Tool Review: Titanium Easy-Flux 125 Welder from Harbor Freight
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- Harbor Freight Titanium Flux 125 flux core welder independent review: The new Flux125 welding machine uses inverter technology to provide DC power to the welding arc. Check out the video for more.
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You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.
Another awesome video! I just bought the Titanium Flux 125. So much better than the old Chicago 125. Before the Titanium I purchased the Simder Mig 140. I got it for $62 delivered, but I just could not get it to weld for me. I'm new at welding, so I can't put all the fault on the Simder. I have had far better luck with the Titanium Flux 125, which isn't saying all that much since I don't know what the hell I'm doing. At 69 I don't think as fast as I did before. Lol. Thank you for your videos, they are well organized and very helpful!
love it, you named “go kart frame” that’s EXACTLY what i’m here for. appreciate it
Well, my Dad died, so I lost access to a welder. Thank You for doing this video as now I know that this is the machine for me. I don't weld often, but I do need a machine. I used to weld when I was stock car racing, but then again I also learned to do rear ends and transmissions. You learn a lot if you are racing. Thanks again Tim, you have been a great help.
In the same boat brotha, my condolences.
I've been reading up on the reviews for this welder for a few months now, but to see it in action is what had convinced me that this is a decent welding machine. It definitely looks to be of a better quality than the HD $89.00 black box, which I was somewhat impressed with.
I love the way you demonstrate using your safety equipment. Many welding videos are demonstrated with only a shield with no sleaves and sometimes wearing shorts of all things. Good weld and good professional video.
I've found it's a lot easier to relax and get good welds when you're not dodging balls of molten metal the whole time.
I just picked up one of these titanium flux 125 welders, and I love it already! I have a AC/DC tig and stick welder already, but I wanted something smaller to tote around, and easier to tack with. It's a little beast! Puts down some serious welds.
I was impressed with how much these model is a work horse, I tried welding 1/4" wall of steel tubinng and it came out really good compared to the older black flux core.
Great video. Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. Wanted that for well over a year and today of all days I'm committed to getting it!
@4:34 when you're so dedicated with looking straight into the camera lens you forget to blink.
I actually crop out all my blinks. J/K. I guess I get a little nervous still being new at the whole video thing. Thanks for watching!
@@TimWelds Don't change a thing. Your presentation is real and awesome. It's why I subscribed
I was trying to figure out what the machine was set at during the 4:00 minute weld..??
I think I made up for his lack of blinks while watching lol.
@@TimWeldsunclear I just welded $5 off my next oil change ! That was the only coupon I had available 😡
I bought one of these a year ago for the portability. I have welded up to 1/4” with no problems. Hi Only issue I ran into was they cheaped out on the ground clamp this is a common thing done by most manufacturers.
It works surprisingly well. The ground clamp is pretty bad. I'm planning on doing a video in the next few weeks comparing different types of ground clamps and attempting to measure the effect they have on welding performance.
I bought and used my for rear jeep shock mounts. it worked like a champ and more than paid for its self!
It's definitely a good machine for the money.
I got this with a helmet a year ago for auto exhaust work. Never welded anything before. Gonna give it a try today. Have a small crack opening on the exhaust pipe on my 99 Toyota rav4 and same on my 95 Honda odyssey.
Ive had one for 2 years. Never hit the duty cycle. Been building rocket stoves with 5/16 and it does the job with a little bevel of course. Def recommend for light duty welding
I have the Chicago Electric gasless flux core welder and I haven't had a hard time with it at all. After dialing in the settings (translation: flipping one switch up or down and turning wire speed dial to 5.5) and practicing beads before welding the workpiece, it's been a champ! I use Cooter snot tip gel for the tip and to coat surface to mitigate bead stick.. edit. Forgot to mention, the Lincoln Electric gasless nozzle tip Lowe's sells, fits the Chicago Electric. Just make sure it's the one with threads..
