mig welder preferences

[Dale1995]

What are you guys using for a mig welder, what are your recommendations, specific brands to buy or stay away from? should I go for a 110 or 220 model. How much amperage do I really need? I hate to spend money on too much or too little welder. I will be using it for general repairs around the home and on my tractor. I would also like to fabricate items like trailers etc... Any good sources for buying this welder? Thanks for all your imput.

 

[Egon]

I would also like to fabricate items like trailers etc... QUOTE]

If you are going to be doing this type of work where failure could run into serious liability problems it may be advisable to take some courses. After the courses you should know what type of welder is suitable!

 

[J_J]

Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, 220v units are just some of the better brand names. It all depends on your funds. I would say not go lower than 175 amps for a MIG welder. They will take .023 up to .035 wire, maybe .045 MIG wire or flux coated wire. Other people are going to tell you different things, so take it all in and select the best you can, with what you have. MIG wire has to use an external shielding gas, like CO2 , Stargon, etc or several others. Flux coated wire makes it's own shielding gas.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

Hobart Handlers are good homeowner units - the 110v models will do surprising amounts of work, but the 220V models will do it better.
Another good one to look for is a Miller 250. Lots of auto shops use these, so if you're looking to go into production, you might want to look more towards the commercial welders (even used).
The craftsman mig welders used to be made by Lincoln, but I'm not sure who's making them these days.
flux core wire will work, but it's messy and difficult to get a pretty weld with it.
CO2 or Argon blend shielding gas is the way to go.

A low cost way to find out what you want/like would be to rent a couple different models for a day and try them all out.

 

[Dirtnut]

i just bought a Hobart Handler 210 and so far am very impressed. i did some looking & went with this brand because every place i went to had all the accessories. easy to find consumables for it. it has a 5/3/1 year warranty. lincoln was the next one, sears & lowes carried these but didnt have the supplies like hobart did. miller was no where to be found more for industry i think. tractor supply has the Handler 210 for 799.99 right now & tons of accessories. my 2 cents there are many welders out there flip a coin.

 

[Matt_Jr]

When selecting a Mig welder look for differant adjustments and the specs. I like one that has a lot of adjustment for wire speed and voltage. Many low cost welders don't have a lot of fine tuning and you must change technique to compensate. When welding different thicknesses you will want to be able to fine tune the voltage(heat) and wire speed. You should look at duty cylce too. Don't be fooled by a welder that has lots of amps but only 20% duty cycle at 3/4 the capacity of the welder. There's a lot of hury up and wait with those. I use a Millermatic 250 at work and really like it. I hate welding with shielded wire, 'cause it doesn't look as good as using a shielding gas, but it's better if welding outside and windy 'cause shielding gas just blows away. Same with inside the shop close to a fan-gotta shut off the fan to weld. That's where shielded wire comes in handy. 145 amps is good for up to 1/4 inch on a single pass, but remeber.. if your welder is maxed out at 145 that may lead to short duty cylces depending on the welder. 1/4 inch can be welded with less but will require a little more prep and more passes. Hobart is ok but I would lean towards a Miller for mig. I just bought a Snap on Muscle Mig for at home but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I went with that one over a Miller 'cause of the 100% duty cycle at 145 amps, and it'll Tig weld and will work with an aluminum spool gun.

 

[john_bud]

If you are ONLY going to weld thin materials, then 120v is good to go. But, if you want to also do some welding of thicker materials, you will want 240 single phase.

The key specs are;
Duty cycle - higher is better, rated at maximum output
wires used - 023, 030, 035, 045, etc.
Maximum output
Adjustability
Accessories. - things like an aluminum wire puller, TIG, etc.

I used to have a harbor 110v 105 amp welder. It worked fine for thin stuff. It got marginal when you would do more than a wee little bit at once. Duty cycle was horrible and weld quality dropped slowly before it cut off with overheat. That was replaced with a Lincoln SP255 with 250 amps output and 50% or so duty cycle. Much more of an industrial unit, but it has never let me down.

jb

 

[Diamondpilot]

I personally have 3 welders. 2 were cheap and one was not, so don't think I am rich or anything like that.

For 95% of the things I weld I use my Hobart 180 Mig Welder. Good unit for the money, about $550 on sale at TSC with cart, glove, helmet, regulator, ect.

For anything over 3/8" or extremely critical I use my $100 Miller 225 Thunderbolt Stick Welder. Got it from a friend of a friend.

For portability I use a $100 HF gas-less Mig Welder. I have ran this one on my boat many times via a generator and on the dock to fix railings and stuff.

If I had to get one and one only I would get the Hobart 180. Good all around unit.

Chris

 

[Skyco]

I have a Hobart Handler 135 I think it is and recently bought the Handler 210. Also have an old Lincoln AC tombstone box. All have their place. If I could only own one it would be the Handler 210.
The TSC price of $799 right now is a great deal. When I bought my 210 I searched all over and could not find a price that low... I paid around $850 delivered. Locally they were around $900 + tax.

 

[RickB]

i just bought a Hobart Handler 210 and so far am very impressed. i did some looking & went with this brand because every place i went to had all the accessories. easy to find consumables for it. it has a 5/3/1 year warranty. lincoln was the next one, sears & lowes carried these but didnt have the supplies like hobart did. miller was no where to be found more for industry i think. tractor supply has the Handler 210 for 799.99 right now & tons of accessories. my 2 cents there are many welders out there flip a coin.

