Do I need a MIG Welder?

oldun · Jan 15, 2014

hi,i personally would not go with the"pocket mig" as we call them in the UK as they can be very fussy to set up as the wire feed motors are pretty crap & the control board likewise. either get a mid priced 180-225 amp set or have some practice with your AC/DC stick with some 2mm 6012/13 rods ,DC positive 45 to 70 amps & try this on some scrap the same spec as you intend to use. keep the joints a good fit, no gaps & use fillet joints in the design as much as possibl

LONGEVITYsimon · Jan 15, 2014

GPintheMitten said:
OK, thanks. I didn't know that. This is new to me and frankly more than a little confusing. I've been reading the posts about Everlast and see that several members here have purchased from them. It seems not so much from Longevity. I don't really know why. I also don't know whether I need to go with Lincoln or Miller like sixdogs is suggesting. I don't think I want to spend $700 to $1100 ... hard to justify in my mind.

I was thinking about the Longevity 140 for $350 plus gas cylinder and consumables. MIGWELD 140 - MIG Welders (GMAW) | Longevity Global Inc

Our MIGWELD 140 has a lot of good reviews on it over the net. It can do GAS of FLUX. For the price, it works very well and you can add a spool gun to it as well to weld aluminum. We can do a free shipping on the unit for you as part of our promotion this month.

If you need more power, we have the MIGWELD 200s 200amp MIG/STICK for a bit more, which is going for $599.99.

LONGEVITYsimon · Jan 15, 2014

Arc weld said:
I think I'd look at an Everlast. Mark is very knowledgeable on this forum and is a regular contributor to it. The extended warrantee for the Longevity is outrageous!:shocked: The 2 year extended warrrantee is almost as much as the total purchase price. That's just ridiculous!:confused3: Solid wire MIG is the way to go though.

The MIGWELD 140 comes with a 5 year warranty on both parts and labor, which is above industry standard. Those extended warranties are set on categories like MIG vs each individual machine unfortunately.

GPintheMitten · Jan 15, 2014

oldun and Simon, I already purchased a mig welder. Bought it about 10 days ago.

Mark and Shield Arc, thanks for the tips. I'll try pushing as suggested. Thanks for the chart.

LONGEVITYsimon · Jan 15, 2014

Yep, i just saw that! Sorry we did not get to you in time. Let us know if we can help with anything and happy welding!

GPintheMitten · Jan 15, 2014

Thank you Simon.

lostcreekranch · Jan 15, 2014

Have been looking at MIG welders for a few months and mentioned this to my, down the road, neighbor last week.

He told me that he has a Lincoln Weld Pak 175, in never opened box, that he bought about 4 years ago at Home Depot on a whim that he "needed" to learn how to weld. He also bought Lincoln (he thinks) MIG welder cart, several 2 lb. rolls of wire in various sizes (flux core and solid core) and two Lincoln ( he thinks) auto adjust helmets. Also a small box of other welding tools, magnets etc.

He offered it to me for $300 for all. I jumped on it immediately, even though my research is pulling me to a 200 amp+ machine. I think it will be a more than sufficient " learning" machine for me. Looks like I will only need to get a bottle gas to use with the solid wire.

Asked him why he never used it and he said he got interested in woodworking? My gain, I hope

Not to de-rail this but, appreciate any available advice here. Picking it up Friday. Already have an extra 230 volt outlet in small workshop where we plan to do metal work but will probably have to change the outlet to match the Lincoln plug. We also do woodworking in large workshop and don't plan on mixing sparks with sawdust.

Thanks!