buying a welder finally.. Whats your choice?

im no welder, and im tired of askin someone to weld shit for me.. Time to invest... im gonna buy a mig and i have my eye on the miller 211... What r you guys useing, and the likes and dislikes.. remember... im a beginner... when your on a budget and consider it a investment you like to do research.. thanks!!

 

I think it would be a good unit.

I bought a 110 power Hobart and it is OK but it is a little " light duty " for a really good job. It is good for patch panels but not much else.

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Cannot go wrong with Miller.

 

Hobart Handler 187 at Tractor Supply for under $600. It's a 220V machine and is great for an all around welder for the home shop. Would buy the same again in a heartbeat.

 

miller is great, but the main thing you wanna know when purchasing a welder is what kind of power sourse you have, how thick of stuff your gonna weld. Im hoping and gonna assume your wanting to get a gas mig welder. i dont know what kind of price your looking for, but out of the welders I have I like miller the best, lincoln is good to but not as good for sheet metal, and hobart makes a pretty killer welder too, the handler 140, and hobart is the sister company of miller so its good quality too.

 

miller good quality and great value. I have had my 250 for about 10 years. works like a charm.

 

I have and use a Miller 211. It's the cat's ass.

 

i found a lincoln 170sp a great machine a few years back -- apparently the newer 200 inverter is even better,, simplicity is great,,

 

another vote for the hobart 187 i have been having a great time with it

 

Two years ago I purchased a Lincoln Pro Mig 180 with a bottle to do sheetmetal work. No problems. Nice unit that runs on 220. I have a Lincoln ac/dc arc welder for chassis welding..modified several frames with it.

 

I use a variety of welders every day at work, I found that Miller has the best quality of machines so far. Although I own a Lincoln 110v machine which I am very happy with. I would definitely recommend the machine you are looking at. 110v is great for light stuff as Deuce mentioned, but if you are going to do chassis work I would opt for the 220. I would also take a course or at least have a welder friend give you some basics before trying anything structural.

 

cant go wrong with the Miller!

 

I own a hobart and it says miller on all the inside parts and was alot cheaper than a miller

 

my suggestion is;

this can be accepted or rejected................

if you are an inexperienced welder find someplace to take a quick course and see what the training facility has for equipment and ask the instructor about different machines and discuss what you plan on doing. then ask the instructor after you feel comfortable with your profiency if you were to buy a machine could you bring it to class and get some instruction and allow you to practice and have the instructor coach you.

if i was still teaching and a student asked me about that i would be very receptive and as helpful as possible.

 

I also just bought a Hobart Handler 187. Bought it used off Craigs list with only like 3 hours on it for $450.00. Haven't had a chance to play with it yet but looking foward to it.

 

can't go wrong with the 211... i've had mine for almost two years, and i'm very pleased with it... 110 or 220 volts is a real nice option

 

I'm also a novice, and my wife actually went out and got me the Hobart 187 for Father's Day. I can't say enough about it. Love the thing! A few of my actual welder buddies have come over to use it because they don't have 220V in their garage and they say it's one of the nicest welders they've used. One more thing, their torches are made by Miller (has the logo right on it). I believe it's a Miller made machine (lower brand), but don't quote me on it. Either way, it's been used here on everything from 20 gauge to 1/4" and it works great. Easy set up, easy to use, will do gas or flux. Also, has a decent warranty.

 

horbart is supose to be like for home use, and miller is commercial type deal, but thats what the hobart told me

 

can't go wrong with a search here on this subject - lots of info already posted

 

We just bought a Miller 211 and it a great little machine. It has autoset which I never use but my boy likes that feature as he is just starting to mig and it takes a lot of guess work out of the settings. Put it on autoset and anyone could weld I bet. The 220/110 feature is nice, we only have one 220 plug in the shop right now and it's handy when one of us is using the tig to be able to still use it. I did find out it wants to kick the circuit breaker on 110 pretty easy.

 

i have a 220 in garage and several friends that r great welders... so all good in thoughs areas.. just want to make the right investment.. i guess i want a "multi-use".. and the best for the $$$$... still leaning towards miller 211... Thanks for all the comments and information... keep it comin!!

 

Hands down a Miller is the best out there ! Now if you are going to be building a lot of frames and going in business for yourself , I would buy the Miller 211 .
Now if you just want a good welder for the cars you might build at home for yourself , then I would save the money and go with a 180 to 187 size welder . Miller and Lincoln seem to be the best out there . All depends on who you ask . There are other good welders but you mostly have the Blue and Red welders people .
I bought a Lincoln 110v welder with gas about 5 years ago . It's never let me down and I can take it anyplace to weld something . Everyone has 110v outlets but not everyone has 220v . Now I did buy mine for mostly sheet metal work and does a great job with no complaints and has never let me down ! I have welded thicker metal with it and does OK but not for building frames ! It will weld 1/8" to 3/16" no problem with gas . Now I am looking at a Lincoln 180 and will more than likely get one in the spring but I have to run a 220v line to my garage . I can get a new Lincoln 180 off C/L around here for less than $500 . Not a mistype either . They sell for about $800 new .
There is a Miller that you can buy that runs on 115v & 220v that's really nice too . You really have to take into consideration the welding you are going to be mostly doing and if you will be using it a lot for heavier frame work or welding up roll cages . Then go with a bigger Miller 211 . If you are just using for your own cars then a Miller or Lincoln in the 180 range will serve you very well . Will also save you $1000+ over the cost of a Miller 211 also . Just think before you buy on what it will be used for and will it be used everyday . There are also great buys on C/L also !
Just my opinion !

Retro Jim

 

I bought the miller matic 180 about three months ago. For thick heavy welding, it doesn't compare to my old Hobart Beta Mig 250. That being said, there is no way ever, I could have welded the top on my coupe after chopping it, no matter how low the heat was on. It all depends on the work you need to.

I am very happy with the Miller except for one thing, in Autoset mode with welding thicker steel, the wire tends to weld itself to the tip, way to often. I believe the speed is to slow for the heat I have selected.

If you have 220 in your shop, I see no way, ever to change and plug into a 110v outlet.

 

Miller DOESN'T make the Hobart welders ! They just distribute them ! I thought that was also true till I asked Miller about that . Still a good welder for anyone who wants a reasonable good quality welder for their home shop for building cars .

Retro Jim

 

If you're only going to have one welder, and it's going to be a MIG, get one that will do 220V. Nothing at all wrong with the Miller you're looking at. Personally, I'd go Hobart first, Lincoln 2nd, and Miller 3rd- but they are ALL excellent machines.

 

That Miller 211 will do you good. You will outgrow it later, but for now thats a damn good unit.

 

i have used miller and linclon. i bought a linclon MP 350. Big welder. i love it. not portable. but i worked out a deal and purchased it through a school. no taxes! For a smaller welder i think that miller 211 is a great choice.

 

I have had everything from Century, Lincoln, Hobart to Miller. After trying the Miller I would never go back. After buying the Miller, I bought two more and have never regretted buying them.

 

Been very pleased with my Lincoln 255. Blue or red, get the max you will need because they are well made machines and will last a very long time.

 

Miller's a good choice, I kinda like the name. I have a Lincolon 300, It's big and hard to store but works well for the things I do.