$1000 budget, which mig welder???

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Tnplumber

Tnplumber

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I am willing to spend up to $1000.00 total on a mig welder. I have been looking at a millermatic 140. It is a 110v mig welder. What would you buy with a thousand dollar budget??

Also important to note, I have never welded anything in my life. I want to be able to welder patch panels and general auto repair welding.

Thanks,

Scott
 
Lincoln all the way they weld better and are cheaper. Most guys will say miller because its the well known brand. Im a lincoln belever and weld a ton from sheet metal to frames. Ive always had a hard time welding with a miller maybe thats why I like the red ones.
 
I have the miller 140 110v and I love it. It makes me a better welder. I have done everything from sheet metal repair for the body to welding in Subframe Connectors and makes some solid motor mounts. The auto set works great. I measure the thickness and turn the dial, it is that easy. My friend is a pro welder and he always tells how good looking my welds look and I know it is the machine. BTW, I bought mine new for $500
 
I have a hobart 140, works good.. I have used the Lincoln 140 welds very well.... Make sure you buy the gas and speed shades......
 
Buy a 220v welder.

I like both lincoln and Miller. My friend that does this stuff for a living once told me after I bought a MIller MIG. Lincolns for MIG, Millers for TIG.

I will say that the Lincoln SP175+ is a really nice 220v welder and can be had used for around $400-500. I think the new rigs are the 180's.

If you do buy something, make sure the machine has infinite adjustment in both voltage and wire speed on the 175-180 machines. The 200-250's are sometimes and usually tapped selection on voltage.
 
siuauto said:
I have the miller 140 110v and I love it. It makes me a better welder. I have done everything from sheet metal repair for the body to welding in Subframe Connectors and makes some solid motor mounts. The auto set works great. I measure the thickness and turn the dial, it is that easy. My friend is a pro welder and he always tells how good looking my welds look and I know it is the machine. BTW, I bought mine new for $500
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The best i can find on line is in the $685 range, plus shipping etc. The bottle and gas seems to be like $200.00. Then I am buying a cart and wire also. Which brought the total to close to $1000. Did you get everything for $500 or just the welder?? Where did you buy it, if you don't mind.
 
crackedback said:
Buy a 220v welder.

I like both lincoln and Miller. My friend that does this stuff for a living once told me after I bought a MIller MIG. Lincolns for MIG, Millers for TIG.

I will say that the Lincoln SP175+ is a really nice 220v welder and can be had used for around $400-500. I think the new rigs are the 180's.

If you do buy something, make sure the machine has infinite adjustment in both voltage and wire speed on the 175-180 machines. The 200-250's are sometimes and usually tapped selection on voltage.
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Totally agree. Wish I bought the 220v infinite adjustment unit.
 
I bought my Lincoln 180 on sale for $469 at the local Canadian Tire.It cost me $75 to lease a 4 foot tank of gas,which makes welds so much nicer.I,m happy with the welder.:thumbrig:
View attachment 66 Dart project Nov2010 062.jpg

When I welded the cart,It was when I first bought it using flux-core wire(no gas)LOL.It had been 25 yrs since I had welded(thats my excuse for crappy welds LOL)
 
I use a hobart 180 and I absolutely love it. In my opinion, buying a 110v welder is just a waste of money. Miller,lincoln,hobart,,,,,,any of them will do a good job but the 230v welders just weld better than a 110v. You can always adjust the amperage down to weld lighter stuff but you can only adjust a 110v up so far and their duty cycle is going to fight you if you try to weld too long with it
 
crackedback said:
Buy a 220v welder.

I like both lincoln and Miller. My friend that does this stuff for a living once told me after I bought a MIller MIG. Lincolns for MIG, Millers for TIG.

I will say that the Lincoln SP175+ is a really nice 220v welder and can be had used for around $400-500. I think the new rigs are the 180's.

If you do buy something, make sure the machine has infinite adjustment in both voltage and wire speed on the 175-180 machines. The 200-250's are sometimes and usually tapped selection on voltage.
Click to expand...

hawkfn18 said:
Totally agree. Wish I bought the 220v infinite adjustment unit.
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prodart340 said:
I use a hobart 180 and I absolutely love it. In my opinion, buying a 110v welder is just a waste of money. Miller,lincoln,hobart,,,,,,any of them will do a good job but the 230v welders just weld better than a 110v. You can always adjust the amperage down to weld lighter stuff but you can only adjust a 110v up so far and their duty cycle is going to fight you if you try to weld too long with it
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I think I'm going with a 220v mig welder...now which one.
 
I prefer Lincoln, but if you have a local tractor supply they handle Holberts.
Also check with welding suppliers, they can set you up with a welder to suit your needs and a bottle.
I would not waste my money on a cart, build one yourself with your new welder.
 
Harbor Freight sells chiago electric look on linesome people say they have miller parts in them.
 
Do yourself a favor and go to www.usaweld.com I purchased an HTP160 220 welder almost 12 years ago I use it in a production collision repair shop.I use this welder to do anything,It has all adjustments for spot, stitch/pulse.This unit is an inverter welder wich allows for longer duty cycle and lower amperage outlet(30amp outlet)Can easily be converted to aluminum.I don't push equipment often,but this was money well spent.They use tweco consumables so easily purchased at local welding supplier.They retail around 850.00 No problems in 12 years,except somone backed into the welder and broke the whip snout.Called HTP ordered a new whip setup with minimig gun for 170.00 with shipping showed up 2days later.
 
