I've been kicking this around for many years and am tired of waiting. I want a welder!

I've arc welded twice in my life, just to get the feel for it. So I am just about the most "novice" welder you can imagine.

I've heard good things about the Eastwood "Package Deals".

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-135-welder- ... t-kit.html

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-175-welder- ... t-kit.html

I'm just about to pull the trigger (meaning I will ask my wife and kids if I can have it for my birthday / Father's Day / and Anniversary! )

I am not sure if the 110 would be right for me, or if I should go ahead and get the 220 so I won't "outgrow" it. Most/all of my welding will be done over at my garage that I can easily wire for the 220.

Any suggestions from all of you welders out there?

Thanks!

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Rob

I’m Mater
The Kentucky Poser

I recently bought a Millermatic 211, which uses both 110V & 220V via a quick change plug.

The lowest price I saw was 950ish, I can't say enough about the machine, it welds great...makes me a happy welder.

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2992308402_5481afb26e_t.jpg">

A lot of guys don't like the Eastwood welder because they say it's made in China.

Lots of guys say the Hobart 140 is one of the best beginner/cheap mig welders you can buy.

I ended up going with the Hobart 140 but kinda kicked myself afterwards because I found a nice Millermatic on ebay in the next town over for $350. Either way I'm happy with what I've got.

I love my Lincoln Electric SP-175. Good solid piece of equipment.

Make sure you get shielding gas. Flux core wire blows dogs for quarters.


I also love my Oxyacetylene setup, I think it's a Victor. Came with the welding tips, cutting tips, and a rosebud tip.

They're usually pretty cheap and it's been really a great tool to have in the garage. I've been having a ton of fun gas welding lately.

Whatever welder you get, don't get a cart. Get metal and casters; your first welding project should be building yourself a cart for your new toy. It's a good learning experience and kind of a rite of passage.

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Scott - waywardgarage.com
Why is the rum always gone?

My fav is the one my buddy Kenny has. It is a wire feed jobby that he uses whenever I take my stuff to him. Best kind if ya know what I mean.

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66 Lil' Red Piggie Valiant (Mater Crusher) - Thanks Zilla!!!!! 72 Demon (Number 1 Son's)

If you can swing it, get the 220V machine. The 110 MIG's work great, but run out of steam on some projects. Portability is great with them though.

I went with A Lincoln PM180 from a local welding shop. Ended up with a better deal than I could get online due to shipping. I Can't remember now, but with all the bells and whistles including a tank of Standard Gas, I came in under $1000. The nice thing is being able to run 12.5# spools. Those little ones run out real quick if your doing a big job, and the cost is much higher for the little ones.
The PM180 has a 100% duty cycle on most of the settings I frequently use, so I can weld until I'm ready for a break. It's never so much as hickup'd on me.
The Miller has more automatic functions. The Hobart is a great machine too. Hobart is owned by Miller IIRC.

For a Stick, I have a Marquette 550. It's slightly smaller than an early volkswagon, and is capable of battleship plate. It's also the smoothest stick welder I've ever used. An absolute joy to use. I don't know how old it is. Somewhere in the 50's if I had to guess. Moving it around is a bear. I think it weighs more than a long block 225 by a bit.

I picked up an AC/DC TIG -Stick - Plasma cutter very recently. I liked the idea of having everything in one box. It's a 250PI Longevity, which is chinese. The filter housing that came with it is a POS, but everything else seems to work well. It came with a water cooled torch. I may take it for a little spin with DC TIG this weekend to see if I can still weld. I don't plan on using the stick function, as the Marquette is so good. I may test it to see what it performs like though. It's an Inverter type, so is nice and light.

My dad gave me his old Oxy-Aceteline welding gear a couple years ago. He had top of the line professional equipment from his A&P days. I had the regulators checked out prior to putting gas to it, and bought new hoses. Couldn't uncoil the ones he bought new in '59.

I also belong to the "Don't bother with Flux Core" wire feed welding club. While penetration and welding outdoors is better, the result looks like Rodent Poop. Splattery guck. Go with shielding gas. (MIG) The results are superior.

2¢

CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

This site's forum is to welding as slantsix.org is to our engines.

Define a few things - what is the budget and what is the thickest you can imagine welding single pass?

110v is good for sheet metal up to 1/8. 1/8 is pushing it without beveling or flux core. Anything more then that is gonna need 220v.

The cheaper mig's will have a stepped voltage selection - the fancier ones will be variable. Variable could become important when doing thinner work.

My Lincoln 140C mig can run the bigger 8" spools as well as the smaller ones (also has infinitely variable heat settings). Don't let this be a deciding factor though - the smaller 2lb spools will still last you many many feet of weld.

Also remember to factor in the incidental supplies - welding helmet (don't cheap out here... my jackson nexgen costs a good fraction of the lincoln 140c) clamps extra tips wire brushes etc. Look around on craigslist or the likes - often you can get a good condition used namebrand 220v for the price of a 110v jobber.

