Best Welding Equipment
This light weight welding helmet is so versatile that it can be used on grinding, cutting and welding applications. - Exterior lens covers: Amazon ASIN# B00CIOKN6C. - Inner lens covers: ASIN# B00CIXN50O. - Head Gear:ASIN# B01N5HCMIX. - Hard hat adapter: ASIN#B075FCZJZH, B075FH4J4C. - Sweat Band: ASIN#B073XT6CCQ. - Auto Darkening Lens: ASIN#B01M2DHSDR. - Cheater Lens: ASIN# B017IDJKMK (Diopter various). Great For TIG MIG MMA, Plasma Applications with Grinding Feature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This helps a lot I am student I have been welding for 7 moths now I am know I need to practices more often .."
"The shade adjuster on outside of hood works well but in my opinion it would be better if it were on the inside, it also turns very easily, would be better if it was a bit tougher to turn."
"Works great so far."
"Great auto-darkening helmet for the money, cheaper and better than HF."
"Noobie welder and needed a helmet."
"By that I mean that when the mask isn't auto darkened, it's shade or, the amount of light it allows through is MUCH greater than other masks. When you start welding, the reaction of the mask is instant, and it shields your eyes. The drawback of this, is that if you don't turn on the mask, or don't adjust it dark enough, it can be too bright. This mask also gives you a greater range of adjustment, so if you only need a little shielding (plasma cutting for example), you can easily adjust it, so you still have much better vision than with most other masks. When it's not dimmed, you can see much more clearly... it's default state is a much less dark shade than most other masks. Mask is useless now."
"It adjusts automatically, except when I forget to put it on the appropriate function..either welding or grinding."
"Does the job."
The Hakko 599B-02 is a replacement solder tip cleaning wire sponge. No contamination risk compared to conventional tip tinners.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The brass is softer than the soldering iron's tip, but it's harder than the oxidized crud that builds upon the iron's tip."
"I purchased this just before I ordered a Hakko soldering station that came with one of these as part of the station."
"Hated using a wet sponge because it reduces the tinning effect on the tips causing premature wear."
"I only wish the bottom wasn't fit so tight to the top as it makes cleaning a bit of a task."
"This works much better at cleaning a solder iron tip than a wet sponge."
"Order this along with some other items for my hobby / side business I've always had and reserved about if these things actually worked I've seen them on YouTube but thought why not try one."
"The Hakko 599B-02 Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and Holder is well made."
"The brass pad works so much better than the sponge. Every so often when the brass starts to fill up, I empty the container and "fluf" (for lack of a better word) the brass sponge."
Blue-lined leather welding gloves (400) by US Forge are designed to provide complete protection from molten metal and ultraviolet rays which cause severe skin burns. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great for fireplaces and burn barrels and welding."
"Wearing these gloves I'm able to adjust partially burned logs in the fire."
"These gloves work well so far, though I have minimal welding experience."
"While they manage dexterity, I don't think they are as heat-safe as the are claimed to be, as it doesn't take very long holding a hot pan to start feeling the heat through the gloves."
"I purchased these specifically to use when cleaning up after grilling or smoking with my charcoal grill."
"Been using these gloves with my wood stove for over a year and they have earned a great review."
"After talking to a few people about fireplace gloves I was told to look at welding gloves, which are extremely heat resistant, durable and cheaper than gloves marketed as "fireplace gloves"."
"When I gave these to her, she said that they were too nice to take camping...LOL again (they ARE nicer than the kitchen store ones, but still...) I obviously haven't used these for any personal hot work, but they look pretty well made, and I'm sure they will last a lifetime in our chuck wagon box."
Best Welding Protective Equipment
This light weight welding helmet is so versatile that it can be used on grinding, cutting and welding applications. - Exterior lens covers: Amazon ASIN# B00CIOKN6C. - Inner lens covers: ASIN# B00CIXN50O. - Head Gear:ASIN# B01N5HCMIX. - Hard hat adapter: ASIN#B075FCZJZH, B075FH4J4C. - Sweat Band: ASIN#B073XT6CCQ. - Auto Darkening Lens: ASIN#B01M2DHSDR. - Cheater Lens: ASIN# B017IDJKMK (Diopter various). Great For TIG MIG MMA, Plasma Applications with Grinding Feature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The window isn't huge, and it seems just a little low so awkward positions might be just a fair more awkward with this hood but overall it's a great hood."
"Great auto-darkening helmet for the money, cheaper and better than HF."
"Noobie welder and needed a helmet."
