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Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada
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56D500boy
Posted 2022-06-10 2:40 AM (#622033)
Subject: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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I recently got interested in buying a flux core welder to help with minor welding issues, should my 56 Dodge need something welded (Flux core = there is a flux material inside the wire and you don't need a gas bottle (like MIG and TIG)).

I looked at a number of options over the weekend and visited a couple of local tool stores on Monday (KMS tools and Princess Auto). I also spent a lot of time on Youtube looking at various videos. I decided on an inverter style which puts out DC current (instead of the older transformer-based AC units). This lead me to the Harbor Freight Titanium Easy Flux 125. For you Americans, you will know about Harbor Freight. Canadians less so. Think Canadian Tire crossed with Princess Auto and it might come close.

Some of the many videos on the Titanium Flux 125:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=titanium+125+flux+core+...

So on June 6th past. I put the order in for a Harbor Freight Titanium Easy Flux 125 (with a US$40 coupon). Wouldn't you now it, right after I put that order in, a Canadian Tire flyer came through the door which included an Inverter-style Flux core unit for $249 (regularly $549) starting June 9th (today). Too late (or was it?)

When I checked my Harbor Freight order on June 7th and 8th, they kept saying it was back-ordered (which might or might not have been true - turns out that they were swamped with US Memorial Day sale orders). So I decided to go with the Canadian Tire unit which I believe is the exact same unit as the Harbor Freight Titanium 125 just MasterCraft Blue, not the Titanium green.

The Harbor Freight unit has a 90 day warranty but the MasterCraft clone has a 3 year warranty. Should be handy and fun (learning how to make pretty welds).

I hedged my bets and did not cancel the Harbor Freight order in case I couldn't buy the MasterCraft unit. I was determined to get one or the other, didn't care about the colour.

So off to my local Canadian Tire this AM (June 9th) bright and early. I lucked out. Their only unit was still on the shelf labeled as $549. So nobody bought it. When I asked a CTC employee for a price check he said $249 and that he was just about to change the pricing on the shelf. Never mind, I nabbed it with a smile.

When I came back home from purchasing the MasterCraft Titanium 125 equivalent, there was an email waiting for me from Harbor Freight saying that my order had actually shipped. Oh Perfect. Now I will have two.

I think that I will open them up and compare the internals before returning one of them. There is only $13 between them if I don't get nailed with extra taxes when I bring the Harbor Freight unit back from Point Roberts.

Never rains but it pours.

This is the CTC unit that is on sale from June 9th to the 16th, if you can find one. It only weighs 15 lbs. Which would be handy in the back of a truck or motorhome when camping, etc. etc. when not used in your garage for quick repairs.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-flux-core-125i-invert...

Here is some compelling evidence that the Canadian Tire Flux 125i is the Harbor Freight Easy Flux 125:




Edited by 56D500boy 2022-06-10 2:43 PM




(HarborFreightTitaniumEasyFlux125FluxCoreInverterFrontFace.jpg.jpg)



(MasterCraft125FluxCoreInverterFrontFace.jpg)



(HarborFreightTitaniumEasyFlux125FluxCoreInverterPartsList.jpg)



(MasterCraft125FluxCoreInverterPartsList.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments HarborFreightTitaniumEasyFlux125FluxCoreInverterFrontFace.jpg.jpg (95KB - 90 downloads)
Attachments MasterCraft125FluxCoreInverterFrontFace.jpg (114KB - 89 downloads)
Attachments HarborFreightTitaniumEasyFlux125FluxCoreInverterPartsList.jpg (104KB - 88 downloads)
Attachments MasterCraft125FluxCoreInverterPartsList.jpg (124KB - 91 downloads)
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ronbo97
Posted 2022-06-10 10:50 AM (#622038 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada


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Flux core welders produce a weld that is fatter and has more spatter than MIG welders. This is because the welding wire used is .045 thickness vs. .023 for MIG welders. The only reason you'd want to use a flux core welder is if you are welding in gusty, windy conditions where the shielding gas would not be effective.

Inverter vs transformer: Your choice.

Harbor Freight sells cheap, garbage-quality tools. There are videos on YouTube showing tear downs of HF tools. I hope your HF/Canadian Tire welder lasts more than a year. For me, I would go for a Lincoln or Miller welder. High quality. Mine is a Century, which is now owned by Lincoln. Bought thirty years ago. Still works fine.

Ron

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56D500boy
Posted 2022-06-10 11:25 AM (#622039 - in reply to #622038)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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Ron: I don't want to debate which type of welder is best, I just wanted to flag up the MasterCraft 125i as being the same as the Harbor Freight Titanium 125 that people seem to like and that the MasterCraft is on sale from yesterday (June 9th) to the 16th if Canadians wanted one.

One correction: The flux core inverters in question, the HF Titanium 125 and the MasterCraft 125i both use either 0.030 or 0.035 flux core wire.

One interesting note, to me: The Lincoln/Century FC90 Flux core welder might have been the "model" for the creation of the Titanium 125. Can you say "Chinese knock-off"?. But the Century might be made in China so who knows?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=titanium+125+vs+century...





Edited by 56D500boy 2022-06-10 12:14 PM
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wizard
Posted 2022-06-10 11:31 AM (#622041 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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You most probably be dissapointed Dave. I agree with Ron. Better to be able to regulate the gas flow.
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Powerflite
Posted 2022-06-10 11:45 AM (#622046 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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I've never been able to get .023" wire to push well through my line. It continually jambs up no matter if I use a new liner etc. It may be that Miller made the line a little too long for that size. I've been thinking of getting a custom length made up for it that's shorter.

But it you want to do this for real, here is my advice.

