Advise for a first time Welder

[IslandTractor]

No, I wouldn't. I'd consider an IdealArc a low end to mid range commercial welder. The term buzz box means to me something that the uninformed home owner would buy.

OK, that is how I use the term buzz box too.

 

[muddstopper]

I dont know what a new inverter stick welder sells for But I dont see used lincoln ac/dc tomstones selling for $300 in my area. I priced mine for $150 and eveybody wanted to jhew on that price. The ac/dc tombstone may or may not be any better than the elcheapo new inverter machines, but mine worked hard and wasnt stored in the best of conditions for over 30years, and I never had to even turn a screw on the machine. If I was in a market for another stick machine, just for personal use, I wouldnt hesitate to buy another tombstone if I found one in the price range i was trying to sell mine for. I traded my old machine for a engine drive that needs to be worked on to get it to work or it would still be hooked up and the Idealarc would be reserved for tig jobs only. I wouldnt trade the Idealarc or either of my mig machines for a tombstone, I wouldnt trade them for any of the elcheapo inverter stick machines either. If i didnt have a welder and was looking for one, then i might consider buying one of the bigger 250/300amp range inverter stick/migs, and then look for a dedicated tig machine and then probably start looking for another 175 amp 110/220v migs,,, just because.

 

[Reverser]

Well, I cannot really imagine anyone repairing a buzz box. Not sure exactly what a welding shop charge would be but I'm having a hard time thinking it would be less than about $100 plus parts. That and the fact that getting one of those things into a welding shop almost requires two people. I never had trouble with my buzz box but I've never had to repair any of my three inverters so IMO those are pretty darn reliable too.

I owned a Lincoln AC/DC buzz box at the same time as I had a Miller Maxstar 150. There was just no comparison in which was the easier to use and transport and work with. Buzz boxes are like 57 Chevys. They did their job well back in the day but you really have to be a diehard fan to consider them anywhere close to a modern inverter welder. That doesn't mean take the buzz box to the junk yard, just means that the old adage that to learn welding you should go to CL and grab a used buzz box for $200-300 is not really the best advice IMO. Spend $350 on a new inverter stick machine and you'll be much happier in the long run.

Most buzz boxes these days are the old entry level versions from Miller and Lincoln and that is what I was referring to. Not sure a Lincoln Idealarc or Miller equivalent is really a buzz box but if so then I am wrong about the quality.

I'm surprised that you think that highly of buzz boxes that you would compare them to '57 Chevy's. :laughing:
I don't rate them quite that high. But like the old Chevys, they're durable, well made, and long lived. And since we're comparing these to automobiles, perhaps inverters could be likened to Cadillac's. The Cadillac's ride would be smoother,quieter and more comfortable with lots of bells and whistles. But in the end, both would be adequate in getting you from point A to point B.

I had an old Lincoln buzz box like yours about 30 years ago. They're a capable welder. It would be better if the DC were higher for thicker material. But the thicker materials weld fine on the AC side, just not quite as smooth, perhaps. I bought it at a garage sale and never had the need to repair it, so I don't personally know about having one repaired. But from what I've read, I don't think it would be so complicated that a person couldn't repair it themselves, if they ever had the need. I've heard that parts are readily available and there are no computer parts or other complications involved. I sold mine 10 years later when I moved and didn't have a place for it right then. I sold it for the same price I paid for it, so it didn't cost me anything to use it all those years. So like a '57 Chevy their resale is good. :laughing:

I agree that your Miller Maxstar is a fine machine, and comparing it to a buzz box is not a real comparison as far as smoothness, portability, and all the bells and whistles that the Maxstar has.
But the bottom line is the actual weld quality and strength. The ripples may not be quite as finite on the buzz box, but in the hands of a capable weldor, the weld will be more than adequate.
A real advantage to the inverter is how small and light they are. They make a big difference if you're using it in a small garage or shop. With the inverter you could just set it on a shelf, if need be.

