Another looking for a flux core MIG welder suggestion thread

[WranglerX]

Only thing I exchange is my dissolved acetylene and I have a reason as well. I do that because I'm not fond of banged up exchange bottles at all as all my bottles are nice and clean and damage free and because I have multiples of everything, dropping off an empty to be refilled is no big deal and usually I'm dropping more than one anyway.

Just had my insurance carrier inspect the shop and right away he took note of not only the secured full bottles but the secured bottles chained to the welding carts. My full bottles (and the empty ones are securely chained up in the far corner of the shop.

Not any of it is a mental issue with me, never has been and all my owned bottles are tattooed with the company name anyway.

We all understand your position, its been stated may times.... But not all of us operate under same conditions as you....

 

[California]

He doesn't have that option...

I have the Harbor Freight Titanium flux-core, it's alright not that powerful. I have that at home for tiny stuff.

I bought Amico MIG-130A which burns a lot hotter than HF Titanium (even on 115v). If you only need to glue metal together, since it's $150 - if it doesn't work for you, you are not out a bunch of money.

Amazon.com

Due to fire risk, my welding is done outside an open-air barn stall and never protected from wind. My application is farm repairs that will never need to be admired by a customer. And I have the same resistance to anything that needs bottles, the setup/teardown for occasional projects would complicate everything. It's simpler to just clean up the minor flux-core splatter.

I bought that model Amico in 2021. It's great. It's small, I put it away in a locked file cabinet when it's not in use. I recently posted an improvement to a Harbor Freight tool that I did with the Amico, take a look. Most of my use is repairs like this (or fabrication) on tractor implements, and this works great for most of my projects.

However if you will be working with 1/4 to 3/8" material (photo, example) then you need a welder in the 200 amp category. I pull out the old HF MIG-180 ($50, used) for flux welding on larger material like this. (photo). And here's a thread describing a fabrication project, adapting an implement for Quick Hitch compatibility.

For me, a thousand dollar welder would be overkill for the occasional (but critical) welding I do. YMMV.

 

[5030]

We all understand your position, its been stated may times.... But not all of us operate under same conditions as you....

Fair statement. I'm in business, it's not a hobby or infrequent use either.

 

[2515R Dude]

Nearest HF is 3 hrs round trip and $30 in tolls away, Tractor Supply(Hobart) is 25 min away, although they don't have the warranty coverage that HF does. But it all boils down to the fact that getting gas for any of the welding processes is a major pain in the @$$ and I was trying to avoid having to deal with that.

HF can ship. I bought a cheap MIG flux core for about $100 and it is flawless for 3+ years on my farm. The most important is to use the right wire. The one HF sells is garbage.

Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder

Amazing deals on this Easy-Flux 125Amp Flux Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[California]

HF can ship. I bought a cheap MIG fluke core for about $100 and it is flawless for 3+ years on my farm

Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder

Amazing deals on this Easy-Flux 125Amp Flux Welder at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I've seen 100% favorable comments for that welder, HF's Titanium flux welder. I went to buy one in late 2021, and was told place an order now for next June delivery. So I bought the Amico instead. After using the Amico, I think its dual voltage capability is preferable since nobody has the 30 amp 110v outlet that HF specifies is needed to get full output from this Titanium. (And avoid HF's Chicago Electric flux welder, That one is AC-only and near impossible to do decent work with. BTDT!)

Now today some of the cheap under $200 welders on Amazon have "Synergic Control", this essentially dials in the adjustments that you need some experience to do correctly, yourself. This seems like it would be a valuable feature, particularly for a beginner. Here's one vendor's description:

"Synergic Control: The 3 in 1 welder adopts IGBT and integrated wire feed technology to automatically match the recommended voltage and wire feed speed (current). At the same time, the user can also press the adjustment knob to individually adjusted the voltage±3V, making it accessible to both beginners and professionals."​

i don't know anything about that brand 'Bestarc'. I would research reviews if I were to buy it. In theory it looks excellent for DIY flux core projects. $139 after $30 coupon! If it's as good as its reviews, and as good as the Amico that I and another poster bought, it's a winner.

 

[WinterDeere]

Need to get past refill mentality and embrace exchange mentality when using shield gasses or oxygen/acetylene systems....

But they're heirloom bottles!

I feel sorry for anyone so caught up in what.. the $250 cost of a friggin empty bottle?!? Even if they've doubled in price since I bought my last bottle, what a waste of time and energy to worry about such small stuff in life.

If you're making an extra trip to drop off or retrieve a bottle, versus just exchanging the damn thing on the spot, you must have more time on your hands than business to fill it! And then you have to wait while they send it in for testing every 10th year? No thanks.

I like a new clean bottle as much as the next guy, but I'm not wasting my time or energy on it. It's nothing but another tool to get the job done.

 

[etpm]

I understand your reticence to use gas, especially if you can't just exchange a cylinder. Though I am surprised that you can't exchange cylinders, I haven't heard of any welding gas supplier in the last 30 years that doesn't just exchange cylinders. Anyway, I too have the ferry toll and long distance to get gas for my welding. For me it is also a 3 hour plus round trip to go to the closest welding supplier. Even though at this time most of my wire feed welding is flux core I do sometimes need to use bare wire and gas. So I am very glad that I have both options. My advice would be to get a welder that can do either gas shielding or flux core. Then someday if you need it you can use gas. Though I have a couple small gas cylinders in case I need to transport the welder my other cylinders are the 200 cubic foot size. It is way cheaper per cubic foot to fill the larger cylinders and the gas doesn't go bad. And eventually when I sell all of my welding stuff the gas cylinders will hold their value.
Eric

 

[WinterDeere]

For most weekend warriors, a bottle lasts a year or more. It's pretty easy to just plan to take it with you next time you're headed that direction, so no need for a special trip. So, maybe you exchange it with 10% still in the bottle, ahead of a big project where you want to be sure you won't run out, not a huge deal.

Another option is to just have two of each, or a primary (big) and backup (small) bottle, so that you can run off the second bottle while the first waits for your next trip to town to make the exchange. Either way, I'd be finding ways to avoid a long dedicated round trip, just for the purpose of exchanging bottles.

 

[5030]

On the subject of good wire and bad.. I've spent considerable time searching out the best wire and in my opinion, INE wires are the best and all I use. They sell not only solid wire but flux core as well. I buy their wires in bulk now, Good stuff.

 

[WranglerX]

On the subject of good wire and bad.. I've spent considerable time searching out the best wire and in my opinion, INE wires are the best and all I use. They sell not only solid wire but flux core as well. I buy their wires in bulk now, Good stuff.

Now that could be a subject all its own.... I prefere "PROSTAR" solid wire which is house brand of LINDE....