Forney 298 Easy Weld 100ST 90 Amp Welder - 120-Volt Stick and TIG Capabilities

I first learned to weld (about a million years ago) back in high school then had a job in a metal fab shop as a welder. I mainly used AC stick but occasionally DC stick then later MIG on steel and aluminum. I'm retired now and haven't touched a welding machine in probably 25+ years. So that's my background. I now have a little repair job I need to do make a travel trailer and went looking for a small, portable, quality, DIY level welding machine. After careful research I settled on this Forney 100ST and received it a few days ago. Packaging was excellent with a sturdy box inside a heavy box. The welder itself seems to be high quality. Before taking on the actual trailer repair job, I decided to first get some refresher practice using Forney 5/64" E6013 rod and 45 amps on some random pieces of 1/16", 1/8" and 3/16" scrap steel. Wow am I impressed with how well this welder works! I found it easy to strike and hold a nice smooth arc. In summary, if you understand and are willing to operate within the limitations of a welding machine like this, I feel this specific model is a great choice for light duty DIY repair projects.

I have recently gotten into welding scrap metal art. I had a 30 year old 110 WeldMate welder that would do the job but it was heavy and welding with it was difficult....very sticky.This unit is light weight, half the size of my old one, and starts an arc much easier. It is recommended for light jobs but I manage to use rail road spikes and bolts in some of my projects. It does weld them but it is difficult because the steel is so hard and thick. I mostly use 3/32, 6011 rod but I have a box of very old 1/8" 6011 and it seems to work just as well for most things. I use a wide variety of metal in my hobby. Shovels, hoes, spades, RR spikes, RR bolts, RR washers, nuts and bolts of all kinds, saw blades, bicycle parts etc. It seems to work well with all that stuff. You have to be careful with the thinner metals because it will burn through them. I would NOT use this welder to weld anything that was critical....like a trailer hitch. It is easy on the electrical system. It will plug into any circuit that is 20 Amp with #12 house wire. I use it in my shop that is almost 100 feet from the breaker box. No problems. I also use it on a 30' number 12 extension cord. I have not broken the breaker even once.... no problems.

I dont have a 220v generator, and needed something to stick weld the occasional gate/fence repair on our small ranch. I bought this welder and the adaptor to use the 30 amp / 110v outlet on my generator. so the welder could make full use of the 20 amp rating it has.Using the recommended rods, it was pretty hard to get an arc started and maintain. I switched back to 3/32 6011 rods and that was the only one that gave consistent good results, but it needed to be cranked to max amps (which is wrong setting for the rod and metal I was welding - way hotter than it should have been).Since I have 220v mig, and 220v lincoln stick welder in my garage, Im not too worried about variety with this machine. this was just to get fencing and gates mended in a pinch, and it works well for that. Id have returned it if I bought this for general fabrication and welding. A beginner would likely think welding isnt for them if they just had this machine and recomended rods.

Just get it. You either have a welder or don't know that you need one yet. I have used this for many things that took me much longer without a welder. There are some connections where I still prefer bolts in some cases (I am an architect so have some structural background). I have only welded only a few times and I had no problem whatsoever using this welder. everything is surprisingly great quality. the on-off switch is very difficult with gloves on, otherwise I cannot find a problem. Some review say it runs cold and that they set 90A for 3/32 rod. I have not had to to turn up that high using 3/32" 6011 or 7018 on 3/16" steel with a single pass. maybe I got a good one. The stinger is surprisingly good for such an inexpensive unit. I live in another country where good quality welders are not available. I needed to hand carry in my luggage. this light-weight inverter was great for this. Having this work on 120 is awesome as you can cart it anywhere. Boy was I surprised with the capability of this. The last time I welded was as a teenager in 1970 using a full size Lincoln dragging huge heavy cables from the 220 plug to the workpiece (i.e., my truck back then). This small unit is just the thing for light work you need to get done quickly.

works great

(Certified welder)Ok... so I see a lot of reviews baseing it off 220 welders they ran before and I run 480 Lincoln’s 😂 so that said the welder is not perfect... yes you can’t run anything over 1/8, yes it’s not a miller. In my years I found that name isn’t everything, I’ve seen Miller crap out strange from the manufacturer. For the price and Quality, you could not do any better. Mind you, the welder is a 110, So it can only do miner work, up to 3/8 with multiple passes. So far tho, it’s a really good, fun welder. It’s great to learn with or just for miled work such as body work exc... As a certified welder if your just and avenge joe or a welder that just wants a toy, I recommend it. It’s light, mobile, structurally sound, and u can use it just about anywhere. Mind u again 110 only dose so much and I’m basing my rating off the quality, compared to the price.👌🏻