Arc Stick Welder, 115 Volt, 70 Amp (Campbell Hausfeld WS099001AV)

First welding is art and skill, both generally need practice.I have 20 amp breakers, 12gauge wiring and outlets rated for 20 amps. Check it all 4 times. i use a 12 gauge extention cord the coord on the welder is short and the leads aren't any longer. that being said, i spent hours working on high running about 2 lbs of rod, and no heat from the welder cord or extention cord. This and a 12 gauge extention cord makes a really compact welder that can get out and be used, the weight is about 20lbs, easy one handed. it's smaller and lighter than the tool box i lug around the house, so portablilty is excelent i regularly use it in the yard, driveway, garage. my lights and welder are on the same circuit, no issues so more or less the "high" setting is probly using around 15 amps, and the low less then 10. don't be afraid of having other things on the circuit.Get some 6013, and practice that on low, don't touch high. then when you can strike an arc consistantly gets some 7014, and really learn to weld. with prep(beveling and cleaning). I weld 1/16 and 1/8 in one pass. remember your bevels on 1/8th and you'll not have issues. Your penetration is roughly width of your electrode. i generally weld 7014 on high, and 6013 on low. 6013 gets two hot on high an i generally just burn through. 7014 tends to stick on low. All and all this is perfect for most home owners, hobists and professionals that don't work with 1/4 plate.**** Update Year 2 ****I still love my little welder. I've build a trailer with it, then welded another bolt together trailer with it. Works well in the 1/8th inch thick range with E7014 sticks. I find that makes a better weld once you get the hang of striking an arc. I usually only weld 16 gauge and 1/8th inch mild steel. it does a great job with both. I'm still very happy with the welder.

I bought this because I neither had an extension cord long enough or owned a generator to get to my project site.I was welding an espalier frame for growing pear trees up against. The project was using 1/2" and 3/8" rebar. I was worried at first because I figured I wasn't going to get good penetration at first. It's true that I didn't get good penetration and the first few welds I put on came apart.I found out that I had two problems. The first was that rebar itself does not provide a good smooth/solid surface. Second the iron wasn't getting hot enough to penetrate. What I found was that I had to continuously weld 2-3 rods for each joint. This both filled in the spaces between the rebar and kept the iron hot enough to create a strong weld.A great feature that I found annoying was the overload protection. It's a great feature because it protects the power circuit from being overdrawn, blowing breakers, and/or other major damage. It was annoying because of the amount of time that I needed to continuously weld and it would shutoff when I wasn't expecting it to. When the weather was cool, it would recover pretty quickly. On warmer days, it could take 15-20 minutes to fully recover.This welder can use 6011, which is my preference, however, it's hard to find 1/16 diameter 6011 rods at a reasonable price. Using 6013 rods, which is the preferred rods for this welder, hasn't been much of an issue so far.I also learned that I could repair the cheap, wire tomato cages if I used clamp on either side of my weld site as heat sinks.This particular type of welder is called a "sparkler" because the 1/16's electrodes are about the same size of the old wire sparklers we used on the 4th of July.

I got this welder and returned it after two days. I don't know if it is a defect or just a bad one. I was welding and the rod stuck. Gave it a tug and the stinger came apart in my hand. The cover for the stinger slid back and there next to my skin was bare wire and the metal plate and conecting screw. I am not a welder , but as an auto mechanic ,2 or 3 times a week I need to weld something.I have never had a stinger come apart in my hands before. Danger Will Robinson, Danger! Yes , I have written Consumer Product Safty Commision. If this is more than a defect and in fact a design flaw this thing could hurt some one good.I don't think 70 amps DC could kill at these voltages unless your welding in a tub of water , but it could do some damage.

Works good as long as u use recomended rods