"This is my first auto darkening helmet and I really love it."
"It adjusts automatically, except when I forget to put it on the appropriate function..either welding or grinding."
"Got this for my dad's birthday."
"Acted glichy once but fixed itself , good product for the price , if I was a welder by trade I would buy a much better one but has been good for part time use."
"And works great no matter what you are welding in whatever enironment you are in."
Best Welding Equipment & Accessories
The Hakko 599B-02 is a replacement solder tip cleaning wire sponge. No contamination risk compared to conventional tip tinners.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The brass is softer than the soldering iron's tip, but it's harder than the oxidized crud that builds upon the iron's tip."
"Hated using a wet sponge because it reduces the tinning effect on the tips causing premature wear."
"I only wish the bottom wasn't fit so tight to the top as it makes cleaning a bit of a task."
"This works much better at cleaning a solder iron tip than a wet sponge."
"Order this along with some other items for my hobby / side business I've always had and reserved about if these things actually worked I've seen them on YouTube but thought why not try one."
"The Hakko 599B-02 Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and Holder is well made."
"The brass pad works so much better than the sponge. Every so often when the brass starts to fill up, I empty the container and "fluf" (for lack of a better word) the brass sponge."
"Works just as advertised and was huge improvement over the wet sponge I was using."
Best Welding Systems
quality TIG welding on aluminum, stainless or steel and precise welding of thinner-gauge materials. Advanced Inverter Technology with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Using IGBT technology; PULSE FREQUENCY RANGE - 5 to 5HZ; PULSE AMP CONTROL 10 - 200 WELDING AMPS; PULSE TIME ON (WIDTH) - 10-90% OF PULSE CYCLE.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After reading the many positive reviews on here for AHP's welder I decided to take a chance and buy one. I did the troubleshooting which consisted of checking some power supplies and making sure that a snubber coil wasn't too close to the output terminals. There was also a sheet on proper grounding for HF welders that was lifted from a Miller manual. After I sent a couple reminders Jabin wrote me and informed me I had a bad boost control board. I filled out a ridiculously long and tersely worded RMA where I had to prove I actually bought the machine or they wouldn't honor the warranty. Finally losing my patience I sent an email telling them that if they didn't help me I would post a negative review on Amazon. They also cut off my access to Jabin, a move I find laughable considering he has done absolutely nothing to resolve my problems in a two month period. I have worked on large scale electronic system for 40 years and currently make my living fixing multi-million dollar linear accelerators. To put that in perspective Miller includes a general schematics and a parts list in their well written manual. Typical of low end Chinese electronics, the circuits are constructed with many unmarked components. Good luck fixing this thing without an accurate schematic if the company goes out business. Customer service issues aside there are several other disturbing things about the design and construction of this Tig. The boards are coated with a clear sealer which is a good thing in harsh environments. When they soldered in the new integrated circuit they used excessive heat and did not bother to clean flux off the board after repair. Due to small differences in switching times and conductivity there is always more stress on one device than the others. This design approach goes back to the old days when individual devices were incapable of handling the power. Of course since none of these devices are marked I can only speculate on their capacity based on physical size and the shear number of them in the circuit. I don't even know if they use the newer more robust IGBT technology or if it is built with SCRs or large conventional transistors. Given the number of satisfied reviewers here I conclude that if you get a good one, and don't have to endure what passes for customer service at AHP, it has the makings of a competent hobby class welder. Granted it doesn't have the stated capacity and adjustment capabilities of the 200X, but chances are it won't blow up on you and it comes with better accessories. Extensive dealer networks and the shiny semi-trucks full of welders at the state fair cost money."
"Working at a welding supply store that is a Miller dealer I've had the opportunity to use almost every domestic welder (Miller and Lincoln).I'm not going to say that this machine is getting a Dynasty 200 DX for a quarter of the price, because it certainly is not."
"It took about 3 weeks to get the welder, and while waiting I studied the manual and watched numerous tig welding videos. After receiving the welder in good shape, I set it up and started welding. While I still have a lot to learn, I feel confident enough to start my next welding project using this welder."
