“I have been a welder for nearly 35 years and learned in the ‘old school.’ My family owned several muffler shops and I started welding and cutting with gas, later moving to electricity. In our business clean work was nearly impossible so I learned to weld under some of the worst conditions imaginable and still made it work.

I was an assistant welding teacher at Cerritos JC located in Norwalk, California and have welded with MIG, TIG, Gas and stick… AC and DC. I’ve welded overhead, sideways, and upside-down (in the hull of an aluminum boat). In other words I’ve welded in about every way conceivable. I can weld beer cans together, no brag – just fact.

Recently I was shown your RWII by my Snap-On Dealer and frankly thought it was another way of separating me from my money… He told me to demonstrate it for myself for a few days… I had a trailer ball that kept coming loose on the hitch so I started with that. I left the industrial quality paint on the ½ in. thick steel… I used two Interstate MF24’s as recommended, turned the heat up all the way, dropped my helmet and struck an arc. I ran about an inch of bead at first but thought something was wrong since there was no noise or wire ‘kick back’ which you usually feel when you are trying to but weld unpre-heated thick stock. I raised my helmet to see what the problem was and to my surprise the bead HAD PENETRATED the work. I ran a couple more beads to confirm and sure enough this baby was putting out the amps! I then flipped the work over and continued to weld the painted surface-galvanized nut/washer combination with amazing results. Although the beads were not perfect (due to zero surface prep and a bit of contamination from the galvanize, paint, etc.) they were completely acceptable and HAD PENETRATED the ½ in. stock!

I simply couldn’t believe my eyes. This thing had actually worked and with very little effort or spatter (although I did pick up a couple of small slag burns on my bare foot).

I tested it next on one of my many trailers with some thinner but equally dirty, unprepared stock with excellent results. Although I have not been able to test it over a longer period of time I was satisfied with your warranty and service policies after speaking with you on the phone.

I immediately called my Snap-On Dealer and bought your unit trading in my larger conventional MIG unit. I have ordered solid wire and aluminum wire as well as Argon so that my garage is now complete.

The lightness of the unit and the compact size of the attaché case are perfect for transportation and he ease of set-up are suitable for my needs. This welder will be ideal for trips to he desert and river so long as no one else knows I have it (I don’t want to work all week-end long).

Accolades to your welder and I look forward to many years of service from it….”

Gary R. Vineyard, Sr.
Poway, CA

“I want to thank you for building a tool that is finally worth more than you pay for. I am a completely novice welder and have always wanted a welder that was capable as well as portable, and oh yeah, fairly inexpensive. I’m in heaven with this thing! My welding looks like I’ve been doing it a lot longer than I have. A good friend always told me that if you want to find out how good a weld is take it apart. I played with the welder for about 4-5 hours until I got the speed and voltage (18 volts seem to work for most of my work) figured out and then tried some different welds. Then the fun part started! I ripped them all apart and was pretty impressed with the penetration and beads. I don’t see why anyone would need anything else in their home shop.

I work for Crown Lift Trucks as a road technician, and have been using the rig with the industrial batteries that drive my lifts, using the jumper set-up. I used to have to rent a gasoline gen/stick welder if anything on my trucks had to be fixed. Now, with this on board my truck, I have been able to fix things same-day. This tool is a real asset for me on the job, which also adds to my value to my boss. I have recommended that he purchase a couple for the other techs. One nice thing about them is they’re easily mailed UPS (our territories don’t allow some of us to get to the shop often).

I found out about your product in the 4 Wheel + Off-Road magazine. I’m building a 1972 Jeepster Commando into a New England wet-rock crawler, so the welder will get a good workout at home, too. I bought the welder through the Northern Tools Catalog. Thanks again for building such a great product!”

Jeff Wychek
Chichester, NY

“About a year ago I purchased a Ready Welder and only today have I had a chance to rig my truck up to use it. I installed a second battery and with a couple of cables I switch my batteries to produce 24 volts. Disconnecting my truck of course. I tried the welder today and I have only one thing to say – ‘That is the Goshdaingest welder I have ever used.’ When I pulled up to a repair job in a F150 Ford pickup and got my briefcase out, everybody stared. A few minutes later when I’m putting my briefcase back into the F150, with a smile on my face because I had just done a great welding job, the guys were still staring. I can hardly wait to use it to build my aluminum boat with my aluminum trailer. Love it!

Joe Purnell
Texas

“Since purchasing the Ready Welder II we have had a chance to really try it out. The Ready Welder is portable, convenient and easy to use. It is even simple to change the spool. We have taken it to Consolidated Freightways and worked inside their trailers using the 25ft extension cord, it’s great! The Ready Welder quickly welds the lift gates for Enterprise Rent-a-Truck. The true test was when we made some major modifications to 51 converter gears at GI Trucking, that little welder holds it’s own. We are very glad we made this purchase an in a few months it has paid for itself. Thanks again.”

Jim Rogers
Brother’s Fleet Service
Gardena, CA

“I purchased your product over 60 days ago. I tend to be an impulse buyer when it comes to tools. I had done some research on this product and even called and had questions answered by your staff there.

My background is 28 years in the transportation industry as a mechanic/maintenance director. I have an extensive background in the welding field. I have arc, heliarc, mig, tig and gas experience and have been used in court cases as a professional witness on industry standards.

I am very happy with the results of my purchase. This is the neatest thing I have ever had to weld with. Upon first opening of the case the system has the look of a cool toy. Toy it is not! I had the system up and burning flux core within ten minutes and impressing myself and my skeptical co-workers.

I have welded a wide variety of metals including aluminum tubing and diamond plate. I have burnt through half-inch plate and fixed a variety of put-off home projects. I enjoy burning rod again. I don’t have to worry about blowing breakers or having cords heavy enough to handle the amperage or being close to the shop. I just set two group 31 batteries on a handcart and head on out.

Your product deserves the best advertisement I can give it. I am telling and showing my friends. Thanks again for your time and a great product. It is great to find people who deliver the product as listed.”

Tim Spinks
Lake Arrowhead, CA

“I purchased a hand MIG welder (Ready Welder) from your company about eight months ago and it is the best thing I have ever invested in. I have a house in Mexico, which I travel to quite a bit and the road is rough and pitted with lots of holes. On my way down there this last trip I ran across a friend of mine on the road that had broke the frame of his buggy. I had no problem using it on the frame and would like to say that I feel the welder works just as well as the $5,000 one. I am a mechanic for a towing company and have welded from 1/8 inch thick to 3/8-inch thick metal. I showed two of my friends the MIG welder and they were both very impressed to where they both purchased one from the Snap-On man that comes by the business. All of us find it hard to believe that it can do the kind of job it does on only 24 volts.”

Jeff Swartz
California

“Works great!”

Brett Maxwell
Grass Valley, CA

“Simple to use. My wife learned to use it in no time.”

Brandon Hansen
Fontana, CA

 

“Very innovative and effective idea. Works well at home and great as a trail welder in my Jeep.”

Bart Hollingsworth
Guin, AL

"I would like this opportunity to follow up on my previous letter to you with regards not only to your Ready Welder II but to the communication I have received from you and your staff.

In this millennium it is getting more and more difficult to find quality products and services in any industry therefore I consider myself fortunate to have stumbled upon your welder from my Snap-On Dealer here in San Diego. Not only has the welder performed flawlessly but I am completely pleased with your personal attention and communication with me.

In my original letter I indicated my extensive experience with welding and my impromptu experiment, which was intended to discredit your ‘toy’ welder. Boy was I surprised when this ‘toy’ not only met, but far exceeded my wildest expectations when I welded unprepared, dirty, rusty, painted steel which was ½ in. thick AND GOT EXCELLENT PENETRATION!

Several months have passed and I have had the opportunity to use the welder in more circumstances with a variety of materials of varying thicknesses. I do a moderate amount of welding since my catering business specializes in BBQ. I have four trailerable rigs, made of ¼ in. and down mild steel, which require frequent repair as well as more infrequent design changes. I use my Ready Welder on all of these projects. It has replaced my Millermatic 35 (which I sold) as well as my Lincoln ‘tombstone’ stick welder (which I’m trying to sell) due to its ease of use, lightness and dependability.

In my business virtually all of my cooking equipment is made of aluminum or stainless steel, commercial grade. As you can imagine these materials are very expensive to buy, replace and repair. I have recently picked up some aluminum wire and some Argon gas to begin using that material with stainless steel to follow shortly. Having the ability to make repairs on these ‘exotic’ materials will save me hundreds of dollars annually in addition to the hundreds I have already saved utilizing only steel wire thus far. The Ready Welder has already more than paid for itself with less than a year of service.

I have demonstrated it to many cynical friends and have never failed to amaze them with its versatility. My next demonstration is to a fiend who owns a welding supply shop in a rural community where almost everyone welds at one time or another. Another skeptic. If I keep this up, you’ll have to put me on the payroll.”

