I have the older blue machine and have modified it alot, use a 10lb spool after cutting out the lid and moving the mount, converted to DC with caps so it's heavier now but less splatter and better penetration, reversed polarity, put a fan in it and wired it so the wire feed motor gets power before the coil instead of after the coil so no more feed speed drops, it's decent now lol, there is a bunch of videos of people converting these to DC etc, it's worth doing
You will pass the earthquake code because of that fridge. That's the part most people miss! BTW this welder is overkill for that project.... You should be good with JB weld..
livewireOr I'll get the rivets hot boss man, you won't have to pay me hourly, just a bag of potatoes and a quart of oil and I'll be working on your skyscraper until I die, which may be soon, but hey potatoes are potatoes.
Just wanted to give you a shout out. I wanted to buy a flux welder and started watching vids on YT. Alot of them are good but claim to be for beginners and they're really not. This video was actually the best video I've seen reviewing/demo'ing/ and explaining a flux core welder. Thank you so much! Excellent content.
I got one of these and sat it in my garage for half a year. I had no idea how to use it and it looked intimidating to open and use, so I sat it around like probably a lot of you did. This guy makes it easy and straight forward to use. Good radio voice and entertaining to watch. Thank you for this really good video.
Can't wait for Christmas I'm so excited ,don't know how to wield yet but I have been watching a lot of videos and going to take a 2 day class on basic wielding, your video review is great thanks a lot.
Thank you for the video. I just bought one from harbor freight. I have been wanting to use it to fix my dock. I have been watching a lot of videos and yours has been the best so far. This welder is for the kind of guy I am, a novice and beginner.
I've bin welding since 1998 and have used many different machines,big one's mostly gas but even flux core rods. I just recently purchased the 125 you have on here to weld my front custom fencing for my wall and stone pillers. I have to say I was very sceptical about this tiny welder. But to my surprise it did very well on the 3/16 steel gate. It was just simply a matter of setting the appropriate wire speed and temp then getting the hand speed and movement to match the setting. So I'm very happy with it and the price was good I paid $119 but I'm getting a price change next month but it's going on a one month sale for $85. That make it all even better. It's a keeper.👍👍👌
Same thing for me. I've had mine for over 5 years without issues but I did already have a self darkening shield also bought at HF. One tip for making better looking fillet welds at butt joints and for filling minor gap is to run a "J" weave stringer. This pulls the puddle back and up and then carries the puddle down without burning through. I was a certified welder in the nuclear power plant world for about 10 years and it makes for a better looking weld as well. I enjoyed your video!
I have a old cheap Chicago electric mig I inherited in 2006 and it’s still going. I haven’t used a lot myself but my father in law uses it all the time and it’s been a great little welder for light duty stuff and still works after all these years.
I got one a few weeks ago. Picked up the smaller gas less nozzle, I really recommend it. Improves your vision greatly. I didn’t realize that you could put those large rolls in this machine! That’s awesome. Nice video hope you make more with this welder.
Also I have been using on a 15 amp breaker. Not heavy use just practicing (with a 50’ 12ga extension cord too). No breaker trips yet. Still planning the outlet upgrade very soon.
Its a small world huh!? You will see a very large increase if you ditch that extension cord and get a 10ga. Im not kidding. I think HF says NO to extension cords in general for these but i cant remember. Also, that 15 amp breaker is probably OK for short runs (of time). It just cant run under full load for any long duration or it will pop the breaker, or if your breaker is simply larger but the wire isn't upgraded too, you can start a fire more likely. Be safe. If you run out if wire and are gonna keep welding, the larger reel of .035 is a choice i will never regret. But i do have the power behind it at the plug. Thanks for the comment!
TRY to HELP you yes the extension cord was a one time deal for a repair. Definitely will wire a 20 amp with some 12ga. Shed outlets should’ve been that way to begin with.. big roll of .035 is on the shopping list. Have you purchased from eBay? Prices are way cheaper than HF, and I’m betting similar quality.
I tried this welder and I must say it actually does the job, not the best welder out there of course but it will definitely get the job done, and you can definitely do some nice welds with it if you know what your doing
"Maybe they are going to end up helium injecting to make them lighter or something, I don't know that doesn't make sense." HILARIOUS! I have been looking to upgrade my skills from the 70 amp flux welder. You have convinced me I can buy this rig and go to my grave achieving my greatest potential with this rig. As Harry Callahan said, " A man has to know his limitations." You are more entertaining than the Science, History and Netflix channels added together.
Thanks man! I appreciate it! I have been considering learning basic welding skills and I noticed Harbor Freight selling a $100 welder and I figured that was able the extent I was willing to invest in my new "hobby" haha. I appreciate your video because this really seems like what I am looking for!
Glad I could help. It is a decent welder to start with for sure. Find a local metal supplier for metal. Tractor supply or home Depot price their metal way too high.
Nice, thanks for the good words. I would really like to just keep doing these however need to allocate the time. It's a decent welder especially for the price.
I got one the other day. Hadn't welded in forty years and this is a good little welder to get me back to it so to say. I am making a people gate in my steel fence and it is working good. My first bead looked pretty crappy but after messing with the settings and tweaking it I got it to work okay. Can't blame the welder if it doesn't work at first; it's that operator malfunction that'll getchya.
I've had this 125 for several years. It was my first welder and at the time was a great welder. Since, I've gotten a newer more durable name brand machine and it's as silky as a new Cadillac. Moral of the story, any welder beats no welder. Get what you can, but also get what you NEED.
This review (and many of the positive comments) made me feel better about my recent purchase of the Flux 125 system. I've never welded before and I hope it will be a good first rig to learn with.
Nice! Thanks for the good words. As long as you have clean metal and do some practices, you should enjoy it. I keep my wire speed around 3 and the switch on 2. I prefer lower wire speed but adjust it as you see fit.
You my friend have just caused a 24yr experienced welder to try out this machine my wife bought me over a year ago. Because of your review 😂😂 she will be getting used. I saw one review, the guy was welding without the nozzle and said yes it welds pretty good smh
I recently got a the titanium 125a mig welder and it absolutely works great. I bought this one instead of the one in video because the titanium one has variable settings instead of low/high.
