wisdom Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 (edited) When I use my ageing air cooled stick welder it quite often takes out the breaker.Not all the time, but often enough. Are the inverter stick welders likely to do the same as they seem a lot smoother to use? Edited March 3 by wisdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 (edited) Hello, i have a small inverter welder and never had a problem, it has a 13 amp plug , never used more than 10 swg whatever in metric size and i have done some 5 mm steel work , it will easy do 8 swg but we have a bigger welder on the farm for heavy work, if i was buying another i would look at the R Tech Pro, 2 sizes , 135 and 175 Amp, both have 5 * feedback, £150/£190, 5 Year warranty and good customer service Edited March 3 by oldypigeonpopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 Used a small SIP for on farm repairs etc...brilliant little thing....well worth having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 all dc inverter welders should easily do 3.25 rods.....and being DC you will be able to work plus or negative....adjust the arc force and strike up voltage (hot start) you will also be able to use specialist rods....... oil filled welders are a thing of the past ..good in their day ...but things have moved on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udderlyoffroad Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 Certainly would echo the above that inverter welders don't seem to suffer same issue the old transformer machines did. That is the in-rush current on startup could cause the fuse in the plug top to pop or even the breaker to trip. I'm no stick welder, but what little I have done with an inverter machine was certainly far more forgiving than the old Clarke buzz box I had. I will say though, if you get into it, it is worth wiring up a 16 amp blue ('caravan') socket to power the welder for the occasions when you do have to turn the welder up to 11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 Mine has been a game changer for very light duty chassis dab/spot welding and other steel up to 5mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 17 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said: Hello, i have a small inverter welder and never had a problem, it has a 13 amp plug , never used more than 10 swg whatever in metric size and i have done some 5 mm steel work , it will easy do 8 swg but we have a bigger welder on the farm for heavy work, if i was buying another i would look at the R Tech Pro, 2 sizes , 135 and 175 Amp, both have 5 * feedback, £150/£190, 5 Year warranty and good customer service Hello, i am not convinced that the Hot Start is good or not, it gives a slight boost in amps at the first strike on the welding rod which may be not ideal for thin sheet metal but for general welding of steel plate or angle iron or such like it would be ideal for anyone starting to try stick welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 3 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said: Hello, i am not convinced that the Hot Start is good or not, it gives a slight boost in amps at the first strike on the welding rod which may be not ideal for thin sheet metal but for general welding of steel plate or angle iron or such like it would be ideal for anyone starting to try stick welding when you are welding thin sheet change the electrode to negative....... on DC welding....negative 1/3rd of the lecky posertive 2/3rds of the lecky..........weld neg and you will be burning 1/3rd power earthing 2/3rds of the power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 (edited) These modern inverters are amazing, I have an Esab Rogue and the 13amp plug is cold to the touch when working. Edited March 4 by la bala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 7 hours ago, la bala said: These modern inverters are amazing, I have an Esab Rogue and the 13amp plug is cold to the touch when working. hey ole partner ..how are you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 9 hours ago, ditchman said: hey ole partner ..how are you ? Still kicking buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 What a difference, one you can pop under your arm and go for a jog. The other is a two man lift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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