I think I'm about ready to purchase a welder but I'm having a hard time choosing which one.
The MIG is nice since it's easier, faster, cheaper to use (gas and wire). It's also half the price of the TIG.
The TIG is nice because you can weld almost anything with it and the welds look 10x nicer (where looks can be appreciated)

I do plan on welding aluminum and maybe SS. The guy at the welding supply house said you could weld AL with a MIG but it was much harder and you had to get a new sleeve for the handle since it was so hard to push AL wire. I'll be welding a roll cage for my car, probably sliders and bumper for the truck, and artsy type stuff here and there (where i need good looking welds).

I hate to buy the MIG and wish later that I would've spent the money on the TIG. Help me decide people.
miller 175; about $850
or miller syncrowave 180; about $1700

 

if your going to weld aluminum buy the mig/tig combo you'll be glad you did

 

i just picked up the snap-on mig/tig combo. for what is's worth i love it. i haven't used the AL spool fed attachment yet, but it looks sweet

 

I think a MIG is more usefull when fabing stuff, and welding on your truck. I've welded stuff on my truck, were a TIG torch and filler rod would be a PITA.

 

MIG hands down for vestality on a rig.

TIG for detail stuff.

MIG/TIG combo is the ideal OR just buy BOTH!

 

haha been thinking about that too...

 

Yea, I know MIG is easier to use. I've never used a TIG but i have welded with an oxy torch before and that's almost the same thing so I'm hoping it won't be too hard to pick up

 

a torch is not the same thing as a tig..... tig is a bitch..... and i have a mig welder..im a competant weldre and have had a decent amount of experience.... but i would not trust myself in welding up structural parts of the car... especially a roll cage...... just something to think about... if you dont even now how to tig weld... you arent going to learn trying it.....

 

what is this mig/tig combo that you speak of?

do you just have a mig welder with something like this?

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

EDIT:

you have this huh

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

 

This what I just picked up w/ aluminum spool fed attachment

 

remember, tig welders are also good DC stick welders. stick is kinda hard to learn how to do, but if you know your stuff, you can get damn nice looking welds.

 

I've made huge booger piles with a stick welder...not anything that I would call a "weld"

I've seen a few parts like the second link above where you can DC TIG with a MIG welder. Is there such a thing that would allow you to MIG with a TIG welder if you just had a spool gun?

 

The mig tig combo machine is the way to go. Just remember the mig works best off of the uni mix gas and when welding aluminum(mig or tig) you have to use argon. Stainless welding on a tig works best with argon, and with a mig i use uni mix to weld stainless and it works great.

 

Get a MIG.

Easier to learn, quick and dirty to get things going.

If you are going to do aluminum, just get a spool gun for the MIG.

If you do stainless, job it out.

If you are going to do a lot of stainless, then you would not be asking here.

 

cool, thanx guys

 

i have a hobart 210 mig and i love it

 

Well, I just got the MIG today, a Miller 175. I figure if I need any specialty (TIG) welding done, I'll just pay someone to do it for me.

I also decided I needed a way to cut metal so I splurged and got the miller 375 plasma cutter too. Tay!

Thanx for the input guys.

 

Hope you didn't pay $800 for the 175.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...40707&tc=photo

 

nope i didn't.

that's a link to a 135 BTW...?

 

boy, you weren't lying when you picked your user name
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