Lincoln 180i multi process, dual voltage

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

A friend of mine asked if I wanted to go in halves on a welder and bought the 180i before I could research it. It seems like it will be a decent little welder, but there are not a lot of reviews that I can find. But it does seem a little light weight for the specs. The box is unopened and we can likely return it if there is a better option for similar price ~$1,300.

Do any of you have experience with a welder of this type?

https://lincolnelectricretail.com/products/weld-pak-180i-mp-dv/

 

[5030]

It's an IGBT machine so it won't be power hungry but with that low of maximum output, it's only good for short circuit MIG. Don't have the balls to do Spray Arc, Globular Transfer. My issue with Lincoln (and one of the reasons why I sold my Squarewave Tig machine) is the crazy high cost of replacement parts as well as the warranty. 1300 is kind of high for an under 200 amp machine today.

I see the foot pedal and TIG torch aren't included either. You'd have to buy a TIG torch and foot pedal and with that low of an output, welding aluminum (which requires high amperage) is out of the window as well. Fine for tigging mild steels however so long as it's not to thick. I run a CK Worldwide Series 17 torch on my machine as well as a water cooler which is something you don't need for steel.

If you want some good feedback, visit the Welding Web. Lots of 'Lincolnites' on there.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

My friend wants to build a light weight off road camper trailer. He wanted to use aluminum for the body frame, not undercarriage. I have zero experience welding aluminum and he has no experience welding other than 25 years ago in high school AG. He is going to be disappointed if he cant do alum with it.

I just want a welder around the farm for general maintenance and light fab. I don't plan on using Tig and honestly would have probably been fine with one of the tombstone stick welders. However, I do like mig more than stick, I hear Ron Popeil in my head, "just set it.... and forget it". I'll probably buy a tank and set it up for mostly mig. I am not a certified welder but have welded enough "professionally" that I know how to stick steel together with a mig or stick. I can also fake my way around an acetylene welding rig for thin easy stuff. Had a certified welder friend at work that taught me basics of tig, but the machine was already set and I only ran a handful of feet of bead on a stainless tank. It seemed almost exactly like gas welding. Some of the equipment I used to be over were tube mills and roll formers. We had an "auto" tig rig on the tube mill to weld the coils together and the roll formers we would use a gas rig to weld the coils together. The welds had to be strong enough to be bent and formed and still hold the tails of the coils together while also thin enough to make it through the dies. It caused you to have to get good at it. Typical thickness was from .029 to .105 and only 3-6" slit width. The gas rig is totally manual, just a torch. The tig rig is "automatic" in that it's on rails, starts, moves, and stops automatically, but you still have to kind of guide it and adjust the speed to get a good weld.

 

[5030]

TIG is exactly like O/A welding but instead of having a flame to heat the material to be welded, you use a tungsten electrode and apply 'filler' rod of the appropriate material you are welding. The issue is, you have to keep the filler rod in the gas envelope or it will get contaminated and ruin the weld/ It's a 2 handed operation with some differences.

I get my gas from Weldfabulous. They sell full CGA rated bottles shipped to you full of whatever gas you want, straight Argon for TIG and 75-25 for MIG and when I empty them, I get them refiilled at my local Air Gas. I only buy their 125 cubic foot bottles. Remember you have 2 distinct flow regulators for each gas as well. I only use the 'floating Ball' regulators, not the dial ones. I always haver at leas one full bottle of each gas on hand plus the bottles that are hooked up to the machines. They don't sell acetylene or oxygen (for O/A welding, just inert gas) for MIG and TIG.

 

[5030]

I only run 0.030 solid wire in the MIG machines with 75-25 shielding gas but then my MIGS provide adequate amperage to spray arc weld which is what I prefer anyway. Only wire I use is INE btw. I've tried them all and INE welds the best at least for me.

 

[yomax4]

The 180 is a little over priced in that Lincoln doesn't make it. They don't list output volts only amps.

I'm sure it's a solid machine and you can expect to weld 3/8" material at a low duty cycle with 035 wire.

Research would have shown that you could have bought 2 other brand machines with good reviews for $1300.
Good Luck and Weld On !

 

[WranglerX]

Quite frankly if you are a MIG only welder a simple mig only machine probably would have been a better choice, I do all my welding with HOBART 140 and C-25 and solid .030 wire and quite frankly no need to TIG (because I can't see that well) and I just don't like stick... Actually sold old Lincoln Tombstone (no I don't regret it) to go to MIG.... IF your other "share" person wants to do aluminum he will probably need to get spool gun or get the TIG option... Seems beyond your needs you should not be expected to share ($$$) in his bad habits...

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I get my gas from Weldfabulous.

We have a local Welsco location here. They are only about $20 more for the full bottle and do bottle exchanges. That seems a little easier for me.

 

[5030]

I NEVER exchange bottles as I own them all and all are 120 Cubic Foot except my oxygen, that is a 175 CuFt bottle. I don't like exchanging bottles because exchange bottles get beat up and look like *ell after a while and all my bottles are painted gloss black and have my company name stenciled on them. I don't wax them just like I don't wax my tractors either but I don't like looking at beat up exchange bottles either. I do exchange my acetylene bottle however, but that is infrequent as I don't use my O/A torches much today. Before plasma I did but it's so much easier to use a plasma cutter to sever material.

 

[5030]

quite frankly no need to TIG (because I can't see that well)

You can get 'cheater' lenses for most welding hoods today and I don't see that well either but I do with the cheater lens in my auto dark hoods. I've also started to put a high intensity Halogen work light shining on my work piece. I like TIG, especially using a clear Pyrex cup on the torch. You can see right through them unlike an alumina cup. Only issue with a Pyrex clear cup is you cannot 'walk the torch' when doing TIG whereas you can with an alumina cup. I usually use the Pyrex cup in conjunction with a fine gas diffuser nozzle.