Do Spot Welders work well?

[NasaGT]

I'm in the middle of replacing all of the front inner fender aprons and shock towers, seems like this would be easier than all of the plug welds and grinding that would have to be done. I've got the cowl and the trunk floor to do as well, so it seems like I would get some use out of one of these.

I was thinking of purchasing a Spot Welder like this:

FREE SHIPPING — Hobart Resistance/Spot Welder — 220 Volt, Model# 500442 | Spot Welders | Northern Tool + Equipment

The question is, do they work well? Anyone use these in their restoration?

Thanks in advance!

 

[adam_rich]

We have one at the shop I work at and it's all kinds of fun to use. But if your not careful with your gaps that you're welding it can easily blow a hole in both pieces. Also the tips are more dificult than you'd think to access the weld correctly. But if your cleaning or prep work is done right they make very quick and clean work. Definitely try it on some test panels first though.

 

[chris66dad]

I bought one and found it was more of a pain than it was worth. The tips limit the areas that you can use it on and it is hard to get a good weld sometimes. It is easy to burn through and then you have a hole. I gave up trying to use it but it was fun and cool to use.
Easier to plug weld with a wire welder or a MIG welder.

 

[P51Stang]

I have thought about it as well but have not yet tried it. BTW, Harbor Freight has a similar unit (one for 115 volt and 220 volt). I imagine the Hobart unit is better quality but for occasional use, you can't beat HFreight's price around $150...and don't forget to look for a 20% off coupon in Sunday parade magazine or most any recent car mag. Hope this helps.

115 Volt Spot Welder

 

[NasaGT]

I have thought about it as well but have not yet tried it. BTW, Harbor Freight has a similar unit (one for 115 volt and 220 volt). I imagine the Hobart unit is better quality but for occasional use, you can't beat HFreight's price around $150...and don't forget to look for a 20% off coupon in Sunday parade magazine or most any recent car mag. Hope this helps.

115 Volt Spot Welder

The Harbor Freight 220v welder is what got me interested in these. I've done a little research, everyone says to get the 220v HF welder, stay away from the 115v. The 115 isn't strong enough to do much.

I may give the HF 220v a try one of these days.