I love these cheap little welders for working on rust removal, interior floors etc. I got this one yesterday and was very careful to not break anything, if your gentle these little machines can last a long time, for $90 usd it will pay itself off in the first couple hours
I thought the very same when I bought it and immediately saved money on a car that would ended up on the scrap heap if it weren't for this little guy :-)
Thanks a lot..i just purchased one of these and ive never welded before..im looking forward to using that mig and now i know to set it between 130 and 160amp for my car 👍
Cool, good luck with it, hope you get to master it, takes time and practice, whatch videos to help. you will have to play around with the setting at bit and start off on clean metal clamped together. Don't burn or blind yourself in first month and you will become a welding god :-)
@StonerKitchen the wire got jammed up in the handle 2 or 3 times, had to take it apart to rectify the issue..other than that it's a great piece of kit 👌
I just bought this hitbox welder a few days ago, because of your vlog that i can see this is a good quality welder. And it's fine when I use it, it really works on its purposes..
Very nice review. I bought one of these a couple of months ago but only got around to testing the flux/mig welding a couple of days ago. I have to say, it works really well. Very nice clean welds at 120A. Very little spatter too. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure to have a clean surface for the ground/earth clamp. If you are welding dirty metal, it's better to give it a little clean with a grinder first. It will produce less splatter and should use lower Amps as well. I'm looking forward to trying the stick welding next. I've been looking at getting 6013/7018 rods.
I bought this model on ebay, but wired for American outlets. There is no gas connection for MIG or TIG welding, unfortunately, I guess I'll have to contact the manufacturer about the proper conversion.
Yes it is a no-gas unit which keeps it compact for mobile operations. |t is very easy to put it into the trunk and take anywhere. The welds are a little harder compared to using with gas and |'m not sure how you would convert it, presumably you would need another mig or tig torch :-)
I bought one and it was dead on arrival. Didn’t turn on. Got a replacement and that worked fine. My 0.8mm tip was too small for the wire to push out, so I had to enlarge the hole slightly. Works fine. The quick lock was a bit iffy. Would be nice to have a table for amp settings but I guess I’ll have to play by trial and error.
I am amazed your extension lead didn't go up in smoke, being wound like that will get super hot and you will lose power, needs to be fully unwound, otherwise a great informative vid and I have just ordered one, Cheers.
Just came here to check what this can do as my mate has bought me one for my birthday! 😮 What a mate, i know right!! This video was of great help but i think the print on the box for spool installation could be a little clearer. But looks very handy to have being gassless too. Currently at the end of my welding course so will be looking forward to getting this used. Great to hear a fellow Yorkshire man doing the review. 👍🏾
Nice review on the welder. Still looking forward to I a potential cambelt change on the little fabia if that's in the making soon. ATB for the weekend.
I've just bought this welder off Ebay, mine seems to be a "Mk2" version with a nicer MIG torch. Mine came with 2x shrouds, 6x tips (4x 1mm, 2x 0.8mm). They look to be a great little gasless MIG/MMA/TIG unit for £80. I already have gas MIG, and stick/carbon arc welders, so not quite a total beginner, so looking forward to trying this welder out.
Great little review. Thanks. Nice to see you testing too. Oh boy!!!! Rookie mistake with the wire!!!! So sorry that happened…. It is always an issue with mig welders. ALWAYS. Hold the wire until it’s under tension in the feeder..😊 I never take the paper or plastic off the wire spool until it is in the feeder and locked in.
Hey I would love some help if you know what’s wrong. I got basically the same welder and when I load the metal in it gets stuck at the actual welder tip. The metal won’t go through and I’m not sure how to get it to go through. I was loading it up just like yours. Do you know how I can fix this?
You need to make sure the tip is the correct size for the wire, if all correct it should work if the tension is enough to draw it through. Try taking the tip off and fitting it back on after you pass the wire through.
Got one yesterday, and it kept tripping the circuit breakers. It eventually powered up and when I tried to do a weld smoke started pouring out of machine, I plugged it out fast. Returning it tomorrow.
If it's only going to use Flux core wire (no gas connection), no need for the obstacle of the shroud, of not seeing what your doing.. because the shroud is only for argon gas.. the guns are just made all the same.. some have a plastic bit that go's on where the shroud would be.
