Lincoln MIG-Pak 180

[Chilly807]

So does the 180c handle everything from sheet metal to 1/4 mild steel? Best bang for the buck in welders this size? I really wanted to stay around $500 but $700 would push the limit.

The answer to your first question is yes. It'll weld from sheet metal up to 3/8 reliably, at least in my opinion. Others will differ.

The second question is more objective. I've had good success with Miller welders, never owned a Lincoln (yet). I suspect the two are very comparable, as direct competitors they pretty much have to be.

To the best of my knowledge Lincoln doesn't have an equivalent to Miller's Auto-Set feature, which I like.

To balance that preference, settings on a MIG aren't rocket science, if they were most of us wouldn't be able to weld at all. I do like being able to simply dial in the material thickness and start welding.

As to the difference between $500 and $700, I think you're getting what you pay for. The resale value down the road may reflect that as well.

Sean

 

[gabeancounter]

The answer to your first question is yes. It'll weld from sheet metal up to 3/8 reliably, at least in my opinion. Others will differ.

The second question is more objective. I've had good success with Miller welders, never owned a Lincoln (yet). I suspect the two are very comparable, as direct competitors they pretty much have to be.

To the best of my knowledge Lincoln doesn't have an equivalent to Miller's Auto-Set feature, which I like.

To balance that preference, settings on a MIG aren't rocket science, if they were most of us wouldn't be able to weld at all. I do like being able to simply dial in the material thickness and start welding.

As to the difference between $500 and $700, I think you're getting what you pay for. The resale value down the road may reflect that as well.

Sean

Thank you for the response.
I am like so many others just wanting to start out. I have about 1000' of 1/4 angle 3x4 I got free and a bunch of channel etc. Wanting to build a few racks, add kick stands to a few implements, fix a crack in the bush hog etc.

I don't really expect to do anything thicker than 1/4" and was thinking of going with the 140 mig as I don't have a 220 outlet yet. But the panel is close by the garage. If for some reason I needed to weld something thicker the maint shop will fix me up. Just hate dragging every little thing up to work.

Advice from the welder at work is the only brand is Lincoln. Says the last Miller auto set they had the board burned up and it cost more to repair than it was worth. Something about the heat adjustment kept going up and down. Anyway....I like the idea of autoset but that would put in the Miller 140 price range versus the 180c price range? How reliable is the autoset?

Can the 140 migs do 1/4" well? Thanks

 

[Chilly807]

Both the Miller's I've had have been good machines, no problems with either one. Only the current 180 has Auto-Set, my previous 135 was manual only.

If you're more comfortable with Lincoln, they're good welders too. Like I said earlier, they can't afford not to be. I would recommend going one step up from the bottom of the line, though. I think it's called the Power Mig?? The basic machine is just that, both in capability and durability. Check into the wire drive mechanism, one is plastic and the other is cast aluminum from what I hear. Don't feel you're limiting yourself by buying a "tapped" welder without infinite voltage control, the only folks that can really tell the difference when welding are the pros. Duty cycle is something else to consider, though most of us don't weld enough for long periods for it to be a real concern. 20-30% has never been a problem for me.

The 140s should have enough power for 1/4 " material, with proper material prep. I welded a fair bit of 1/4 with my 135, although I recommend you bevel the edges of the weld area before you start. They may not be rated for 1/4 in one pass, but I rarely do single pass welding anyway.

If you decide you want to weld aluminum, be sure the welder will accept a spool gun, and 220V is a better choice for that. Aluminum needs considerably more heat to weld for the same material thickness.

As you go more expensive, you get features like the Auto-Set, multiple voltage compatibility (110V or 220V), gas capability instead of only flux-core, spool-gun capability, etc. It's just as well I can't afford to run wild, I'd have gear better suited to shipbuilding than farm repairs :laughing:

Sean

 

[Chilly807]

One more thought.

If you look at Miller's line-up of MIGs, only the lower end (consumer/light duty professional) models have the Auto-Set feature.

Whether that's an admission that it's not durable long-term, or simply that the pros don't need it, you can draw your own conclusions.

Sean

 

[mf2640man]

my view is by a ark welder for starting out and for farm tasks i finde they are far superior and its easyer to see and feel wether the penatration of weld is up to standerd

i'm not one of these old gyes who thinks that arc welding is the onaly form of welding but when it comes to genral maintanace on the farm wich welder do i and other student at coleg run for ?? arc is the answer and we run for it every time

to weld normal every day steel 3mm -15mm i would advise a 250 amp welder such as sip murlin turbo (i have 1 never had a problem with her) but if your onaly useing her for garage work an oilfilled welder such as oxford may be far cheeper and cost afective

oil filled welders are heavy and not suted for farm life were you drag them from 1 end of the farm to another but welding is brilliant with them


its all down to cost you get what you pay for

 

[dmay]

I bought the lincoln migpac 180 from Canadian Tire in Winnipeg for around $600 on sale. It seems to work pretty well. But then I went to Air Liquid to get atank of gas and noticed they had the 180c which is supposed to have heavier duty components, plus variable heat settings for only $100 more. I think I would have bought this one instead. I also saw it at Praxair on Regent ave. for around the same price. Rob

Thanks for the local info Rob. Apparently Lincoln is offering a $75 mail in cash rebate so the 180C at Praxair after rebate would be $737.00. Think I'll pass on the 180 sale for now, take my course and then when I emerge with classroom experience, go shopping. Thanks everyone for all the advice.