Welder suggestions

-
superdart

superdart

Shade Tree Tinker Gnome.....
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
1,146
Reaction score
28
Location
DFW, Texas
OK, so me and a couple of friends have been talking about getting a MIG welder for some time. We all have a decent amount of welding experience, and some of us have taken a 5 day course at work for Arc, MIG, and TIG.

I've been eying up a Lincoln unit at Lowe's. It's nothing major, but we want to stick with 110V welders for ease of use, and we have yet to find a reason to weld over 1/8 metal. The Lincoln "supposedly" will weld 1/4...but I am doubtful of that on 110V.

Part of our problem is we are all use to the super large Miller units, and really have no experience with small home welders. What do people have, and how happy are you with them?
 
When seeking a machine always consider duty cycle. A machine rated at 20% will only piss you off, I would get one with no less than a 60% and prefer a 100% at it's highest rating, but then I am used to the good high end industrial stuff. As to the 110 welding 1/4", yes it is possible but is better with agood quality 220-240 machine and definatly stay away from flux core, go with a gas set up. I prefer a good Lincoln to anything but the Miller is ok too.
 
If you have to get a 110 machine get a Licoln 135+ or a Millermatic 135. Can't go wrong with either machine. The Lowes machines have a tapped voltage where the two I mentioned have infinite voltage adjustment.

If you have a good deal of experience, get the Lincoln as it doesn't have the wire speed tracking of the Miller which drioves some people crazy.

I have a MM175 and really like it. I would like to try a Lincoln 175+
 
I've been using a Craftsman Model 196.205690 (otherwise known as Model 20569) wire feed MIG/Flux core welder and have been totally impressed with it. It's made in Italy, comes with a 100% complete parts list with the owner's manual, It's fan cooled, and even though it's rated at a 40% duty cycle, the thermal cut off has never engaged at settings up to C3 when welding 14ga plate. I'm presently building a '74 Dodge Ramcharger and so far I haven't run into a job that it couldn't handle. If you want, you can check out my website here http://home.comcast.net/~360quadzilla/ and click on "Tailpan Repair" to see the weld quality that this unit is capable of. Don't worry, no pop-ups, adds, or any other garbage there! The specs are as follows:

Primary Volts: 120 VAC
Primary Current: 13 Amps
Single Phase 60Hz
Secondary Volts: 21
Secondary Amps: 85
Duty Cycle: 40%

A few other things you will need to know:
You will need to buy your own tank and regulator. These are not cheap! Buy a tank with at least a 40 cubic foot capacity, they are cheaper to exchange at the local welding supply house and you will cut your visits in half! Get a regulator that allows you to regulate in CFH (Cubic foot/per hour), but you already know that from welding class, right? I ran a dedicated 20 Amp circuit in my garage just for this welder to prevent any future problems (I have an air compressor in my garage too!). Nothing worse than having a breaker trip in the middle of a critical weld. The welder comes with a welding mask but it's the POS type that you have to hold with one hand, only good for spectator use. Buy yourself a good solar powered auto-darkening welding mask, you won't be sorry! Same goes for the chipper/wire brush that comes with it. Best deal I've found on welding wire so far has been Harbor Freight. We have one local, and I'm sure your savings would go out the window if you had to ship it. One last note: Only one Sears store in my locality had this welder in stock. When I went to check it out, it looked as if the box was opened. I pulled it out and didn't see any obvious damage but I asked the clerk if I could return it if there was a problem. No problem. So I took it home, got everything else I needed, and started to feed the wire through. It bound a little bit, so rather than force it, I released the tension and carefully wound the wire back on the spool (If you ever did this, you'll know what b@&ch it is!). The end was bent a hair, so I cut it off, straightend out the hose and tried it again. Out popped a 4" length of flux core, flattened beyond belief! None of the packages for the tips or owners manual had been opened so it must have come from the factory. That was the only problem I experienced with it. So, in summation:

Welder: $299
10lb Wire: $18
Full 40cf tank $135
Regulator $75
Mask $55 (Another Harbor Freight deal)

Melting steel, paying homage to Vulcan, the god of metal, while drinking good German beer? Priceless! :thumbup:
 
You may want to "Try" it out at your local welding supply store that you'll be buying from before you buy it. I bought a small Lincoln MIG welder, I think it was the SP-125 and was extremely disappointed with it. The next two welders I bought, a Square wave TIG 175 and a 255 MIG, both Lincoln, I tested before I bought. I know both of the welders I have now are 220V, and you are looking for a 110V machine, but you may want to test it out to see it that's what you want.
 
I have the Miller 135, been using it for about a year without any problems. I've welded lots of patch panels on to replace the rust that I cut out. I got the biggest tank of argon/co2 that I could (80?) so I'm less likely to run out during an important project.
 
Hey all, I have a Lincoln Pro-Mig 135.... For a light-medium mig welder I like it. Very Capable Machine... I've used it on all my sheet metal work, the sub frame connectors and roll cage. Just cant be in a hurry to weld the thicker stuff.
 
All good info to consider. I have been looking at primarily Miller and Lincoln, and I'm going to check Hobart just for kicks. I understand Craftsman is actually Lincoln, but I haven't looked into that rumor.

Since we are only looking at doing automtive work, we are all comfortable with the 110V/20A units. We don't foresee ever welding beyond 1/8 inch (if that) so we figure the 1/4 inch capable units will fit the bill.

Luckily we have 3 Harbor Freights in our area, and I have a Northern Tool around the corner. Miscellaneous items will be easy to come by. I am definately planning on an auto dimming helmet. They are just TOO handy to not have one.
 
