This machine is on clearance at HF right now for $499 and through Feb 4th, 2024, 30% off sale on all Clearance items, so $350, or for inside track 40% off all Clearance items, $300. For that price this is almost a no brainer if you need a steel/stainless steel TIG machine. Thanks for the video too, helped me decide I must add this to my shop/fab capabilities.
I got it for that deal today, I just need some damn power cords haha since I got the display they didn’t have them or they haven’t found them yet, I’ll tot back next week to see if they found them
I was on the fence about this welder.. your review helped me feel comfortable about purchasing this machine. I especially like the fact that I can go to my local Harbor freight and buy consumables. Thanks for a a good pro/con assessment of this welder.
Right on! They also have a one year, no questions asked warranty, in case you aren't happy with it. I've put some abuse on this welder lately, no complaints!
Thanks for the video. Good to have someone with an open mind on HF tools. Between yourself and chucke2009 I'm going to get one of these machines. Thanks again.
Harbor Freight's welder's have DRAMATICALLY jumped up in price over the years... And they haven't changed a thing. Everlast welders are by far more powerful, better built, and come with better warranty/extra items. All while being roughly the same price and actually used by many professionals
But They suck on their repair ! They charge u sgipping to get it fix back and forth and take over 30 business days to fix their crap , I have 2 of them welders and paid over 1200 for a machine that I was able to used only 4 times !!! Ridiculous bro dont waste your money on them , I heard primeweld it's super good and technical/service support its one of the best
I bought one and it worked great until it stopped working correctly after about 4 hours of welding over 3 days. It would no longer initiate an arc. If I touched the work piece it would arc, so power was still going to the electrode. I'm going to take it back and exchange it and hopefully the next unit will work
That's a bummer. Once in a while, I notice that the electrode can get some contamination if I'm welding dirty steel, and it won't immediately arc. If I scratch the electrode on the workpiece, it solves the problem. But this can happen with any TIG welder.
Thank you very much for this great video! I have been searching for a decent used system for home use, either mig or tig, and am leaning towards the Vulcan since I have struggled to find a worthy used system. This video has helped me tremendously!
Thank you so much! Occasionally, I'll give it throttle and get no arc. A simple scratch of the tungsten on the steel fixes the issue for the next start-up. In the video I used a 3/32" lanthanated tungsten I've used both 3/32" and 1/16" tungstens, both thoriated and lanthanated, with no issues. I appreciate the support!
I paid just over $600 (in 2018) for my LOTOS 200amp AC/DC machine which works great and is also a very good stick welder. So thats a beefier machine and does AC (aluminium). It also comes with a proper flowmeter. The only downside is I can't take it back to my local store.
@@FormulaJake yeah the Lotos is $559 right now on Ebay with free shipping. the 200A AHP Alpha Tig is on sale (2018 model) at Amazon for $750 incl shipping which has a few more features. This stuff is getting better and cheaper day by day..:)
I’m glad it doesn’t boast about AC welding for $600 Bc there are some out there that do and screw you over. Also aluminum really requires at minimum of 130amps for any decently thick aluminum 1/4”+
Any issues with machine? Have u changed any of the accessories that came with it? I love my esab machine but swapped most accessories. Love my ck worldwide torch.. standard was still a nice flexhead. Then got stinger v for stick and I can't recommend that rod holder enough. Sweet video keep em coming
No issues whatsoever so far! I swapped out the cups and upgraded the reg to one with a float on it. Other than that, no changes. I'm happy with the rest!
Might as well just save up for the 205 to get AC TIG too honestly. Prob fine if you know your just doing steel but a few hundred more to get AC welding for aluminum is prob worth it depending what you’re doing.
No you can run DC reverse on stick it depends on the electrode your running though. But you can run DC straight DC reverse or AC on stick just like with TIG but again it depends on the particular stick electrodes your running and what your trying to weld with it.
All of the Vulcan line up is a waste of money when you consider warranty costs. The standard warranty on all of the welders is 90 days with an add-on 3 year warranty jumping the price by over $100. An Everlast 185DV is around $50 more than this machine after warranty. You get AC, AC balance, 2 extra years warranty, and an established brand with product support/replacement parts availability for that extra $50. You can generally find a comparable machine from another brand for all of the Vulcan lineup. The Titanium line-up is where the savings are for the home-gamer.