Gary R. Vineyard, Sr.
Poway, CA

“We have owned our Ready Welder II since June 2002. Before this time we owned larger welders. We use it for aluminum and steel. We use it 5 days a week with two shifts. It has made our job so much easier and profitable. We are in the process of adding a third and fourth crew and with this truck you can count on another Ready Welder II being on it.

One other thing to mention - only one time did we have a problem and the part was quickly overnighted to us at no charge. No one ever knew we were down. Thank you again for such a good product.”

Wayne Reedy
All Services
Summerfield, FL

“Great tool! Keep me updated with any new stuff!”

Ray Stabelli
Philadelphia, PA

“I want to thank your company for producing an exceptional product that performs as promised. As the owner of a four-wheel drive shop, I am constantly bombarded with products that never live up to claims made by their manufacturers. However, Ready Welder has surpassed all of my expectations, in fact Ready Welder is the only portable welder I will sell from now on.

On a recent trip to Moab, Utah I had the opportunity (or misfortune depending on how you view the situation) to use the Ready Welder several times. The most impressive of the trail reports was a broken rear drive shaft. A CJ-5 with a LT-1 snapped its rear drive shaft clean in half, so we clamped the drive shaft together, pulled out the Ready Welder and placed a beautiful bead around the shaft. Not only did the drive shaft get the Jeep back to town, the weld held the shaft together for the next two days of four-wheeling. To top off the whole experience the welded drive shaft made the trip back home to Denver, Colorado and was vibration free even a highway speeds.

A quality product such as the Ready Welder provides its owner with peace of mind because of its ability to perform flawlessly out on the trail. My customers and I thank you for that bit of certainty in the uncertain world of four-wheeling.”

Alan Dunn, Owner
High Country Performance 4X4
Englewood, CO

“I enjoyed our conversation of this date regarding the Ready Welder II. Since my purchase of the unit in May, I have used it on several projects, mainly to test the claims made by your company. I am happy to report that the unit is everything you claimed it to be!

Our company in involved in commercial metal building construction, mainly oilfield uses. Every day we run across applications for your machine. Just today, I was with my overhead crane man and I was telling him about the Ready Welder. We figured out that he could use the battery power source on his Man Life (36v) to power the unit and, in the process, increase his portability and productivity.

I am going to adapt a plug on my golf cart to create a mobile welding source. On the projects that I have completed, I have found that using the deep cycle 12v batteries recommended I am getting a continuous use of 3 to 4 hours of welding time.

I have also told my welding supply company, Welders’ Equipment Company, about the machines. I believe they also bought one and they are planning on stocking some. The units are ideal for contractors.

Good luck, I believe you have a winner!”

Joe Anzalone, Jr.
Holiday City Builders, Inc.
Layfayette, LA

"It’s been a busy summer. The boat is finished. I’ve put 38 hours on it so far. The Ready Welder II saved me thousands of dollars in shop labor. With the money I saved by welding the boat myself, I was able to purchase the engine and hardware.

It’s amazing how much power is contained in a car battery. I was able to do a full day of fabricating and welding on one charge using a pair of Ford BXT-65-850s. I showed the welder to a friend of mine who owns a welding shop. He told me that nothing makes a cleaner MIG weld than DC battery voltage. You can also weld thicker material than with a ‘plug-in’ welder.

Last year we had a remote Alaskan moose hunting trip ruined when one of the airboats broke a steering quadrant. Now we take the Ready Welder II along to make field repairs.

Don’t make the mistake of buying an expensive, gutless traditional welder until you’ve tried the Ready Welder II.”

Todd Thingvall
Alaska

“I purchased my Ready Welder II right after I purchased my first piece of heavy equipment. It was a 40-year old backhoe I got to make improvements on my 9 acres. The backhoe needed some repairs, and I like to do things myself, so I researched welders and welding. I realized that my electrical service wouldn’t support the heavy-duty plug-in welder I’d need and I couldn’t afford a portable welder. I had seen the Ready Welder II in the Northern Tool catalog and I was curious enough to do a search on the company. I immediately felt I found my solution. I found a portable welder that I could cart around to any point on the property to fix whatever piece of equipment that didn’t break down by the garage. I also found a welder that had me, a total novice, making serviceable welds after 30 minutes practice. I have also done some small-scale fabrication and it works great for that, too. I even managed to knock off an 8 foot high shelf and it still works fine! I love the thing!! And I love the support. I’ve called in the past with questions and I have always gotten an answer. Thanks!!

Stephen Geosits
Southbury, CT

“Impressive. Very handy tool.”

William Ambrogio
Orange, CA