Hobart/Miller/Lincoln?

[theboman]

I HOPE to sell a home this year where the whole check ain't going to pay some bill and have $500 or so to buy me a stick welder. I was thinking that AC/DC Lincoln (tombstone), or the Hobart Stickmate LX-235 or Miller Thunderbolt (if the price is right)..... Any recommendations? I hope to find a good used one, but a new one MAY fit the budget if the deal is good..again tryin' to stay as close $500 as possible. Any other suggestions?

I was told by my welder co-workers get the AC/DC model because of the increased capacity of the machine...

Doin' the general fab around the shed thing, and to improve my skills for my construction job so maybe I can become a welder (by golly)....

 

[gwdixon]

I'd ditch the AC/DC tombstone idea because it weights a ton and you'll likely never use AC after working with DC. You can find them on the cheap on Craigslist however.

Something in the DC inverter category should do the job. I have an Everlast Power Arc 200 that does wonders around the farm and is VERY reasonably priced. ($350 or make an offer) Quite portable and it runs off of a decent sized generator. You'd have money left over for some rod and other essentials. The warranty is attractive as well.

Everlast has a new PA 300 with more bells and whistles for more money but it is more suited to a professional. Can't image needing 300 amps on a farm project. Even hardfacing doesn't take that much.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Powerarc.php

If you are a China-hater then prepare to spend a lot more.

 

[kevinj]

I was able to pick up a Miller Dial Arc 250 for $200.00 with out lead but had the power cord and wheel kit.

 

[k0ua]

I really like my Everlast PA160 inverter DC only. it was $269.. Does all I need to do, and I also TIG with it.. You can sling it over your shoulder and walk off with it.. weigh's about 20 lbs. or so. Will run 1/8 7018 at 122 amps as fast as you can burn them, one right after the other.

James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

Every once in awhile you stumble onto a good deal. I picked up one of these, with a Miller high frequency box, air cooled Tig torch, some lead, ground clamp, and stinger for $50.00. But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen again!

 

[Jerry/MT]

I HOPE to sell a home this year where the whole check ain't going to pay some bill and have $500 or so to buy me a stick welder. I was thinking that AC/DC Lincoln (tombstone), or the Hobart Stickmate LX-235 or Miller Thunderbolt (if the price is right)..... Any recommendations? I hope to find a good used one, but a new one MAY fit the budget if the deal is good..again tryin' to stay as close $500 as possible. Any other suggestions?

I was told by my welder co-workers get the AC/DC model because of the increased capacity of the machine...

Doin' the general fab around the shed thing, and to improve my skills for my construction job so maybe I can become a welder (by golly)....

If you haven't taken a beginning arc welding course, do your self a favor and do that. It's the quickest way to learn.

I picked up a Miller DialArc 250 P ac/dc with 50 ft of leads and the power cord plus about 75 ponds of assorted rods, including hardfacing. The guy just bought an wire feed inverter and wasn't using this anymore. I'm building a cart for it so I can move it around when I'm not using it (it weighs 360 pounds!).It's really a great welder. I think the old Lincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC "tombstone" is pretty comparable.

I had a Lincoln 225/125 AC/DC welder which I sold after I got the Miller for $400 with 30 ft leads and plug. It doesn't have the duty cycle of the 250 amp machines but it 's excellent for most home shop and farm/ranch welding. To be truthful I didn't "need" the bigger machine but it was such a good buy I feel I got the increased capability for free (actually I made money!).The small Lincoln and the Miller Thunderbolt and Hobart AC/DC machines are all in the same class and are a good beginner outfit but if you look around you can find the bigger Miller and Lincoln machines at some pretty good prices because a lot of guys are going to the smaller inverter machines.

 

[Sublifer]

I've got the Everlast PA300. Its pretty sweet and I know I got more than I needed but I really wanted the adjustable hot start and arc force. If they haven't stopped it yet, Everlast is also offering TBN members a 20% discount on almost everything right now.

 

[theboman]

Thanks guys! I haven't any real training welding, but from time to time I get on the job training from some great welders! I hope to get a class. That Everlast sounds REAL good for what I need it for (playin').

 

[theboman]

I got myself a welder by little tradin' 'round. It's Lincoln AC-235-S, not the AC/DC as I'd hoped but it should do what I need to do, and that's learn to weld and then odd and end projects.... I think I came out pretty good..... Got rid of stuff I don't use/need for something I really wanted...
All I gotta do is put a new end on the power cord, they'd used a washer pigtail , folks do what they gotta do...

