Customer Review for S SIMDER MIG-140M MIG Welder

I'm not a professional welder, and I hadn't welded in 30 years since high school, when I did use my father's Sears brand arc welder. I just don't do enough welding to warrant the hassle of getting gas bottles, so I decided on something that could do at least flux core and stick. I was looking at some of the other brands in the same <$200 USD range before deciding on the Simder MIG-140M. M-model is VERY compact. Only slightly larger than some of the small stick-only arc welders. Included ground clamp has the braided copper connection, so slightly better than the cheaper toothed clamps. Otherwise, I wasn't expecting much from this model.

The initial unboxing was good. Fit and finish were good. Instructions showed pictures for the older MIG-140G model, but since the M-model is supposed to be the same thing in a smaller case, this isn't a problem. One minor issue is the pictures show the ground clamp in the wrong socket for MIG. You'll figure this out when you get no arc. :) But otherwise, the instructions are very sparce. Like with many other brands at this price range, there is no chart to help you set the dials. I ended up spending about an hour testing settings on some scrap metal. In general, for 1/8" steel on 120v, I had the dials about halfway for both. So that should be a good starting point for most things.

One minor build quality complaint was the wire guide going into the torch cable was not adjusted properly. (The blue thing to the right of the roller in the picture.) They had too much of the guide sticking out that I couldn't remove the feed roller. A quick fix to adjust the guide, but indicative of lower QA. But again, I wasn't expecting much at this price point.

The unit only comes with one roller for 0.8mm & 1.0mm. Included was a spool of 1.0mm wire. They included tips for 0.8mm, 0.9mm, and 1.0mm. But no additional roller for 0.9mm. So if you plan to use 0.9mm (0.035in) then you'll need to get another roller.

Regarding the length of the cables. They are short. Again, I wasn't much at this price, but it's still a bit of a surprise how short the 6' torch cable actually is. And 3' for the power cord. 240vac adapter is less than a foot. I fortunately have a dedicated 120v 20a outlet right next to my bench, but I'll be looking for a good extension cord for the future.

Last thing is circuit breakers. In many of the reviews of various models online, some people keep tripping their breakers and I notice that some brands require 50a breakers on their 120vac outlet. I don't know many people with dedicated 50a circuits. The 50a circuits at my home are for whole rooms. (i.e.: living room and front restroom.) One of the reasons I choose the Simder M-140M was that from what I could tell, it seemed like it was going to work on a 15-20a circuit. I happened to have a dedicated 20a circuit for the spare bedroom's AC, so I retasked that for the welder. I also have a dedicated 240v 50a outlet in the garage, so if I ever have to weld thicker steel, I at least have the option.

But overall, a nice and compact welder. Other that the guide adjustment and the short cords, I'm quite satisfied.

                                                                                                                               - Randall T.Asato

(https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R310MN2O6I3OG9/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B09JYNTZ3Q)