Zistel 120Amp ARC Stick Welder Machine for Beginners, Portable Mini Stick Welding Machine 110V with Welding Tools, IGBT Inverter Welder LCD Display - 3YR WARRANTY

The media could not be loaded.  I'm almost entirely new to welding, and totally new to stick welding. When I saw this come up to review, I thought "Why not learn a new skill?" After watching a lot of videos and reading a bunch of how-tos, I thought it seemed like something I could pick up on my own (hah!), so I ordered this welder. So I offer this review as a novice, but hopefully one with some wisdom to impart.It's a very basic device; you get the welder, a ground clamp, a stick clamp, and a couple spare parts. There's only one setting (amperage) to adjust. I gathered my safety equipment, some 3/32" E6013 welding rods, and an assortment of steel, and gave it a go.The machine starts up quickly. I will say that setting the amperage is a little finicky; there's a knob and a digital display, but there's a slight delay between turning the knob and the readout changing, so it's easy to overshoot your mark. The knob is also really sensitive, and it's hard to get exactly to the set point. However, a couple of amps shouldn't make a huge difference, so it's not a big deal.The ground clamp attaches securely; I've been using it for many hours without it ever dislodging. I will say that the jaws of the stick clamp seemed a little misaligned, however, they held the welding rods securely, and I never had one fall out or slip, even on the many occasions that the rod stuck to the workpiece. Also, there were some indications that I may have received a returned item (some parts were dirty), so I don't know how much it was used before I got it.Stick welding is hard, by the way. Just striking an arc is so much harder than it looks when the pros do it. I had to practice many, many times before I could do it even slightly reliably. I think if I had do do it again, I might have got a welder with a "hot-start" feature (increasing the amps at first, and then reducing them once an arc is struck).Anyway, this machine performs really well; the poor welds you see in the picture and video are purely due to my being a rank beginner. The current seems stable, as far as I can tell (in those few times when I'm able to keep an arc going). The machine has never overheated, nor tripped any circuit breakers (I just use my household outlets).I think I'm going to need a lot more experience (and a lot more steel!) before I can produce reliable welds, but that's more due to the difficulty of stick welding than anything to do with this machine. If you're just learning how to weld, consider how much effort you want to put into learning technique. Getting a machine with more advanced features will probably get you running welds faster (and MIG welding faster still), but there's something kind of exhilarating when you can finally strike an arc and maintain it.So, overall I think this is a good but extremely basic welder. It may be a bit better suited to those who have experience with stick welding, but so far I've really enjoyed working with it.

This doesn't have the infamous Miller Blue or Lincoln Red, but it still gets the job done. I'm not sure if it is current regulation or what, but I'm still trying to figure out how to put the best welds down. Set up was pretty easy, and it's so lightweight, you don't even need a welding cart. The handle and the rest of the welder seem prepared decent enough and sturdy. I'm not saying nothing won't ever break, but it hasn't happened. Yet.