Ozito 120A Inverter Arc Welder IWR-120

Nothing wrong with the light weight ozito 120 amp stick welder for general use it’s perfect, I use to be a boilermaker by trade many years ago, the ozito can be aggressive little stick welder it does the job fine I carry it in my caravan, I would not recommend on car panels as any stick welder is no good for that, I’d use a mig with gas for that. Highly recommend for the price and performance nothing wrong with it. I only purchased as I ran out off gas with my 250amp cig weld, I didn’t want to pay 300 dollars for a gas bottle, I don’t weld enough for that anymore. Warrenty is Australia wide

Handy mini welder – After using a transformer type stick welder for a considerable period and now finding the weight and size somewhat restrictive I felt it timely to search for something more practical for small item maintenance/construction welding, hence the purchase of an Ozito inverter type arc welder. Given my welding skills are minimal and utilized intermittently I focused on sub $100.00 small portable units of which there are a multitude of offerings. Research indicates the general consensus is that this type vary greatly in construction quality, may have limited warranty period, many are designed for a mains voltage of 220v, some examples of `bad luck` buys and so generally a risky purchase choice. Although there is little information apart from an Ozito promo on the IWR 120 there are a couple of factors I regarded favorably. First of all it is available from a major retail outlet, rated for 240v operation, comes standard with a 10 Amp mains plug with an output range of 20 - 120 amps, a limiting factor for some but this is sufficient for most general purpose steel welding for up to 3.2 mm rods, has a digital readout that accurately shows the set current limit, but the clincher is it has a 3 year replacement warranty. It however does not feature `hot start` which is now available on some miniature units . I sought an inverter welder that would regularly operate on a generator and also survive the large domestic mains voltage fluctuations which sometimes occur at our location, I`ve had the IWR120 for several months and it has behaved admirably. Although my attention was directed at choosing a potentially reliable unit by concentrating on the electronics, budget priced items generally have some low points and the Ozito IWR 120 is no exception, short light duty welding leads and flimsy accessories detract from its appeal but these are a common feature in similar priced units, however as clearly stated in the manual this welder like most Ozito products is not intended for professional use and so has a restricted duty cycle although I have never had it cut out due to overheating obviously the fan assisted cooling works fine. As I already had an older welder I utilise my original leads, helmet etc. with the IWR 120 electronics and so gain the benefit of a small lightweight low priced inverter welder that has allowed me to build/repair gates, fences and various steel items of materials ranging from 2mm sheeting to 6mm plate either in the workshop or remotely to date with faultless operation. For a novice with little or no experience this would be a great machine to learn to weld with as well as an attractive addition to the handy man tool list, just don`t expect it automatically improve your welding skills or handle the big jobs beyond its stated capability.

Leigh T.