Awesome, great tips! I only used it for a few minutes, it's great to have some info from someone with a bit more time on that machine.
Great machine for the money. I had formerly bought a chicago electric ac flux welder and it was such crap, I sold it on craigslist for twenty bucks and said good riddance when it left. This titanium 125 has worked so much better.
I picked one up today, was on a black friday sale for $149.99, but no stock. Saw a couple of returns for $100, plus they let me use a %25 off coupon, $75 out the door, SCORE!. I tried it at home and welds great!. I upgraded from a basic $99 dollar black beginner harborfreight welder and its a big difference. Much better and more consistent welds.
No fluff. Just useful information stuff. I actually get to use the Subscribe button again. Cool.
You're a natural teacher. Keep the channel informative and simple and 'they will come.' Subscribed.
I just bought one I will probably try it out this weekend because I started to build a motorized BMX bike and I have to assemble the frame to fit the motor on the tiny bike frame.
Sounds like a fun project!
@@TimWelds I just have to learn how to weld. 🤣🤣🤣😂😂
That little green dude kicks ass welds 3/16 like butter
For sure! I'm surprised how well it runs!
I think the big thing with this unit (other than being overall far better than the old red $100 unit) is the portability of this one. It's very small and light great to take to to the work (assuming you don't need larger and gas)
Awesome video man. Hope to get one around tax return to make some custom strongman equipment
Their new titanium stick welder looks pretty nice also,,,,under $300 very lightweight.
Better than the century from Lincoln for sure. More amps per cycle and lighter
Bought one today 179.00. Just a suggestion, go on and finish that garage out.
Cool. Almost same design as the century fc90 by Lincoln. Longer gun cable and same gun handle. Nice.
Is better thsn the century, more amps per cycle , 2 pounds less and better dial gauges
@@mega-hb4re cool. My fc90 shorted out. I've seen this coupon also. Thanks for review.
Zero Nine James do you know why it shorted out?
@@pantac4493 no. I was welding and it made high pitch noise and it trip the breaker. I flip breaker back on and it came back on and did exact same thing. When I tried turn on welder just the switch light was on but no fan and power indicator light on front panel was off. So I let it sit all day and tried later in evening but to no avail still situation. I just left it. Looked at circuit board side of welder did not see any burnt connection. I tried fan in my other welder it worked. Short is somewhere on circuit board I cant see. I haven't take board out to really inspect it. I'm at a lost. So it boxed up on the shelf as of right now. The drive motor works, tried it in my other welder. I don't know what shorted out.
When it first came out it went on sale for $149.99. The thing that gets me with HF is there is only 90 days for an exchange or pay more money for an extended exchange plan. No such thing as buying a replacement part or any tech support. Basically it is a throw away, even if it is decent quality. I was sorely tempted but the thought of having to junk it because some small part broke turned me off. My throw away tool threshold is definitely under $100. The only exception was the popular 44" tool cabinet set. So far, so good. I also have an old Earthquake that has run for years. HF has upped their game recently but as long as there is no product parts and service support they will never equal the big boys, for me. That is how they sell cheap so I limit myself to their cheaper stuff. I have had to return or exchange a number of items.
Not true. They sell replacement parts for this.
The biggest thing I’ve done with these hf welders is upgrade the ground clamp
I have found out that you need to do that with just about every welder.
Where u get better clamp?
@@cliffdariff74 they sell'em at HF
WHEN I get mine, WHATEVER brand I buy, I'm going to change the alligator clip to a VISE-GRIP....no more wiggling the clamp to get a ground!
@@tonybucca5667 That's a good idea! Might have to consider the different shaped jaws and what would work best for me. Can't believe I never thought of vise grips after all the years I was doing pipe fabrication! I have clamped the ground to vise grips on pipe before, it just never occurred to me to actually use vice grips as the actual full time ground clamp. Mounted the ground on a magnet before...that actually worked really well cutting pipe with a plasma cutter.
Inverter welders sure are getting more affordable. I still like the additional features that my everlast welder give me though.