I have the same welder, got it from Amazon, ... My problem is I keep blowing holes in the 1.2mm metal sheets while welding on my car. Can you please tell me what amps you used on your car and how thick was your metal. Thanks. 👍
140-160Amps keep away from rust areas as those will burn right through when you try to joint new 1.2mm steel to areas that are too thin or too rusty. Practice and experience is key. Maybe test welding on similar will help before doing g actual project. With practice it does get easier.
@@HatBoyHarvey Thanks for your reply, ... I had mine on around 60amps, kept blowing holes in the sheet metal, I'll try it at around 140 amps like you said. Will also practice a little as well, .. Many thanks mate.
Something not correct there. At 200 Amps it may well do that, but not 20 Amps. You must have it set up wrong or the machine has a fault, if the latter contact the seller.
TIG can be done gasless with flux rod, but imho really not very well at all with no torch tip cooling compared to a gas setup. Gasless MIG and MMA is really what this machine does, not perfect MIG without gas, but cheap and easier to set up :-)
Depends on your individual circuit demand. Just because something has a plus does not mean the circuit can take it. Quick guide: Ampsx230V=power which should less than the protective device (fuse)
@@HatBoyHarvey My welder I have had for the last 20 years finally gave in on a job, watching your video made me purchase one of these kind of brought me out of the dark ages with welding. I had to laugh though at the chinese write up, they always seem to work on impossible power factors as for one a plug designed for maximum of 3100 watts and the write up gives the welder input power 4400 watts. I always get a smile when I read chinese data sheets.
Great video thanks mate i just purchased one as my previous didnt arc, set this one up exactly like you but still cant get an arc, have tried connecting the earth to different metals but nothing, fear im oing something wrong, only my 3rd time welding
@HatBoyHarvey thanks for the advice mate and the reply too it's appreciated:) turns out I didn't have the earth close enough 😂 felt a bit silly but I'm still novice :) thanks again mate :)
Parabéns pelo vídeo eu estava indeciso se esse HITBOX ou um outro da marca ZXVOGEN, mas agora eu já sei que esse é top. Já vou me inscrever em teu canal. 👍👍👍👏👏👏
Absolutely. But gasless mig is a bit Slattery and needs more practice to get good welds IMHO. The welder comes with MMA stick welding which would work well with new steel frame metal, but not aluminium.
@@markwebb9730 you can control the ampage so no worries with that, if it looks like you are going to burn through - turn the current down. It is the way to control the amount of penetration you need for the weld. Always practice on a similar setup with scrap metal before attempting the real thing. Good luck with your project :-)
Thanks for the review mate on the newer version they sent me but same model the dial can be pressed and change from amps to something that goes -3 to 3, any idea what this does? Thank you! Need to sort some sills!
Use a thicker gauge sheet for structural areas, say 1.2mm + whilst none-structural panels 1.0mm. I think I used 160 Amps mostly, but go as low as possible to start with to get used to how the weld burns into the base metal without going through. The rustier it is the harder it is to control a good weld without going through.
Wire speed is fixed and related to the current. I changed the tip to match the wire size, something I first checked, just insert the wire in the tip first before mounting the spool.
Did you use it in reverse polarity? Ive just ordered one. I know you need to reverse the polarity on all mig welders for flux core. And it states on ebay where i purchased mine that you need to do that. Plug the gun into ground and the earth clamp into live you get alot better cleaner weld and penetration.
The trick is to feed a little wire out, snip the end with sharp wire clippers, then open it up like you were replacing the wire, unlatch the tensioner, and wind your wire back up until you're safely inside the connector--you don't have to go all the way back in. When you wanna switch back to FCAW, just feed the wire back out.
Speed is controlled by the amperage so as long as you strike-up it should feed the wire sufficiently. Difficulty occurs when you pull the trigger you need it to strike up, if not you end up with too much wire. It's definitely a 'knack' to get right and not to everyone's skill set whereas with a gas shroud it is much easier. Practice is key, keep cutting the wire to length when it feeds out too much, and practice with short efforts.
