clarke welders, any good?

[derek murray]

My brother-in-law has a three year old Clarke 85EN mig welder he is wanting to sell. Since I "need" a MIG welder, can anyone comment as to the quality of Clarke and whether they might be familiar with this model (i.e. is it suitable for a p-car hobbyist)... he has no idea of its specification other than its for 110 service.

[RickM]

A quick Google shows that the 95EN is their lowest end model currently and it appears to be a flux-core only model. Some of these welders can be converted to gas though.

I'd personally go for a known name, higher amp, gas welder...the 85EN appears to be 85 Amps, Flux-core only and a very low-end welder.

Desirable current ranges would be 125-150 amps for a beginner MIG. This will make it much more versatile as you'd be able to weld for longer periods of time and on thicker materials.

You can ask specific questions such as repair parts availability, specs, gas conversion by contacting them...

Clarke Power Products Inc.
Corporate Office
28740 Glenwood Road
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551

Toll-free at 800-227-9603 or at 419-930-2299
Customer service fax number is 419-930-0740
Customer service center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

[derek murray]

Rick,

Thanks for the input and the Clarke contact information.

The 85EN welder is set-up for gas and comes with a tank / valves, etc. I will phone Clarke to get their specifications.