Took a chance on one of these little guys about a year ago.. i must say i am amazed. This welder works fantastic on small items. Ive reaired mower deck built a little garden trailer. Use. It all the time . Very pleased . Well worth the $ 120 bucks. Now im having a hard time finding something to weld
I've been interested in welding for quite a while now and my bills are keeping me from getting a decent welder but I'm thinking this would be a good machine to start learning how to weld and the price is definitely affordable for me, so I thank you for sharing this with us and now I have something to look forward to trying out. Stay great and thanks for the review. 🍻
Check FB market man. You can get em in the box for half the shelf price. For the price, they work pretty dang good. But eventually you might want to move to gas so it isn't as "slaggy". But you really can't beat these 125 machines if you can get it for 80 or even 100 bucks. Just my opinion.
15 years wow!! My first one stopped working," within 90 days" 😅 Returned for another, same thing. My 3rd one I used about 2 lbs of wire & I got stuck with that one. My 4th one ( this is the 125 ) I am on my 3rd 1 lb of wire it is going strong LOL. You can tell by the amount of wire that I only use it occasionally. I spoke to the store manager & he said that he gets them back from time to time but... We went over how I installed the wire, the tip I used & so on but still could not figure why it stopped running wire. Hope this one last for awhile. Your welds look better than mind. There welding helmet is also a good buy. Stay well, Joe Z
@@TRYtoHELPyou You're welcome & thank you for replying. I had a dedicated 20 amp 120 v line installed before I used it. It was always the feed that went out on them.
Thanks tons for the review. I've been contemplating getting one of these. For the amount of welding I would do, it's almost perfect. Now to decide between this and an oxy-acetylene. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Argon. Acetylene is for cutting. If you can afford to weld with gas and/or need to have pretty welds, especially on sheet metal, get a mig with variable voltage control. You'll love it. A flux without variable voltage will only piss you off.
Thanks to your video and others like it, I've been able to improve my welds using this welder. I'm not going to say they're great, or even really good, but they are way better than when I started! This is a handy machine for welding that can do an at least adequate job. Thanks for posting this vid, it helped!
Thanks for the video. I'm a plumber but never welded steel, only brazed brass and copper. Got this for Christmas so I'll be messing around with it soon.
I'm still using Dad's old Lincoln buzz box he bought 75 years ago. Fortunately he put a wheelbarrow tire kit on it to move around on the roughest of terrains as well as 20' leads, but I might have to jump for something lighter like this. Too bad the cables are so short on this HF125 that you have to set it on top of your work.
There are only about two people who created a really good welding video about the Harbor Freight 125. Besides that the only people you find are spoiled kids or people who don't really know what they're doing. I bought this machine about a month ago and I really like it it's not a Lincoln a Miller or a Hobart but it's fun to work with if you use the right technique and right metal thickness .you did a good job on the video thank you
thanks for the good words. I am going to upload a video on "how to" make that bend in the gate... without a bender... It should be up within the next 24 to 48 hours. Literally just have to render and upload...
check out "This old tony". if you like sarcasm, pun and great commentary of projects. TTHY has a kindof like Mystery Science Theatre 3000 vibe. Still great Video !!!
Just bought this exact welder today as a little Christmas present thank you so much for the vid . Im just planning on using it about acouple times to make some custom race seat adapters and extend a harness bar
I've been using mine 2016 and have had no problems. One of the major drawbacks to this welder is that the amperage isn't adjustable beyond "high" and "low" but that doesn't really matter to me.
Same. People like myself start to get into bodywork and it doesn't jive. The low voltage is still too hot. You need variable dial that goes lower. And they're usually on mig welders, at which point you might as well give yourself a bigger leg up and get a gas bottle to go with it. I did some exhaust work and it was fine. Not pretty but did the job.
I'm super late on this video, I did however just purchase this welder from My place of work Harbor freight lol. I bought this one because I'm a diyer and I got it for a little over $80 with employee discount. Also my buddy owns this welder and welded the frame on his rock crawler and has yet to break. It does take a beating when he climbing. I really enjoyed your review. I think I'm gonna be happy with this purchase and for what I'm gonna use it for it will be perfect. I fix small engines and sometimes need to weld tractor and mower decks. Thanks for the great review. Just subbed your channel
@@TRYtoHELPyou you have any good recommendations on a good shield? I really don't wanna spend hundreds only because I'm a first time welder and I don't weld all the time. Preferably from Harbor freight so I can get the awesome discount lol
I’m in welding school right now, first arc I ever struck was on one of these. You can’t really make a lot of weld fast because the duty cycle isn’t great on them, but it does indeed make welds and the skill of the arm can make the beads look semi decent.
Nice review. I have zero experience welding and was considering this for a first time situation. Very entertaining as well. Thanks for sharing, Stay safe and healthy.
@@stitchthisditchthat259 I did during quarantine.... welding.. bricklaying.... carpet laying ...stock market and hot better at cement work all during the lockdown thanks fir asking I still need practice but I got basics down for most part
kinda skeptical about the harbor freight review from the link but boy am I glad I watched this. I mean yea there is some good info but this dude is pretty funny. I laughed a lot during this video at his random comments. haha awesome video
Thank you for the video. I was trying to decide if I should use my coupon and buy this welder for $99 and you just help me to go ahead and buy it tomorrow.
I have this welder. For the most part it does what I need. But if you want to improve your welds, simply do these two things. 1) Replace the power cord with a heavier gauge, this will insure that you're using the max amount of amps available in your electrical circuit. 2) Upgrade the ground clamp. Like in all things electrical, a good ground will give you the best results. Also, replace that cheap mig wire with a better quality wire, (like you had done in the video). This alone will give you more consistent results. Thanks for the review.
Used a 90 amp flux core made a set of Headers and 3inch exhaust system also bought an 80amp stick welder exhaust is only 16gauge saved thousands of dollars no lie
I'm a first time viewer, really enjoyed the video! I'm fixing to buy my first wire feed welder, wow, there's so many to choose from! I'm thinking I'd like one with several heat settings but I'm still looking! You've answered a lot of questions for me already! I've got an old stick welder that's really ancient, hope to start welding a little easier! Thanks again and God Bless, stay safe!👍👍
Thanks for posting... You helped sell me on this one...! Appreciate the help... Also, where can I see your fence up and running, in more detail... Great Idea..! Like that whole set up. 👍👍👍
Glad I could help. You can see the fence some more on my how to bend square tubing video at the very end. I need to make a video about it in full tho still.