Thanks for the comment, appreciated whether good or bad, honest experiences count in this world and sorry to hear you had trouble with it as I've had none so far and really like it :-)
I love these cheap little welders for working on rust removal, interior floors etc. I got this one yesterday and was very careful to not break anything, if your gentle these little machines can last a long time, for $90 usd it will pay itself off in the first couple hours
I thought the very same when I bought it and immediately saved money on a car that would ended up on the scrap heap if it weren't for this little guy :-)
I just ordered one off eBay with everything included for $72 bucks total with free shipping...can't beat that for the price
Thanks a lot..i just purchased one of these and ive never welded before..im looking forward to using that mig and now i know to set it between 130 and 160amp for my car 👍
Cool, good luck with it, hope you get to master it, takes time and practice, whatch videos to help. you will have to play around with the setting at bit and start off on clean metal clamped together. Don't burn or blind yourself in first month and you will become a welding god :-)
how has it held up??
@StonerKitchen the wire got jammed up in the handle 2 or 3 times, had to take it apart to rectify the issue..other than that it's a great piece of kit 👌
I just bought this hitbox welder a few days ago, because of your vlog that i can see this is a good quality welder. And it's fine when I use it, it really works on its purposes..
Great, I think it's a good little thing also for not a lot of money, hence the review :-)
How is it after few months
Very nice review. I bought one of these a couple of months ago but only got around to testing the flux/mig welding a couple of days ago. I have to say, it works really well. Very nice clean welds at 120A. Very little spatter too. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure to have a clean surface for the ground/earth clamp. If you are welding dirty metal, it's better to give it a little clean with a grinder first. It will produce less splatter and should use lower Amps as well. I'm looking forward to trying the stick welding next. I've been looking at getting 6013/7018 rods.
6010 is good for rust it’ll eat thru anything
I bought this model on ebay, but wired for American outlets. There is no gas connection for MIG or TIG welding, unfortunately, I guess I'll have to contact the manufacturer about the proper conversion.
Yes it is a no-gas unit which keeps it compact for mobile operations. |t is very easy to put it into the trunk and take anywhere. The welds are a little harder compared to using with gas and |'m not sure how you would convert it, presumably you would need another mig or tig torch :-)
If there is no gas connect then it’s not mig
@@johnwalter6410you rlly dont know what flux is💀
Great review, going to order one of these, for light car restoration, thanks 👍
@@dr.t. For the money and convenience you can't go far wrong 👍
I bought one and it was dead on arrival. Didn’t turn on. Got a replacement and that worked fine.
My 0.8mm tip was too small for the wire to push out, so I had to enlarge the hole slightly.
Works fine. The quick lock was a bit iffy.
Would be nice to have a table for amp settings but I guess I’ll have to play by trial and error.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences, best of luck with further welding :-)
I am amazed your extension lead didn't go up in smoke, being wound like that will get super hot and you will lose power, needs to be fully unwound, otherwise a great informative vid and I have just ordered one, Cheers.
I'm not too bothered about the extension lead, (your right, but negligible effect on an inverter welder I would have thought) but thanks :-)
I was going to ask your thoughts on this, but you beat me to it. Thank you for this :)
Glad I could help :-)
Just came here to check what this can do as my mate has bought me one for my birthday! 😮 What a mate, i know right!! This video was of great help but i think the print on the box for spool installation could be a little clearer. But looks very handy to have being gassless too. Currently at the end of my welding course so will be looking forward to getting this used.
Great to hear a fellow Yorkshire man doing the review. 👍🏾
Thanks and Happy birthday! Good luck with finishing the welding course, now the real work will commence :-)
Thank you, I will buy one hitbox hbm 200 i´m a begginer in all this welting world
All the best, hope you get to master it, it will take time. Practice on new metal cleaned up with wire brush. Watch TH-cam videos on welding :-)
Nice review on the welder. Still looking forward to I a potential cambelt change on the little fabia if that's in the making soon. ATB for the weekend.
Thanks. Me to, it needs to be done, sorry I haven't done it yet, but will ASAP :-)
I've just bought this welder off Ebay, mine seems to be a "Mk2" version with a nicer MIG torch. Mine came with 2x shrouds, 6x tips (4x 1mm, 2x 0.8mm).
They look to be a great little gasless MIG/MMA/TIG unit for £80. I already have gas MIG, and stick/carbon arc welders, so not quite a total beginner, so looking forward to trying this welder out.
Thanks for sharing that 👍
Great little review. Thanks. Nice to see you testing too.
Oh boy!!!! Rookie mistake with the wire!!!! So sorry that happened…. It is always an issue with mig welders. ALWAYS. Hold the wire until it’s under tension in the feeder..😊
I never take the paper or plastic off the wire spool until it is in the feeder and locked in.
