Good deal or not?

Probably a decent deal but if you have a Tractor Supply store nearby they list the newer version, the Handler 140, new for $420:

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

And the Lincoln started life as the SP-100, many winters ago

I had the pro mig 100 (SP 100) and the pro mig 135 (sp 135) the sp 100 did not have the built -in gas solonoid it was flux only , if you wanted to use for true MIG (gas ) the conversion kit was an extra $100 the 135 had the built in gas solonoid.

also the 100 was rated for a 110V 15 amp circuit, where as the 135 stated to use in a 20 amp circuit to get the most out of the machine.

is there any internal difference .... who knows?

I got a Lincoln 135 from Indiana Oxygen for a comparable price to that, with free shipping. They list a lot of this kind of stuff on e-bay, and sell direct, as well.

Regarding Harbor Freight's "Factory reconditioned--factory perfect." I bought a DeWalt contractor's table saw from then for a very good price, with that description. It came in a sealed box, and I could not tell it from new. In fact, I think it WAS new. I suspect that the "Factory Reconditioned" thing is just a ploy to allow HF to cut prices without appearing to undercut the existing price structure. Of course, I've only got this one example to go by, but then look--they've ALWAYS got these reconditioned--perfect tools in their ads. Where could that many reconditioned tools be coming from?

Interesting.. I hadn't considered the fact that the stuff sold as "reconditioned" was actually new/unsold. Makes sense though, it's pretty hard to get stores to take broke tools back and there's little point in paying shipping to get them back to the manufacturer.

John

I think he's referring to a much older SP-100. The current SP-100T is a much simpler, less expensive model aimed at the home market. The original SP-100 was a different animal with variable voltage instead of a 4 or 5 position switch.

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

The "problem" with reconditioned tools is that there could have simply been cosmetic damage to the box, no problems with the tool. My reconditioned Hobart Handler 135 did have some hardened gunk on one of the cables (like melted plastic or something), and a metal tag saying "RECONDITIONED" riveted to the back. Works fine though!

John

I have worked for several Silicon Valley companies, and have seen their handling of this type of product. They use the moniker of "Factory Reconditioned" for any product that they have that can't be sold as new through their normal marketing channels. This can include items that have been returned under warranty and repaired, end of production run items made from parts left in stock after the end of the normal production run, and demo and test units that can be brought to factory new condition. These may also include units returned from a distributer that have not been sold. If the seller says the units have only been "reconditioned" then they may have done the work outside of the control of the original manufacturer, and quality may not be as good.