Do I need an inverter welder ?
 

So, the big snap on truck came today . For you guys who know, you know. They come around a few times a year with the equipment trucks. Tool boxes, scanners, tire machines etc.. For those times where you are ready to spend your childs college funds..
So, today, they had their latest ang greatest welders . They had me demo this 200 A inverter welder .
You basically , turn it on, set the metals thickness, and go. The machine self adjust constantly , I could not fk it up . No matter how sloppily ,I moved the mig gun, you could hear the machine adjust , and when I pulled the helmet off, it was literally the nicest looking weld I have ever made . First try, and I was purposely trying to mess it up .
They gave me a piece of aluminum, same result, bang first run out , easly the nicest aluminum weld I have ever made . I have always struggled with alum.
No spool gun either . You just have to switch out the mig gun/cable liner . It takes about 45 seconds to swithc over from steel to alum.
Also can do bronze mig, for cast metals
Of course it was 10k.. I almost bought it on the spot, but would like to do some further research . If its 10 k from snap on, Im sure there are better deals to be had.
I have had my equipment for years now, and have really been trying to up my welding game . Im getting decent enough at it, but doooood, this was next level .
They were showing me videos of 12 year old kids, never welded anythign before . Same basic result .
I think pro level welding just got a whole lot easier . All you need is a fat stack of cash .
Now it makes me want to demo some of the cheaper models available . My one bud is a pretty decent fab guy, cages, intercoolers, exhaust and turbo piping etc. His equipment is all from Harbor frieght . I always just thought it was his skill level, but now I am wondering .
Hoping Zeke , or others in the know, will chime in here .

10K hmmm.
It's ironic that a welder that is appropriate for part-timers like me who get out of practice are the ones who need the expensive welder, and the pros do great work with cheaper ones.

I haven't used a stick welder in 40 years. I was thinking of picking up an old Lincoln buzz box and practicing, just for the hell of it.

To answer your question, hell yes you need it. When tools are involved, kids don't education - or food. :D

can i weld? yes.

how do i describe my welds to other people? "im an engineer"

the issue with the weld quality jerk off, is the reality is, rarely do you actually *NEED* a perfect weld. if you have one of those applications, sure, go for it. if not ... who cares? only the weird weld quality guys care otherwise.

This is an 'opportunity' to run the idea by your new date so see how she feels about spending. :D

How long would it take to recoup your $10,000 investment? Unless you’re doing it full-time, seems like it’s a long-term investment to pay off.

Unless Snap On makes it themselves, there has to be a similar welder at a much lower price.

Snapon rebadges a lot of equipment.

Do you need one, probably not, but I would not buy Snap On welder. Miller has synergic welders, for occasional light gauge welding something like the PR205MV or a 255 for heavy material.

The weirdos who have to have to sell something or have something dear depend on their welds. Those weirdos?

lol.....

Exactly !! THey put their name on it, the easy payment plan, and probably $2500.00
They had 2 trucks running today and came back at me at 8300 later in the day, still a chunk of coin.
ity .

yeah, the difference between a good enough weld, and a great weld, is vast.

most working load welds are good enough, they arnt pretty, they arnt perfect, and they work just fine. go look at any construction equipment, trailers, presses, if you work in any industry, look at the railings, the brackets, etc etc and the weld are no where near perfect. only in some pretty niche applications do you really need perfect welds. pressure vessels and things of the sort.

but man, do welders love to compare dick size with how pretty their welds are. like most dick measuring, its a dumb and pointless game.

If you want an inverter welder with lots of great features then buy one from a company that develops and builds them. Makes no sense to buy some rebranded and price jacked thing from snap on.

You still need to buy the right materials and gas.

The machine i like is the everlast. My friend has one and its super nice to weld with. I dont see how to spend 10k.

Or... If you really want to turn it into a pissing competition and win you could get a laser welder. I wouldn't have a clue in hell what they are like in the real world but they look impressive on youtube.

I CAN weld and I’m an engineer…

I have a little bit of experience with inverter welders, they do a nice job and are light weight.

So, what model was this welder? I’m intrigued.

This was the model I test ran . They had a smaller unit set up for aluminum .

https://shop.snapon.com/product/Synergic-MIG-Welders/Synergic-Double-Pulse-Inverter-MIG-Welder/MIG200i

It appears to be an excellent welder made by cebora…

https://welding.cebora.it/en/products/mig-mag/pocket-pulse

I'll pay for the pretty weld that holds over the skank weld that holds even on basic stuff.

I have seen some poor looking welds on my 81 911 but they were fit for purpose. Just my take. Not an argument.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1724505274.jpg

I talked to two 30 year old welder friends last night asking them to buy me the double pulse inverter mig. One said I'll see if I can get you two by asking my grandma (my friend as well).

This sounds like a job for "Project Farm" on You Tube.

I have not had a chance to research this further, but I am thinking it has more to do with the " synergic pulse,and double pulse " feature ,or operation, than it does just being an inverter welder .
I was honestly really impressed .
Also, they mentioned that the spatter is something like half of what you get with a normal mig I did notice a lot less sparks flying
As I dive into towing more and more down the road, I see lots of structural welding in my future ,

I have a wire-feed MIG welder. I'm considering getting a super cheap 120 volt stick welder that uses the tiny welding rods. They look like a battery powered drill. Setup looks super quick and easy for tiny jobs.

I haven't bought it yet because of how little I need to weld.