 

[dstig1]

Thats a fine welder to start with, and frankly if you wanted to keep it for life it would do most jobs just fine.

My adivce - Just keep your eyes open for a DC one and buy that one and then sell the old one. You'll probably get what you paid for it or more, if you try.

 

[MissouriSprayer]

I have a miller. Works better than I do

 

[grsthegreat]

I picked up a brand NEW thunderbolt ac/dc for just under $500 late last year. Its a truly wonderful machine.

 

[Sublifer]

I picked up a brand NEW thunderbolt ac/dc for just under $500 late last year. Its a truly wonderful machine.

How much do those weigh?

 

[rcowan]

If possible, take a welding course at your local community college.
I just finished the Oxy course. It teaches much more than just gas. Lots of metal and safety information and other types of welding.

WHy are you thinking of a stick welder?

RC

I HOPE to sell a home this year where the whole check ain't going to pay some bill and have $500 or so to buy me a stick welder. I was thinking that AC/DC Lincoln (tombstone), or the Hobart Stickmate LX-235 or Miller Thunderbolt (if the price is right)..... Any recommendations? I hope to find a good used one, but a new one MAY fit the budget if the deal is good..again tryin' to stay as close $500 as possible. Any other suggestions?

I was told by my welder co-workers get the AC/DC model because of the increased capacity of the machine...

Doin' the general fab around the shed thing, and to improve my skills for my construction job so maybe I can become a welder (by golly)....

 

[Groo]

If you want an old school AC/DC welder, I'd get a Lincoln from Home Depot. They are by far the cheapest for those. I can only think they signed a long term contract before the price of copper skyrocketed, they are that much cheaper than everyone else.

I have also been searching for a stick welder, and decided I might as well get a Inversion machine. lower price (for the Chinese ones), lower weight, and higher duty cycle, but once I made that decision, a machine that can do TIG isn't a huge step up. But I might as well get a AC/DC TIG machine so I can do Aluminum too. Unfortunately, that's getting well over my budget at that point..... Isn't that always the way it goes :laughing:

 

[BlacknTan]

An old Tombstone will do you well while you're learning, and always great to have around afterwards also. An old Dial-Arc is even better, but not portable.
Beware the Chinese machines. The price is low, and the warranty great... until you need it, that is. Ship the whole machine back on YOUR dime when you can get someone to respond. Do your homework, look inside one. Looks more like a cellphone than a welder.
Search the weld forums, although be aware that the Chi-Com machines have their own areas and delete all negative comments before they go too far. They also have shills that give positive reviews for financial incentives on equipment.. Just be aware..

An educated consumer is the best customer of the old established brands.

 

[Groo]

An old Tombstone will do you well while you're learning, and always great to have around afterwards also. An old Dial-Arc is even better, but not portable.
Beware the Chinese machines. The price is low, and the warranty great... until you need it, that is. Ship the whole machine back on YOUR dime when you can get someone to respond. Do your homework, look inside one. Looks more like a cellphone than a welder.
Search the weld forums, although be aware that the Chi-Com machines have their own areas and delete all negative comments before they go too far. They also have shills that give positive reviews for financial incentives on equipment.. Just be aware..

An educated consumer is the best customer of the old established brands.

Its not just Chinese welders that censor forums with sponsorship dollars, but they are getting rather infamous for it recently. I ran into a similar situation with my portable sawmill (a Timberking 2000). I did some internet searches on the machine before buying, and felt reassured when I didn't find a negative review on the machine, only positive. When I left a critical review of the machine on a large forestry forum, I was called an incompetent crybaby and my post was deleted. When I wrote back and listed purely factual shortcomings with no opinion at all, and that got deleted too, so I responded with "well, since I obviously can't say anything bad about a sponsor, I wont dare say what I think of my chainsaw", and got banned. I guess its pretty obvious why I didn't find a single bad review of the machine.

 

[grsthegreat]

How much do those weigh?

100 pounds...not light thats for sure. I also ordered the wheel and handle kit

 

[rcowan]

I picked up a Hobart 175 in a gun trade the other day. This thing is the cats meow.

RC

 

[troutsqueezer]

Asking which brand of welder to buy is like asking which make of car to buy. There is no definitive answer. Better to ask about various types of welders, not brands.