TRY to HELP you I could really use a video on your gate build also brother when you have time. I’m wanting to build one almost just like it for my driveway on an automatic opener like yours, please consider doing one when you have time. I have the same welder and have had it 10 years now and for someone just doing tubing projects like this or around the home repairs then it’s great in my book, it does a great job on that type of stuff. I’ve been working on a slide for the bed of my service truck using 1” square tubing and for the money you can’t beat it. I got mine with a 20% off coupon so I got it for around $80, you can not beat that, I don’t care what the Miller and Hobart pigs say. If you prep your metal and have basic ideas on what your doing then you can produce some decent welds. No, it’s not a miller or Hobart, but for someone just looking for a cost effective way to DIY around the house then this welder is the ticket but it is NOT for the pro as I’m sure it would be a complete disappointment! Awesome video brother!! I subbed after whatching! You did a fantastic job and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Can you also tell me what bus that is sitting behind you next to the fence in a couple of the shots? My wife and I are looking for an older bus to do a conversion on to an RV or if it’s already been converted then we will just freshen it up and update it so we can hit the road and travel coast to coast in a couple years when she retires as we plan on renting out the farm and living in the bus full time and travel as much as we can while we are still healthy enough to enjoy it. Your doing a great job buddy, keep it up and keep pumping out these great videos for us!!!
I have the big brother of that welder I bought last year so far it has fixed my wheel chair and my idrive. I am a disabled vet and do not get that much income
ncrdisabled Submarine vet hey brother, I’m a disabled Desert Storm Vet myself and I too have the same welder and most of my check goes for meds and other things necessary for survival so there’s never much money left over to always get the better tool I want so I have to go with what will get me by and this definitely does a good job of getting me by. If you take your time, prep your metal, then you can usually get a damn good weld from this machine. Ive had mine 10 years now and love it. Take care brother and keep plugging away!!! We only have each other anymore that we can rely on to help each other so hang in there and if you need anything just let me know brother!!
Thank you very much for sharing this.....I was in a funk & decided the best way to get out of it was to watch a cool 'tool' vid, wow, did it ever work!!!! I haven't laughed this much at comments in my entire life! & your vid was good too.....:-}
I need a small CHEAP welder and you just sold me on this one ! I'm not going to be welding Caterpillar Dozer blades or Mack truck frames. Looks like this little puppy is just about exactly what I need ! I only need to do the basics like the average JOE HOME OWNER. Thanks !
Thank you for making the best quality review of this welder that I've seen. Been meaning to start as a hobby, and around the house stuff, but didn't want to waste my money on the cheaper stuff if it was basically just junk. You convinced me otherwise, cheers!
Glad I could help. Be safe and have fun with it. There is a decent learning curve but it's fairly simple. Once you start making things it is fulfilling.
I’m thinking about getting into welding and your videos are hilarious and very informative, I’m hoping to see more content from you because you have helped out a lot
Glad I could help! Thanks for the good words. I may do some funky stuff when the temps outside heat up. I wish TH-cam was around I'm the early 2000s. That would have been really helpful.
I am certified welder. I have used the $600 lincoln flux wire mig a lot . Bought this machine to weld panels on my truck. Cost me $100 and couldnt believe how good it was for that price. Wire fed out properly. Welds were good. Did i mention its $100 ? No one should be bashing this welder.. Dunno how long it ll last ..dont care
Pretty good might get one of those welders because I was going to buy two raggedy Gates might as well make it myself of course their will be a learning butchering process it's really called research and development LOL thanks for the video
Bought one returned at a HF tent sale for $75 ($45 for the welder if I bought a $30 ITC membership =$75). Went to .35 wire immediately, I'm a cert welder so jump'n on it was no prob. Really only has 2 good settings. Low + wire around 4, and hi w/wire about 4-6. Runs shitty on anything else, feeder is loud & sounds like it's wanting to die but works well w/the right tension. For $45 you can't beat it, a tip is to buy your wire off Ebay at $4-5 per lb instead of $10 a lb at HF.
The small roll of wire that comes with the welder is truly trash. Don't even try to use it, as it will make you want to kick the whole machine to the curb. I bought the 10 lbs. spool of Italian made wire and WOW what a difference !!! Doing the conversion to make it a DC welder wasn't that hard to do and makes it an even better welder. Yeah, it's a light-duty welder, but you can use it almost anywhere and do a good job. Practice doesn't make perfect...but it makes you better... Fine job on the video, informative and entertaining.
Really interested in this. Never needed a welder but yet I'm sure some of things I've repaired could have been done with a welder. I am a novice in woodworking and learning and would lile to get into welding. Always a good skill to have.
So it seems they changed it up with regards to contents of the box and as with everything globally going up in price, the price of the welder seems to have increased too. Now if we all just stopped buying stuff for about a month, perhaps prices would fall (obviously not possible to do but that's all I got)
In just the last few month HF prices have gone up I was in there a few months ago and could have bought a welder for like 200 bucks I went in last week and they were all like 500 dallars or more
thanks! yeah, i still have my old 90. The trigger does not operate as it should and the pin that holds the reel busted... it lasted SO long and i welded quite a bit with it.
I've been wanting one of these for awhile now. I picked up a boat last month, and one of the fender brackets is broken. I won't have access to my main buzz box that's in the big storage barn due to snow still in front of the main door. I saw they had the coupon for this welder for $99.99, and they had also linked your review video to the product page. After watching your video I ordered it, along with some wire wheels for my hand held grinder. Should give me something to do while the whole world is on lock down due to COVID-19. Be safe and healthy out there people.
I used a stick welder for many many years, I bought this cheap mig welder and I'm so happy. I didn't know how easy it was to weld stuff. I also bought a HF auto darkening welding hood. One thing I found is if you want your batteries to last longer, when not in use turn off the hood to grinding mode.