Which was
Nice! I’m really thinking of buying this welder to fix some things around home and on my project car. For sure will be practicing on the 4 tips to becoming a good welder.
most toys work really well in the beginning. please do an update in a few months to see if it's still up to par. thanks
I went this weekend and bought 1 havent used it yet. Been to hot. I will put it to use since i build gokarts.
Where are your videos hermano, I wanna build some go karts too!
I had a battery operated century. For the replacement of a new battery jump on the little mean green machine
I don’t need another welder, I don’t need another welder, I don’t need another welder....but it’s sooo tiny, and portable and cheap....dammit I know I’m going to get one.
You'll like it.😉👍👍
Exactly! I just got one. I have a nice tig / stick machine, and used to have a mig machine but I sold it unfortunately. I decided I need this tiny Flux core machine!
Great tips. Thanks. Im learning a lot from you.
Hey bud awesome channel. I just bought this welder. Im doing a father son project on a mini bike. Ill be welding 7/8 tubing and 1/4 inch steel plate. What settings you on and what gauge wire do you recommend as well? Thanks.
Great review thanks. Would you recommend this welder for sheet metal? I'm looking for a welder that'll I'll be primarily using to restore my car?
Thanks for checking it out. For automotive sheet metal work, I would recommend a MIG with shielding gas instead of this welder. Flux core welding leaves a slag to be removed, where MIG does not. The slag makes welding body panels difficult because it is often done with multiple small welds that overlap.
Thanks For the heads up. Keep up the good work
24 gauge you can do tacks with .030 wire, power at 1, wire at 2. With .035 it blows through the metal.
I'm thinking about picking one of these up next time i get some extra cash. I'm a newbie with just some high school school experience with welding. Good video, just need to relax a little.
Thanks! It's taken a little while to get over the nerves on camera :)
Thanks for this...I keep eyeing this exact model as it frequently comes up on 'sale'. What are the limitations of this welder? Meaning could I weld up suspension parts, exhaust, hitch for a Subaru or medium-sized SUV (like Ford escape)? I'm guessing this isn't suitable for heavy machinery or heavy duty trucks (bigger than F150)? Thanks
(bigger than F150)
Great video. I am looking at a couple of welders. Does this machine run on a 15A circuit?
The instructions recommend 20a or larger!
Question when it comes to longevity power and quality which one would you recommend Harbor Freight titanium 125 or Century 90 AMP flux core welder? What do you think is better the inverter technology or a Transformer and what is the difference?
if you can make a video on this topic I would highly appreciate it thank you for your time.
Great beginner welding tips at 6:00!
After two years, what is the status and role of this welder in your shop? My local HF store is selling them for $179.99 on sale through early February. I'm tempted at the idea of using a dedicated Flux Core wirefeed welder for small fabrication projects.
It still works great. I only use it occasionally, but I haven’t had any problems with it.
I just bought one today and watching your video I noticed mine didn't come with flux spool
Do you guys suggest changing out the ground it came with? Does it make a big difference?
Have you changed direction of your channel or do you have another channel besides this one? I like learning about all the things you mentioned and if you have another channel I'd like to subscribe to that too. Either way I’m glad I found this channel.
Thanks! I did change to a welding focus. I still enjoy all of those things, however, the channel was difficult to focus on with such a broad set of topics. I may make another channel at some point in the future.
Worth the upgrade from the Chicago Electric 125? I have a stick and tig unit I am happy with but need to do some mig on thin gauge.
It welds so much better with better ground clamps. I think they use those cheap clamps so people will want to get the Vulcan
For sure! The ground makes a big difference, especially with MIG and Flux Core.
Great information that is why I subscribed
Newbie tips much appreciated 👍
I have two questions I do a lot of body patchwork on automobiles will that welder be sufficient and one more thing I've started in on a new project trying to fabricate these new CV center sprocket axles for go-karts will that be sufficient for what I'm trying to do as far as your knowledge on the situation
I don’t know how to weld, looking for something to start learning doing floor repair on my car, do you think it would be a good choice or would be better to invest in a MiG?