Need help! I just unboxed the pro tig 165 and set it all up. Tried tig welding and power output is very low. I have checked and rechecked all my connections and still get very low power output. Also tried 220 & 115, really no difference in output. Is there something I am missing or not doing properly?
It's hard to tell without seeing it, but I'd recommend making sure the ground is positive, electrode (torch) is negative, that your ground clamp is securely attached to the part, the ground wire is securely attached to the work, and that the amps are set at a sufficient level. Also make sure that the machine is set to TIG HF, and not TIG Lift. At 80+ amps on the machine, you should be getting a sizeable puddle at full throttle on the pedal. Lastly, make sure it's steel and not aluminum that you are welding on. Besides that, I'd look into an exchange or return with Harbor Freight.
Airborne Productions thank you for the reply. I figured it out. Two things that made a huge difference were, making sure all my parts in the tig torch head were nice and tight making a good connection. And I switched to the medium size cup (I had the large cup on) and that really helped concentrate the gas flow around the tungsten. Made a huge difference. It’s working well now. Thanks again.
Absolutely worth it! I welded an entire exhaust system for my DT360 with this welder. It can do up to ~0.130" thick on 110V and up to ~0.165" thick on 220V.
Doubt it... assuming you mean wireless. Miler won’t work with this but, I’m sure if you read the pin out from Vulcan and miller, and buy a female Vulcan plug and a male miller plug (machine side) you can make a pigtail to go from Vulcan to miller and plug in the miller wireless control assuming the wireless doesn’t take any advance controls to work through miller pc boards.
love the review, but if your spending 649+ taxes you might as well save another 60 or 80bucks and invest in a AHP 201XD. The total price for mine came out to around $720. Can weld AC/DC balance and all the above settings great big welder with all of the jobs I have given it. Like I said love the review but just doing bit more research you can get the best bang for your buck.
@@FormulaJake I was using a 1/8 and 3/32, I only have tried 120v, I'm returning it because if I can't even stick weld I don't want it, all the reviews are positive but this was a big disappointment for me. Im gonna go to Amazon and order a everlast
good video, but you did not share your observations on argon post flow time. I checked the manual and no mention was given. Most entry level tig welders have a set amount of post flow that usually increased with amperage. Would be interested in hearing the result of your testing Thanks
The post flow is a non-adjustable, 10 second run. As far as I can tell, it does not increase/decrease relative to the original amount of argon flow. For example, if I set my argon to 20 cfh, even with varying amperage, the post flow will maintain 20 cfh for 10 seconds after the arc stopped.
Very casual but Good review. HF. has stepped up with much. I'm looking into this unit to weld bronze for some statues I hopefull will be making. Looks like you can use a Mig. But all I really see it Tig. and I've always wanted a tig !! Cheers. I'm supposing you can puls well manually? What will it run to fill that tank with argon these days? Thanks Much.
Thank you for the kind words! I highly recommend either the Vulcan or Titanium series of welders from HF, especially for those just getting started in TIG. I've pulsed manually with no issues. It reacts to a foot pedal pulse just like you'd expect. The last time I refilled a bottle of argon, it was about $50 for a 250 SCF bottle. Not bad at all!
No problem! The initial cost of the bottle is the expensive part. $50 was to refill an existing bottle, but if you don't already have one, expect to pay at least $100-$200, depending on the bottle size and supplier.
@@FormulaJake Friend bought the welder and left it at the house so I set it up but when I tried to weld the weld looked like the argon was contaminated or something because I had a lot of oxidation! I couldn't figure out what was going on until I looked up the welder online and it said it was DC? I certified at Spacex in 2010 and have made a lot of tig welds! I guess I look like a real dick head huh!