Thank you for spending time to demonstrate this welder. You're doing the exact project that I want to use it for. I'd like to see the rest of your gate build if you have it available One note on your welds (I may be mistaken but I've had this happen and an old welder told me what it was). The sputtering and what looked like a little kick back (not to mention the splatter) might be the result of your wire size. This particular machine says that it can use both 0.030 and 0.035 wire but it really is designed for optimized welding with 0.030 wire. That said, however, your welds came out very well regardless of what machine you were using. Your gate motor setup looks pretty good at the end. Again I'd love to see your next video
I bought almost a similar welder about 3 years ago. I use it in my garage and on my van. I’d never welded before. It’s been brilliant, except for the mask. Even if you threw yours away after building your gates, it has paid for itself. I think they are brilliant for the cost of them. I think I bought mine in the UK for less than £100. Can’t ask for more. 👍
Congrats on winning, and/or loosing the debate :) . Still no regrets on my end. It was totally worth it. Check out my gate video where I show how to make a bend without a bender.
Early 30s.... I took history of rock and roll In college and discovered the greatest band in history and many other greats as well. Also, given the awesomeness of my father, I can make several references to Jim Rockford and Colombo...and that one with the two dudes who ran the junk yard out of their house/yard :) it's crazy to see what is now considered so old it goes without being understood.... Live for the moment and the memories.....
Great Vid. Wife got me one for Christmas , $89.00 Black Friday price , gloves ect. 83 year old hacker. Gonna fix things hehehe. Shop full of woodworking tools , now metal work. Ol Bear
I thought about getting one of these at 1 time but I needed to weld some slightly thicker stuff and it needed to be structural. The newer welders make mig even easier to use. If you're just doing small stuff, this little welder is definitely a good way to get started.
I have the older blue machine and have modified it alot, use a 10lb spool after cutting out the lid and moving the mount, converted to DC with caps so it's heavier now but less splatter and better penetration, reversed polarity, put a fan in it and wired it so the wire feed motor gets power before the coil instead of after the coil so no more feed speed drops, it's decent now lol, there is a bunch of videos of people converting these to DC etc, it's worth doing
Very very cool, thanks for sharing!
Harbor Freight should give you an extra discount if you are using this to repair other broken Harbor Freight tools, like their concrete mixer.
Thst machine is pure crap. Poor investment. Better off spending a little more money for a much better machine.
dude it can be as low as 89 bucks, thats cheap
Just bought one. What broke on it? Usually their stuff is pretty reliable and they have the best warranty
progholio 😂
@@85square expired milk is cheap too. Doesn't make it usable.
I'm planning on building an entire 90 story skyscraper (in my backyard) using this welder and scrap metal from Lowe's and my grandmother's old fridge.
You will pass the earthquake code because of that fridge. That's the part most people miss! BTW this welder is overkill for that project.... You should be good with JB weld..
I'm in for the job
Don't make the skyscraper with the cheap bracket metal. You gotta use the pipes from the pumbing department
90 storys ur going to need another fridge or two
livewireOr I'll get the rivets hot boss man, you won't have to pay me hourly, just a bag of potatoes and a quart of oil and I'll be working on your skyscraper until I die, which may be soon, but hey potatoes are potatoes.
I have had one of these for about ten years now. I use it quite a bit, and like it very much. Good home welding unit.
Just wanted to give you a shout out. I wanted to buy a flux welder and started watching vids on YT. Alot of them are good but claim to be for beginners and they're really not. This video was actually the best video I've seen reviewing/demo'ing/ and explaining a flux core welder. Thank you so much! Excellent content.
TKS for the good words. Glad I could help!
That “only 15 years” really caught me by surprise lol
I got one of these and sat it in my garage for half a year. I had no idea how to use it and it looked intimidating to open and use, so I sat it around like probably a lot of you did. This guy makes it easy and straight forward to use. Good radio voice and entertaining to watch. Thank you for this really good video.
15 years? Wow my new one will last till I am 99 years old. Got to get busy and wear it out before I leave. 🐻🤣
I've seen some other videos on YT on this welder, but this one is by far the best one. Thanks for posting.
Can't wait for Christmas I'm so excited ,don't know how to wield yet but I have been watching a lot of videos and going to take a 2 day class on basic wielding, your video review is great thanks a lot.
Thank you for the video. I just bought one from harbor freight. I have been wanting to use it to fix my dock. I have been watching a lot of videos and yours has been the best so far. This welder is for the kind of guy I am, a novice and beginner.
I've bin welding since 1998 and have used many different machines,big one's mostly gas but even flux core rods. I just recently purchased the 125 you have on here to weld my front custom fencing for my wall and stone pillers. I have to say I was very sceptical about this tiny welder. But to my surprise it did very well on the 3/16 steel gate. It was just simply a matter of setting the appropriate wire speed and temp then getting the hand speed and movement to match the setting. So I'm very happy with it and the price was good I paid $119 but I'm getting a price change next month but it's going on a one month sale for $85. That make it all even better. It's a keeper.👍👍👌
Right? It's perfect for this.
Dude you couldn't explain any better,,,I like the fact you also gave me the pros and cons
Same thing for me. I've had mine for over 5 years without issues but I did already have a self darkening shield also bought at HF. One tip for making better looking fillet welds at butt joints and for filling minor gap is to run a "J" weave stringer. This pulls the puddle back and up and then carries the puddle down without burning through. I was a certified welder in the nuclear power plant world for about 10 years and it makes for a better looking weld as well. I enjoyed your video!
Would you recommend it for welding an exhaust pipe?
@@ikannunaplays I"m not sure about that because exhaust pipe tends to be very thin. That's why most are tig welded.
I have a old cheap Chicago electric mig I inherited in 2006 and it’s still going. I haven’t used a lot myself but my father in law uses it all the time and it’s been a great little welder for light duty stuff and still works after all these years.
yeah, they are pretty simple machines. thanks for sharing!
I got one a few weeks ago. Picked up the smaller gas less nozzle, I really recommend it. Improves your vision greatly.
I didn’t realize that you could put those large rolls in this machine! That’s awesome.
Nice video hope you make more with this welder.
Nozzles are part number 63795 at HF
I used electrical tape to attach, maybe I am doing something wrong. But so far no issues to speak of.
