Parkside (Lidl) Inverter Welder: Any Good?

[ronan]

The vicegrips are great for the price, i bought a load of them for tacking things up and they are fine.

 

[angellonewolf]

even i might need a lot of those tool boards to get 20 percent of my tools on them let alone you lot

 

[Cobbler]

What is that bloke trying to do with those handlebars by the way ?

Especially as the stem where he's making sparks looks as if its aluminium by the shape of it.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

The vicegrips are great for the price, i bought a load of them for tacking things up and they are fine.

Will probably go for those , but it looks like we're not getting the welding magnets over here

 

[choco]

I just got the welding magnets (Ireland) 5 euro. Dead handy

 

[Bantam071]

First impressions: great size of machine and very lightweight (would probably fit in a suitcase), good arc stability, but as MBB said, only 80 amps, so it's range of applications may be limited.

 

[Michael G7x]

Just popped in the local store - they're just unboxing the pallets...

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

What is that bloke trying to do with those handlebars by the way ?

Looks like he managed to melt the tape off one of the handlebars too, probably from a previous failed welding attempt.

 

[normspanners]

If it makes you want to try to weld an aluminium stem with upsidedown handlebars onto an old style steel seat clamp that's sat on a slip plate, then yes - there are cheaper ways to go mad, like absinthe...

Why------- cant you weld aluminium to stainless? ---------isnt that what dissimilar metal rods are for?
anyway the rods are ok for ship building it recons------ so that means the welder will be also?? they'll be using it for the new chinese titanic I bet.

 

[ronan]

Will probably go for those , but it looks like we're not getting the welding magnets over here

I was in a Lidl today and they had no vice grips, but quite a few welding magnets left, a good few of the masks too, I wanted a look at one but none of the boxes were open. They were doing 64gb micro sd cards and i wanted one for my phone to store music, but they were long sold out.

 

[CornishPete]

looks like he's making a wall mounted bike holder. There's a blurry one in the background. I think bike tubes would be a bit thin for stick welding though?
I have bought cheap tools in the past and sometimes been impressed, sometimes not. It's a bit of a lottery really. If your used to a fronius it'll be naff, if your used to a pickhill bantam you'll be impressed! In terms of build quality it's probably the same as every other 80 amp Chinese inverter but at least its from a reputable company so if you do have problems any warranty will be honoured.
If £100 really is your max it's probably worth getting, but personally I'd be inclined to put another £100 towards one and get a parweld or gys.

 

[Bill Edwards]

The issue I see is that the amps are so low. Not only would you need a lot of runs for anything thick but I wouldn't expect much duty cycle. How would they manage on some long extension leads - you couldn't afford to lose any power.
But not only are they cheap but you'll get a proper warranty which cannot be said for any other machines in that price range. Keep track of the receipt!

 

[diogofcr]

Have you guys seen the welding magnets, do you think they are worth the price?? Which one should I buy the angular one or the two magnet piece one? Sorry for post jacking :P

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Called in today and got the 'angular' one x 2 and the two piece x 1. Also got a set of the vice grips and a magnetic tool shelf which was in the 'Reduced' bucket. It'll do for the lathe splash-back I'm halfway through making, and will save me sourcing /cutting/welding/painting & fixing materials for the job. Ideal for small things like cutting fluid, drills etc, etc.

EDIT: The magnets appear to be strong......

 

[Monkey Harris]

i got a couple of packs of the grips,
they work supurbly and the opening action is better than my old ones,

you can actually open these...

not bad for £1.70 each ..

there gonna come in handy for my camper floor rebuild..

 

[Monkey Harris]

Called in today and got the 'angular' one x 2 and the two piece x 1. Also got a set of the vice grips and a magnetic tool shelf which was in the 'Reduced' bucket. It'll do for the lathe splash-back I'm halfway through making, and will save me sourcing /cutting/welding/painting & fixing materials for the job. Ideal for small things like cutting fluid, drills etc, etc.

EDIT: The magnets appear to be strong......

yea....
all the boxes were stuck together in the shop ....

 

[Revs1972]

I got 2 of the articulated magnets and a set of the locking pliers .
Was funny watching the till girl trying to pull the boxes apart, and then off of the counter.

Jeez, remind me never to go to Lidl on a Thursday afternoon at 4pm.
Like walking round a nursing home, with the old buffers leaving their trolleys all over the place, having chats blocking the isles

 

[Ton-up]

Pity they don't do sets of just the C type 'pliers'. Could do with a half dozen or so, but don't need the other types!

 

[ronan]

Jeez, remind me never to go to Lidl on a Thursday afternoon at 4pm.
Like walking round a nursing home, with the old buffers leaving their trolleys all over the place, having chats blocking the isles

Thats where the ol' timers go to organise the swingers/wife swapping parties later on in the evening .

 

[angellonewolf]

Thats where the ol' timers go to organise the swingers/wife swapping parties later on in the evening

there going there to get the finger bits for the party