Draper 70047 160AMP Mig Inverter Multi-Welder

[Danotm76]

Hi,
I am looking at replacing an ancient Clarke 150t mig that has started to have an intermittent power issue. It gets used at home about 8 or 10 times a year on car body work and up to 3mm wall box and about 4mm plate. I have access to a proper welder in work if needed.
I am only really after an entry level machine and have looked at Clarke, Sealey, Sip and such and also Amazon brands. The one that stands out is the Draper 70047 160amp inverter as the power range, duty cycle and euro torch looks really good and they are sold by some high-street retailers which suggests support should be ok. https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/draper-70047-mw160a-gas-gasless-160a-mig-inverter-multi-welder
Does anyone have any experience of these or can suggest another sub £300 machine.
Thanks

 

[eddie49]

Hello and welcome to the Forum !

The Draper 160A looks like a decent enough machine in this class of imported 150 to 200A inverter MIGs.
It has an all-metal wirefeed assembly, can take 5kg 8-inch spools, and uses a Eurotorch.
It is a modern machine, with what is being seen more often at this level: it is "synergic". There is only one "Power" control, which adjusts both output voltage and wirespeed simultaneously, in accordance with a pre-programmed ratio, table, or map. The results rely on the preset values being spot-on, which may not be true for every application. Fortunately, this machine has a Voltage Trim control, giving the ability to fine-tune the preset values. It operates over a wide 5 volt range ( -2.5 to + 2.5 ).

At around £250, the price is about right for a known brand ( "Draper" ) of imported machine, which can be found at established retailers, such as Lawson-HIS and FFX, as opposed to no-name online box-shifters. However, the complex nature of the electronics in inverters means that any retailer support that you may get is limited to complete exchange during the warranty period. Outside of that, cost-effective repair is unlikely ( but has been achieved sometimes by electronics-savvy members of this Forum ).
For longer peace-of-mind, you would have to either pay a much higher initial price, or seek out the few suppliers who offer longer warranties on hobby-level inverters ( such as Lidl/Parkside and Stahlwerk ).

Are you sure that you want a synergic machine ( as opposed to separate Voltage and Wirespeed controls ) ?

You could also start a thread in the Clarke section to get advice about repairing your ancient 150T.

 

[aesmith]

Let us know what you think if you go ahead.

 

[idiot_online]

I've got the Draper 70048 but I bought it as spares and am attempting the fix. Sorry to piggyback off another thread, but I thought it was relevant - does anyone have the schematics for this machine/advice? Draper don't

Alex

 

[eddie49]

does anyone have the schematics for this machine/advice? Draper don't

Hello and welcome to the Forum!

No chance! Impossible to get schematics for these low-end imported inverters.

There are some general hints about repairing inverters in earlier threads on this Forum. Use the Search function, e.g. for "inverter repair".

 

[eddie49]

Do you know the history of this welder? Did it fail during use, or was it DOA?
Do any of the functions work? MIG, MMA ? Any panel lights or indicators, the fan, any sound on power-up ( e.g. a click from the soft-start relay ) ?

 

[aesmith]

The one that stands out is the Draper 70047 160amp inverter as the power range, duty cycle and euro torch looks really good and they are sold by some high-street retailers which suggests support should be ok. https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/draper-70047-mw160a-gas-gasless-160a-mig-inverter-multi-welder
Does anyone have any experience of these or can suggest another sub £300 machine.
Thanks

Did you get one? Would be interested to know how you get on.

 

[Superbad]

I highly recommend it,I have had mine for years