Also I have been using on a 15 amp breaker. Not heavy use just practicing (with a 50’ 12ga extension cord too). No breaker trips yet. Still planning the outlet upgrade very soon.
Its a small world huh!? You will see a very large increase if you ditch that extension cord and get a 10ga. Im not kidding. I think HF says NO to extension cords in general for these but i cant remember. Also, that 15 amp breaker is probably OK for short runs (of time). It just cant run under full load for any long duration or it will pop the breaker, or if your breaker is simply larger but the wire isn't upgraded too, you can start a fire more likely. Be safe. If you run out if wire and are gonna keep welding, the larger reel of .035 is a choice i will never regret. But i do have the power behind it at the plug. Thanks for the comment!
TRY to HELP you yes the extension cord was a one time deal for a repair. Definitely will wire a 20 amp with some 12ga. Shed outlets should’ve been that way to begin with.. big roll of .035 is on the shopping list. Have you purchased from eBay? Prices are way cheaper than HF, and I’m betting similar quality.
Walter Welch nice. Just bow seeing thid last comment. I have no experience with ebay. I would not be surprised if the quality was better or worse...
I bought one of these welders yesterday..I've never welded.
Im gonna need a lot of practice.
Thanks for sharing. It eased my mind a bit.
I tried this welder and I must say it actually does the job, not the best welder out there of course but it will definitely get the job done, and you can definitely do some nice welds with it if you know what your doing
Agreed!
"Maybe they are going to end up helium injecting to make them lighter or something, I don't know that doesn't make sense." HILARIOUS! I have been looking to upgrade my skills from the 70 amp flux welder. You have convinced me I can buy this rig and go to my grave achieving my greatest potential with this rig. As Harry Callahan said, " A man has to know his limitations." You are more entertaining than the Science, History and Netflix channels added together.
You, sir, are very entertaining to listen to while watching you mess around with a welder.
Preciate that, thanks!
Used mine to fix the footpegs on my Son's mini bike and repair broken tubes on my carport. Already paid for itself.
Thanks man! I appreciate it! I have been considering learning basic welding skills and I noticed Harbor Freight selling a $100 welder and I figured that was able the extent I was willing to invest in my new "hobby" haha. I appreciate your video because this really seems like what I am looking for!
Glad I could help. It is a decent welder to start with for sure. Find a local metal supplier for metal. Tractor supply or home Depot price their metal way too high.
This is the BEST most informative video on the Harbor Freight welder that I have seen. I really am going to get one of these. Thank You much!
Nice, thanks for the good words. I would really like to just keep doing these however need to allocate the time. It's a decent welder especially for the price.
TRY to HELP you yep I just need something for minor repairs, lol, not planning on building a NASCAR frame. Lol
If you did prep the metal though the welds would turn out alot cleaner
and create a gap between the materials
They are,so good that after 15 years I still have my welder.😊🎉❤ I recommended it.
I got one the other day. Hadn't welded in forty years and this is a good little welder to get me back to it so to say. I am making a people gate
in my steel fence and it is working good. My first bead looked pretty crappy but after messing with the settings and tweaking
it I got it to work okay. Can't blame the welder if it doesn't work at first; it's that operator malfunction that'll getchya.
very nice!
What settings did you find were best for welding your fences’
Fine acting and brilliant way to make the angle. Nice safety tips. Good education.
Thanks for the good words!
I've had this 125 for several years. It was my first welder and at the time was a great welder. Since, I've gotten a newer more durable name brand machine and it's as silky as a new Cadillac.
Moral of the story, any welder beats no welder.
Get what you can, but also get what you NEED.
Life skill right there
I just bought the HF 170 mig welder for building off road go karts haven't tried it out yet. Thanks for the video it really shows what mine will do.
This review (and many of the positive comments) made me feel better about my recent purchase of the Flux 125 system. I've never welded before and I hope it will be a good first rig to learn with.
Nice! Thanks for the good words. As long as you have clean metal and do some practices, you should enjoy it. I keep my wire speed around 3 and the switch on 2. I prefer lower wire speed but adjust it as you see fit.
Dude I have one, works great. The only thing is the wire it comes with is kinda rough. Idk about the Vulcan wire the have. Maybe better
You my friend have just caused a 24yr experienced welder to try out this machine my wife bought me over a year ago. Because of your review 😂😂 she will be getting used. I saw one review, the guy was welding without the nozzle and said yes it welds pretty good smh
My dad has one. It still works perfectly and it's over 10yrs old.. I bought one the other day. It was on sale. After taxes $108.. Can't wait to use it
I recently got a the titanium 125a mig welder and it absolutely works great. I bought this one instead of the one in video because the titanium one has variable settings instead of low/high.
Took a chance on one of these little guys about a year ago.. i must say i am amazed. This welder works fantastic on small items. Ive reaired mower deck built a little garden trailer. Use. It all the time . Very pleased . Well worth the $ 120 bucks. Now im having a hard time finding something to weld
"Pro nice price..Pah-Row"
Best review of this welder. Period.
This comment is so puh-row :)
Best review i seen on youtube. Got right to it very informative and skipped all the boring stuff. Thanks exactly what i needed to make my choice.
I've been interested in welding for quite a while now and my bills are keeping me from getting a decent welder but I'm thinking this would be a good machine to start learning how to weld and the price is definitely affordable for me, so I thank you for sharing this with us and now I have something to look forward to trying out. Stay great and thanks for the review. 🍻
Check FB market man. You can get em in the box for half the shelf price. For the price, they work pretty dang good. But eventually you might want to move to gas so it isn't as "slaggy". But you really can't beat these 125 machines if you can get it for 80 or even 100 bucks. Just my opinion.
15 years wow!! My first one stopped working," within 90 days" 😅 Returned for another, same thing. My 3rd one I used about 2 lbs of wire & I got stuck with that one. My 4th one ( this is the 125 ) I am on my 3rd 1 lb of wire it is going strong LOL. You can tell by the amount of wire that I only use it occasionally. I spoke to the store manager & he said that he gets them back from time to time but... We went over how I installed the wire, the tip I used & so on but still could not figure why it stopped running wire. Hope this one last for awhile.