Miller is the welder many pro's and savvy DIY'ers use. They are commonly available at welding supply houses. I can (and did) buy a MIller at one of 4 locations within 30 miles of me, which is the same distance to one of the big box stores (or TSC) where the clerks know what a welder looks like, but no more.

A welding supply store will likely have pricing within 10% or so of the big boxes on Lincoln, which is also a good choice. The supply house is a good source for top quality consumables, safety equipment, and technical information. You won't get that at TSC or the local big box.

Buying a welder at a big box store is similar to buying a lawn mower there. When you need support, you have to go to elsewhere. I won't prostitute myself for the sake of a few bucks. I just bought a Miller Thunderbolt stick welder from a local welding/gas supply house, and I am very happy. It was $4 more than a comparable Lincoln from the same store, and $25 more than the same Lincoln from a Big Box.

 

[Dargo]

My vote would be for the MillerMatic 210. Great overall size with a superb arc and ease of use. I actually use it more than my MM 250. I've probably burned 200 pounds of wire with the 210, and about 1/4 of that critical stainless welding. I love it. I've only had to replace 1 .35 tip (less than $2) with all that welding. Make sure you have clean dry air and good shielding gas. Otherwise just follow the chart under the lid for amps and wire speed.

 

[yankeerider]

Keep in mind that Miller and Hobart are the same company. The Miller machines are targeted more toward the industrial, constant use applications while the Hobarts towards the farm and hobbyist who's looking for a solid machine that will not be in constant use. The gun that came with my Handler 210 actually says Miller on it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

IMHO the ideal way to go if you are planning to do some medium heavy fabrication like trailer building is to start with a good power supply like a Miller 250-350 amp AC/DC welding machine with Constant Current controls. With this machine you can stick rod, TIG and add a wire feeder to it to do MIG or FCAW. These welding machines can be found used for $300-400 and if they run a bead on demo when buying, they are likely not hurt as the only thing to wear out is the cooling fan motor. The transformer can burn up, but if it is working it should be fine. They will run all day on 70% of listed amperage and never overheat and the arc is more stable than the cheap 110 V. You will pay more for this set up, but look for used on the internet preferably from an industrial fabricator that is downsizing or going out of business. LOTS of those around now.
You can start out stick rod and add the other equipment as you can afford or need it. Perhaps you may decide that the stick rod is all you need. Lots less consumables to keep up with and keep dry with just stick electrodes. You can add a TIG set up to the Miller welding machine for a couple hundred bucks and with stick and TIG you really can weld anything.

 

[J_J]

Dale, let me add this to what I posted above. If you have welded before, then you have an idea what you want. If you haven't welded much, I would recommend that you attend a local welding class at a local school and let them explain everything, and let use different machines, and then make your decision accordingly. You can get into big bucks real quick if buying new, but if you have time on your hands, look for used. You perhaps might buy a stick welder, but if you like MIG, the MIG add on will cost around $1000.00 plus. You can also get a good welder in a welder /generator. My Miller 250 diesel 10K welder/generator will burn some rods.

 

[Sully2]

i just bought a Hobart Handler 210 and so far am very impressed. i did some looking & went with this brand because every place i went to had all the accessories. easy to find consumables for it. it has a 5/3/1 year warranty. lincoln was the next one, sears & lowes carried these but didnt have the supplies like hobart did. miller was no where to be found more for industry i think. tractor supply has the Handler 210 for 799.99 right now & tons of accessories. my 2 cents there are many welders out there flip a coin.

I have to agree 100%. I bought the 140 Handler and learned a lot using it along with a VOC class...but then jumped to the Handler 210 and its a tad more than what I have NEEDED...but will cover anything I ever need to weld.
The H210 is a great machine

 

[bobodu]

Was sure disappointed when the bosses brother took home his Lincoln and the company had to buy a welder. That Hobart 180 is a piece of crap compared to the Lincoln.

 

[swines]

You need to be able to buy supplies for the welder - tips, cups, drive rollers, and liners. Whatever you buy, make sure you can get the maintenance items you need. I have both a Miller and an ESAB. The ESAB is probably the best MIG I've ever used for total flexibility and arc quality...however, they are $$$ more than a Miller or Lincoln.

Thermal Arc (Victor, Tweco, Thermal Dynamics, Arcair, etc.) makes nice MIG units also. They're often found in automobile factories. I have an Thermal Arc, ArcMaster 185 TIG unit and it is a great little welder.


The Thermal Arc Fabricator series is competitive with Miller and Lincoln and can usually be found for a bit less. They come with a Tweco MIG gun.

 

[OlderToday]

If you're buying within the next week (Jan 23, 09 - Jan 31, 09), Tractor Supply has a 10% off welder coupon on their web site (sit on the home page and watch the coupons cycle-by)...I kinda like that Hobart 187. $599 minus 10% looks dang good!

 

[charlz]

Keep an eye on Craigslist, I picked up a Miller Vintage (re-issue of the 200) for $900 including a big bottle of co2/argon. Lots of Hobarts etc. on there to. I wouldn't go with a 110 if you are going be welding 'tractor stuff' as most of it is fairly thick stuff.

 

[escavader]

Ihave athe 140 hobart.It works real well.Ihave a old lincoln 225 AMP stick welder i do most of my "real important strength welds" with.Ibought the mig for thinner stuff[like my tractor cab sheathing],and it makes a nice job of it.Got it at tractor supply,i also buy the gas there too.
ALAN