"Maybe I'm being a little harsh but I have used the machine in all three modes and this is what I found.
1) This is NOT a mig machine that will weld up to 1/4". Ok it will weld up to 1/4" but only with the relatively expensive flux cored wire. But this is not Mig. Mig uses cheap solid wire and sheilding gas. Inside the machine it will tell you the machine's max capacity in this mode is 1/8th inch..which seems accurate from the tests I have done.
2) The stick function is almost worthless. I tried it on a piece of 1/4" and there is nowhere near enough penetration to get a good weld. So reading the specs more carefully I see it is limited to 1/8th inch in this mode. And right there in the specs I see it is limited to 70amps..You need nearer 140A for 1/4". Personally I would'nt buy this machine again, save $100 and just get the lower priced mig/flux cored machine without the stick function.
3) Mig welds (with sheilding gas) on thin plate are very nice. The 1/16th lap joint samples were beautiful.
4) The flux cored wire seems to work well on 1/4 plate samples.
If your looking for a lightweight machine I think its a winner. i would have given it 4 stars but the stick function limited to 70amps didn't float my boat. Seems to be well made. If your looking to do a lot of fabrication of steel above 1/8th inch then you'll be stuck with using flux cored wire and the cost of this will have you wishing you had a heavier machine that could mig weld at this thickness, but then you'll be into 230 volt machines."
What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman
