I just taught myself to weld as of a year and a half ago, and I began using the spool gun with my baby 120 amp Lincoln MIG SP140T last August. That said, I am NOT a professional welder, but it was pretty easy to get "good enough" for home projects. In fact, I purchased the spool gun to retrofit my aluminum jon boat into a duck boat, and it was worth every penny. If you're used to using the regular steel torch for your MIG, this is going to take some getting used to, but once you've adjusted and gained an appreciation for welding aluminum, it's almost a bummer to go back to welding steel. In fact, before starting with the spool gun, I was passable at best as a steel welder, and since I built a dry box and a few brackets for the boat and gained confidence to weld on the hull with great success, I would say my steel work is looking borderline professional. It's a great teaching tool and it works flawlessly. The only time I have had a jam is because I wasn't using the proper stickout, and my tip got slagged up and needed to be changed. However, that was after welding enough to use up an 80cf bottle at 30 cfm. The loading is pretty straight forward, and so far, the mechanics and electronics have been very reliable. It's just like using a regular straight torch, except you really have to use both hands to guide it, and it's got what seems to be a troublesome 90 degree angle at first, which I grew to like. However, watch out, because the glove near the arc is going to get HOT.
That said, the only sorry part about it is if you have one of the smaller 120 amp welders as I do, you have to take the housing off your welder and do some minor re-wiring. When Lincoln says, "spool gun ready," on their 120 models, they're not really telling the whole truth. It's not difficult, as Lincoln provides EXCELLENT instructions, but it IS tedious. TAKE YOUR TIME INSTALLING THE SWITCH. If you have a bigger machine, it'll probably be wired with a spool cutoff switch already.
I would definitely buy it again, but being as how it's so well made, I doubt that I will have to!
| Manufacturer | Lincoln Electric |
|---|---|
| Brand | Lincoln Electric |
| Model | Magnum 100SG Spool Gun |
| Item Weight | 3.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 4.25 x 10.5 x 15.75 inches |
| Item model number | K2532-1 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | K2532-1 |
