Aldi Welder The Go For Brew Frame?

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As an (ex) tradesman I have always shied away from cheap s*it.
Think about this in regards to global warming. --- Most of the rubbish bought from cheap sources like Super Cheap, Crazy Clarks, Big Dub, & even the cheap brands at Bunnings inevitably end up at the dump in a very short time.
Even one el cheapo product bought by you (maybe several times over?) & multiplied 10,000 others then dumped, is a blight on our world.
One good product should (perhaps) last you a lifetime if looked after properly.

Think Green!

:beer:

QFT.
 
Heff....
Go for it if that is all you are going to do with it....
I borrowed a cheapie "little CIG" from my sons friend once.....
WOW i want one of these.......
And i had 3 Migs and a Large stick welder...(Just did not have access to them at the time)
Worked a treat for what i was doing.... similiar to what you are doing..(But horses for courses )
PJ
Ex panel beater...50 yrs in trade.....
 
Ah! Tools eh? One of many brewer's favourite subjects.

$79 for a welder for someone starting out? I'd buy the bugger. Probably sell it for $99 on EBay when you outgrow it anyway! And, if you can't strike an arc, just take it back!

Guarantees should never be under-estimated. I've got two Stanley Contactor Grade rivet guns ($35). I used to use them every day doing 200 rivets a day. They are great to use but the handle breaks after about 8 months through metal fatigue. No worries though as they come with a life-time guarantee. I've had about four new ones so far :)

Like Browndog says, matching your tools to the job is a good idea. I have 2 Makita cordless impact driver drills ($550 each) and these for me are a necessity. I've dropped these buggers countless times from second storeys onto concrete slabs and not once have they buggered up.

Other stuff I rarely use, I go for the cheapies. Small angle grinders for example. I mean all those buggers have to do is turn on and spin :blink:

But I do love the sound of a $79 welder. I mean if you have kids, you could even justify the cost by not having to buy sparklers any more for their birthday parties :unsure:
 
hi again...
i finally found that link to an intro to arc welding for you...if you have never welded before (?) it may help...see what you think theres a fair bit of waffle at the begining but its a something to start with ...
link
http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/
goodluck
cheers simpletotoro
 
I've got a mate who's a boat builder and his GMC grinder built a 38ft steel cat (mind you it had to replaced by Bunnings about 5 times) :)

edit: yeah I know - off the topic
 
My brother-in-law is a chippie and he uses all cheap'n'cheerful tools when he is out on the job.

If he runs through a nail with the ozito circular saw, it costs less money to get another one than it would cost to replace the blade on his good saw. As mentioned before, no worries about his tools getting pinched.

ALL my tools are cheapies and I have yet to have one fail... I'd love to have super high quality tools, but unless you use them a lot, they are a serious waste of cash when there are serviceable alternatives.

When I get around to building a proper brew stand... my $100.00 welder will get pulled out for the 4th time since I bought it 7 years ago and I have no doubt whatsoever that it will do the job nicely.
 
Interesting debate/discussion and quite timly for me as I am considering a welder myself.

Personally, I own both cheap and nasty tools as well as good tools. Some chinese copies are excellent, some are rubbish - it really depends on your end use.

I bought a chinese copy of a makita sliding compound mitre saw - and couldn't get a square cut without tearout. I took it back and spent the extra $500 on the makita which is perfect. That said, my Dad who is a chippy swears by his copy - it doesn't worry him when an aprentice cuts thorugh a nail or concrete covered formwork ply. Accuracy was important to me with that tool.

At the other end, I bought an ozito hammer drill to drill all the holes in the slab of my shed when I built it. $29 with a spare set of bushes and a three year warranty. I took the three year warranty as a challenge, and yet despite all the abuse I have given it, 2 years later it still works fine. If I destroy it, I'll more than happily pay for another.

I also have the $100 supercheap air compresser, which has never skipped a beat.

I think you just need to work out what you are going to use it for, and how accurate/precise you need the results.

For me, I'm looking at the cheap end of TIG welders - I know there will be a learning curve, I know I could get a stick - but I want it for builing science displays, which means many metal types - for me that seems the way to go.

I do wonder if we should be trying a bulk buy..... How many people are after welders?

M
 
Ah! Tools eh? One of many brewer's favourite subjects.

They are great to use but the handle breaks after about 8 months through metal fatigue. No worries though as they come with a life-time guarantee. I've had about four new ones so far :)

I've got a mate who's a boat builder and his GMC grinder built a 38ft steel cat (mind you it had to replaced by Bunnings about 5 times) :)


Bit like my poor old 300 year old axe. Was cheap when it was bought all those years ago, but after 27 new handles and 14 new heads it goes like the day it was made.
 
As an (ex) tradesman I have always shied away from cheap s*it.
Think about this in regards to global warming. --- Most of the rubbish bought from cheap sources like Super Cheap, Crazy Clarks, Big Dub, & even the cheap brands at Bunnings inevitably end up at the dump in a very short time.
Even one el cheapo product bought by you (maybe several times over?) & multiplied 10,000 others then dumped, is a blight on our world.
One good product should (perhaps) last you a lifetime if looked after properly.