"I've been welding with a Lincoln SP135 Plus for several years (MIG welder), but had some jobs where a TIG welder would be the better way to go. I spent quite a bit of time looking at welders at the local supply house (Central Welding is where I usually go), but the cost of the machines, even used, were simply more than I was willing to spend for what I imagined would be relatively light duty use over the years. I think the only real thing missing on this welder is a giant power switch on the front of the welder that can be operated with gloves on, otherwise everything else is very livable. Welding mild steel is just kids play with this welder. Welding aluminum is a bit tricky, but not because of this welder at all. If you're expecting a TIG welder to magically make welding aluminum easy, you are not being reasonable. Welding stainless is the one thing I've had more trouble with, but I also have not been equipped with a second tank to properly purge the welds. I've been able to weld stainless similar to welding steel, but the welds are definitely more brittle without purging and not as good as I'd hoped. In my opinion, welding stainless seems a bit more difficult than welding aluminum, but I'm not sure if that's just me or a common experience others have had as well. The settings are pretty universal though, so if you can find a buddy that knows their TIG welding, they should be able to tell you what all the settings are for. There is also Start Amps, Main Amps, and End Amps, which I think are all pretty obvious and do pretty much exactly what they say. Pulse Freqency, Pulse Amps and Pulse Time On allow you to control the speed of the pulse, as well as the amount of amps the pulse drops to, and the amount of time that the pulse is at the Main Amps setting (or percentage of it based on pedal input); or at least this is the way that it seems from my experimenting with it. You can turn pulsing on or off with a switch, as well as switching between stick and TIG, AC and DC, or pedal and finger switch input by switches as well. I have a larger bottle, somewhere over 300 cubic feet, and it seems to last me about a week of intermittent welding, perhaps 7-10 hours total depending on what I'm welding. It does cost a lot more to weld with TIG than MIG in my experience when it comes to the gas, so plan to spend twice as much on about the same amount of welding. I only use a small 90 cubic foot (if I remember right) bottle with my MIG, and I feel like I get the same amount of welding done with that as I do with the larger bottle on the TIG. MIG forces you to work at it's pace, or end up with a pile of ugly weld if you don't cooperate. I've come to a workflow where I use the TIG where I want welds to look perfect and require no real cleanup, but where I can use the MIG for heavy quick welds, I do so to keep costs down (at the expense of having to clean up a little bit of weld spatter). I have not used the finger switch more than a couple times, but when you need to work where you can't use a pedal, it's a pretty good option. Once you start welding, the display will show you the amps in real time, so if you are using the footpedal, and let up on the pedal a bit, the amps reading on the LED will drop to match. If I recall right, the first click goes to the starting amps, the second click to the main amps a third click to the end amps and a fourth click to off, but it's been a while since is used that function and I may be off."
Best Soldering & Brazing Equipment
This 40-watt Soldering Station from Weller features a quality lightweight pencil iron and a cushioned foam grip with replaceable heating element. Designed with the hobbyist and the do-it-yourself enthusiast in mind, this kit features a high-quality, lightweight pencil iron with variable power control, a cushioned foam grip with a replaceable heating element, and a safety guard iron holder. The base also includes a "power-on" indicator light and on/off switch to help keep you from leaving a hot iron on accidentally. All Weller tips are constructed of solid copper and plated with iron, as well as nickel and chromium to protect against corrosion and solder creep, helping to ensure that your tools perform reliably over time. This WLC100 Soldering Station is UL-listed, which means it has been tested and meets independent safety standards. Includes iron-plated copper tip, safety guard iron holder, and natural sponge tip cleaning pad.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With this station you need to pay quite careful attention to the way the solder flows when you heat the joint, if you want to produce high quality solder joints. Now for the really important information that I wanted to pass on to users of this iron: I was so used to using my medium size tip in this heat range that when it finally burned out and I replaced it with a fine point, I just turned the iron on and waited for it to heat up so I could tin the tip and start using it. I thought I had a bad tip BUT here's the kicker: heat level 3 was too high for the fine tip, so it immediately overheated and oxidized. Operating in the low power range, it takes a while for the tip to come up to temp, and to recover its temperature after soldering a few joints. If time isn't money and you are prepared to closely monitor what's going on at the tip, there's no reason why you can't make perfect solder joints with this iron. For at least the ten years I've had this iron, I have kept all solder waste and soldered wire clippings in a flip-top container."
"This is a very good iron for the home enthusiast."
"Awesome starter level soldering iron."
"I personally got just one fine tip to complement my stations iron."
"I needed a reliable soldering iron for soldering PCBs for mechanical keyboards and it functions perfectly for me!"
"A good entry-level soldering station and a substantial upgrade from pencil-type soldering irons."
"I currently pair it with a cheepo large soldering iron (to get those ground planes heated up, esp when removing resistors when I don't want to tear up the pads on the board) but am buying a second one of these to do that job, probably will leave it with the standard flat soldering tip."
"It's a little bit low on power, and its super hard to find replacement tips for it."