Awesome thanks, how has it performed so far? Welds get better?? I use a Miller at work just want something cheap to use at home but still be able to lay down quality
So far it's been great! My welds have improved quite a bit, but I'd still consider myself a beginner. After almost 2 years of use, she still works like a champ. This video shows a bit of my more recent welding, which was some thin material. It was all done with the little Vulcan! th-cam.com/video/XNlxeCZf3QQ/w-d-xo.html
I don't mind harbor freight tools, have plenty, but for the same price you can buy other welders with allot more functionally, namely 220 capability, pulse control, flow control, AC mode ect
Definately NOT worth it (today). For $30 more ($680 on sale) you can get (pre-order) an AHP AlphaTIG 201XD which is a 200 amp machine (vs 165) can do AC TIG which is required for aluminum (Vulcan 165 doesn't), comes with a really good pedal and a really good torch, has a 60% duty cycle (vs 30%) and comes with a 3 year warranty. It is manufactured in China but the company that sells it is in San Fransisco. It is on back order and may take longer than the end of the month to ship but you can get the 2018 model (not so good pedal and not as good a torch hose) on Amazon for $750 with shipping. Still worth the extra $100. Wow - since last night the pre-order price went up $10 to $690. BTW - there's a 2018 model of this welder being sold by zimpresssion.com for $94.99. I wouldn't trust this. Calling the zimpresdion phone number connects you to China.
Great question! I haven't used a Miller pedal in years so it's hard for me to compare, but I love the pedal. It's relatively light to use, but it never sticks, and comes back home instantly. I've heard from multiple people that use the Vulcan pedal on Lincoln's and Miller's, so it's safe to say that it rocks. It might be the best part of this welder out of the box. 👌🏼
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165 amps of TIG welding can weld some fairly thick steel. Enough for anything on a car or truck frame.
Thanks for the clear/brief review. Nice to not have to sit through 30 min of blah blah blah.
Thank you sir! I've seen too many of those, get to the point already 😂
Short and sweet. Damn good video
This machine is on clearance at HF right now for $499 and through Feb 4th, 2024, 30% off sale on all Clearance items, so $350, or for inside track 40% off all Clearance items, $300. For that price this is almost a no brainer if you need a steel/stainless steel TIG machine. Thanks for the video too, helped me decide I must add this to my shop/fab capabilities.
I got it for that deal today, I just need some damn power cords haha since I got the display they didn’t have them or they haven’t found them yet, I’ll tot back next week to see if they found them
I was on the fence about this welder.. your review helped me feel comfortable about purchasing this machine. I especially like the fact that I can go to my local Harbor freight and buy consumables. Thanks for a a good pro/con assessment of this welder.
Right on! They also have a one year, no questions asked warranty, in case you aren't happy with it. I've put some abuse on this welder lately, no complaints!
Thanks for the video. Good to have someone with an open mind on HF tools. Between yourself and chucke2009 I'm going to get one of these machines. Thanks again.
Thank you for the kind words sir! We will be posting more reviews of Harbor Freight tools and equipment on the channel in the coming weeks.
This is a really good video. Concise and very informative. Now I just wish the welder could do AC tig b/c I want to get into tig to do aluminum.
NO AC WELDING......I want one that does both. Setting look easy. But the others have more options I would prefer the yeswelder over this one.
Thanks 🙏🏻 for the review
Harbor Freight's welder's have DRAMATICALLY jumped up in price over the years... And they haven't changed a thing. Everlast welders are by far more powerful, better built, and come with better warranty/extra items. All while being roughly the same price and actually used by many professionals
But They suck on their repair ! They charge u sgipping to get it fix back and forth and take over 30 business days to fix their crap , I have 2 of them welders and paid over 1200 for a machine that I was able to used only 4 times !!! Ridiculous bro dont waste your money on them , I heard primeweld it's super good and technical/service support its one of the best
It seems like a perfectly good machine, but for the same price, you could get an AHP AlphaTig that is much more capable.
I bought eastwood 200 ac/dc 110 and 220 weld aluminum and you can braze with bronze i pay 500 . You can weld stick weld too
I bought one and it worked great until it stopped working correctly after about 4 hours of welding over 3 days. It would no longer initiate an arc. If I touched the work piece it would arc, so power was still going to the electrode. I'm going to take it back and exchange it and hopefully the next unit will work
That's a bummer. Once in a while, I notice that the electrode can get some contamination if I'm welding dirty steel, and it won't immediately arc. If I scratch the electrode on the workpiece, it solves the problem. But this can happen with any TIG welder.
Nice video. Thank you for sharing.
I think I'll buy one of these machines and learn how to tig.
Thank you very much for this great video! I have been searching for a decent used system for home use, either mig or tig, and am leaning towards the Vulcan since I have struggled to find a worthy used system. This video has helped me tremendously!