Your welds look better than mind. There welding helmet is also a good buy. Stay well, Joe Z
Thanks for the good words. I can't think why you have had such bad luck with it. If you are sub 110v, maybe that could cause it to have issues?
@@TRYtoHELPyou You're welcome & thank you for replying. I had a dedicated 20 amp
120 v line installed before I used it. It was always the feed that went out on them.
Thanks tons for the review. I've been contemplating getting one of these. For the amount of welding I would do, it's almost perfect. Now to decide between this and an oxy-acetylene. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Getting this welder, even if I only use it for my gate project, was a great decision. It's not the prettiest but it is effective and strong.
Easy. Get both
Argon. Acetylene is for cutting.
If you can afford to weld with gas and/or need to have pretty welds, especially on sheet metal, get a mig with variable voltage control. You'll love it.
A flux without variable voltage will only piss you off.
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these as a low cost entry point into welding, thanks for the information!
Thanks to your video and others like it, I've been able to improve my welds using this welder. I'm not going to say they're great, or even really good, but they are way better than when I started! This is a handy machine for welding that can do an at least adequate job. Thanks for posting this vid, it helped!
I'm glad I could help :)
Thanks for the video. I'm a plumber but never welded steel, only brazed brass and copper. Got this for Christmas so I'll be messing around with it soon.
I'm still using Dad's old Lincoln buzz box he bought 75 years ago. Fortunately he put a wheelbarrow tire kit on it to move around on the roughest of terrains as well as 20' leads, but I might have to jump for something lighter like this. Too bad the cables are so short on this HF125 that you have to set it on top of your work.
yeah, but... but i can move it and stuff... ! That is a con i suppose, when compared to the other name brands. They give you a couple more feet yeah?
bought this welder 3 years ago and I live on a farm use it all the time and still going strong never had probloms with it
Nice!
There are only about two people who created a really good welding video about the Harbor Freight 125. Besides that the only people you find are spoiled kids or people who don't really know what they're doing. I bought this machine about a month ago and I really like it it's not a Lincoln a Miller or a Hobart but it's fun to work with if you use the right technique and right metal thickness .you did a good job on the video thank you
hey, thanks!
haha you just add hobart junk in with lincoln and miller
Miller owns Hobart, hahaha.
I have had one of these machines for 14 years and have built 4 trailers with it along with many projects with no problems
keegan lantz it's a great welder. If all your going to weld 1/24 metal. Other than that it's useless.
I bought one yesterday. Used it today, welds are ugly but it got the job done w/o issue! I like it! :)
This has been the most entertaining review I've ever seen 😂
I get one of those 15 years a go, still welding like a champ.
this was the best video i've seen so far about this welder, you're hilarious man! you'd make a great motovlogger!
thanks for the good words. I am going to upload a video on "how to" make that bend in the gate... without a bender... It should be up within the next 24 to 48 hours. Literally just have to render and upload...
check out "This old tony". if you like sarcasm, pun and great commentary of projects.
TTHY has a kindof like Mystery Science Theatre 3000 vibe. Still great Video !!!
Just bought this exact welder today as a little Christmas present thank you so much for the vid . Im just planning on using it about acouple times to make some custom race seat adapters and extend a harness bar
Tks for the good words. Enjoy the new tool bad be safe!
Dude, you're too funny, I enjoyed your video, your humor is what pulled it off, great job.
The exact welder I was looking for a review on and your commentary was awesome. Thank you!
Glad I could help :)
I've been using mine 2016 and have had no problems. One of the major drawbacks to this welder is that the amperage isn't adjustable beyond "high" and "low" but that doesn't really matter to me.
You can buy a sperate adjuster between the outlet and welder for $20 although I don't know why you'd need one. The settings are pretty solid
I had no intention of watching the full video and then it ended lol watched it all... great video
08:50 i don't recommend it for thin metals but it might work for exhaust...
Same. People like myself start to get into bodywork and it doesn't jive. The low voltage is still too hot. You need variable dial that goes lower. And they're usually on mig welders, at which point you might as well give yourself a bigger leg up and get a gas bottle to go with it.
I did some exhaust work and it was fine. Not pretty but did the job.
Same here I have one of these welders worked fine on exhaust also gates and repaired some brackets and other light repairs
Ive done multiple exhaust with mine
Planning on reinforcing some cheap gym equipment I have with this thing. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just start making my own. Lmao
I'm super late on this video, I did however just purchase this welder from My place of work Harbor freight lol. I bought this one because I'm a diyer and I got it for a little over $80 with employee discount. Also my buddy owns this welder and welded the frame on his rock crawler and has yet to break. It does take a beating when he climbing. I really enjoyed your review. I think I'm gonna be happy with this purchase and for what I'm gonna use it for it will be perfect. I fix small engines and sometimes need to weld tractor and mower decks. Thanks for the great review. Just subbed your channel
Tks for the good words. Def great for mower decks, be sure to coat with Rust-Oleum after or something. That employee discount is noice 🙂
@@TRYtoHELPyou you have any good recommendations on a good shield? I really don't wanna spend hundreds only because I'm a first time welder and I don't weld all the time. Preferably from Harbor freight so I can get the awesome discount lol
I’m in welding school right now, first arc I ever struck was on one of these. You can’t really make a lot of weld fast because the duty cycle isn’t great on them, but it does indeed make welds and the skill of the arm can make the beads look semi decent.
Nice review. I have zero experience welding and was considering this for a first time situation. Very entertaining as well. Thanks for sharing, Stay safe and healthy.
Thanks for the good words, likewise and good luck!
Thanks for the review, a guy wants to charge me $80 dllrs for some welding so I just went and buy one for $100
I’m with you dude I’m going to get one and teach myself to weld ... I should have done this years ago
@@tecager hey did you learn
@@stitchthisditchthat259 I did during quarantine.... welding.. bricklaying.... carpet laying ...stock market and hot better at cement work all during the lockdown thanks fir asking I still need practice but I got basics down for most part
kinda skeptical about the harbor freight review from the link but boy am I glad I watched this. I mean yea there is some good info but this dude is pretty funny. I laughed a lot during this video at his random comments. haha awesome video
Tks. Never thought I would help so many people AND hf would link it, but here we are :)
The whole key to this welder is use the drag moition with a little whip and pause moition. Over all these are good welders for small projects.
