Advise / Opinions to Sell and Buy Welder

[Bill Guenthner]

I am a complete NOVICE welder. I purchased (at friends recommendation) a Miller Thunderbolt 225 AC / DC several years ago, and still own this machine. Over time, have discovered that most everything I weld is "thinner" metal.
What I would like to do is sell the Stick welder and purchase a wire feed welder. I do not believe I would ever use shield gas, but instead go with flux core wire. Of course, never say never. My welding projects future is mostly limited to 1/2 - 1" square tubing, round stock (landscape arbors... that type of thing) with some sheet metal plate (>9 gauge ?).
As with EVERYTHING, it is difficult to know the limits of what you want to "do", as in a computer (what do you want to use it for ?) questions. But, I will NOT be using for "Farm repair" on heavy steel or any project that is heavy duty / safety (trailer frames...etc.).

My first question is " how much should I ask for my Thunderbolt ? It is in great shape, used little and has 8' extension leads.

My second question is, I have pretty much narrowed down the Mig choice to Hobart. While there are many, many brands and models out there, the Hobart is readily available locally and the reviews look good enough, and the PRICE is in my range.
Between a Hobart 140 and a Hobart 190, I am leaning towards the 190 for the "possible" future "I wish I would have spent a little more so I could.... I have 220v plug for the Thunderbolt (40A I think), and I do not "need" the 110v capability, meaning that is not a reason to buy the 140.

Any owners of the 190 out there ?
The 190 is at the Max of my price range. If there was a better machine for this price (That I could get locally) I would consider.

Thoughts and opinions are welcome

The key to a stick welder is having the right sticks for each use case. It makes a huge difference.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Welding is like playing the guitar, you don’t get better by buying new guitars.

 

[BukitCase]

"Welding is like playing the guitar, you don’t get better by buying new guitars."

Well dang, there went THAT plan

Good thing I stopped doing that a little over 20 years ago ... Steve

 

[California]

It is virtually impossible to make pretty welds when fluxcore welding.

That's good to read, coming from a from a pro.

So its not just just my limited experience welding occasionally for farm projects!

20 years now and my flux welds still don't look like stuff made by a pro. (1, 2).

 

[jaxs]

That's good to read, coming from a from a pro.

So its not just just my limited experience welding occasionally for farm projects!

20 years now and my flux welds still don't look like stuff made by a pro. (1, 2).

Oh you poor man do your friends know about this?
Look's better than mine and I've been at it longer than you.
Our pigeon poop beads aside,it's simply not true that It is virtually impossible to make pretty welds when fluxcore welding. It's also not true that pretty welds are always good welds. Granted one can make a bead that looks good much easier with gas than flux but that isn't the point when it comes to repair and fabrication. Thousands of pounds of flux core wire bead is certified by inspectors daily on projects that cost of equipment and material is secondary only to safety.

 

[yomax4]

Simply buy the most powerful welder in your budget that will run FC and Gas.
If FC is where you will start I suggest 71T-11 as opposed to the TGS crap.
Good luck learning..

 

[WranglerX]

Ummmm.... I will post these links again....

Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info

Down and Dirty Welding tips and tricks , No PhD's allowed

www.weldingtipsandtricks.com

 

[PILOON]

Welding is all 'practice, practice', and more.
My 1st was a DIY that I rewound from an old transformer and started to stick things together.
Later I bought a Hobart 200 stick machine and still have that.
Rods and their storage is another key component. A rod oven is sure a good thing to use.
Heck an oven can be a wooden box with a filament bulb as heat source, no need to buy fancy one.
LOL or store your rods over your hot water tank.
Shucks I have even welded with car batteries wired in series.
AND, so far nothing I have 'stuck together' has separated.
As I said, practice, practice.
Your first project could and should be that dedicated welding table, not a store bought one.

 

[California]

Simply buy the most powerful welder in your budget that will run FC and Gas.
If FC is where you will start I suggest 71T-11 as opposed to the TGS crap.

Yes!!! For anyone starting out with flux core it may not be obvious that the choice of wire makes a huge difference.

E71-T11 is a specific industry standard that should be the same across any vendor.

For small spools, Lincoln E71-T11 is top quality but they put 1 lb on the small spool while everyone else has 2 lbs on the same size spool for about the same price. I'm presently using PGN's E71-T11, it's the cheapest I saw on Amazon for next-day delivery. It works fine. In particular it is properly spooled so it feeds better than other inexpensive brands I've tried and makes minimal smoke.

E71T-GS spec is different: Wire made to any standard that was negotiated between seller and customer. That could be anything!
I like INE's Inetub E71T-GS. This is a reputable top-tier Italian company proud of their decades of design experience. It costs a little more.