1. Get a 220 volt unit or one that can switch between input power. The 110 volt jobs are good for doing body work only (with added shielding gas), welding in a field or as a portable job when that's all the electricity that you have available. Otherwise, the lack of power input really limits you in terms of how thick the material you can weld.

2. Get one that you can at least upgrade to gas welding. Flux core is useful, but I guarantee you will eventually want to add a Argon/CO2 mix to it to do any kind of bodywork.
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jboymechanic
Posted 2022-06-10 12:14 PM (#622047 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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I have a Hobart that I really like:

https://www.hobartwelders.com/equipment/welders/mig-gmaw/handler-190...
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ronbo97
Posted 2022-06-10 8:31 PM (#622057 - in reply to #622046)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada


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Powerflite - 2022-06-10 11:45 AM I've never been able to get .023" wire to push well through my line. It continually jambs up no matter if I use a new liner etc. It may be that Miller made the line a little too long for that size. I've been thinking of getting a custom length made up for it that's shorter.

But it you want to do this for real, here is my advice. 1. Get a 220 volt unit or one that can switch between input power. The 110 volt jobs are good for doing body work only (with added shielding gas), welding in a field or as a portable job when that's all the electricity that you have available. Otherwise, the lack of power input really limits you in terms of how thick the material you can weld. 2. Get one that you can at least upgrade to gas welding. Flux core is useful, but I guarantee you will eventually want to add a Argon/CO2 mix to it to do any kind of bodywork.

Surprising, since .023 is so thin that it should go thru a line designed for .030 or .035. Is it "bird's nesting" before it even goes thru the line ?

My welder is 115V, since my intention was just to do sheet metal, 12ga and thinner. Butt welding was top priority.

Using a flux core welder to butt weld would likely not work. Or if it did, all the grinding to flatten the weld would be tedious.

Ron

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Powerflite
Posted 2022-06-10 10:18 PM (#622060 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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I purchased a new liner that is made for .023-.03, which is different from my previous liner. But that didn't help. There seems to be too much friction to be able to push it through well, so it just bunches up at the input to the liner. It stinks because I purchased a 50lb spool of .023" wire too. It does work for a little while, but I got tired of having to constantly mess with it, so I use .03" instead now.
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60 dart
Posted 2022-06-10 11:36 PM (#622061 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/forney-easy-weld-261-140-f...
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ronbo97
Posted 2022-06-10 11:54 PM (#622062 - in reply to #622060)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada


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Powerflite - 2022-06-10 10:18 PM I purchased a new liner that is made for .023-.03, which is different from my previous liner. But that didn't help. There seems to be too much friction to be able to push it through well, so it just bunches up at the input to the liner. It stinks because I purchased a 50lb spool of .023" wire too. It does work for a little while, but I got tired of having to constantly mess with it, so I use .03" instead now.

On my Century, there is a guide wheel with an adjustable tensioner. If tension isn't set correctly, it will birds nest, as you describe. Do you have that on yours ?

Ron

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56D500boy
Posted 2022-06-12 5:13 PM (#622083 - in reply to #622062)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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Just found a couple of old threads that show the kind of rusted holes that I fixed by making a 16 gauge galvanized steel patch panel and pop-rivets, because I didn't have a small welder. If I was to do this over again (which I might), I would use plain 14 or 16 gauge steel and the flux core welder (once I get good at it).

Not mine but very similar:



Mine:

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Powerflite
Posted 2022-06-12 5:51 PM (#622085 - in reply to #622062)
Subject: Re: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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ronbo97 - 2022-06-10 8:54 PM

On my Century, there is a guide wheel with an adjustable tensioner. If tension isn't set correctly, it will birds nest, as you describe. Do you have that on yours ?

Ron



Yes, I do, but I wasn't able to adjust it to make a difference.
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56D500boy
Posted 2022-06-15 9:05 PM (#622161 - in reply to #622033)
Subject: RE: Finding a popular Flux Core inverter welder in Canada



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I bought the Canadian Tire MasterCraft Flux Core 125i when it went on sale last week. Today I picked up the Harbor Freight Titanium Easy Flux 125 at my mail drop (it had been shipped from California). After lunch, I compared them both.

Internally, they are identical. Even the "torches" are identical. The HF unit came with two spare plastic tip covers and one 0.030 tip. The Canadian Tire unit only came with a spare 0.030 tip, no spare plastic tip covers. Despite the fact that the Canadian Tire unit has a 3 year warranty, since they are identical internally (as far as I can tell), I will keep the Harbor Freight unit and I sell the Canadian Tire unit to a friend who missed the sale or return it to Canadian Tire, unused, for a full refund. In my hand, the Harbor Freight unit was CDN$25 cheaper. Neither came with any flux core wire, which just means I can buy the best wire available (based on YouTube reviews) and not have to deal with inferior wires that might have been otherwise included with the welder.

Photos from today:



Edited by 56D500boy 2022-06-15 9:09 PM




(HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_FrontFaces.jpg)



(HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_Internals.jpg)



(HFTitaniumEasyFlux125_Internals.jpg)



(CTCMasterCraftFluxCore125iWelder_Internals.jpg)



(HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_Torches.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_FrontFaces.jpg (146KB - 89 downloads)
Attachments HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_Internals.jpg (179KB - 91 downloads)
Attachments HFTitaniumEasyFlux125_Internals.jpg (145KB - 93 downloads)
Attachments CTCMasterCraftFluxCore125iWelder_Internals.jpg (161KB - 87 downloads)
Attachments HFTitaniumEasyFlux125AndCTCMasterCraft125i_Torches.jpg (216KB - 87 downloads)
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