Thanks and thanks again for the tip will do, duly noted :-)
Hey I would love some help if you know what’s wrong. I got basically the same welder and when I load the metal in it gets stuck at the actual welder tip. The metal won’t go through and I’m not sure how to get it to go through. I was loading it up just like yours. Do you know how I can fix this?
You need to make sure the tip is the correct size for the wire, if all correct it should work if the tension is enough to draw it through. Try taking the tip off and fitting it back on after you pass the wire through.
I just bought one of these welders. It's very hard to see the amp setting under daylight. Overall, it's nice compact welder
Thanks, I totally agree, but if you shade it, it looks great :-)
Is it .. DCEN = electrode neutral.. all the splatter around the weld would indicate that it probably isn't.
Would you mind telling me the setting of flux core welding for body panel? How much current did you use for this machine?
@@manfromgolden6996 I used 140-160Amps on car body panels.
Got one yesterday, and it kept tripping the circuit breakers.
It eventually powered up and when I tried to do a weld smoke started pouring out of machine, I plugged it out fast.
Returning it tomorrow.
Sorry to hear that, mines fine :-)
If it's only going to use Flux core wire (no gas connection), no need for the obstacle of the shroud, of not seeing what your doing.. because the shroud is only for argon gas.. the guns are just made all the same.. some have a plastic bit that go's on where the shroud would be.
I have the same welder, got it from Amazon, ... My problem is I keep blowing holes in the 1.2mm metal sheets while welding on my car. Can you please tell me what amps you used on your car and how thick was your metal. Thanks. 👍
140-160Amps keep away from rust areas as those will burn right through when you try to joint new 1.2mm steel to areas that are too thin or too rusty. Practice and experience is key. Maybe test welding on similar will help before doing g actual project. With practice it does get easier.
@@HatBoyHarvey Thanks for your reply, ... I had mine on around 60amps, kept blowing holes in the sheet metal, I'll try it at around 140 amps like you said. Will also practice a little as well, .. Many thanks mate.
Mine penetrates like crazy. Burns through sheet metal at 20amps just stitch welding.
Something not correct there. At 200 Amps it may well do that, but not 20 Amps. You must have it set up wrong or the machine has a fault, if the latter contact the seller.
@@HatBoyHarveyexactly..or holding it to close for to long in one spot / without enough wire out
A water proof switch, for when your welding around water.. very safe.
@@FrankBlackcrow welding outdoors it can often start to rain whilst your under the car.
Just ordered this does it weld good ?
If you still read these comments can this welder just go straight from mig to stick without any extras? (Other than the sticks)
They come with both. On the machine you have to select which to use with the mode button and change out the handle etc
@@HatBoyHarvey the 3-in-1 would i be right in thinking the Tig will still need gas?
TIG can be done gasless with flux rod, but imho really not very well at all with no torch tip cooling compared to a gas setup. Gasless MIG and MMA is really what this machine does, not perfect MIG without gas, but cheap and easier to set up :-)
I just bought such a welding machine. The MIG set only works in MMA mode. Should I send it back?
There is a selector button to scroll through to mig setting, make sure that is correct and you have connected everything right first.
Looking to get into welding so this may seem a silly question for some but to use the tig setup is gas required?
TIG can be done gasless, but imho not very well compared to a gas setup. Gasless MIG is better, not perfect, but cheap and easier to set up :-)
@HatBoyHarvey
Thank you for the reply.
I have ordered this setup so can this one take gas for tig or is it completely gasless?
Can i run this from a standard uk household socket without killing my circuit or burning my house down, please?
Depends on your individual circuit demand. Just because something has a plus does not mean the circuit can take it. Quick guide: Ampsx230V=power which should less than the protective device (fuse)
@@HatBoyHarvey Thank you. That's the answer I have been looking for. Great video as well!
@@HatBoyHarvey My welder I have had for the last 20 years finally gave in on a job, watching your video made me purchase one of these kind of brought me out of the dark ages with welding.
I had to laugh though at the chinese write up, they always seem to work on impossible power factors as for one a plug designed for maximum of 3100 watts and the write up gives the welder input power 4400 watts.
I always get a smile when I read chinese data sheets.
nice video, I am about to purchase one of ebay and wanted to see what it can do. Also I am new to welding.
