Great

I was a little hesitant to get this welder, but it sounded like a decent box for the price it was advertised for. I am very impressed with it so far. The leads are much better than the cheap Harbor Freight branded leads. They are about 10 ft long each which is way more than you get from HF. The anti-stick and hot start actually work. I wasn't sure I'd be able to tell a difference, but I definitely can. I am not a professional welder as I only weld for a hobby and around the farm. I currently have a Primeweld multi-function welder, a cheap HF stick welder, and a Hobart gas driven welder. This little welder does just about as good as all of my others with the exception of the gas driven welder. I am able to use larger rods with the gas driven welder and it feels a little smoother when welding. This welder can use both 110 and 220. The main difference is that when I plug it into 220v, I am able to go up to 5/32 rods. When on 110, you will be limited to 1/8-inch rods. It burns 6013 rods very good. It does not like 6010 rods, but I was able to use 6011 rods ok. I also tried 7018 and it ran them ok as well. If you are just starting out, save your money and just get this welder because it will be a very inexpensive way to learn stick welding. I haven't used it for tig, etc. but it really is a handy little welder. The adjustments aren't scientific and it's basically a 0-10 scale on the adjustments but it's easy enough to understand the basics. It had plenty of power to tinker with 1/8 inch - 1/4-inch steel. I didn't try thicker, but with multiple passes, it would easily handle it I feel. One thing I found curious is that the default power plug is a US 110v plug and then you plug that into a 220v plug adapter. I thought it would have been better to have it the other way around. It comes with about 5 or 6 rods to try out. They feel like they are basically 6013 rods when using them, but they had different markings on them. The duty cycle is rated at 60 for 110 and 50 for 220 but I never ran it long enough in one go to test it. I built a gate for one of our livestock pens with the welder and it never shut down on me. I don't know about the longevity of the product but if I had to do it all over again, I'd get this first and practice, practice, practice. I thought if I spent more money, I'd get better welds but nope... Need to practice. If you are on the fence about getting a HF stick welder, don't do it. I got one on sale, but I never use it anymore due to the short leads. I used to have a HF mig welder because I thought it would be a relatively inexpensive way to get into mig. It only lasted 9 months and I was out of luck returning it. The wire feed relay crapped out on it. It was the last larger purchase from HF I'll ever do. I will update my review if anything should change, but seriously, if you want to learn stick welding, or if you just want a decent little stick welder, try this one out. It really surprised me for the price.

For years I've use oxy-acetylene to weld stuff. I wanted to try SMAW, so I got this unit. I really like this welder. It has all the features any welder in this class could have. It has a bright and clear display. Presets are suggested for different sized rod, and the user may override the amperage settings if desired. An experienced welder has the option to set everything manually on this machine. The other really good feature is the 50% and 60% rated duty cycle. This duty cycle is way higher than machines I've seen at twice the price of this one.I am using the machine on a 110V circuit. It has the option to run on 220V, but I don't have 220V in my garage. I have never arc welded before. The first photo shows my first attempt at it. It's pretty bad, I admit. The unit came with some 3/32" welding rod to start with, but there was no indication of what type it was. My attempt at welding was done on some old bed frame, which was a little thinner than 1/8". This is probably a very difficult item to stick weld, especially a butt weld, which I was attempting. Starting the weld is the hardest part. The next hardest part is keeping the spent rod at the proper distance.It's going to take me some time to get good at this, a lot of practice will be needed. I think this welder can definitely aid me in circumstances where it may be a better choice than oxy. I hold no fault whatsoever towards the machine itself for my bad welding. This is a good machine, well made, with clear functionality that will do you well if you develop the skill to use it.UPDATE: I got to play with the welder a little more, and just a few things I found:I'm getting much more comfortable with using it. I'm getting better at laying down a bead (see 2nd photo). I also realized that the preset level the welder gives me for 3/32" rod of 103 amps is too high - it trips my 20A breaker. I turned the current down to 80A, and that was very satisfactory. It was slower, which is good - it gives you more time to work the bead. It was also a little more difficult to start the arc, but not by much. I am sure if I ran this unit on 220V, I could crank up the current to anything I wanted, but that's just not going to happen with 110V. Actually I don't think in my case I will need the higher amperage for what I am usually welding.In any event, I am very happy with this welder, and look forward to doing some real work with it.

This is very light & easy to take anywhere!It work well with smaller lighter rods but MUST be preheated for 6011's

The price of this 200A DC inverter stick welder was too good to pass up. Everything, including welding goggles and welding rods, fits inside one packout box. The user manual is very detailed, making it great for beginners. My husband has put about 25 hours on it so far, he really loves the Timekeeping function!!! So great! Despite its small and lightweight design, it's powerful, versatile, and easy to operate. It's an excellent welder for home projects, capable of handling thicker materials and switching to task-specific welding rods depending on the material. The customer service is also commendable; they are always willing to do their best to help resolve any issues. I'm very satisfied with it.