Glad to have helped! I am still in love with my little Vulcan. It's handled quite a few projects by now 🔥
101 # done subed with bell bro great channel 💕👍🤝
is she still working and running? im learning to tig
Runs like a champ! Yesterday I welded for about an hour with it 👌🏼
Did you have any arc start issues when starting the arc? What tungsten do you use? Just subscribed... and a big thumbs up!
Thank you so much! Occasionally, I'll give it throttle and get no arc. A simple scratch of the tungsten on the steel fixes the issue for the next start-up. In the video I used a 3/32" lanthanated tungsten I've used both 3/32" and 1/16" tungstens, both thoriated and lanthanated, with no issues. I appreciate the support!
I paid just over $600 (in 2018) for my LOTOS 200amp AC/DC machine which works great and is also a very good stick welder. So thats a beefier machine and does AC (aluminium). It also comes with a proper flowmeter. The only downside is I can't take it back to my local store.
That's an absolute steal. I hope to upgrade eventually to something with both AC and DC, a buy like that is a good one!
@@FormulaJake yeah the Lotos is $559 right now on Ebay with free shipping. the 200A AHP Alpha Tig is on sale (2018 model) at Amazon for $750 incl shipping which has a few more features. This stuff is getting better and cheaper day by day..:)
Thanks for the info! I might have to make another welder purchase and try it out 👍🏼
Vulcan is from India, not China.
What is DC and AC Tig welder??
Nice video
Thank you!
It works with aluminum?
do you power it with a 220v using a 30 amp breaker or 50 amp breaker?
30A is more than enough
Hi hoss. Dc aluminum weld w helium gas.. look it upninnyounwelding books.
That's a good idea, but I have not attempted it. Once I have a helium bottle I'll give it a go. What tungsten do you recommend?
That is what I weld aluminum with. We have 3 tig machines at work and not one of them welds AC very good. Boss man won't buy a new one!
Priced Helium lately? Pricey if you can even find it.
I’m glad it doesn’t boast about AC welding for $600 Bc there are some out there that do and screw you over. Also aluminum really requires at minimum of 130amps for any decently thick aluminum 1/4”+
Any issues with machine? Have u changed any of the accessories that came with it? I love my esab machine but swapped most accessories. Love my ck worldwide torch.. standard was still a nice flexhead. Then got stinger v for stick and I can't recommend that rod holder enough. Sweet video keep em coming
No issues whatsoever so far! I swapped out the cups and upgraded the reg to one with a float on it. Other than that, no changes. I'm happy with the rest!
@@FormulaJake good to hear
Might as well just save up for the 205 to get AC TIG too honestly. Prob fine if you know your just doing steel but a few hundred more to get AC welding for aluminum is prob worth it depending what you’re doing.
ProTIG™ 205 Industrial Welder With 120/240 Volt Input How about this one will this work for aluminum
Will this do aluminum?
No you can run DC reverse on stick it depends on the electrode your running though. But you can run DC straight DC reverse or AC on stick just like with TIG but again it depends on the particular stick electrodes your running and what your trying to weld with it.
k no alumunin turn off dang it
Subbed!
Thank you!
Crap...won't do aluminum. I need something that will do aluminum.
great backing track what song is that u r very knowledgable about motorcycles too man keep it up :) +1
Thank you brother! The song is "Major Crimes & Unicorns" by Galimatias
One of these days im going to review this welder! Lol
Awesome video man. You got another sub. Keep it up!
I got the 165A TIG welder years ago that has the benzel abicor SRT-17 torch. Works great long time😁
Waste of mony spend more for better feature sets, like AC and ac balance... You'll regret not having ac big time
All of the Vulcan line up is a waste of money when you consider warranty costs. The standard warranty on all of the welders is 90 days with an add-on 3 year warranty jumping the price by over $100. An Everlast 185DV is around $50 more than this machine after warranty. You get AC, AC balance, 2 extra years warranty, and an established brand with product support/replacement parts availability for that extra $50. You can generally find a comparable machine from another brand for all of the Vulcan lineup. The Titanium line-up is where the savings are for the home-gamer.