Great, it's a good little device to start on, best of luck :-)
I purchased and received it a few weeks ago and its awesome. @@HatBoyHarvey
Great video thanks mate i just purchased one as my previous didnt arc, set this one up exactly like you but still cant get an arc, have tried connecting the earth to different metals but nothing, fear im oing something wrong, only my 3rd time welding
No sure what you are doing wrong, all metal must be connected to earth and not thick rust. try tapping it near the earth or on it to strike up first.
@HatBoyHarvey thanks for the advice mate and the reply too it's appreciated:) turns out I didn't have the earth close enough 😂 felt a bit silly but I'm still novice :) thanks again mate :)
@@stratospherical777 No worries, now you can start to enjoy learning how to weld, best of luck :-)
Parabéns pelo vídeo eu estava indeciso se esse HITBOX ou um outro da marca ZXVOGEN, mas agora eu já sei que esse é top.
Já vou me inscrever em teu canal. 👍👍👍👏👏👏
Obrigado, espero que o vídeo ajude você :-)
Great video, very helpful. Would this be suitable to join a 2mm steel frame at corners? Intending to make raised garden beds but never welded before.
Absolutely. But gasless mig is a bit Slattery and needs more practice to get good welds IMHO. The welder comes with MMA stick welding which would work well with new steel frame metal, but not aluminium.
@@HatBoyHarvey From what I have read it seems the Flux Core welding will be better for 2mm and not so likely to burn through?
@@markwebb9730 you can control the ampage so no worries with that, if it looks like you are going to burn through - turn the current down. It is the way to control the amount of penetration you need for the weld. Always practice on a similar setup with scrap metal before attempting the real thing. Good luck with your project :-)
Thanks for the review mate on the newer version they sent me but same model the dial can be pressed and change from amps to something that goes -3 to 3, any idea what this does? Thank you! Need to sort some sills!
Sorry not sure yet, been thinking of this, but haven't found out what it means yet :-/
Wire speed?
Anyone figured out how to adjust the wire speed?
Hi basically i bought this to do floor work on my car what setting should you recommend to stay for floor welding and body paneel work thabks
Use a thicker gauge sheet for structural areas, say 1.2mm + whilst none-structural panels 1.0mm. I think I used 160 Amps mostly, but go as low as possible to start with to get used to how the weld burns into the base metal without going through. The rustier it is the harder it is to control a good weld without going through.
Thankyou so much for fast reply what size tip you are using as well there are 3 of them also did you make any adjustments on wire speed
Wire speed is fixed and related to the current. I changed the tip to match the wire size, something I first checked, just insert the wire in the tip first before mounting the spool.
Did you use it in reverse polarity? Ive just ordered one. I know you need to reverse the polarity on all mig welders for flux core. And it states on ebay where i purchased mine that you need to do that. Plug the gun into ground and the earth clamp into live you get alot better cleaner weld and penetration.
I just set it up as per instructions. I'll have to look into what you say and contact the manufacturer to see if that is possible :-)
When you change from flux to mma, do you lose the wire inside the torch?
@@Manuel-kd3zb You use another torch
The trick is to feed a little wire out, snip the end with sharp wire clippers, then open it up like you were replacing the wire, unlatch the tensioner, and wind your wire back up until you're safely inside the connector--you don't have to go all the way back in. When you wanna switch back to FCAW, just feed the wire back out.
@@gpweaver thanks very useful tip
Not enough wire out
flux wire comes out very fast and unable to control the length and speed
Speed is controlled by the amperage so as long as you strike-up it should feed the wire sufficiently. Difficulty occurs when you pull the trigger you need it to strike up, if not you end up with too much wire. It's definitely a 'knack' to get right and not to everyone's skill set whereas with a gas shroud it is much easier. Practice is key, keep cutting the wire to length when it feeds out too much, and practice with short efforts.
It penetrates your definitely not holding it at the right angle
I agree, footage is of my first attempts for years without doing much. I'll have to get back into it :-)
мои 3 копейки: th-cam.com/users/shortsO6xssB2deFo
ссылка не работает
Rubbish welder nothing but problems the mma stockholder fell apart and the wire jammed ,and no extra wheel sent it back
Thanks for the comment, appreciated whether good or bad, honest experiences count in this world and sorry to hear you had trouble with it as I've had none so far and really like it :-)