I bought this welder at Horror Fright tools under the Chi-town Electric name. If you want good penetration on thicker material, you should preheat the welding material with a propane torch. If you are worried about spatter, use nozzle gel, or try a different brand wire. I like my little unit, it does the small jobs just fine. This welder allows me to have both a dedicated flux core unit, and a dedicated solid core unit. I have had this unit for a few years, mine does not have a fan in it, like the new ones have.