First impressions after opening the box was good. The welding glasses were broken, not a big deal. The welder is light which concerned me. I own a Hobart 100 flux core which is 4 times heavier. After installing a new 6/2 romex wire on a 50 amp breaker, I fired the welder up to make sure it worked. I tested out the stick using 1/8" 6011 rods set on 100 amps. I ran a weld on 3/8 thick plate and was surprised. I raised the amps to 180 and ran another pass and was stunned. Excellent penetration. I switched to the mig using 0.35 flux core at half way and ran a bead on the 3/8 plate to which it penetrated. I cranked the voltage up to 9 and ran another pass. Again, excellent penetration. I've yet to try the mig using gas or the tig, but for what I done, I am amazed. I am a 25+ year pro welder. I am about to give this welder a serious workout to see if it holds up. I will update and remove stars if needed.
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