I have the Hobart from Tractor supply,it works GREAT! I also have a 110 volt unit,I do not remember the brand but they are not good cor continued duty cycle! I would go with the 220 volt unit,you will be glad you did later on.I know 4 people that bought the small 110 volt units and none are happy!The Hobart unit is a great little unit,we have used it for 2 years now and it has never had not one problem!

Bobby Dodson
 
By the way I would recommend that you stay away from the Harbor freight and Northern Tool units! They are very cheaply made! Remember you get what you pay for! I suggest spend a few more $$ in the beginning and get something worthy!

Bobby Dodson
 
I looked in both of those places and was unimpressed. The Lincolns at HD and Lowes looked much better. I'm going to check into the Craftsman units and look at a few welding supply stores to see better first hand selection.
 
Anyone own a Miller Sidekick? Is it still available new? How does it compare to the Miller 140, which I think is the bottom of the barrel right?

I saw one for sale used, $400. What do they cost new?

I'm looking to upgrade from my flux-core wire feed Lincoln, which is great but not the best for body work.
 
Lincoln 175HD. I'll never go back to 110v. Best machine i've ever used and have used alot!
 
Millermatic 135. I wouldn't use it on frames or anything like that but it works great for patches, brackets, 1/4s, ect.
100_0753.jpg

100_0754.jpg


...but I still love gas welding!!!
100_0755.jpg
 
i wouldnt buy anything less than a 150 amp, and 220volt... 220 is no harder to run than 2 110volt circuits, just get a 220 external/wall mount plug and 2 breakers and your good to go..

I know its easier with 110 but you get a so much better and more versatile welder when you go to 220volts.. and your never trying to push the welder to do more than it was meant to.. ladder bar brackets and stuff like that i wouldnt touch it with anything less than 140 amp

Tractor ssupply use to sell a hobart handler 150 amp for like$500.00 i used one to back half a few vehicles and it was a nice cheap welder.. i stumbled onto a miller 250a with an aluminum spool gun for cheap... i also got a Thermal Arc 185 amp tig welder paid a bit for it..

i dont think i would ever share a welder with someone, those deals always go wrong in the end..and you will always need the welder when one of your buddies has it, or they'll run it out of gas and you'll be stuck with getting it filled or buying wire or tips or whatever..

Just save up and get one of the lincoln, or miller 180 amp, 220 volt welders, and you'll never need another welder.. plus you could do lil jobs here and there on the side and make your money back easy..

when i bought my tig machine i bought it at www.indianaoxygen.com
 
I have a Lincoln SP-135 plus that I used to attach the rear half of the Duster I am working on.The helmet I have is a Miller Elite 216322.Its pricey but well worth it.You may to check to see if you local welding shop has any deals on welders.When I bought my welder it was actually used in a welding class for about a year then returned to welding shop for the next year model.The beauty of this is the welding shop sells the welder at a very favorable price but you still get a full manufactures warranty.
 
allways buy something that can handle a little more than you expect to use it for.

Because you don't know yet, what you don't expect :)

Phil
 
I've read that 220volt welders can't be turned down to do a nice job on sheet metal; that you're better off with a 110volt unit for sheet metal?
 
65s said:
I've read that 220volt welders can't be turned down to do a nice job on sheet metal; that you're better off with a 110volt unit for sheet metal?
Click to expand...

I've never had an issue welding sheetmetal with my Millermatic 175. I know one of my friends welds sheetmetal with a Lincoln 250 amp machine. I could see in some ways that a big machine may not be able to be dialed down enough to do 22 ga, but, that's hasn't been an issue with some 250 amp rigs.

I would never buy a 110v machine if I had access to 220v.
 
crackedback said:
I've never had an issue welding sheetmetal with my Millermatic 175. I know one of my friends welds sheetmetal with a Lincoln 250 amp machine. I could see in some ways that a big machine may not be able to be dialed down enough to do 22 ga, but, that's hasn't been an issue with some 250 amp rigs.

I would never buy a 110v machine if I had access to 220v.
Click to expand...

I AGREE, same as mine.

I also agree on not getting flux, as mentioned above. I tried flux befor ( cause my welder does both) but Gas IS BEST!!!! don't get flux...please
 
Another vote for Lincoln SP-135. 110 volt, so it's portable. Slow on big stuff, but great when turned down for sheet metal. Buy the gas mix bottle and a GOOD auto darkening helmet. Easy to learn.
 
I recently purchased the Lincoln ProMig 180 at Lowe's. Im quite pleased with it. I have it set up for mig, as flux core is a bunch of junk. Its a 220V welder. Never pay money for a 110V welder unless your using it for arts & crafts. They cant handle much.
 
I also have a Lincoln 220v, I love it, it handles the low power jobs just as well as the high power ones. It is very portable and we ended up going to granger and making our own extension cord for it so it can go anywhere in the garage, and the top of the driveway. A big tank is a big +. We have done thin gauge sheet all the way up to welding a volare clip and rails to my dad's '49 drop top Plymouth special deluxe. The portable welders at school are 110v and I haven't been able to get a consistent weld out of them for a while, they seam to fluctuate a lot.
 
Keep an eye on Ebay 'cause, I bought a 1999 or 2000 Miller Vintage 200 amp mig for $850, about a year and a half ago. I doubt that I'll ever run into a welding job, on a car, that this thing can't handle. It will be my rookie welding skills that will have the problems, not the machine!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top