Bought a new Lincoln Mig 211i

[5030]

Cant go wrong with a Lincoln, Miller or ESAB welder. They are the only ones worth buying IMO. What's the old saying "I'm too poor to buy cheap"

The issue with all of them is.... If they have any issues, your only remedy is to take it to an authorized service center and if not in warranty, replacement parts are super expensive.

I really like HF's extended warranty on their welding machines as well. If, you have ANY issues with them, you take it back to any HF store and they give you a NEW machine. I know that warranty is good as I had issues with one of my Titanium plasma cutters, took it back to a HF store (not the one I bought it at btw) and they gave me a NEW machines, no questions asked. Try that with any of the above machines and see what happens.

I use my welders in a commercial environment btw, IOW, I use them hard, especially my TIG machine.

I have a 3 year warranty on all of them btw.

 

[yomax4]

Take a drive around Lincoln Electric in Cleveland Ohio and you will learn pretty quick they are not making everything in China! A lot of their flagship pipe line welders and still being made in Cleveland along with their robot cells and most of the welding wire.

Maybe some pipeline stuff and automation but the discussion was more based on the everyday equipment. They would never shut down the Cleveland wire mills. I've been all through the Lincoln plant being I'm an ex-employee.

 

[5030]

Maybe some pipeline stuff and automation but the discussion was more based on the everyday equipment. They would never shut down the Cleveland wire mills. I've been all through the Lincoln plant being I'm an ex-employee.

I grew in in Euclid, Ohio and my dad retired from Lincoln. I too spent many a vacation day at the plant (before OSHA) myself and yes the big Lincolns are made there today but the components (not the engine or the generator) are made up of of offshore sourced components just like the smaller welders. I happen to own a Lincoln engine drive I bought new about 20 years ago and it has minimal outsourced components unlike today.
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Like Hobart in Troy, Ohio. Hobart is almost 100% Chinese parts today.

 

[5030]

Awsome that’s some set up. I’m very old shool and love the stick machine on steel. And the brazing on cast iron. At sixty nine it’s a hobby but I grow every day in it. Grand kids will be set up if they develop the interest. I just love living. Have a great day sir

If I was your age again, I'd probably do some things different, I'm 74. I have a Lincoln gas driven Ranger Ac-DC stick machine as well and my TIG will stick weld, low hydrogen electrodes. Never used that process however, never even unboxed the stinger. I started out welding with O/A and using metal coathangers for filler-welding rod.

 

[5030]

Maybe some pipeline stuff and automation but the discussion was more based on the everyday equipment. They would never shut down the Cleveland wire mills. I've been all through the Lincoln plant being I'm an ex-employee.

I grew up in Euclid, Ohio and my dad retired from Lincoln on Euclid Avenue (main plant). I spent many a summer day there back before all the OSHA and EPA crap. My favorite part was the steel storage warehouse out back were they ran the balls off the welders until they broke or blew up. What a noisy place that was..... I remember too, that the dock where they unloaded the wire racks that looked like big upside down umbrella's was a real PITA to back into. Long time ago. My first machine was a Lincoln Tombstone AC-DC machine, 220-1. Still have it, Great earthworm motivator after a rain to get the worms out of the ground so I can go fishing the next dat....lol. When dad passed, my mom and me and my sister moved to Michigan, been here ever since. Mom is long gone as well and so is sis.

 

[yomax4]

My 1st Lincoln was the SP200. Had the LN7 feeder under the hood that you could pull out and haul closer to your work. Larger footprint but oh so soft and smooth for a welder. Then when the SP100 115v came out I got one free from my Lincoln rep. I was working at a LWS at that time.
I like the worm harvest idea. I used a 9 iron shaft with a lamp cord taped it the shaft. I'd get a little zap from it just about every time. Sorry to hear about your close family passing. I'm kind of in that same boat.