground the piece. I actually wondered what would happen if there was no ground 😉😜

[@STBRetired1]

I'm just a newbie guessing but from the descriptions I'm thinking that the Chicago Electric is an "old fashioned" transformer AC welder (hence the heavier weight) and the Titanium is a newer DC based inverter technology to make those smoother welds. Note also that the Titanium has a 30% duty cycle whereas the Chicago Electric only has a 20% duty cycle.

[@damianjesusbm228]

Lo q hay q saber es soldar bien xq en mi caso yo tengo una Chicago y la verdad me funciona muy bien

[@jamesgarcia9514]

I bought one from a someday I’m going to welder guy … It was new in the box $100 Titan 125 . YOU CAN PUT THAT LITTLE BOY WELDER IN YOUR LUNCH BOX OR BACK PACK AND CARRY UP A LADDER AND WELD DUCT WORK.. As for me IM RETIRED UNION SHEET METAL WORKER I HAVE WELDED ENOUGH STAINLESS STEEL DUCT WORK FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW MEXICO IN ONE STRAIGHT LINE .. twenty five years under a hood. When i started welding school mig was coming out..