Think Green!

:beer:


Pete!
Good thinking mate
Do you know how much power my CIG transarc would have used to weld up your brew stand :eek:
Perhaps you should have bolted it up mate,and turn off those two extra fridges you now own for your brewery! ;)

Think Green

Batz
 
Pete!
Do you know how much power my CIG transarc would have used to weld up your brew stand :eek:
Think Green
Batz

Seeing that I welded it over at my son's place I can take pride in telling you that we keep the electricity consumption at our place to a minimum. ;)

Also, your CIG Transarc is a decent welder & will see you out mate. That is the point I was making. :)

:beer:
 
Hi Guys an Girls,

I was in BOC the other week and saw a welder for $399 I would have picked but diddnt have the cash. I just saw in the Aldi Catalogue this one


[attachmentid=13954
[ATTACH]13954.IPB[/ATTACH]

Welder and Mask
No load voltage 48V
Current range: 45-100A
Suitable electrode: 1.6-2.5mm
Thermostatic protection and fan cooling
Includes electrode holder with cable, earth clamp with cable, wire brush, protective mask, hammer and power supply cable
Accessories not included
$ 79.-*



Would this be the ticket for a budding welder? I really want it to make a three tier brew frame to put all my all grain gear on

Could the welders out there recommend this one or should I save up a bit mor and go for a higher speced one?

Big thanks, Jason.

Jason,

I too am a Boily, been in the trade for coming up 20 years, i know the BOC machine you're talking about and imo you would be much better off with it as opposed to the Aldi.

The BOC is badge engineered chinese internals but i'm betting has a much better duty cycle than the $79 job.

Let the Buyer Beware mate, just my 2 bobs.

Cheers

Yard
 
I bought my arc welder out of the paper for $50. Its a really big and heavy and old. It cost me $50.

Ive done a heap of welding with it and it doesnt overheat. If it shits itself ill strip it for the copper to get money for another one.
 
Im A Sheetmetal worker and have access to a Mig at work and use good tin snips ect for work..At home is different i use a good drill but used cheap grinder on when building my shed still going good and stuffed me old cheapo when cutting pavers but i blame too muck dust and crap.......

I will be getting the 10 amp ozito special due to the fact i wont be welding enough to warrant me getting an $800 mig then hire a bottle to hardly use and the longest my welds be is 50 mm so i not worried about the duty cycle as i m currently using my fathers 15 amp cig and it trips when im welding around the 30 mm marks so the cheapie should sufic...I alos any sheety who has the ozito and had no probs with it....
 
I just bought one of these puppies. Its a no brainer money-wise, I just hope I don't end up electocuting myself!!

One thing I noticed though in the manual was that it said it can draw up to 22amps. That's a bit of a worry as most household circuts are only 10amps. Does that just mean it may peak at 22amps but mainly be under 10? Surely they can't sell something like this and expect it to require industrial levels of current!

The other thing is there are no sticks in the pack. Bit disappointing - I know its only $79 but they could have included one or two token sticks just to play around with!

Anyway, here's hoping I don't kill myself with this thing! :lol:
 
I am thinking of going the bunnings route on my brew frame and just buying one of those big meccano type stands.

Somewhere back in this thread somebody mentioned something about 'you'd be better off bolting one together' This gets me to thinking. Why spend anything at all on a welder if your one and only welding job is gunna be for your brewery stand? If I don't go the bunnings prefab stand method couldn't i just buy 10 or 20mm box steel and bolt it together with cross supports at each 90? Surely the cost of all the bolts, nuts and washers wouldnt outweigh the nastiest welder in the world?

It is Saturday arvo and I have been drinking so please be kind with your responses.
 
Also, the bolted together brewstand could be unbolted to be remodeled, or moved etc.

Cheers,
Greg
 
I am thinking of going the bunnings route on my brew frame and just buying one of those big meccano type stands.

Somewhere back in this thread somebody mentioned something about 'you'd be better off bolting one together' This gets me to thinking. Why spend anything at all on a welder if your one and only welding job is gunna be for your brewery stand?


I would go the bolt together if you have never welded before. Remember , just because it is stuck together with weld does not mean it will hold a a hundred or so litres of hot fluids.

cheers

Darren
 
Some cheap tools are good, others are, well.......bad

I always pay good money for screwdrivers and pliers, because they are comfy to use at last for ages.

Same with drills. The cheapie ones are good for general purpose stuff, but if you are doing lots of holes in masonary you HAVE to have a Hilti or Ramset. Otherwise you are wasting your time

I would go with the Aldi welder, if it builds your rig then blows up, then at least it only cost you $80. It would cost more to get someone to weld it for you.
 
TD,
the welder will do the job you want it to and for that price, it don't matter if there are no rods. Your biggest worry is learning to weld. Buy a pack of 2- 2.5mm sticks and practice with the stock you are going to be welding. Practice tacking then get into doing some full runs and knock the slag off and make sure you have good penetration. You can use a $10 angle grinder to clean up your rough stuff and make it look nice.

cheers

Browndog
 
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