53, I can't answer your questions about Chicago Electric welders because I have never been around them before. I am suspect of their wimpy duty cycle, however. I used a Century welder recently that had a duty cycle of something like 20% or 30% at full output. I was using the machine at nearly full output and is sounded like it was going to fly apart-lots of rumbling and 'groaning' going on inside the welder. My uncle who has been in the welder business for years says that a lot of cheap welders use a transformer designed for say 150 amps ouput and will push output to 200 amps with a very short duty cycle. Welders like this typically do not last long.
I have been researching MIG welders for some time now and I would like an opinion of HTP welders and plasma cutters. Their web site is
www.usaweld.com. Of course I want the biggest one, the MIG 240. I have received their catalog but I really would like opinions from someone who has been around one of these welders.
