- Thread starter M1CDQ
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.Are you sure your repaired welding equipment sold by Lidl? Could you be referring to units sold by Aldi, as well-featured on this forum? I've never known Lidl sell a welding machine before - only some wire and rods, etc.
I don't think anyone has mentioned Lidl welders on here before this month, and I can't find any reference on the Internet to earlier years' offers. Perhaps there's some regional variation and Lidl only sold them in your neck of the woods.
chevyman_de
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Einhell is basically nothing more than a big box mover.
In the eighties and nineties their products earned a reputation for offering good value for money. I still have an old einhell compressor which runs great for more than two decades. Back in that time they had some nice mig welders as well.
But today? I wouldn't touch most einhell welders with a 3 metre post. The migs have a wire drive that drives you crazy, the small transformer based arc welders do best when used as a door stopper.
Sure, this little welder can burn a rod and there's not much in them that can go wrong. But low open circuit voltage is a pain in the a$$. They don't ignite very well and arc characteristics leave a lot to be desired, which makes them very frustrating for beginners.
We've had several threads regarding that welder on a German forum. Several people bought them and none of those welders went belly up, but no one recommended them afterwards. Everyone who upgraded to a better welder was instantly surprised about the improvements. Going from pidgeon poo to decent welds was often a thing of just a couple of rods. Same rods as with the einhell, of course.
Save your money!
In the eighties and nineties their products earned a reputation for offering good value for money. I still have an old einhell compressor which runs great for more than two decades. Back in that time they had some nice mig welders as well.
But today? I wouldn't touch most einhell welders with a 3 metre post. The migs have a wire drive that drives you crazy, the small transformer based arc welders do best when used as a door stopper.
Sure, this little welder can burn a rod and there's not much in them that can go wrong. But low open circuit voltage is a pain in the a$$. They don't ignite very well and arc characteristics leave a lot to be desired, which makes them very frustrating for beginners.
We've had several threads regarding that welder on a German forum. Several people bought them and none of those welders went belly up, but no one recommended them afterwards. Everyone who upgraded to a better welder was instantly surprised about the improvements. Going from pidgeon poo to decent welds was often a thing of just a couple of rods. Same rods as with the einhell, of course.
Save your money!
Could you please provide a link to the German forum threads which you refer to? I'd be interested to see those reports.
chevyman_de
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Not that easily. None of those threads started as a welder review and I didn't keep track of them. Searching for "einhell" was't a big help either since many times someone begins with " I have this welder..." and posts a pic without calling the thing by its right name. Sometimes experiences were just mentioned in a single posting in a thread dealing with different subjects.
But this thread shows the trouble and hard learning with such an einhell. Of course you can get such a welder in different colours under different brand names as well.
The owner of the einhell in the before mentioned thread got a used Elektra-Beckum inverter later. His welds improved instantly and he never looked back. Link 1 and link 2.
We also have that einhell thingy at work, don't rember what it was bought for and by whom since we usually do not weld at work. A colleague tested it (yes, he can weld, worked as a plumber earlier) and all he said was "well, you can stick two things together with it".
A fried of mine had such a thing, has lend it to someone else and never saw it again. He tried the smaller one of my inverters and was no longer sorry about the loss.
What's the reason for your interest in that welder?
But this thread shows the trouble and hard learning with such an einhell. Of course you can get such a welder in different colours under different brand names as well.
The owner of the einhell in the before mentioned thread got a used Elektra-Beckum inverter later. His welds improved instantly and he never looked back. Link 1 and link 2.
We also have that einhell thingy at work, don't rember what it was bought for and by whom since we usually do not weld at work. A colleague tested it (yes, he can weld, worked as a plumber earlier) and all he said was "well, you can stick two things together with it".
A fried of mine had such a thing, has lend it to someone else and never saw it again. He tried the smaller one of my inverters and was no longer sorry about the loss.
What's the reason for your interest in that welder?
Wallace
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I have a 20 year old Einhell SGA175 Mig, it has served me well in all that time and looks similar to a current model but the components could be totally different. The duty cycle does limit it's use as I found out on the job it was purchased for, I think it was originally aimed at automotive repair. I extended the duty cycle considerably by using a hand drier fan to cool the transformer with the side cover removed!
Mike
Mike
chevyman_de
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Yes, 20 years ago einhell migs were nice machines for the money. I've a buddy who is a professional welder. He's still telling me how good his early einhell mig was, especially for sheet metal work.
