Bought a $12 HF stud welder tip kit instead of the $60 Snap-on one, and now I owe Mike a case of beer
Ordered the cheap tips for my stud welder back in March because I figured brass is brass and I was doing a quick pull on a Civic quarter panel in my garage in Reno. The tips lasted exactly 4 studs before mushrooming, but the weld quality on the first 3 was actually cleaner than what I get from the name brand tips on a low heat setting. Am I crazy for thinking the cheap kit ran cooler, or did I just get a good batch and torch my reputation with the Snap-on guy for nothing?
Man, that line about torching your reputation with the Snap-on guy hit me. My local guy still gives me the look every time I walk in after I bought brake parts online last year, so I feel for you. But if the cheap tips ran cleaner on low heat, that's real and you're not crazy.