DEFENDER90-DAZ
New Member
Just been into Aldi's down the road from us and they are selling 160amp arc welders - new in the box for £30 
Just thought i'd let everyone know
Just thought i'd let everyone know
DEFENDER90-DAZ
New Member
Yep probably - but with a years warranty!!!
DiscoMarkie
Active Member
It will be crap, check the lowest it goes down to. It is an expensive door stop.
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DEFENDER90-DAZ
New Member
Think it had 1.6mm - 4.0mm on the box?
Matt TDi
New Member
The warranty won't be against the fact that it's crap though will it?
It'll no doubt blow straight through anything thin, and won't have the power to weld anything meaty, so it'll have a very small window of metal that it can create a decent weld on. It'll also have a crap duty cycle too.
Still.... £30 for anyone fancying a crack at welding. Anyone who is a welder however will appreciate just how limited it is, and will most likely have much better MIG or TIG equipment available to them.
But I hope any non competent welders go out and buy this thinking they can repair their thick chassis, or thin inner wings with it because I doubt it'll do either well, if atall. Plus ARC welders are notoriously difficult to weld with compared to a MIG for anyone who isn't old school enough to have 'da skillz' with them.
It'll no doubt blow straight through anything thin, and won't have the power to weld anything meaty, so it'll have a very small window of metal that it can create a decent weld on. It'll also have a crap duty cycle too.
Still.... £30 for anyone fancying a crack at welding. Anyone who is a welder however will appreciate just how limited it is, and will most likely have much better MIG or TIG equipment available to them.
But I hope any non competent welders go out and buy this thinking they can repair their thick chassis, or thin inner wings with it because I doubt it'll do either well, if atall. Plus ARC welders are notoriously difficult to weld with compared to a MIG for anyone who isn't old school enough to have 'da skillz' with them.
DEFENDER90-DAZ
New Member
Just "thought i'd mention it" - obviously it will have its limitations and if you want all singing all dancing welders of any sort - this isn't it!
Anyway thanks for the replies
Anyway thanks for the replies
Choppertrash
New Member
I have got an Aldi gasless (flux-core wire) MIG, as well as a big old Oxford oil cooled Arc and a Murex ACDC TIG. I use the Aldi set all the time, for quick fabbing-up, panel repairs, and it even has enough amps and heat to do chassis steel on the right wire speed.....its cheap but its a very capable machine, so the Arc set will probably be good enough for the average hobby welder........buy one and have a go at that price!
When you see some of the (****e) welding that garages do for MOT's, its worth having a try.
When you see some of the (****e) welding that garages do for MOT's, its worth having a try.
bennybenny
Active Member
cheap tools are a false economy .... good idea till they break ok i know all singing and all dancing stuff can break but id sooner use a better quality tool in the first place .. like roll craft tools good idea and great for a diy grandad but if you make a liveing out of ya tools not a good option ....altho i will say they do some good hand lamps ...
Ryder
Having a senior moment
Aldi tools are a complete waste of money...
I bought a pneumatic snipper than dies before it got through it's first snip... the warranty is ****.... If you are going to use a tool like a mig that is ****ing around with enough voltage to do you some serious damage then buy something worthwhile.
Cheap and reliable is fine... but cheap for a mig is £100.00.... spend £30 and you will be claiming on the warranty because it fried your ass when you pulled the ****in' trigger!
I bought a pneumatic snipper than dies before it got through it's first snip... the warranty is ****.... If you are going to use a tool like a mig that is ****ing around with enough voltage to do you some serious damage then buy something worthwhile.
Cheap and reliable is fine... but cheap for a mig is £100.00.... spend £30 and you will be claiming on the warranty because it fried your ass when you pulled the ****in' trigger!
Pikey
Dummy Ejection Facilitator..
Ryder
Having a senior moment
****... you is right! Mis-read it.... Ah well.... it is still Aldi and Aldi tools are still ****!Readthe thread title FFS
****in' nit pickin northern twollock!
DEFENDER90-DAZ
New Member
brilliant thread this one
Choppertrash
New Member
Something is only '****' if you've had a bad experience with it......my Aldi gassless MIG is excellent for the price, and its done loads of hours, including some heavy gauge steel and chassis repair........ok its not a Murex or a Lincoln, but its good enough for home use.
If it was used for 8 hours a day, or for someone who needs to make a living out welding, its probably not upto it. Cheap tools don't always mean ****e. There are plenty of tool snobs out there, with all the gear and no idea.
If it was used for 8 hours a day, or for someone who needs to make a living out welding, its probably not upto it. Cheap tools don't always mean ****e. There are plenty of tool snobs out there, with all the gear and no idea.
Pikey
Dummy Ejection Facilitator..
Leave me Nits out of this. **** drinker..
fett
Well-Known Member
its funny you say that, I got one too and it did the same and as i was doing loads of sheet work at the time I ordered a £60 SIP one that night.
Anyway it was raining the next day so I couldnt get on, spent few mins stripping down the aldi one and found the fins were jammed with swarf, cleaned it out and it worked better than the SIP one which cost 6x as much (I returned the sip) and the aldi one is still going strong.
I reckon the chinese/indian children making them didnt get all the burrs/swarf off/out on assembly
