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- kehoro14 (112)- Feedback left by buyer.More than a year agoVerified purchaseGreat communication. A pleasure to do business with.
Reviews (1)
Aug 26, 2016
Safer, powerful, well built
I bought this spot welder so that I could do metal work with my 6th and 7th grade STEM club. We are focusing on building machines out of steal wire.
I was attracted to the spot welder because of the low output voltage. This model maintains a voltage of only 1.6 volts when working! That's basically like an AA battery. In other words, unlike many welding technologies, this one is reasonably safe to use. Yes, you can get a bad burn from the hot metal. Yes, you need to wear eye protection. But, it is not easy to electrocute yourself! In theory, a kid could grab the two tongs, while the thing operates, and would get an imperceptible shock. We will NOT be trying that experiment and I don't think that anyone should. Still, I like the idea that a mistake is less likely to be fatal. Also, it seemed like going with a top-shelf brand like Miller, one used in industry, would mean that the product was much more likely to actually work at the 1.6 volts claimed. I also measured the output voltage and it was spot on at 1.6 volts (AC).
It is easy to use. Installing the tongs was simple. The device is heavy, but it sits on a counter well and is easy to operate from that position. Someone with good upper body strength could operate it comfortably for an expanded time with it in in their hands. It can only weld steal, and can't handle huge thicknesses, but it does a great job on the wire and sheets that I have tried with it. The welds are very strong as the two pieces of metal are actually fused into one. You need to be sure to clean the surfaces first as oxides don't have the correct resistance properties. You also need to get a good sense of how much pressure to apply (not much) and how long to hold the trigger on (fractions of a second for steal wire). I still make mistakes, but I am learning how to time it out. I also found that locking pliers helped me to hold and orient the pieces I was working with while I welded them. Even though the pliers are steal, they don't seem to interfere with the welding process. I also use welding gloves and eye protection. I have yet to use it with my students, but working with it myself has only increased my confidence that the kids will do well with it.
Yes, it is expensive. But, it should last for decades if treated properly. I have seen ancient Miller products in operation and up on Ebay. It's a quality build. It is heavy, solid, easy to use, and clearly meant to last. There are much cheaper spot welders out there, but they have high output voltages, which is a risk I prefer not to take given that it's kids who will be using it (they will be supervised!)
I know the kids are going to love it.