Unfortunately things have changed. Today they look almost the same, but the internals are no longer at the same level. Someone on the German forum posted pics of todays wire drive.
If I find the thread I'll post the links. Even without understanding the words the pics are worth looking at. When nice welds are welding porn, they're welding splatter.
Keep your unit in good shape, it's from the good old times.
Edit: found the thread, here's the link!
Please pay special attention to the 3rd pic, a size comparison between a hand, a real wire drive motor and the unit from a current (2007) einhell SGA 170.
Unfortunately things have changed. Today they look almost the same, but the internals are no longer at the same level. Someone on the German forum posted pics of todays wire drive.
If I find the thread I'll post the links. Even without understanding the words the pics are worth looking at. When nice welds are welding porn, they're welding splatter.Keep your unit in good shape, it's from the good old times.
Edit: found the thread, here's the link!
Please pay special attention to the 3rd pic, a size comparison between a hand, a real wire drive motor and the unit from a current (2007) einhell SGA 170.
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Specialist
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My Einhell buzzbox seems to be working just ok, no problems there. About welding, it is no better or worse then any other AC arc. If there are really that bad, no way I would have managed to do a reasonable weld with it. And take in consideration that I have little practice using arc's, MIG is my primary tool. And yet I cannot do anything else but wonder just what were all those people doing if they could not squeeze a decent looking weld from an Einhell. It really does not take all that much skill to lay down a good bead, given that good electrodes are used.
Tino
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Please pay special attention to the 3rd pic, a size comparison between a hand, a real wire drive motor and the unit from a current (2007) einhell SGA 170.
Wow!
That is the worst wire feed unit I have ever seen. I'm really surprised that such a small motor works at all. Shocking. Thanks for the link.All my air tools comes from Aldi, and I think just for light occasional use - like with me - these tools are perfect. I have the full range of their air tools and all have worked perfect so far. Obviously, in a professional environment they wouldn't perform that good or last that long.
I agree. I haven't yet seen one of these Lidl Einhell arc welders but I expect they come from the same/similar Chinese factory as the Wolf/Powercraft, Silverline and other, similar arc welders. I expect the build quality is perfectly adequate in all cases. Unlike the accounts on this thread of wire feed problems with Aldi MIG welders, there is no such issue with arc welders. That's why I like them - there's almost nothing to go wrong. They do exactly what is says on the tin or more, if you try and weld thinner metal than specified, like I've done to MOT standards. I'd prefer to buy a welding machine from a supermarket, rather than from a welding supplies outlet. Lidl and Aldi offer great value for money in my experience.
Jaeger_S2k
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Why?
Because, the supermarkets stick to what they do best - shifting boxes. I prefer that. I don't need or seek advice from some salesman. There's better advice here, for a start. Aldi and Lidl offer high quality products at very low prices.
If a welding supplies outlet sold high quality bread at a good price, then I'd consider buying bread from them (ref a comment above). But they wouldn't. The places I've visited have charged sky-high prices for rods, welding units and everything else I asked about. Someone here even suggested a rip-off is to be expected until they 'get to know you'. What a way to operate. I saw simple inverters which looked pretty similar to my Wolf inverter, quality and facilities wise. My Wolf inverter cost about £50 when I bought it. I think the welding supplies place was asking for about £200. They'd have you believe their inverter is superior or they offer better service if something goes wrong. You bet - they'd be delighted to fill in a service form for repair work at £75 per hour, or something.
ian of fev
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witch one do you prefer to use george i see u have an inverter as well i thought u was a buzzbox fanatic just curious
Good question. My preference for the buzz box (AC) over the inverter (DC) has been discussed here in the past. I guess I just prefer the simplicity of the transformer unit. The only thing I prefer with the inverter is that it's easier to start the arc. It's not that the inverter is bad but I just prefer the buzz box. The same inverter did quite well in a group test in Jan 2009, so I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it. A retired pro-welder I know said he'd always used AC in preference to DC on steel. Others have said he's wrong but it's interesing that there's something about AC which I like, hence my feeling that these Lidl and Aldi units are worth considering. I'd also wager that they'll outlast almost any inverter in terms of longevity, unless you seriously mistreat them.
ian of fev
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thank you ever so kindly george my mind is now at rest ian
