That cheap stud welder taught me a lesson in North Dakota

I was doing a door skin on an old F-150 last month in Fargo and figured I'd save some cash with a $120 stud welder off Amazon. First few studs pulled fine, then it started spitting and the tips kept burning up after maybe 30 pulls. I fought it for 2 hours and finally borrowed my buddy's $400 unit, finished the job in 20 minutes. The cheap one left tiny craters that I had to fill with glaze, which added another coat of primer and extra sanding time. My hourly rate made that 280 dollar difference look real silly real fast. I still use the cheap one for light gauge stuff, but anything structural or on a customer's car, I'm not touching it again. Any of you guys found a decent budget stud welder that actually holds up, or is it always a gamble below a certain price point?

0 comments

0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.