Thank you for the video. I was trying to decide if I should use my coupon and buy this welder for $99 and you just help me to go ahead and buy it tomorrow.
Great review! Entertaining right to the point informative no distracting background music dope editing the way you tube reviews should be
Thanks!
Used welder machine from a friend and welder worked great did several projects. Thinking on buying myself one.
Thanks for the review I’ve been looking at this welder. 👍👍👍💥
No problem. Its really a decent price for what you get.
I have this welder. For the most part it does what I need. But if you want to improve your welds, simply do these two things.
1) Replace the power cord with a heavier gauge, this will insure that you're using the max amount of amps available in your electrical circuit.
2) Upgrade the ground clamp. Like in all things electrical, a good ground will give you the best results.
Also, replace that cheap mig wire with a better quality wire, (like you had done in the video). This alone will give you more consistent results.
Thanks for the review.
Im just tryna weld exhaust pipes and i dont wanna buy a dam miller or some expensive i just need ok welds for pipe
That's what I bought mine for lol, arriving Tuesday
Same here 😂😂
These are perfect for exhaust
Used a 90 amp flux core made a set of Headers and 3inch exhaust system also bought an 80amp stick welder exhaust is only 16gauge saved thousands of dollars no lie
greg olenik yup
I'm a first time viewer, really enjoyed the video! I'm fixing to buy my first wire feed welder, wow, there's so many to choose from! I'm thinking I'd like one with several heat settings but I'm still looking! You've answered a lot of questions for me already! I've got an old stick welder that's really ancient, hope to start welding a little easier! Thanks again and God Bless, stay safe!👍👍
Tks for the food words. Super happy to read comments like this :) . Keep up the research and I'm sure you will find and make the best decision 🙂
Thanks for posting...
You helped sell me on this one...! Appreciate the help...
Also, where can I see your fence up and running, in more detail... Great Idea..!
Like that whole set up. 👍👍👍
Glad I could help. You can see the fence some more on my how to bend square tubing video at the very end. I need to make a video about it in full tho still.
TRY to HELP you I could really use a video on your gate build also brother when you have time. I’m wanting to build one almost just like it for my driveway on an automatic opener like yours, please consider doing one when you have time.
I have the same welder and have had it 10 years now and for someone just doing tubing projects like this or around the home repairs then it’s great in my book, it does a great job on that type of stuff. I’ve been working on a slide for the bed of my service truck using 1” square tubing and for the money you can’t beat it. I got mine with a 20% off coupon so I got it for around $80, you can not beat that, I don’t care what the Miller and Hobart pigs say. If you prep your metal and have basic ideas on what your doing then you can produce some decent welds. No, it’s not a miller or Hobart, but for someone just looking for a cost effective way to DIY around the house then this welder is the ticket but it is NOT for the pro as I’m sure it would be a complete disappointment!
Awesome video brother!! I subbed after whatching! You did a fantastic job and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Can you also tell me what bus that is sitting behind you next to the fence in a couple of the shots? My wife and I are looking for an older bus to do a conversion on to an RV or if it’s already been converted then we will just freshen it up and update it so we can hit the road and travel coast to coast in a couple years when she retires as we plan on renting out the farm and living in the bus full time and travel as much as we can while we are still healthy enough to enjoy it.
Your doing a great job buddy, keep it up and keep pumping out these great videos for us!!!
I have the big brother of that welder I bought last year so far it has fixed my wheel chair and my idrive. I am a disabled vet and do not get that much income
ncrdisabled Submarine vet badass. Thank you for your service.
ncrdisabled Submarine vet hey brother, I’m a disabled Desert Storm Vet myself and I too have the same welder and most of my check goes for meds and other things necessary for survival so there’s never much money left over to always get the better tool I want so I have to go with what will get me by and this definitely does a good job of getting me by. If you take your time, prep your metal, then you can usually get a damn good weld from this machine. Ive had mine 10 years now and love it.
Take care brother and keep plugging away!!! We only have each other anymore that we can rely on to help each other so hang in there and if you need anything just let me know brother!!
Thank you both for your service, some of us understand the sacrifices that is made by our heroes! God bless!
Thank you very much for sharing this.....I was in a funk & decided the best way to get out of it was to watch a cool 'tool' vid, wow, did it ever work!!!! I haven't laughed this much at comments in my entire life! & your vid was good too.....:-}
Glad I could help :) TKS for the good words
@@TRYtoHELPyou ; you're welcome....:-}
Years ago I welded up a small sailboat trailer axle with one of these. Still holding 👍 just need to know what you’re doing
That trailer was aluminum?
daniel palacios
Not sure what that has to do with anything
Ogre Dad thanks
I need a small CHEAP welder and you just sold me on this one ! I'm not going to be welding Caterpillar Dozer blades or Mack truck frames. Looks like this little puppy is just about exactly what I need ! I only need to do the basics like the average JOE HOME OWNER. Thanks !
@ 2:11 "Mine was so hard here I just ended up screwing it off." LOL
I really liked the way he narrated the whole video. Entertaining and fun.
Thanks!
Thank you for making the best quality review of this welder that I've seen. Been meaning to start as a hobby, and around the house stuff, but didn't want to waste my money on the cheaper stuff if it was basically just junk.
You convinced me otherwise, cheers!
Glad I could help. Be safe and have fun with it. There is a decent learning curve but it's fairly simple. Once you start making things it is fulfilling.
I’m thinking about getting into welding and your videos are hilarious and very informative, I’m hoping to see more content from you because you have helped out a lot
Glad I could help! Thanks for the good words. I may do some funky stuff when the temps outside heat up. I wish TH-cam was around I'm the early 2000s. That would have been really helpful.
I am certified welder. I have used the $600 lincoln flux wire mig a lot . Bought this machine to weld panels on my truck. Cost me $100 and couldnt believe how good it was for that price. Wire fed out properly. Welds were good. Did i mention its $100 ? No one should be bashing this welder.. Dunno how long it ll last ..dont care
I was expecting the grass to catch on fire 😂, good review ✌🏼🤙🏼💯
Pretty good might get one of those welders because I was going to buy two raggedy Gates might as well make it myself of course their will be a learning butchering process it's really called research and development LOL thanks for the video
I would like to see how you did your gate... got a video on that?
