looking for a mig welder

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737jetdr

737jetdr

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I am in need of a new mig welder. can't decide between 110v or 220v. I have been looking at the new migs that Eastwood sells. They get some pretty good reviews. Anybody on here have one? Any input will be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Please take it from a guy who "bought too small." Years ago I found one of the 120V Lincolns with gas kit, and constantly pushed it to it's limit. While it served me well and I still have it, it was never "quite big enough."

I FINALLY upgraded to a Linconln 180 series, 240V, of course.

Go "big enough" go "with gas" and "go 240" You will NEVER regret it.

Push aside the temptation for Chneseo imports, go with Lincoln, Miller, or another olds school recognized brand

Also CHECK CAREFULLY before you buy a brand name from a "big box" store. Many products from the "big box" stores do NOT CARRY the same warranty nor parts support as a "real" Lincoln or Miller. In some cases they are actually different, having some parts specially made more cheaply by independent contractors.

The above is not meaningless rambling. ---Friend of mine has a "big box" John Deere lawn tractor, and the "real" JD dealers want nothing to do with it. Some "Google" work will confirm this.
 
millermatic 211...runs on either 110 or 220...

Bought one just over a year ago....great welder.
 
Lincoln and Miller are both "Chneseo imports" FWIW.
 
It depends on what you need it for. I have a Lincoln SP125 which is a very good little 110 welder. I do full restos but that is 99% sheet metal, you don't need anything bigger than this unit for that purpose. If you weld mostly thick plate stuff the 220 is the ticket. My son welds frames mostly and he has a Miller 220 which is also a great unit.

my 2 cents
 
If you've got 220 go that route with either a Lincoln or a Miller. As has been mentioned, if you buy a small cheap one and actually use it you will want a larger welder. So start with a good one. I've got a Lincoln SP-175 and love it. my 2cents
 
70aarcuda said:
just looked at my Miller 211 says MADE IN THE USA, APPLETON, WI..
Click to expand...
Your right they are assembled in Appleton WI I live 15 miles form the factory, I say go with a 220 also. I have a HF 220 volt with gas, works for what I need it for.
 
StrokerScamp said:
Lincoln and Miller are both "Chneseo imports" FWIW.
Click to expand...

Bullshit

Well at least partially. Lincoln lists a number of countries, including Canada and Mexico and several others, including China and Italy.

But your statement implies that they are in fact wholly products of China. Not true. Miller most certainly is not.

But at least even Lincoln is supported, is not some shady Horrid Freight product that you'll never get parts for. Neither of mine has missed a beat, needing only wire, gas, and tips.
 
i have a Holbart 180 and love it. has been a trouble free unit But i wish i had the newer model that you can plug a spool gun into. my 2cents
 
No over-priced Eastwood, for anything; throw that catalog away. they jack prices up 2/3, for every thing the have can be bought locally.

I have a gas 220v Hobart, love it, but can't take next door, unless their dryer plug is the same. Buddy has lincolns, 110v; the gas one good for sheetmetal, and up to maybe 3/16" (it also has infinite adjust knob, very nice), if you grind a good valley in it first. That flux core for sheet metal; I finally refused to use it.

If you have a Tractor Supply near, or just internet them. Also. I think even the local welding places had to get down of the bs prices.
 
Lincoln is fairly easy to tell where it is made. The first letter in the serial number is the country. C is for canada not China.
 
If you are using it for automotive work, and not building bridges, a 110 unit is all you need. I have a Lincoln 140 and I love it, built my whole car with it.
 
You could probably get a 110 mig off craigslist if you give it a few weeks. Many want to upgrade. I have a Lincoln 175 (220v) as well & it's great but i'm sure a decent 110 with gas would be great for floors, quarters, etc. You'll be more in the mid range of the welder. My 220v unit mostly runs on the lower settings, I am a novice though.
 
I have both 110-220 on argon mix and I use my little Lincoln SP-135T for 99% of stuff, even .134" wall DOM. I usually try to preheat the thicker stuff a little before. The only time I use the 220 is on anything 1/4" an up and usually use flux core outside.
 
For general sheetmetal and resto work, a 110 unit with gas will work fine and, relatively speaking, is more portable than a 220 unit (gotta be near 220 power). If you plan on heavy fab, then 220 would be the ticket.
 
If you know how to weld, you can do ANYFRIKKINTHING on a car with a good 110 unit. I would NEVER advise someone to buy a 220 welder for home use. It's a waste of money.
 
Back to the original question. I haven't purchased a welder from Eastwood but I did buy a plasma cutter from them. Nice good working machine. Price wise their welders are about the same as anyone else. I purchased my Lincoln from Home Depot. It is a 220 model. The Eastwood welders also include a spool gun. I'd like to have one of them also.
 
Continuous voltage control is really nice over the 5 clicks too, especially for light stuff like sheet metal.
 
Plasma cutters and welders are 2 completely different tools. I've used a few 110 volt plasma cutters with great results. I cant say the same for 110 welders.
Right now I'm using a Miller 251.(220 volt) For small sheet metal work I switch it over to .025" wire and it works flawlessly.
I just did the spring relocation on my car and it sure was nice to have as much heat as I wanted without a worry of taxing the machine.
Go for the bigger machine and a name brand too. One more thing, if you ever need customer assistance or repairs on your machine I know that both Miller and Lincoln are there for you. I dont know about the imports?
 
Two things from a guy who makes his living repairing welders.
1- there is no support and most of the time no parts available for the cheap imports. When they stop working you throw them in the trash.
2- Most problems people have with 110v migs is they do not run them on a seperate 20 amp circuit (to prevent the house circult breaker from tripping. and they try and run them on a standard extention cord. If you are going to run one on an extention cordyou need to use a 10 guage cord. Think of it this way, remove the ground strap from your engine and replace it with a little 18 guage one, then try and start the car- it ain't going to happen.

I have a shop full of welders from 110v to 480v 3 phase that I can use at any time. I use the 110v mig the most when doing welding jobs on things under 1/4" thick and never have an issue.
 
If I was going to buy a MIG welder 110 miller 211 and for tig miller 351lx theses are the only two welder machines you will ever need
 
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