Sip welder

Brianmeath

Any one use or buy a sip welder?

Was looking for a new MIG and seen a auto plus 180 sip today.

Any advice welcome on the subject.

kay 9

Never used the 180 but sip are a pretty decent welder mate. They are around a good few years.

Brianmeath

Cheers K9,

They are got handy enough money but don't want to be buying one again in 3 or 4 years.

Solnskaya

They're ok, but just ok. I have a sip 180 a few years and have worked it hard, and it is fine for light gauge steel, but it struggles on anything 8mm plus. Defo don't like the damp though, keep em dry or they will give bother, and by dry I mean not in a unheated, typical irish workshop. If I was buying again I would go for a more upmarket machine, but If you just want to have a casual use machine, they are fine. Changing the torch liner on them is a pain due to the odd torch wiring set-up they use, I had to do a bit of converting to get it to accept a tweeco torch. The wire feed is ok but not wonderful and the wire feed speed adjuster is a bit hit and miss. I have used this machine for 10 hrs+ a day many times, but I've also used more upmarket machines and they are better.

Dupont

Solnskaya wrote: »

They're ok, but just ok. I have a sip 180 a few years and have worked it hard, and it is fine for light gauge steel, but it struggles on anything 8mm plus. Defo don't like the damp though, keep em dry or they will give bother, and by dry I mean not in a unheated, typical irish workshop. If I was buying again I would go for a more upmarket machine, but If you just want to have a casual use machine, they are fine. Changing the torch liner on them is a pain due to the odd torch wiring set-up they use, I had to do a bit of converting to get it to accept a tweeco torch. The wire feed is ok but not wonderful and the wire feed speed adjuster is a bit hit and miss. I have used this machine for 10 hrs+ a day many times, but I've also used more upmarket machines and they are better.

im not being smart or anything but if the machine is 180amp you would want more than that for 8mm thick

Brianmeath

Mite steer clear,

Heard they give wire feed problem.

Just spend a bit more on something better.

Any recommendations Lads?

Solnskaya

Dupont wrote: »

im not being smart or anything but if the machine is 180amp you would want more than that for 8mm thick

You are dead right Dupont, you do want a lot more for 8mm +, but if all you have is 180, thats what you weld with! The 180 will, with a good operator, produce what looks like a good weld on thicker sections, but the weld will have no strength and will fail under pressure. The 180 is good for up to 4-5mm really. If you want a good welder, buy a Sureweld machine, they are tough and simple and produce first class results. My Sip is about done, and I have churned out more work with it than should have beeen possible, my next welder will be a Sureweld, they are sweet.

Deer Hunter DL

stick with Murex/Esab , SWP , fronius , the older SIP were a great welder but the new ones aren't sip at all its a new company that took the sip name over and they give alot of problems , from what i remember a 180 murew will cost in or around 850 euro

Brianmeath

Deer Hunter DL wrote: »

stick with Murex/Esab , SWP , fronius , the older SIP were a great welder but the new ones aren't sip at all its a new company that took the sip name over and they give alot of problems , from what i remember a 180 murew will cost in or around 850 euro

Will do, there is a few places in the UK shipping recon ones to Ireland and giving 6 months to a years warranty.

Solnskaya

Bothered me hole to actually look at my sip today(cleaned off the dust and grinder muck), and its a 270, not a 180, so the 180's must be crap altogether.:D

aidanki

Brianmeath wrote: »

Will do, there is a few places in the UK shipping recon ones to Ireland and giving 6 months to a years warranty.

any links?

iron man

i have a sip 360 amp. she would weld the titanic back together.... an animal.... my advice when you getting a MIG welder is to enquie about the duty cyle of the welder.... each welder has a duty cycle for the range of amps that you are using..... for example my welder at 360 amps has 95% duty cycle .....if i happen to be welding at 360 amps (Bucket of Digger). what this means that i cannot be welding continusoulsy up to 9minutes 30 seconds at 360 amps. if i go past this then i fry the coil and boards in her..... cheaper welders on the market generally have 50% duty cycle for 180 amps. this meas that you can only weld for 5 mins at 180 amps. go past that and you damage the welder.... 100% duty cycle is 10 mins continuous welding...... it all depends on what you are doing... if you are at it full time then you need someting with high duty cycles.... hence the machine is expensive....


thats my understanding as explained to me by the man that has the job importing the sip welders into ireland

aidanki

you understanding of duty cycle is correct

only welder will cut out due to thermal overload rather than you damaging it