Need spot welder recommendation

[captianworkbench]

Good afternoon everyone. I am at the point where I need to get a tab welder for the several packs that I need to make. Where I worked before I had access to commercial units that I could use, but that is no longer the case. I might need to make a few packs a year depending upon what I am building but I will not be using this thing day in and day out. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding ones that they may have bought/used? The plans for different packs include some 18650's, and an assortment of NiMH cells. Nothing will be stupid high current so I won't be trying to weld huge copper bars across stuff.

Thanks,
CWB

 

[LuxLuthor]

Good afternoon everyone. I am at the point where I need to get a tab welder for the several packs that I need to make. Where I worked before I had access to commercial units that I could use, but that is no longer the case. I might need to make a few packs a year depending upon what I am building but I will not be using this thing day in and day out. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding ones that they may have bought/used? The plans for different packs include some 18650's, and an assortment of NiMH cells. Nothing will be stupid high current so I won't be trying to weld huge copper bars across stuff.

Thanks,
CWB

I made tons of custom battery packs over the years and had a deluxe setup with foot pedal. Saw this on Amazon and ordered it just to see how well it worked, and I can verify that it makes just as secure of spot welds as my more expensive setup. There are a number of versions for sale there, so shop for best price, as they all look to be the same Chinese made.

Amazon.com

 

[captianworkbench]

LuxLuthor, I was looking at ones similar to the one in the link you shared. I have never dealt with a tab welder that doesn't have a foot pedal or other kind of control to actually trigger the arc. These types apparently "fire" as soon as you get the second probe in place. Is that correct? Also, is there any adjustment to actually how long that delay before firing occurs? Seems like you would have to be spot on with your positioning and ready for it to fire.

Thanks for the reply and info.

-CWB