Need help! I just unboxed the pro tig 165 and set it all up. Tried tig welding and power output is very low. I have checked and rechecked all my connections and still get very low power output. Also tried 220 & 115, really no difference in output. Is there something I am missing or not doing properly?
It's hard to tell without seeing it, but I'd recommend making sure the ground is positive, electrode (torch) is negative, that your ground clamp is securely attached to the part, the ground wire is securely attached to the work, and that the amps are set at a sufficient level. Also make sure that the machine is set to TIG HF, and not TIG Lift. At 80+ amps on the machine, you should be getting a sizeable puddle at full throttle on the pedal. Lastly, make sure it's steel and not aluminum that you are welding on. Besides that, I'd look into an exchange or return with Harbor Freight.
Airborne Productions thank you for the reply. I figured it out. Two things that made a huge difference were, making sure all my parts in the tig torch head were nice and tight making a good connection. And I switched to the medium size cup (I had the large cup on) and that really helped concentrate the gas flow around the tungsten. Made a huge difference. It’s working well now. Thanks again.
Do you think its worth it for welding steel exhaust and intercooler pipe? What's the thickest metal it can weld ? Thanks
Absolutely worth it! I welded an entire exhaust system for my DT360 with this welder. It can do up to ~0.130" thick on 110V and up to ~0.165" thick on 220V.
Would this be good for tig art?
Jake, have you used an extention cord on this unit yet? how long was it and how well did it work? and can you use a 30 amp breaker?
I've used a 20 foot extension cord on both 110V and 220V. They've both worked just fine 👍 I have ran 110V on a 20 amp breaker no problem
👍👍
cool looked at 1 today, didnt know cant do aluminum,gunna go up a level
Any battery pedals there great. Wonder if a miller battery pedal will work with Vulcan
Doubt it... assuming you mean wireless. Miler won’t work with this but, I’m sure if you read the pin out from Vulcan and miller, and buy a female Vulcan plug and a male miller plug (machine side) you can make a pigtail to go from Vulcan to miller and plug in the miller wireless control assuming the wireless doesn’t take any advance controls to work through miller pc boards.
love the review, but if your spending 649+ taxes you might as well save another 60 or 80bucks and invest in a AHP 201XD. The total price for mine came out to around $720. Can weld AC/DC balance and all the above settings great big welder with all of the jobs I have given it. Like I said love the review but just doing bit more research you can get the best bang for your buck.
So how do you like it?
good review
U can weld aluminum with helium on dc
i bought the ahp 201 for 730 and can do aluminum
That's a pretty good deal!
Mine isnt stick welding for shit on 120v, idk why it says 130 amps cus the electrodes wont hold a arc and they magnetize to whatever your welding.
That's odd. What size electrodes are you using? I dropped to 5/64" after having little luck with 1/8" and 3/32"
@@FormulaJake I was using a 1/8 and 3/32, I only have tried 120v, I'm returning it because if I can't even stick weld I don't want it, all the reviews are positive but this was a big disappointment for me. Im gonna go to Amazon and order a everlast
Great video playing with welders yesterday showed they are pretty good machines. Well done video!
Great video short effective right to the point make more please
I'm noob, but at 5:08 too hot? Great video.
good video, but you did not share your observations on argon post flow time. I checked the manual and no mention was given. Most entry level tig welders have a set amount of post flow that usually increased with amperage. Would be interested in hearing the result of your testing Thanks
The post flow is a non-adjustable, 10 second run. As far as I can tell, it does not increase/decrease relative to the original amount of argon flow. For example, if I set my argon to 20 cfh, even with varying amperage, the post flow will maintain 20 cfh for 10 seconds after the arc stopped.
@@FormulaJake Great thanks for the follow-up
It might be tied to amperage, the higher amperage the longer the flow, My Lincoln TIG 200 is this way.
I have the 165 and just now by accident discovered that by taping the foot pedal when you're done welding it will turn the post flow off
@@dannypirkle2480 Thanks Danny, that is good news, I will try that on my Lincoln
Always use 220.
ATW!
Very casual but Good review. HF. has stepped up with much. I'm looking into this unit to weld bronze for some statues I hopefull will be making. Looks like you can use a Mig. But all I really see it Tig. and I've always wanted a tig !! Cheers. I'm supposing you can puls well manually?
What will it run to fill that tank with argon these days? Thanks Much.
