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Is it worth buying a cheap £90 KD1879 welder? My impressions and tests

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  • #61 21434528
    ^ToM^
    Level 42  
    That doesn't stop this Turkish shack from working and for domestic applications nothing better is needed. :) .
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  • #62 21435239
    Macosmail
    Level 35  
    endriuj23 wrote:
    Turkish junk on Chinese parts.

    Yes, but this sh*t will pay for itself in 15 minutes.
    You can always buy yourself a European no - shack, but a basic MMA is the price not 2x more, but 20-30x more. And you don't want to continue welding yourself....
    I mean a truly European design, like KEMPPI, Fronius, etc, not a well-known brand name on the casing and an interior from the far east.
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  • #63 21552408
    Strumien swiadomosci swia
    Level 43  
    Macosmail wrote:
    You can always buy yourself a European no - sha, but a basic MMA is the price not 2x more, but 20-30x more. And the welding itself still doesn't want to....
    I mean a truly European design, like KEMPPI, Fronius etc, not the name of a well-known brand on the housing and the interior from the far east.

    Exactly, Europe can't compete with China at a x20 discount. After 2 you can see that there is no more heavy industry in Poland like 40 years ago, where you used to combine 3 SPB315s in parallel....
  • #64 21552645
    E8600
    Level 41  
    Gasless flickers have come down in price a lot recently, if memory serves me right, I've seen them for under £200. China must have produced huge quantities of these that the prices are falling so much.
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  • #65 21553946
    Strumien swiadomosci swia
    Level 43  
    Some link to the 160 A mag.... Gas.
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  • #66 21553979
    cirrostrato
    Level 38  
    Strumien swiadomosci swia wrote:
    you can see that there is no heavy industry in Poland anymore like 40 years ago, where you used to connect 3 pieces of SPB315 in parallel...
    I bought SPB315 11 days before martial law, it works perfectly until today only the weight of almost 200 kg.... And then, a price of £34800 in the shop.
  • #67 21602010
    Dobromir pomysłowy
    Level 23  
    I understand the excitement of the price, unfortunately people ( probably more so guys ) buy the price:( Unfortunately you can't ban the production of crap or any other crap. I'd definitely pay the second 90 dimes for a warranty, the third 90 for what I'm buying, that's only 270£ and the next for reliability, robustness , to outlive me etc. I can't bear to buy junk - unfortunately fraud everywhere, so thanks for this topic. And did you scratch the Cu? I had to buy urgently the same company and took abroad will be time I will look and describe 330zł with gas and possibly wire with powder. Nice looking but sticky:( .
  • #68 21602154
    acctr
    Level 38  
    Dobromir pomysłowy wrote:
    I hate buying junk - unfortunately scams everywhere
    .
    That's why nowadays you have to take your time and read reviews in various shops, post-purchase comments, etc. before buying.
    Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.

Topic summary

The discussion evaluates the KD1879 welder priced under £90, highlighting that its claimed 330 A output is significantly overstated, with real maximum currents around 120-150 A. Users confirm the presence of inflated "Chinese amps" ratings, often doubled on displays via adjustable potentiometers, misleading buyers. Despite this, the welder is considered adequate for amateur and occasional household welding tasks, such as welding small metal bars or garden structures, where high amperage is rarely needed. Modifications like paralleling two units with added diodes can increase current output to about 280 A, but practical use remains limited by power supply constraints. The device features minimalist design with IGBT technology, basic electronics including STM8S003 microcontroller and SG3525A-based motherboard, and low-quality cables often made of aluminum or copper-plated wire, which users recommend replacing with proper copper leads for better performance. The welder includes a soft start circuit to prevent fuse blowing, but the supplied mask is generally inadequate. Comparisons with other budget welders such as KD836, KraftDele, Majster Polska MP-0102, and Red Technik reveal similar compromises between price and performance. The discussion also touches on market practices of overstating parameters, the economic impact of cheap Chinese imports, and the difficulty of enforcing accurate specifications. For occasional use, the KD1879 and similar models offer acceptable value, but for frequent or professional welding, higher-quality European or American brands like Kemppi or Fronius are recommended despite much higher costs. Additional technical notes include suggestions for voltage regulation modifications using Zener diodes and resistors, and the feasibility of connecting welders in parallel or across different phases to increase capacity.
Summary generated by the language model.
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