Small mig welder

-
dustertogo

dustertogo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Messages
858
Reaction score
191
Location
Brandon, MS
I'm a non-welder and wanting to buy a small mig welder to play with and hopefully get to the point of being able to use it for small/light jobs. Any recommendations?
 
I have a Holbert 140 and like it real well, its not too expensive, but good quality.
 
I second the Hobart 140, I have one and it is simple to use and quality built. The wire feed unit has all metal gears and works flawlessly! 65'
 
Hobart is a pretty good brand. I have a Craftsmen that was my Grandfathers, I think it was made by Lincoln. Buy a good shield, grinder, welding blanket and gloves. The ability to use inner shield wire is nice if you need to weld in a windy area. MIG doesn't like air flow across the weld area.

Do you have good power? We're talking a 110v one right?
 
dano said:
Hobart is a pretty good brand. I have a Craftsmen that was my Grandfathers, I think it was made by Lincoln. Buy a good shield, grinder, welding blanket and gloves. The ability to use inner shield wire is nice if you need to weld in a windy area. MIG doesn't like air flow across the weld area.

Do you have good power? We're talking a 110v one right?
Click to expand...
Yes, 110v and I have good power hook up.
 
dano said:
Hobart is a pretty good brand. I have a Craftsmen that was my Grandfathers, I think it was made by Lincoln. Buy a good shield, grinder, welding blanket and gloves. The ability to use inner shield wire is nice if you need to weld in a windy area. MIG doesn't like air flow across the weld area.

Do you have good power? We're talking a 110v one right?
Click to expand...
Is it easier to get the hang of it with the shielding gas or the shielded wire?
 
Long time welder / fabricator.
Both as a hobbyist and professional.
I can Mig, Tig, stick. Was certified up until a couple of years ago when l retired.

I currently own Miller and Lincoln machines.
One Lincoln is 115 volt. ( bought at a swap meet for $100) . Works great on sheet metal.
Millers are all 220 volt.
Lincoln makes a nice machine- the 180 "dual". Dual voltage. Can be used 115v or 220v. Used them for several years at work. I like them.

Spend the extra money and get one you can use with gas. I personally do not like " gasless/ flux core". But to each his own.
You do not need a $2,000 machine.
Your local welding supply sometimes have used machines.
Take a vocational welding course. Basic course is fine.
Don't just jump on the first one you come across.
Do a little homework. Ask questions. Search the web.
Just remember to throw out 50% of the answers you get. Especially the stupid ones.
Sort through the other 50%. Throw out 50% of them.
What you have left are pretty much the answers you need.


Good luck.
 
1...Look for used and stay with name brands
2...If you can afford it get dual voltage and get larger
3...Get one that has or can be converted to gas
 
I have a Craftsman MIG outfit the family got my for Daddy's Day one year. It's a 135 amp. Made in Italy by Clarke. It has been a really good welder for the price and size. It's done everything I've asked of it.
 
Depending on your budget but I recently bought a Miller 211 Mig for the home garage. Its dual voltage and its a excellent running machine. I think with a 110volt machine your limiting yourself but I guess it all depends on what your looking to weld.
Eventually I will get a small DC stick machine if the need ever arises that what ever I weld has to be high strength.....Or I may keep my miller CV/CC inverter, its a industrial rated machine
 
I Currently have a Millermatic 211. I LOVE that welder. It has automatic settings that REALLY work. I set the metal thickness (ie 18 gauge) and the welding wire thickness (ie .030) and I get perfect welds every time. That being said, for less than half the price of the Millermatic 211 you can get a Hobart Handler 140. Hobart is made by Miller, and they are both made in the USA. I owned a Hobart Handler 1354 (precursor to the 140) from about 2005 - 2020. It was an excellent welder. I only sold it because a friend had the Miller 211, and I loved the automatic settings. Tractor Supply company sells Hobarts. Let me encourage you to NOT try to learn how to weld with flux wire. I know really good welders who struggle to get nice welds with flux wire. I ran out of gas in the middle of something once and switched to flux wire. I struggled with it for about 20 minutes and then went and filled my bottle. Buy a gas bottle! Using shielding gas is so much easier. When I bought my Hobart, I had never welded. I watched the video that came with it, and in 5 minutes I was welding. If I can do it, you can do it. If your budget allows, I would recommend against getting a cheap welder. If you are on a budget, I have heard good things about Eastwood welders, and they seem to always be on sale with free shipping.
 
Here I thought the thread title was "small welder". lol
 
RustyRatRod said:
Here I thought the thread title was "small welder". lol
Click to expand...
A Hobart 140 and A Miller 211 are small. They aren't chap, but they are small, easy to use and will give excellent results. That is what I thought he meant he was interested in. Maybe I am wrong?

Oops. Make that, "They aren't cheap."
 
Last edited:
harrisonm said:
A Hobart 140 and A Miller 211 are small. They aren't chap, but they are small, easy to use and will give excellent results. That is what I thought he meant he was interested in. Maybe I am wrong?
Click to expand...
Well no, I don't think you're wrong....it's just when I see "small welder" I think 120v. But then I could be wrong, too. lol
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well no, I don't think you're wrong....it's just when I see "small welder" I think 120v. But then I could be wrong, too. lol
Click to expand...

watch eastwoods adds , they have a great 175 , works perfect , sometimes on sale ---
 
i picked up an eastwood welder on craigslist a while ago, and i love it


as far as learning, i started with a 220 miller unit with gas at my place of employment
they had put in a mezzanine without pulling a permit and as a result someeone had to weld trusses in to make properly load bearing
i got volunteered to weld that up, and though i wouldnt stand under the north east corner of it, by the time the project was done i was pretty decent welder

as far as the eastwood is concerned, i havent found a cheap bottle yet so im using "shielded wire" also knows as flux core, and i like it

as others have mentioned, when you weld with gas you need to put in a little more prep time to get a good weld, but it will be a nicer looking weld when you are done

flux core, you clean the ground and the very first spot and then weld through paint rust bondo, whatever is on there...all while there is a lever 4 hurricane blowing
 
I personal like Millers but the prices are high. For a first welder get a cheaper name brand. And also think about if you are going to use 220v check what it's wired with. If you are going to use 110v make sure it's wired with 12ga and use a 20 amp receptacle.
 
harrisonm said:
Let me encourage you to NOT try to learn how to weld with flux wire. I know really good welders who struggle to get nice welds with flux wire. I ran out of gas in the middle of something once and switched to flux wire. I struggled with it for about 20 minutes and then went and filled my bottle.
Click to expand...

Shielded or flux wire has its place. While there is "general use (or Farmer grade)" flux wire, a lot of them have specific applications and use so you might look into what you have. Also, on my machine you have to change the set it up to run flux wire. It doesn't make a pretty weld for sure.
 
For thin auto sheetmetal , you really will be better off with gas and .023 ( some brands are .022 or .021), Smallest flux with is .030. I use that welding out side. I can do it, but I have welded for 50 years. Some are quicker learners! The gas does not work outside in the breeze!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top