Harbor Freight Welder Review...120v 80amp inverter stick welder. He got it for 129 dollars on sale.

Harbor Freight Welder Review of an 80 amp Inverter Stick Welder...

And it Weighs only 8 pounds. Did you know the human head also weighs 8 pounds ( according to the kid in the Jerry McGuire movie)

A note in the video states that he was later advised to use 1/16" electrodes so that the 80 amp inverter Harbor Freight Welder would work on the 50 amp setting. Another note says that he discovered that 5/64th 6013 electrodes are what worked the best.

Once you put up a YouTube video and it starts getting watched, you don't want to take it down if you want to say something new. That's why youtube lets you add notes into the video after the fact...so you can revise and correct things you missed or didn't know when you originally posted the video.

I Don't want anyone to get the idea that I am promoting Chinese made Harbor Freight welders on this site.... I am promoting WELDING. That's all.

If all you can afford is a 129 dollar Chinese made stick welder from Harbor Freight in order to get into welding, I have no problem with that...If fact its none of my freaking business what kind of welder anyone buys. Its a complicated issue like politics and I don't have time for it.

I have got to admit, I am tempted to go buy one just to have an extra machine. I hate the idea that it might be a disposable machine and wind up in the junkyard, ( or more likely, in my garage on a shelf)...

And I would not even think about depending on it as one of my main machines.

But its kind of intriguing, no? 129 bucks for an 8 pound stick welder? and 5.99 for 2 pounds of quick strike 6013 rods? See the video below...

Harbor Freight Welding Rods...Quick Strike 1/16" E6013 Stick Welding Electrodes Review

This Video is about some 1/16" quick strike rods the guy found at Harbor Freight.,

Some say that the tiny Harbor Freight welder stick electrodes are more like a 4th-of-July sparkler than a welding rod. You can find these small 1/16" electrodes at Harbor Freight for about 5.99 for 2 pounds.

so what are 1/16 stick welding rods good for? ...I am really glad you asked. (If you read my other stick welding page, you know I dont much like 6013 rods, for this application, I make an exception)...

2 things...

1. For thin sheet metal. If you don't have a mig welder, or gas welding setup, these small electrodes will let you weld some pretty thin metal. Ever stick welded anything at 40-50 amps? that's pretty low. But with a tiny rod...You can actually keep it lit.

You still need to be pretty good at stick welding in order to make a pretty weld but these little 1/16 stick rods, in the hands of a good welder, can be pretty amazing.

Here is a tip...always stick weld downhill on thin sheet metal if you can..even if you have go to some trouble to position the thing you are welding...and back step the weld in short runs to avoid warping the piss out of it.

2. the other reason to use these tiny 1/16 rods is if you are using a small inverter, or other low amperage 120v stick welder. If you have ever tried to weld with one of these little stick welders that only puts out 80 amps or so with a 1/8 electrode, you know what I mean here. You will stick the rod so much and become so frustrated, you might be tempted to chuck your welding machine into the nearest pond.

But don't do that...just get some 1/16" rods. You wont be welding on bulldozers with these rods, but at least you will be able to make your little 120v stick welder a lot more useful.
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