Hi! Tim, do you think it's possible to run .023 through that machine?
I think it's theoretically possible, however, I've never seen flux core wire that small. The only wire I've seen in that size is solid MIG wire, which won't work with this machine because there is no shielding gas. Thanks for watching and for the comment!
@@TimWelds Thanks for responding, happy Easter.
I just bought one and when I got it home, it was one that had already gone home with someone so I was skeptical. It appears to be working fine, I was just wondering if replacement tips are available at HF? I looked through all of the ones on display and none of them mentioned the Titanium brand. Great video, thanks for posting...Dave .
Looks like the HF cheapo 125 tips fit the Easyflux 125. I had bought some pointed/tapered tips for it a couple of years ago. TWEECO Tapered Contact Tip 11T-30 (0.030") on EBAY. MIG Welding Gun Kit .030" Tapered Tip-Diffuer-Nozzle for Lincoln Tweco 100L M2T
How much amp has your regular outlet - the one in which you plugged your welder? Does it need to be on a 30 Amps circuit?
Works best on a 20 amp circuit. I've ran mine on 15 and you can tell the difference.
hey keep it up looking forward to more content on your channel.
Thanks, will do!
In my local store they have a table up front with items that people have returned that are being sold at a discount. There have been 4 of these welders under that table for the past 2 weeks and no one wants them. I think the people who got them expected too much from it.
I worked at home Depot -;it's common practice for people to use them on a small project and then return them
Great video. I need to get a welder sometime.
You'd have a blast with it!
Got the forney easy weld mig 140 fc instead ... thoughts?
hey Timwelds great video can this welder weld 3/16 material.
Like this machine flux welding when i have this machine from indonesia singkawang city
What type of receptacle is required to run this welder? Home receptacle/outlet
What are the replacement tips that will fit this welder
I know this is a 4 year old video but my brother has one of these he's willing to sell to me. I only have one question, where's the gas? I use a pulse mig at work, big ole tank of gas. Is this a gasless mig? Sorry if I sound green, I've only been welding for a couple months
Yep! This one is just gassles flux core only. Not stick, not tig.
Though people have modded it to to stick and take 10 pound spools
Hi. Can it be used in the field with the predator 3500 generator?
I have this welder, if you get too close to the work you will burn up the tip fast while practicing and learning how to use it
Great video!
Small steel sculpture from used steel?
What are the actual dimensions? H,L,W. Need to fit into a specific spot in my van. Thanks for the review :)
excellent video good tips tnk!s
Thanks!
nice, thanks
Have you ever made review on forney fci 140 need help dialing in settings
Does something like this make strong enough welds to make a go kart or mini bike frame?
It could totally do that. Just make sure that the joints are designed to have enough weld metal on them (oversize things and add extra bracing gussets). Also be sure that whoever is welding it has the skill necessary to produce a sound weld. Sounds like a fun project! I build a go-kart with my kids a few years ago and had a blast.
Hi I want to weld the aluminum wheel, so what kind of welding machine should I use. Thanks
Thanks so much for watching and for posting a comment! You will be best off with a TIG welder which has AC output. There is a pretty steep learning curve there. If this is a wheel for a vehicle and you're new to welding, I would recommend having this done professionally or replacing the wheel.
Great video
Will this work with 24 gauge metal?
Can the welder run on a portable generator?
Where do I get a welding table like yours?
That one is the Nomad from Stronghand tools. You can find it online or at many welding supply stores. Harbor Freight has a similar table that costs quite a bit less, and you really only miss out on the adjustable height and wheels. I have both, and they both work good. I did a video review of the harbor freight one at the link below.
ruclips.net/video/DtU5dDecsa0/видео.html
Will it weld aluminum sheets 0.019 gauge? So thin aluminum sheets?