Tnplumber said:
The best i can find on line is in the $685 range, plus shipping etc. The bottle and gas seems to be like $200.00. Then I am buying a cart and wire also. Which brought the total to close to $1000. Did you get everything for $500 or just the welder?? Where did you buy it, if you don't mind.
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Yep, I got evrything. The welder NIB, I got the regulator, Flow meter, and 5lb spool of .030. I made a cart out of stuff I had at the house. I bout it from Ebay from a guy that lived close to me so I went and picked it up. I bought a tank from Craigslist for $20 too. You just have to look.
 
I have a Lincoln Weldmate 175 220 volt unit. It came as a flux core machine and I converted to MIG with a kit from Lincoln. It was not difficult to do. I did have difficulty using with the .025 wire that came with the kit. A friend (who is a welding expert) recommended switching to .030 wire. I did and the welder works 1000% better than with the .025 wire, even on thin stuff like sheet metal! Now I love this welder it is my go to unit, even though I have since bought a Millermatic 200 in the meantime.

I would recommend getting either a Lincoln, Miller or Hobart 220 V MIG welder. The Great thing about the Lincoln is you can get consumables like wire, tips, etc at Home Depot and Lowes. Tractor Supply carries Hobart, but Miller stuff is only carried by the local welding supply shop (so when you need something on Sunday they will be closed!!)

The Little Lincoln 220v MIG is the way to go (at least for me). Don't bother with a spoolgun to use for Aluminum, fo rthat you will need a real commercial machine like the Millermatic 200 (something rated at 200 amps with a 60% duty cycle, the MM200 is rated at like 300 amps when at a 20% duty cycle like the smaller home owner machines are!!).
 
I got the 180 Lincoln from Canadian Tire it was on sale for Fathers Day last year for $480(plus tax) and it came with gloves, 2 rolls of wire and a "mask" that you hold with your hand while welding. It also had the hose for the bottle and regulator.
I went to Princess Auto and picked up a cart for $100 and welders supply for a bottle of auto weld gas, I think it was around $150 for the bottle and its first fill.
I also needed a breaker and receptacle to run it in my garage so I would add another few bucks for that stuff.
 
I would first ask what you intend on welding? You can get a pretty good unit for much less than $1,000. If you are just planning on using it for home use I would get a hobart. It's built with Miller parts. I have had mine trouble free for several years. If you are just doing patch panels and such you won't need a 220 welder. My 110 works great for body shop stuff. Also I have used it for medium steel and it worked great (roll cage). I spent about $400 for it.
 
I have a new Lincon 140c and I love it ! much better welder than the miller that I had. Its 110 volt, and I like it because i can use it everywhere. The Lincon 180c is virtually the same machine except its 220 volt but your stuck to being near a 220 outlet to use it.
 
if i had a grand to spend on a welding machine it would not be any of the new ,small,light duty crap.id look for a millermatic 200,an older one that has a copper transformer,or a linde L-TEC 225.both are great solid 220 machines.although you cannot get parts at just any store like the fisher/price welders,you can still order any thing you need for them.and dont by one of the crap auto darkening hoods.the optical quality sucks.get a standard hood with a 4"x5" lens.or if you really want an auto hood by a good one like a hornell speed glass.however your requirements may differ from mine because its a living for me.
 
Hey Scott have you looked at the millermatic 211 ??????
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/product.php?model=M00245

It can be ran on 110v or 220v I have seen alot of good reviews about it on the internet welding forums. It might as well be worth a shot, plus it is very versatile. I have a millermatic 210 that is a dedicated 210v machine, I really like it , but the replacement for it is the millermatic 212 and it is about $600.00 more than the 211, so the millermatic 211 is an afforable first machine in my opinion.
I had a millermatic 135 witch is the welder before the 140 came out and liked it for waht it was. For a small welder it did vwery well till someone decide they needed it more than I did. Any way buy a good quality welder miller,lincoln, esab,hobart or something like that. If you are interested in talking with a friend of mine that runs a local welding store about a 211 or anything else give me a call and I will get you his info.
Matt
 
I have a Hobart 140, works very well and it was $500 ish at Northern Tool and it came with everything, hook up a cylinder put on your protective gear and go. I had to get a 110 because at the time I didn't have access to 220 but I do now. Will probably go to a Hobart Ironman 230 or Miller 211. Hobart welders are made at Millers plant.
 
I'd go down to your local welding supply store and buy the best you can afford. 220 if you have a hook up or can get one installed. You will be glad you did later on. Replacement parts are easier to get for the professional series welders you get from the welding supply shops.
 
Go for the bigger better 220 volt, i talked to several companies in my area and bought the lincoln powermig 200, the self darkening helmet, the biggest bottle of gas filled and spare tip's and a spare large roll of wire for right around 1500$ I can weld sheetmetal or heavy framework you name it, it can have a spool gun added to do aluminum, make this a one time investment and it will pay for itself in less than a year if you do any customer work with it,I repair lawn mower deck's and anything else that comes my way. I bought mine early 1999 and have had no problems whatsoever,I always roll the stinger the same way for storage and that helps keep the inner liner from having problems,good luck and happy welding :)
 
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