are clarke welders any good?

[75toylet]

I can get a clarke 130en 130 amp 110v mig for $600. it comes with a cart, helmet, wire (flux and unshielded), regulator and extra tips. it's just for light use at home, i don't plan to do anything other than body work and some minor fabrication. i know there are probably better products out there but for the price and what i need it for, is this decent? I don't have any of the stuff it comes with so for any other welder i'd have to factor in the cost of buying a helmet, regulator, etc. plus i don't know if i'll use it enough to justify something more expensive.

[muddhunter]

I've never heard that name before, but I don't know alot about welding yet anyway. But it seems like everyone always says stick to the name brands like Hobart, Lincoln, Miller, and Air Liquide due to their parts availability.

[randbeast]

my dads got a clarke 110V mig. Its a terrible thing. Works ok for body work, but its still not a very good welder. I do all my welding with my friends old stick welder.

[chris]

If your gonna waste money on a 110 unit make sure it is a real welder like a miller, hobart or lincoln. Maybe check if Air Liquide makes a 110, they are very competitively priced.

I have a century 125 amp flux core wire feed that welds like crap. It blows holes in sheetmetal cause its flux core.

[seapotato]

i have a clarke 130 en. I've had it for two years and I love it. 30% duty cycle at peak output, and I've had a blast with it.
obviously not an extreme duty unit, but for anything 1/4 inch and below it's awesome.
just got the gas kit for it on the weekend, and I've been welding up a bunch of aluminum toys for the truck.
just because someone hasn't heard of it , doesn't mean it's ****(as is being implied here.)
I think you'll find were you to ask this question in europe, you'd get a very different answer, as clarke is a large supplier of all sizes and ratings of welders, and other power tools over there.
I wouldn't hesitate to get another one, as the ratings on the clarkes seemed much better than on the domestic welders of similar size.

cheers,
ryan

[Dan Martz]

I have the 150en 220v model. Im happy with it. Ive welded 3/8 plate no problem and done thin body work aswell

[stihl036]

75 Toylet,

Check this link out for some good info on 110V welding. Air Squid came up with some great advice and information.

http://bb.bc4x4.com/showthread.php?threadid=10871

I am currently in the process of purchasing a 110V welder and this is what I came up with for options and prices.

Miller 135 - $879.90 with regulators (KMS Tools)
Miller 135 - $1004.00 with regulators and cart (Tasco) nb - cart worth about $70.00

Hobart Handler 135 - $821 with regulators (Superior Welding)
Hobart Handler 135 - $765 with regulators (Tasco)
Hobart Handler 135 - $749 with regulators (KMS Tools)

Air Liquide M130 - $837.48 plus $97 for regulators (Tasco)
Air Liquide M130 - $850 with regulators (Superior)

Lincoln SP135 - $615 with regulators (Praxair)

These are prices that I recieved from each of the above suppliers (includes commercial account discount in some cases.)

I suspect that you will get different prices but at least these will give you a rough guideline.

Hope this helps.

WW

[muddhunter]

Originally posted by seapotato
just because someone hasn't heard of it , doesn't mean it's ****(as is being implied here.)
I think you'll find were you to ask this question in europe, you'd get a very different answer, as clarke is a large supplier of all sizes and ratings of welders, and other power tools over there.

cheers,
ryan

Last I checked we weren't in Europe, not saying your unit isn't a good one, just trying to point out the parts availability thing. It ain't cheap to ship parts from Europe. My $0.02.:canadian

[desteurm]

Regardless of where something is manufactured it depends on the local distributor's reputation and support. If you have a good distributor in Vancouver or western Canada than parts should not be a problem, after all UPS/Fedex is still flying other stuff over here so if you aren't in a huge rush the shipping costs would not be out of this world, and more than likely there will be stocked in North America. There are a number of factors involved. I would search maybe consumer reports or some industry literature and find some good testimonials on product reviews and make the best educated decision you can. Most of products made by the company I work for are made in Japan, US, Mexico, Brazil, England...and finding repair or service parts is never an issue.

[Dave@AirLiquide]

Guys,
I like all I read on the above. The bottom line is Clarke is at the lower end of the product range as far as welding equipment goes and they are made in Europe. This does not imply they are bad! But your satisfaction will be based on two things.

1.) The support you get locally for the machine and parts.

2.) What you do with the unit? Are you using the right gas/wire combo etc?

The B I G problem with these is that the people selling them usually don't have a hot clue about welding so they cannot support the product, and the experience turns out negative, not because the machine is necesarily bad. A CV transformer is pretty simple!

Yes Air Liquide sells a 110VAC mig unit, two actually, Air Liquide Welding manufactured by Air Liquide Welding in Europe, and Miller. My plant in Italy where we manufacture Air Liquide Welding light industrial machines makes over 300 different products and exports them to Air Liquide in 28 countries, Miller dosn't even figure in the sales pie chart for Europe, but it is good equipment.

Hey...do you think there is a bunch of 4x4 dudes in Switzerland wondering who the heck sells parts for those crappy Miller welders from those strange guys in America no one knows?

Any way, please do not take as sarcastic, I would like everyone of course to buy an Air Liquide machine...then reality sets in. But we are the leaders in welding so if you do buy a Clarke or what ever, we may not supply the parts, but we can help you make it work well with the right gas and wire and welding support.:)
Air Squid

[Shogunator]

FWIW Mainland Welding (Surrey) sells Clarke (as well as the other big name brands), are very knowledgeable and have excellent customer service (at least in my experience). Knock on wood I haven't had any trouble with my Clarke 180 and for parts, everything I've needed I've been able to get EASILY through Mainland, and or believe it or not Lordco... though I know the service/knowledge at some Lordcos vary greatly. I'm not disputing what others have said just giving you more facts to base a decision on.

Having said that, I've tried the AL's at the intro to welding course hosted by AL and BC4x4.com and really liked their machines. I've used a 150 (220V)Lincoln extensively in the past and have had so so experiences (welder was nice but the gun sucked! It is too small and finicky). When it's all said and done I'm happy with my Clarke 180 (220V) it has served me well and will continue to do so. With that said though, I do want a bigger machine eventually which will likely be an AL 250.
Happy :welder

[75toylet]

i really appreciate everyone's advice, it's great to have this kind of knowledge to draw from. i hear what most of you are saying about buying a known quality but it comes down to dollars and whether or not i will use it enough to justify spending more. i'd like to find a good used one but that seems to be tougher than i expected. stilh036, thanks for that info, it's a huge help. decisions, decisions.

[Dan Martz]

KMS also sells clarke welders, and can get all the available parts. I know LORDCO sells clarke power tools. Ive bought two angle grinders that are clarke.

dan

[75toylet]

yeah it's lordco that has the deal on this one, it's so tempting because they'll give me 90 day terms so i don't have to pay till february :)