About to pull the trigger on buying a welder..., What do you guys think of this one? Options

[914_1.8t]

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/handler140.html

These are going for 440 ish shipped on ebay. Almost ready to pull the trigger on the purchase.

Can you more experienced folks let me know what they think about this welder? Anyone used it? Can I get something comperable/better for the cheaper/or around the same price(dont want spend more than 450)?

[airsix]

That's the newest version of the welder I have. It's also (the latest version of) the welder Lawrence has and used to restore Pam's bumble-bee. Ask Lawrence to post before, durring, and after pics if you haven't seen them. He basically built a 914 chassis with that welder. I absolutely love mine. Throw away the flux-core wire it comes with and get a bottle, solid wire, and the correct tips for the wire you get. You'll be in heaven.

Edited to add: The quality is very good. I've never had a problem with it being 115v. I frequently weld up to 5/8" plate with it and have never had any issues with duty-cycle, wire feed, or anything else. It's a very good machine. Infinite voltage contol would be nice for welding really thin stuff, but as was mentioned - that would add 50% to the cost.


-Ben M.