i'm a novice, just done a little MIG welding in an auto body class "for fun". they used some Miller welders with gas and they were really nice. well, now that i've welded with them, i find myself with projects that normally i would have avoided or done with out welding, but now i want to tackle them and weld them myself. checked on here about what's the best for what price, i've looked around at a few stores and online, and i'm still unclear about what i would like or need. i've heard the flux core welders are not very nice, but at the same time they are priced extremely low. looked at home depot today and they had some Lincoln brand welders for $249-$599 but i couldn't find any info on them as far as if they were flux core or gas welders, or even what voltage they used; and the people were not very helpful answering questions. then went to home depot's site and found this setup:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100093231

this seems like a good general purpose welder to me. i guess i should give a run down of things i'll be using this for. autobody - welding in panels and floors, fabbing up some brackets for various things, general household small jobs, modding the 4runner (currently want to weld on the brackets to my 1st gen roll bar after i cut it down). i guess i want to know if anyone has this welder and if it can produce quality welds on various applications?

any input would be welcome. thanks.
patrick

 

well, how much welding do you see yourself doing in the future? whats the thickest stuff you plan on welding?

IMO get a 220v unit, a friend of mine got a 110v Lincoln and after about 3-4 months he sold it and got a Hobart 180, which is the welder i have, and would highly recommend it

 

good to know, i'll look at the Hobart 180. i guess i don't know for sure how thick i'll be welding, i'd like to have something for a variety of material. this would not be a daily or weekly used machine, just whenever i would need it. i'm not planning on building any bumpers or sliders (yet!) so i would say just automotive sheet metal and a tad thicker material for various bracketry as needed, and general house things. i'm not going industrial on anything just yet, but i've always been one of those "if you are going to do it, do it right the first time" kind of people. so i would hate to do like your friend and find out that i should have bought something better to begin with. that said, i have a tendency to over buy for what i need, and i'd like to try not doing that from now on. for example, i went from shooting a $100 .22 revolver to my $1800 .308 Springfield M1A rifle; a big leap that i should have probably graduated slowly to the next bigger thing but i skipped quite a few steps.

thanks again

 

with welders, I'm of the opinion that you should buy the biggest/best you can afford at the time of purchase. When I bought mine, I had about $1k to spend, so I bought a Millermatic 185. For now, it's great and does everything I need, but my friend has a Millermatic 251 w/ Aluminum Spool gun, and I could definetly see myself upgrading to one like that after college.

 

I bought a Hobart Handler 187 (220V) about 2 weeks ago. Northerntool.com has them for around $649.99 with free shipping. Unless you have a local welding supply to support, I'd look there. It comes with a gas kit and a spool of flux core wire. I've not used the flux core; however, it welds great with a gas setup. My decision was between the Hobart and a 220v Clarke 180EN. They didn't have the Clarke in stock. I count this as a fortunate circumstance as the Hobart is a superior welder and I do not care about the extra $100 after I have witnessed the performance of the Hobart.

 

i'm a newbie welder, only started few weeks ago. here is my 2 cents.

a good 110v machine can do alot of things. if you don't have 220v power at home and currently renting (like i'm now), go with an 110v. you can practice whenever you have time, and more is better.

DON'T even think about fluxcore, it's just a sales pitch, IMO. it produces nasty beads. a small arg/co2 mix tank such as 50cf will last 2+ hours of welding time. it totally worthes every penny.

save the money for some welding classes at your CC, learn it the right way goes a long way. my clasees starting next month, costs me $74 for 8 weekends, 5 hours each session. Airgas distribution stations are everywhere here in L.A. pretty cool people work there, too. they give me 12% discount on everything just because i'm taking welding classes.

invest in a good auto-darkening helmet and safety equipment, gloves, boots, jacket, etc. i lovvvvve my friend's Miller auto dark helment, i'm gonna get one for sure.

 

Hmm i was looking at the cheepoes at harbor freight, as I my self am a amature welder. Ive weld alot just dont have my own. What all can go wrong with a welder? I belive they have a 220v.

 

Don't buy a harbor freight welder. You get junk, and it will make learning hard without a decent welder. Get a quality welder made by a reputable company. A good bang for the buck welder is the Thermal Arc line. I have the Fabricator 210 and love it. plenty of power and easy to set up.

 

Buy a reputable welder, Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, Esab, etc.

I have (2) welders and I have friends that have half a dozen.

I started with a Lincoln Pro Mig 135 when I bought my first one from Home Depot and I still use it all the time for all kinds of things. It will do flux core and MIG, so it has a lot of options. The small tip has its advantages for welding in tight places and I use it to make all my slider adapters. Generally you will want to use MIG as it does not make the mess of flux core, but flux core will weld a lot thicker material in a single pass.

I also have a Miller 251 that will weld your face to the floor. It has a lot of versatility and enough power to weld anything. I use it mostly on things like sliders, SAS kits and welding to a vehicle frame, stuff like that. I do not use it for delicate stuff in confined spaces as it is just too bulky and not necessary.