I gotta make it. Would def be worth doing
Bought one returned at a HF tent sale for $75 ($45 for the welder if I bought a $30 ITC membership =$75). Went to .35 wire immediately, I'm a cert welder so jump'n on it was no prob. Really only has 2 good settings. Low + wire around 4, and hi w/wire about 4-6. Runs shitty on anything else, feeder is loud & sounds like it's wanting to die but works well w/the right tension. For $45 you can't beat it, a tip is to buy your wire off Ebay at $4-5 per lb instead of $10 a lb at HF.
thanks for the comment. yeah these things are worth the full price i say... so you got a great deal!
Wait um so wat kind of wire and name brand plzzz
The small roll of wire that comes with the welder is truly trash. Don't even try to use it, as it will make you want to kick the whole machine to the curb. I bought the 10 lbs. spool of Italian made wire and WOW what a difference !!! Doing the conversion to make it a DC welder wasn't that hard to do and makes it an even better welder.
Yeah, it's a light-duty welder, but you can use it almost anywhere and do a good job. Practice doesn't make perfect...but it makes you better...
Fine job on the video, informative and entertaining.
Really interested in this. Never needed a welder but yet I'm sure some of things I've repaired could have been done with a welder.
I am a novice in woodworking and learning and would lile to get into welding. Always a good skill to have.
I just ordered same one did not come with brush tips wire or mask wow guess depends where u buy it at and I paid way more than 120
So it seems they changed it up with regards to contents of the box and as with everything globally going up in price, the price of the welder seems to have increased too. Now if we all just stopped buying stuff for about a month, perhaps prices would fall (obviously not possible to do but that's all I got)
In just the last few month HF prices have gone up I was in there a few months ago and could have bought a welder for like 200 bucks I went in last week and they were all like 500 dallars or more
I bought this welder for a project I was working on. Restoring a 64 Impala it works good for fenders patches and floorboards.
Good Video,,I have the 90 amp model,,for what I use it for it was a good buy
thanks! yeah, i still have my old 90. The trigger does not operate as it should and the pin that holds the reel busted... it lasted SO long and i welded quite a bit with it.
Thanks I’m new at this, my son bought me the welder, I didn’t want to use it with some instructions. Again thanks, like your gate
Do you think this would be a good welder for a starter? Also would this be a good welder for some small welding art? :D
I do think it would be good for a starter for metal art, yes!
Thankyou! :)
I like mine but I started with a stick welder
Not where safety is an issue
@@aaaaaaa-fj3ec same here. The 80amp stick welder from HF works good as well.
I've been wanting one of these for awhile now. I picked up a boat last month, and one of the fender brackets is broken. I won't have access to my main buzz box that's in the big storage barn due to snow still in front of the main door. I saw they had the coupon for this welder for $99.99, and they had also linked your review video to the product page. After watching your video I ordered it, along with some wire wheels for my hand held grinder.
Should give me something to do while the whole world is on lock down due to COVID-19.
Be safe and healthy out there people.
I tried that harbor freight flux cored wire with my everlast welder. It was OK but the name brand wire works much better.
So you bought the welder to just use the wire...... in a welder made by a punching bag company? (Badoom pish)
@@TRYtoHELPyou They sell the wire separately...
I used a stick welder for many many years, I bought this cheap mig welder and I'm so happy. I didn't know how easy it was to weld stuff. I also bought a HF auto darkening welding hood. One thing I found is if you want your batteries to last longer, when not in use turn off the hood to grinding mode.
Thank you for spending time to demonstrate this welder. You're doing the exact project that I want to use it for. I'd like to see the rest of your gate build if you have it available
One note on your welds (I may be mistaken but I've had this happen and an old welder told me what it was). The sputtering and what looked like a little kick back (not to mention the splatter) might be the result of your wire size. This particular machine says that it can use both 0.030 and 0.035 wire but it really is designed for optimized welding with 0.030 wire. That said, however, your welds came out very well regardless of what machine you were using.
Your gate motor setup looks pretty good at the end. Again I'd love to see your next video
I just picked one up on sale for $88.00 Nice video and thank you for posting this.
I saw the email with that price.... Nice!
thank you, great review.
Thanks for the good words :)
I bought almost a similar welder about 3 years ago. I use it in my garage and on my van. I’d never welded before. It’s been brilliant, except for the mask. Even if you threw yours away after building your gates, it has paid for itself. I think they are brilliant for the cost of them. I think I bought mine in the UK for less than £100. Can’t ask for more. 👍
Where did that work table come from? Nice...
"Keter Folding Compact Workbench Sawhorse Work Table with Clamps 1000 lb Capacity" 70$ on amazon
Jakob R. Thanks!
made it myself!
@@jakobr.2753 I have a couple of the Keter folding workbenches and find them to be very sturdy and functional.
Awesome review. I’ve been debating on buying this welder, now for sure I am. Thanks a lot
Congrats on winning, and/or loosing the debate :) . Still no regrets on my end. It was totally worth it. Check out my gate video where I show how to make a bend without a bender.
HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THE "NUMBER 9" REFERENCE? HOW OLD ARE YOU? ONLY OLD BEATLES GEEZERS KNOW THAT STUFF.
Early 30s.... I took history of rock and roll In college and discovered the greatest band in history and many other greats as well. Also, given the awesomeness of my father, I can make several references to Jim Rockford and Colombo...and that one with the two dudes who ran the junk yard out of their house/yard :) it's crazy to see what is now considered so old it goes without being understood.... Live for the moment and the memories.....
Just got this works great right out of box much to my surprise. No need to waste time looking for a flux capacitor.
Great Vid. Wife got me one for Christmas , $89.00 Black Friday price , gloves ect. 83 year old hacker. Gonna fix things hehehe. Shop full of woodworking tools , now metal work. Ol Bear
I thought about getting one of these at 1 time but I needed to weld some slightly thicker stuff and it needed to be structural. The newer welders make mig even easier to use. If you're just doing small stuff, this little welder is definitely a good way to get started.