Great question. The short answer, unfortunately, is no. MIG welding aluminum requires a machine with shielding gas (usually straight Argon) and preferably a spool gun or push-pull gun. Also, I wouldn’t typically go much thinner than 1/8” with aluminum MIG. TIG welding may be possible, depending on what the joint geometry is. While it can be done, I don’t usually TIG aluminum much thinner than .040” without a custom fixture and backing. Keep in mind that aluminum TIG works best with an AC machine and there is a pretty steep learning curve as well. If you have more questions, go ahead and reply and I’ll try to help you out.
hi , can you use this one for all types of metals
Hi David, It's really going to work best on steel. While there are gasless flux core wires available for other materials, I would recommend looking at a different welding process for most metals other than normal steel.
What is the little welding table in this video?
@pilotdog68 that is a HF welding table
Does it trip the breaker?
i'm not sure if it's the flash from the welding or being nervous, but that look you have makes me nervous. O_O
Where these little Flux Core machines really shine is when you don't have a concrete pad, four walls and a roof.
Do you know what is the voltage that goes on the welding parts ?
The maximum open circuit voltage is 42 volts when not welding. When you start welding, it will be lower. The voltage knob is only relative, so you don’t know the actual voltage. From my experience, though, you’re probably running a little over 20 volts most of the time during welding.
@@TimWelds Thanks !
Yes N it does
Inexpensive welder which is quality.
Can I use a 15 amp outlet for this welder?
The PDF says Current input : 23 A
Instructions recommend a 20a or larger
How can know what amp an outlet is?
@@cliffdariff74 Best bet here is to find the breaker that shuts off that outlet as its possible the outlet is rated at 20amp and labelled that way but only protected by 15amp breaker. your labelled breaker will be your output ability.
does this thing have a carry handle?
No. It does have slots to attach a strap, but no handle.
Does this welder require gas? Or is it gasless?
No gas needed with this one.
can that be converted to gas?
Can anyone confirm if this unit can weld aluminum. I have an RV project coming up and it has some aluminum tubing that needs a bit of welding.
The box says no aluminum on it
👍👍
What are the dimensions of this welder please?
Height 9.75 inches, width 5.5 inches, length 12.25 inches
Can buy chicago electric here in canada for 100$ since they are the same company i wonder if the quality is similar
Just check to make sure the input is desired AC voltage and output is DC if you want a better weld from what most people would claim. The chicago version i assume you speak of is not a direct replica to the titanium125. The titanium125 has DC output and requires no modifications and is the clear winner for weld capability but if you are doing light duty and dont mind some extra spatter when welding then it may be all you need honestly.
Is it good for cars?
Of course, Tim, welding like a Pro is more involved than that.
Well...I guess so. Arc length, angle and consistent movement get you quite a ways, though. Thanks, Mel!
@@TimWelds it certainly does! But so does understanding the properties of the metals being welded, the properties of the alloys used to weld them. So too the temperatures for welding cast iron, and which alloys to use for that, and when and why. When to weave, and when not to. Undercut, porosity, lack of fusion, etc. need to be understood and recognized, as is the knowledge how to correct them.
The point is that being “a professional” means far more than just getting what appears to be a good weld, but very likely, is not. Because, as you know, a weld may look good from the outside, but be unacceptable on the inside. Being a professional means taking certified courses, and passing them, then practicing what’s been learned.
I see a great many channels where it’s stated that being professional simply means making a decent looking weld. I’d like to disabuse people of that notion.
Does anyone know if its possible to switch this machine to dcep?
Page 7 on instructions say 23 amps input....page 10 says 20 amp circuit....call technical number for harbor freight...they say 30 amp circuit
NOBODY on vids using 30 amp plugs....WTF?
Would this work for welding floor pans?
I know this is an old video but does anyone who has this know if it will work well with an extension cord?
As long as the extension cord is heavy enough gauge wire, an extension cord is no problem. There are some charts online that will show what gauge cord is needed for a certain number of amps and cord length.