- Thread starter Darren.
- Start date
Jammy James
Member
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- 326
Welcome
I don't want to put you of getting a sip but look at the sip and cosmo section to see what other people think of them.
James
I don't want to put you of getting a sip but look at the sip and cosmo section to see what other people think of them.
James
grandads_shed
Member
- Messages
- 457
better off with a clarke m8 ,,,, sips ?? phhhh
To be fair, if the 180 you're looking at is like this one, the 181, it may be a half-reasonable machine:
http://www.sipuk.co.uk/tools/info_SIP04791.html
It does have the metal wire feed, not the cheap plastic thing on the hobby welders, and it goes down to 30 Amp for thinner metal. It does have a Eurotorch of some kind, too. They don't give details of the OCV range though, so that is something to ask about. The duty cycle is not bad, but nothing to write home about, but how much top end use will it get on automotive stuff?
At £376 including VAT it's not a bad price, but do have a look at the Clarke Pro equivalents before deciding. Anything with 180 Amp top end is going to need a 32 Amp socket unless you operate below 160 Amps all the time. And if you will mostly operate below 160, check out the Clarke 160TE and 165TEM range, both of which have a 30 Amp minimum amps and a useful 18 - 28 OCV, and come into the same price range.
Quite apart from build quality and range and reliability, you have to figure if it will always be a home workshop machine, or whether you're going to want to take it out to jobs on site, even if it's only a few mates' cars now and then. The Clarkes mentioned above weigh 36 Kg, quite heavy enough, but the SIP may be even heavier.
Take a good look at all the options before deciding, don't rush into anything you might regret later. Good Luck in choosing!
http://www.sipuk.co.uk/tools/info_SIP04791.html
It does have the metal wire feed, not the cheap plastic thing on the hobby welders, and it goes down to 30 Amp for thinner metal. It does have a Eurotorch of some kind, too. They don't give details of the OCV range though, so that is something to ask about. The duty cycle is not bad, but nothing to write home about, but how much top end use will it get on automotive stuff?
At £376 including VAT it's not a bad price, but do have a look at the Clarke Pro equivalents before deciding. Anything with 180 Amp top end is going to need a 32 Amp socket unless you operate below 160 Amps all the time. And if you will mostly operate below 160, check out the Clarke 160TE and 165TEM range, both of which have a 30 Amp minimum amps and a useful 18 - 28 OCV, and come into the same price range.
Quite apart from build quality and range and reliability, you have to figure if it will always be a home workshop machine, or whether you're going to want to take it out to jobs on site, even if it's only a few mates' cars now and then. The Clarkes mentioned above weigh 36 Kg, quite heavy enough, but the SIP may be even heavier.
Take a good look at all the options before deciding, don't rush into anything you might regret later. Good Luck in choosing!
