Hello every one. Trying to build up the garage a little bit while i am deployed and was looking for some advice on a decent welder. In the past i have used my grandfathers tools as well as the armys but over the last 5-6 years i have started building my own garage and i think its time to invest in my own. My experience with welding is limited to about 15 hours of stick and maybe 3-5 hours of mig so i am by no means a expert. I do find my self needed one more and more it seams always for small projects (hanging a exhaust, mounting a plate, etc) I dont want to brake the bank on this and i would prefer a 115v set up so i dont have to re wire my garage however if its worth steeping up to a 230 then thats what i will do. Not trying to act like a noob here just dont want to get a peace of junk that will not get the job done.

 

best thing would be to get a 240v one they just work a lot better, i have a cheap one from harbor freight and it does ok for small thing but i wouldn't trust the welds for thicker metal.

 

Moved to Tools.

Please search this forum as there are numerous threads on this subject.

:wabbit2:

 

I got a Miller 130xp mig off of craig's list for $450 and love it (came with cart, gas bottle, helmet, leather bib). It plugs into 115v and will weld pretty much anything you'd need to and will do the little stuff real well. If you look on around you can find one with the gas bottle and everything already hooked up like I did. I'd stick to the name brands with welders like hobart, miller, or lincoln. You'll get the spare parts and have support for them.

 

In terms of MIG I would avoid the Harbor Freight cheap welders, I got one and it has been nothing but a headache - unstable arc, damm near impossible to get a nice bead on anything approaching thin. I recently got a Hobart Handler 187 and it is a great welder. Doesn't even compare the POS Harbor Freight one (they are on sale now at Tractor Supply - $550). It is 220v though, there are a lot of good 110v ones too by Miller, Lincoln and Hobart, but I would get one that is at least capable of running shielding gas so you are not limited to flux core.

Not super budget, but probably worth getting something decent if you are going to do thin stuff like exhaust and weld on thick metal like frames.

 

I repair welders for a living so I have personally welded with 100+ different welders. Personally, I believe that Miller is the best. With that being said, Hobart is a rebadged Miller with a few less options, and they cost significantly less (if you're on a budget).

I suggest you go with a mig machine, they have better control as opposed to stick. Therefore all the machines I suggest will be mig.

For light car work (I.e. Body panels, sheetmetal) I like the 115V models. The Miller Millermatic 140 being a personal favorite. The Hobart Handler 130 is a good alternative if you're on a budget.

For fabrication, I like the Miller Millermatic 250 with the Hobart Ironman 250 being the less expensive alternative.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks guys for all the advice. The most i would ever need it for would be a 1/4 at the very most. And if 220 gives me more flexibility i might just have to brake down and call a electrician.