For the OP,
I have a Hobart Handler, but not the 190. I've had it for several years and it's performed flawlessly. I seldom use it, but my son likes it and is always bringing projects over to my place to weld. I prefer stick myself.
I think Shield Arc has a good suggestion with the Hobart Ironman 230. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm surprised that you think that highly of buzz boxes that you would compare them to '57 Chevy's. :laughing:
I don't rate them quite that high. But like the old Chevys, they're durable, well made, and long lived. And since we're comparing these to automobiles, perhaps inverters could be likened to Cadillac's. The Cadillac's ride would be smoother,quieter and more comfortable with lots of bells and whistles. But in the end, both would be adequate in getting you from point A to point B.

I had an old Lincoln buzz box like yours about 30 years ago. They're a capable welder. It would be better if the DC were higher for thicker material. But the thicker materials weld fine on the AC side, just not quite as smooth, perhaps. I bought it at a garage sale and never had the need to repair it, so I don't personally know about having one repaired. But from what I've read, I don't think it would be so complicated that a person couldn't repair it themselves, if they ever had the need. I've heard that parts are readily available and there are no computer parts or other complications involved. I sold mine 10 years later when I moved and didn't have a place for it right then. I sold it for the same price I paid for it, so it didn't cost me anything to use it all those years. So like a '57 Chevy their resale is good. :laughing:

I agree that your Miller Maxstar is a fine machine, and comparing it to a buzz box is not a real comparison as far as smoothness, portability, and all the bells and whistles that the Maxstar has.
But the bottom line is the actual weld quality and strength. The ripples may not be quite as finite on the buzz box, but in the hands of a capable weldor, the weld will be more than adequate.
A real advantage to the inverter is how small and light they are. They make a big difference if you're using it in a small garage or shop. With the inverter you could just set it on a shelf, if need be.

For the OP,
I have a Hobart Handler, but not the 190. I've had it for several years and it's performed flawlessly. I seldom use it, but my son likes it and is always bringing projects over to my place to weld. I prefer stick myself.
I think Shield Arc has a good suggestion with the Hobart Ironman 230. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

For what it's worth, I never intended to imply that the buzz boxes cannot weld. I think half of the amateur welders in the US have these still and they clearly can weld adequately. My point was more that for someone starting out today, I would not recommend one. To extend our car analogy, I wouldn't recommend a teenager get a 57 Chevy as his first car today, a Toyota Corolla would be a good start and maybe the better comparison to an entry level inverter stick machine. Small, light and does the job.

 

[arrow]

A real advantage to the inverter is how small and light they are. They make a big difference if you're using it in a small garage or shop. With the inverter you could just set it on a shelf, if need be.

I'm not sure of keeping an inverter with all its digital circuitry in an uninsulated, unheated garage. Its light enough to tote from a house to outside. I could be mistaken but I'd be leery of keeping in a place as I mentioned as you would say a Stickmate or equivalent transformer welder.

 

[Shield Arc]

I'm not sure of keeping an inverter with all its digital circuitry in an uninsulated, unheated garage. Its light enough to tote from a house to outside. I could be mistaken but I'd be leery of keeping in a place as I mentioned as you would say a Stickmate or equivalent transformer welder.

Here in Western Washington it doesn't get cold, well maybe up in the Cascades or the Olympic mountains but not down here in the flatlands. My shop isn't heated, and I've had a Miller Dynasty for coming up on 10-years, just used it this morning. Still purring right along.

 

[Reverser]

Shield Arc,
I watched a show on Nat. Geo. this morning about your neighbor, Mick Dodge. He has a great time running around barefoot living off the land. :laughing:

 

[Shield Arc]

Mick Dodge? Never heard of him.

 

[Reverser]

Mick Dodge? Never heard of him.

The name of the show is "The Legend Of Mick Dodge". It's just one of those silly reality shows where this guy looks like a wild man with long stringy hair and beard and runs around barefoot all the time. On the ½ hr episode this morning he was showing how he brushes his teeth with a small pine cone. :laughing:

What interested me about the show was how beautiful the rain forest is on the west side of the Olympic Mountains. I saw them back in the 1970's and always wanted to live there in the Pacific Northwest and get away from the Texas heat, but never made it.

 

[arrow]

Here in Western Washington it doesn't get cold, well maybe up in the Cascades or the Olympic mountains but not down here in the flatlands. My shop isn't heated, and I've had a Miller Dynasty for coming up on 10-years, just used it this morning. Still purring right along.

I'm wondering if anything is done differently inside to protect its circuitry in a $4000 welder as opposed to a $200 one?