ALDI welder.. worth the coin?

[skips_BIGRED]

am looking at this;

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_16009.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

wondering if it is worth it? i have never done welding before and it looks like an afordable place to start. i've heard welding is a nightmare, and i'm not looking to accomplish it overnight..

obviously it doesnt stack up to a $1000 MIG welder.

Cheers

[De-lux]

I saw SupercheapAuto had a 100A welder for $60, and a 130A welder for $80 when I was there on the weekend...

[WAGeoff]

ALDI is amazing, what DONT they sell?

[DamTriton]

ALDI is amazing, what DONT they sell?

"Woolworths Select" products.

Harbour Bridges.

Opera Houses

Virginity. (hell, even Virgin stores don't sell virgins...)

etc....

On a serious note, what exactly are they selling?, ie, amp capacity and duty cycle. Before purchasing blind I would be seeing what you get for your money. I have an Aldi store around the corner and would like to get into a bit of welding.

[V8Patrol]

..... an afordable place to start ......

and thats the key......
Learning with bit of cheap gear you can then decide later on to upgrade without having wasted big $$$ on an expensive toy, or you can junk it after you decide welding isnt for you
At the end of the day and regardless of whether you continue welding or not, atleast it will "be there" should the need arrive

Yes its cheap.... and probably nasty too, but to learn on for such a small outlay, its a bargin

[V8Patrol]

I saw SupercheapAuto had a 100A welder for $60, and a 130A welder for $80 when I was there on the weekend...

How times have changed....

My first 160A PEERLESS cost me $340.... bought on an apprentice wage of $110 a fortnight

Its still in the shed to this day and still gets used half a dozen times a year .....




One a side note...
I spent $150 on it a few months back, replaced the top bakerlite panel with clear perspex, replaced the rusty mild steel bolts with solid brass bolts, new power lead, new earthclamp, and 2 new wheels.

32 years of trouble free running, it deserved the TLC should do another 32 years easily enough now.... although I may not


Kingy

[De-lux]

^^ I agree with your thoughts Kingy. I want to "try" welding, if I suck at it or it's too hard then hey, $80 down the dunny, no big loss...

[date]

Note that the welder can supply 1.6 and 2.5 mm dia rods. Both of these are fairly small, but from the picture in the brochure and the general quality of ALDI goods, I would not hesitate in buying one. Actually, it looks like a reasonable welder to take outback with you as part of the emergency toolkit. If you are a beginner, I would suggest that you also buy an automatic welding mask because the first thing you will do when the electrode gets stuck on the work is to take away the mask to see what is wrong and you will get flashed.

[RAY185]

Actually, it looks like a reasonable welder to take outback with you as part of the emergency toolkit.

And just hope if you're going to have a breakage that needs welding that it occurs within a meter or two of a power point?

[bigbear]

I'm guessing it will only put out 60 amps max? Is there inverters available that handle the loading of a welder without the anti surge kicking in?

[date]

I was thinking of using the welder with a genset. A 2 kVa genset would probably do this lower current welding. I have a welder which does 3.2 mm rods and it is less than 10 amps @ 240 V AC, so I would expect anything going to 2.5 mm rods would be able to supply from a 2 kVA. I know - what about the starting current? But I still think it would do the job.. The ALDI unit looks like a solid state unit from the picture. I willl check it out on Thursday.

Obviously, one would have to check it out powered by a genset before you took it outback....

[tanz-e]

ive bought a few things there...
A 900mm jimmy bar- LOOKed great, i mean its pritty hard to stuff up the desighn of a jimmy bar! -THEY DID-! the bends arent enough to jimmy anything! USEless POS!

A mash hammer- LOOKed great, i mean its pritty hard to stuff up the design of a mash hammer! -THEY DID-! the handle is moulded in some funny way that whisl hitting something it turns sideways... POS!!!

a also bought a tent...
Its the best tent ive ever owned. takes 1 min for two people to set up, 2 minutes and your ready for sleeping.
%100 water proof and stirdy as! I love it!!!

Aldi still sucks ass!!!!

[PacMan]

What you get at Aldi is made in China (except pcs).
They buy big bulks for worldwide sales.
And you dont get any infos to the product, because nobody knows about it.

But on the other hand:
You never ever run in probs with warranty. They swap all without any questions or any paperwork (it was popular in Germany to give the computer back but with bricks in the box instead of the computer).
It is always cheap and they are lucky to pick sometimes "quality" products.

Desktop computers are always a bargin at Aldi - good systems for a good price (they use the same hardware than all other pcs).
I never would buy tools or any other electronic at Aldi.
The winch as example was a good buy, because the China winches are very similar to a Warn.

So better have a good look what you buy - and never buy stuff for trashing. Buy it once!

Food is a complete different story at Aldi.


Chris

[De-lux]

Fellow OL'ers,

Thought I'd post this - better to fork out a few extra bucks for a good brand:

http://catalogues.homehardware.com.au/p ... geview=two" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

* * * * * *


Cigweld 120 Amp Turbo Arc Welder

$99.00

Starts 03 November - Ends 21 November

Capable of welding up to 4mm of mild steel plate. 244-4941






* * * * * *

[ssfabricator]

If your looking for a welder on the cheap
have a look on ebay for an old transarc
i guarantee it will out perform the aldi special
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/C-I-G-TRANSARC-E ... 35adb124d8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CRUZAAMAD]

SIMPLE ANSWER NO....
BOC has caddy welders......TRADE STUFF for like 200something dollars..
130amp stick......??
if it doesnt work out.....mean you cant use it properly......
you can sell it second hand.....
its QUALITY GEAR....
Metal case....
easy to sell in classifieds if its QUALITY......
you wont lose much....coin