A 180/185 might be a good compromise, but then you still need the 220V hook up, so I like the fact that I have both options for power and weldability.

Do not forget to add in the cost of your gas bottles...usually about $150 for the small ones and $200 for the bigger ones.

When I learned to weld 20 years ago it was with a stick machine, so this MIG stuff is easy.

 

I borrowed a friends "harbor Freight 110V" welder a few years ago.

IT SUCKED

If you have a project, you can rent a good one.

We just bought a Millermatic 185 with a new 92 foot tank for about a grand from Central welding. There are millers on ebay that have free shipping. My NAPA store stocks exchange tanks, so I have backup if the tank runs out

 

I own a Miller 135 and it is perfect for anything you have to do automotive like a SAS. I have used Hobarts and Lincolns as well. To answer your question get a Miller, Hobart or Lincoln and no Chinese crap! I prefer Miller since it has variable heat settings for the 110v and the others have 4 preset heat settings. Also you can purchase a spool gun for the 110's to weld aluminum. Stick with the three I mentioned and you will be fine.

James

 

i have been welding everyday for about 2.5 years now, the one thing i have figured out is that you can never have to much welder. also stay with the big names such as Lincoln and Miller. if you need parts like tips, nozzles, and gun liners, they are uch easier to find. also you plan on welding anything in the 1/8 to 3/16 range you will need a minimum 220v machine. Where i work, www.jbracecraft.com, we used a small 220 lincoln for a long time, but started to find it's limit with 3/16 to 1/4 wall tube and plate. so we recently upgraded to a lincoln 255 and it will burn anything.

 

great information everyone, i'm glad i asked before buying the first thing that i found. and i really like that you all gave me some background and real world applications of how you all use what machine and how long you've been doing this. i appreciate all the feedback. guess i need to make a list of what i want to do and with what material, then make some columns for each machine, and check off what i can do with each and see which one has the most check marks. i don't know if i can swing $1K right now, but maybe i can hold off on buying for a little bit until i have the right amount to slam down at the register. i know we have one or two welding supply companies in town, maybe more, so i'll go out to those and pick their brains a bit and do some window shopping.
i just picked up a book on welding, but i know i would benefit more from some hands on learning. i'm going to check the local Community College again, but i'm pretty sure they only have a Welding Certificate program that is 5 months long and costs about $2k, but maybe they have added some "hobby" classes now.

thanks again everyone, i'll post eventually with what i decided on purchasing when the time comes.

 

one of the local C.C.'s here, Los Angeles City College, their welding classes are always full. why? well each graduate will have a guaranteed job offer, that's 100%. it doesn't hurt to give yourself an extra layer of job security no matter how old you are. short term programs are really nice, like the one i'm taking, they are called "fat chick" courses because they are "cheap and easy".

by the way, keep an eye on the craiglist, i just saw a Lincoln Weldpak 100 for $200. you'll never know when a good deal would pop up.

good luck.

 

ya know, i am currently unemployed and looking around for jobs. school is the first stop on the road to finding something better and checking out the local CC they have several short programs and a couple long programs for fabricating and welding careers. i always see openings in the classifieds for welding jobs starting at $12/hr or more, but i really don't know what these jobs are exactly. i've always been a hands on kind of person that takes pride in a job well done, and this may be the next phase of my employment. just something about making something from nothing, that cool sound and blue light that gives me butterflies! i think i'll be making an appointment at the college next week and talk some things over with them. funny how looking for a tool and asking a question may have changed the direction of my life, i've definitely come to a fork in the road and need to make a decision, i've been at the rest stop for too long

 

yeah, buy a used welder. i bought a little mig pak 10 which sells at canadian tire for $550 (on sale), i got it for $250 or even less (don't remember exactly). it's too small for anything big, but good for body work and such, and the price was right.

 

the career centers and local college school programs are a great place to start. you will learn the basics and find out what your shill level is real quick. also most welding supply stores will give discounts on supplies and even machines to students.

 

I looked at buying a welder, but a good unit is expensive. I need to repair my rear frame on my '82, but 1k$ for a welder is alot of moola! I can rent a self-powered 225v stick welder from the local rental shop for $57 per day, but pick up Sat. morn and return Monday, pay for one day. Do your prep work, get materials ready, pay $60 and be done in a weekend. Organization pays off. $1000 can buy alot of rentals over time. You really need to analyze just how much welding you are going to do over time. Plus, welding brackets onto the frame for bumpers or sliders, I had a local welder do some for me for $50 cash a few years ago, its done right, and I bolt onto what he welded. Or do like Isaac338 says and gets used for far less bucks.

 

lol, I have a Harbor Freight welder. Flux core. Um, it sits in my garage cause I can't even get a bead with it on 1/16 inch steel. I thought I really sucked at welding, but, I took a class and can actually lay a bead with a stick.

Luckily I only bought it for $75, but, thats wasted money I guess. It hurt my ego more than my wallet in the end though...