Thank you for the kind words! I highly recommend either the Vulcan or Titanium series of welders from HF, especially for those just getting started in TIG. I've pulsed manually with no issues. It reacts to a foot pedal pulse just like you'd expect. The last time I refilled a bottle of argon, it was about $50 for a 250 SCF bottle. Not bad at all!
@@FormulaJake $50 good to know. All I've run on my Lincon Mig is flux. So it will be a welcome change Thanks!
No problem! The initial cost of the bottle is the expensive part. $50 was to refill an existing bottle, but if you don't already have one, expect to pay at least $100-$200, depending on the bottle size and supplier.
@@FormulaJakeProductions well I think I can handle refills initial cost works its way out eventually Thanks
Best of luck brother 👍🏼
Great video and you have a new subscriber 🤘🤜🤛
Thanks brotha! 👊🏼
Won't weld aluminum it's DC only!
DC with helium is the only way, but yes no AC unfortunately
@@FormulaJake Friend bought the welder and left it at the house so I set it up but when I tried to weld the weld looked like the argon was contaminated or something because I had a lot of oxidation! I couldn't figure out what was going on until I looked up the welder online and it said it was DC? I certified at Spacex in 2010 and have made a lot of tig welds! I guess I look like a real dick head huh!
Does the fan turn on when u power the machine?
Not until an arc is struck and the machine begins to heat up. The fan also turns on for about 10 seconds when the welder is shut down.
@@FormulaJake...I bought an open box one and the fan don't turn on at all guess im taking it back
Does the gas come on when pedal is pushed or is it on when arc Is off too
Gas comes on right away, and stays on for 10 seconds after letting off the pedal (post flow)
Awesome thanks, how has it performed so far? Welds get better?? I use a Miller at work just want something cheap to use at home but still be able to lay down quality
So far it's been great! My welds have improved quite a bit, but I'd still consider myself a beginner. After almost 2 years of use, she still works like a champ.
This video shows a bit of my more recent welding, which was some thin material. It was all done with the little Vulcan!
th-cam.com/video/XNlxeCZf3QQ/w-d-xo.html
What amp breaker do u need for 220
For a small welder like this, a 30 amp breaker is fine. I've ran a 185 welder on 30A 220V all day with no issues.
Does it do 110v
Yes it does, up to 130 amps 👍🏼
Did you watch the video?!
Coben Rockhill yea I skimmed though it. Must have missed it
Does it provide a post flow when tig welding?
It does! 10 seconds, but it is not adjustable.
I don't mind harbor freight tools, have plenty, but for the same price you can buy other welders with allot more functionally, namely 220 capability, pulse control, flow control, AC mode ect
Absolutely. The entry level Miller's and Lincoln's are double the price, but the HF Titanium welders are similarly priced and do offer more features.
Definately NOT worth it (today). For $30 more ($680 on sale) you can get (pre-order) an AHP AlphaTIG 201XD which is a 200 amp machine (vs 165) can do AC TIG which is required for aluminum (Vulcan 165 doesn't), comes with a really good pedal and a really good torch, has a 60% duty cycle (vs 30%) and comes with a 3 year warranty. It is manufactured in China but the company that sells it is in San Fransisco. It is on back order and may take longer than the end of the month to ship but you can get the 2018 model (not so good pedal and not as good a torch hose) on Amazon for $750 with shipping. Still worth the extra $100.
Wow - since last night the pre-order price went up $10 to $690.
BTW - there's a 2018 model of this welder being sold by zimpresssion.com for $94.99. I wouldn't trust this. Calling the zimpresdion phone number connects you to China.
How thick of metal can I tug weld with the 110v?
The basic rule of thumb for mild steel is 1 amp per 1 thousandth of an inch, so you're good up to 0.135" or just over 1/8" thickness on 110v.
How is the pedal? Snappy? I normally pulse with the pedal is the reason i ask.
Great question! I haven't used a Miller pedal in years so it's hard for me to compare, but I love the pedal. It's relatively light to use, but it never sticks, and comes back home instantly. I've heard from multiple people that use the Vulcan pedal on Lincoln's and Miller's, so it's safe to say that it rocks. It might be the best part of this welder out of the box. 👌🏼
@@FormulaJake Sweet thanks for the info!