What should I be looking at that can handle most jobs? I'll probably be buying used, any brands to watch out for? Thanks, Scott
you'll be good with one of the small 220 units. You'll be able to do some thick stuff but be able to crank it down for sheet. pretty much any recognizable name will do.
Scott, I bought used for my welder also. I got mine through a pawn shop. Look on Craigs list, ebay, local bargain news ect. They are out there. I would HIGHLY recomend a 220 machine. It will do everything you need to do. Mine is a 110 machine and there have been times I've had to bum a 220 machine from a friend. Stick with the big 3: Lincoln, Hobart or Miller. Established compainies easy to get parts for and well proven products. Todd
Look for a Miller 35 or a Miller 200. They're good on sheetmetal all the way up to about 3/8" in a single pass. If your lucky and find a 200 with a spool gun you can do aluminum too. I've seen them go for between $200-700 and parts are still available.
For a first welder I would recommend a Hobart Handler 187. Goes for a reasonable amount and can handle most tasks for auto work. Ed
Use the search function with the search string "buy AND welder" and you should get more information than you can digest within an hour.
Agreed, I have one and it works great.... and it has a very reasonable price tag, stay with the 220v. 110 is not enough
I bought a miller DVI II, cost me over a thousand but it does both 115 and 230, its alittle heavy but nothing I can't lift in the back of my truck and take it where I need to go. welds great. Anthony
No offense but I never understood why people bought that welder. The only good thing I see for the money is the 120 or 220 voltage. For the same amount of money you can buy a Millermatic 212 which is a much more powerful machine. But hey, if it works for you that is what really matters. Ed
Scott I have several welders all name brand top quality and I have found that If you are welding patch panels and sheet metal work you are best off with something like a Lincoln Mig with gas 110V works fine. But I just finished a Model A chassis and the .023 wire in my high powered Linde 160 amp didn't cut it, I had to change to the .035 wire which required me to change not just the roll of wire but the torch handle also. So in short get the machine that best fits your needs and consider the price for those needs. And buy name brands like Miller, Lincoln, Hobart.
the Miller 210 Mig is a great standard. You might think about taking some welding classes if you are doing anything stuctural / safety related. I know tons of guys who can't weld anything together safely on the best of machines. Have fun! wil www.sakowskimotors.com
I got a 110 miller mig great for most auto stuff. I did have to bum a 220 rig to build my work table.As to what brand? Miller!
I would look for a Miller 172, 175 or 180. All great welders. The 172 had a nicer gun on it. The 175s are notorious for some issues, but Miller is good about replacements. I went through two and then upgraded to Tweco and never looked back. Bernard would have been cool though. Otherwise, look for Lincoln. I have one of those as well and like it just as much. Just don't buy an HD one. They are from Home Depot, and are made cheaper, and do actually suck. Either way, its like Ford vs. Chevy, so buy whichever one will complement your garage color scheme best. Also if you run across a used HTP they are also very nice. Kind of a lesser known welder manufacturer, but nice still. More expensive new but can be had cheap used for some reason. Hobart wouldnt be a bad choice, but I cant stand the click-in adjustment for heat and wire speed. I like my infinitely adjustable ones.
I'm a miller guy for sure. I guess your looking for a mig welder? Miller just came out with a "starter" ac/dc tig inverter too, the diversion 165. About half the price of my Dynasty 200dx(which I love!) I have one as well. At first I was wishing I would have gone with a 252, but the dual voltage has started to pay for itself with some mobile jobs. Put a couple straps on it and lift it into the truck with a cherry picker The 212 is a three hundred dollars more. It gives you 20% more duty cycle and a few more amps, but the dvi-2 still does 3/8". Being able to plug into 110 has been a huge bonus for me.
To steal a quote I read on here a while back, "Lincolns are for spendin', Millers are for drinkin', HOBARTS are for weldin'" I have to jump on the Hobart Hander 187 bandwagon, I bought one a couple months back off Sears.com for like $680 shipped. Best shop purchase in a long time. A 5 year old could weld with it. It comes with the Miller gun and it very user friendly. Just my .02 cents. Jai
Quote: <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by ed_v No offense but I never understood why people bought that welder. The only good thing I see for the money is the 120 or 220 voltage. For the same amount of money you can buy a Millermatic 212 which is a much more powerful machine. But hey, if it works for you that is what really matters. Ed </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> The 212 is a three hundred dollars more. It gives you 20% more duty cycle and a few more amps, but the dvi-2 still does 3/8". Being able to plug into 110 has been a huge bonus for me.<!-- / message --><!-- sig --> __________________ Well Ed, no offense taken but having the option to plug into a house line is fantastic, most of my friends dont have a 230 plug in their garage, and not many of my friends own shops that would have one so when you need to do some sheet metal work and their little flux core brand name is giving ugly hard welds and warping their 20 gauge and old tin thats thin, its nice to be able to plug in a mig that is more than capable of doing small jobs as well as big jobs with the right amps. I dont weld 3/8's but once in a while, the cycle duty has never held me back. I bought the best welder I could afford in my mind. jdustu- so far i havn't needed a cherrypicker since someones been around to help but i'm sure someday i'll be using ur method Anthony
I bought a lincoln 175 brand bew in the box on ebay for $390 220 machine, works great. Do a search on there, they are still available
Great welder and the versatility of being able to use regular household current is great. The 210 is my workhorse. If you have 220. The welding class comment is a good one as well. Have you been living the "High Life"?
One on the guys at the shop had a Miller 175. I just didn't like the way it welded. It is true that the 210 is overkill for most applications. I have it so I can use an aluminum spool gun with it and have enough juice. For most frame applications, I only need half the power, but it lays down much nicer than the 175 at full power. I use the 210 also to weld up custom 3/8" brake caliper brackets with no problem. Maybe the 175 I was using just had a problem, but I did not like it at all. wil www.sakowskimotors.com
I had 220 in my shop for my old stick, so that was no issue. I bought a Miller 250 about 10 years ago and worried about the cost then, but, now I have no regrets as it is a once in a lifetime buy. It takes 2 guys to lift it but I don't move it much, neighbors bring stuff to me. Remember you can weld light stuff with a big welder but you can't weld thick stuff with a small one. Kinda like putting a hemi in a roadster, MOST of the time that power is not needed......but..
Just make sure it's gas shielded. I fought my first one without gas. More grinding and putting patches over my patches. Went to a Lincoln with gas and WOW what a difference.
The Jalopy Journal