Stick with MIG if you plan on doing thin stuffs, body work... flux core isn't as messy as people make it out to be once you get proficient with it but not suitable for thin stuffs, especially when first starting out.

Thanks for all the great feedback! More food for thought on several things I hadn't considered.

I've trolled some of the local pawn shops and have surfed Craigslist briefly, but not knowing squat about what I'm looking at I'm hesitant to buy something used...

I don't foresee needing to weld any huge projects or very thick metal. Just plate steel for small projects, motor mounts, roll bars. I also hope to get good enough to weld thinner sheetmetal like floor pans, patch panels, etc.

I'll do some more poking around and check out the link from Pierre. Thanks!

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Rob

I’m Mater
The Kentucky Poser

Miller is my favorite machine by far I have used several different kinds over the years and have always liked miller the best. That is also what I learned to weld on so might have something to do with it.

I would go with the 220 just because that way yiu don't have to worry about outgrowing it in the future. The biggest thing I would make sure of is to be sure that the machine will accept gas. Mig welding with a machine with no gas hooked to it don't work. It can be done but the welds look bad as well as the penetration of the weld is no good either.

The other thing that I would give some thought to and Rob I forgot to mention this in the earlier conversation is if you are going to be welding inside a car in tight places you probably don't want the spool gun. I have both and the spool gun is great out in the open but in the tight places the wire being in the machine and feeding to the gun is wonderful. with the spoolmatic, or any spool gun you have the roll of wire in the hand gun and that just makes the gun bulky and harder to get in the tight places.

also holding the spool gun for long peiods of time gets a little uncomfortable were the other style is much more comfortable to deal with and much lighter.

just some things for you to think about I think most of those kits come with the spool gun Im not 100% sure. both of those did look ok for what you are planning to do though I just suggest the 220 that way down the road your not buying a whole new machine because you have out grown it. I did see that 220 came with a spool gun also. any way I have rambled enough lol.
Lukus

Typically you would only use a spoolgun for aluminum. That Eastwood unit also comes with a standard gun as well. Remember with aluminum mig you will need a different gas then steel(and yet another for stainless).

Check home depot they carry the smaller lincolns. They may only be tapped machines though, not infinitely variable heat. Any body work will be fine with a 110 machine but if your gonna get into motor mounts then go with a 220 machine.

Look at the wire drive, try to avoid any with plastic.

I've owned and welded with many deferent welders and I prefer miller, I have a miller sincrowave 200 tig and love it the stick setting is the smoothest stick welder I've ever used aside from my old toledo 380 amp stick welder. Keeping my eyes open for another one. you could weld 3/4 plate steel with a piece of 1/2 rebar and shielding gas. it was also the power plant behind a welding apuratus i built with a dc converter,wire feed box,2 deferent shielding gases,torch,and soon to be tig box,on one cart but the shop burned down.right now I have a lincon 250 that I use daily and I like it but prefer a miller, I will say a 110 welder is handy but as a secondary one, they run out of power quick and tax your wiring.
if y ou need a cheap one I have several I don't use anymore

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Nick
86 d150 turbo /6.
64 valiant 4 door

Allegiance to miller or lincoln (or esab etc etc) is like our love for mopar or your neighbors for chevy. Some are devout followers of one or the other just out of passion. They are both top shelf brands, one of the majors. Don't avoid buying one just because your neighbor loves the other... sometimes you can pass up a good deal because of this. Compare objectively when you are shopping and stick to the facts.

In the past few years the market has changed with the influx of offshore jobbers - Longevity, Everlast, HarborFreight, Eastwood... With these, generally you get more machine for the money but at a cost of quality. If that is the route you choose to take, make sure you purchase from someone reputable that has good customer service. The forum I linked to has sections for some offshore brands - last I remember they give moderate discounts for forum members.

I have a Miller Dynasty 300 DX tig, - Lincoln 140C Mig - Longevity 40a Plasma - I'm not prejudiced in any one direction

Great input everyone! Thank you!

There is a welding supply shop right around the corner from my house, so I stopped in and asked a few questions based on the input here. I also picked up a Miller catalog.

They have a nice Millermatic 211 that does both 120 and 230 Volt...
Talk to me!

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Rob

I’m Mater
The Kentucky Poser

love my Millermatic 185; never an issue; I burnt up 3 lesser machines in short order back in the mid 90s before getting this one.
In my steel mill industrial maintenance days we had Lincolns on our side ("melt shop) while the "Rolling mill" had Miller.

We had some contractors working there from time to time, this one crew left a diesel powered Miller behind; It sat there; and sat there; and SAT there; one day I had a weld job up on the "outside" crane rail, and conveniently it ws within range of where this Miller was taking up space; so instead of dragging the forklift out and one of our Lincolns thru the melt shop it was defintiely more convenient to use what was "there"; I asked the boss and he said "it's there; if it runs why not"?
I fired up that welder and put the leads in the manlift basket; and went to town; I don't care what they say, nor do I know what difference there was in that Miller vs a Lincoln; but I could not believe the difference in how much better that Miller seemed to work for me, vs all but 1 of our Lincolns, the one that "everybody" wants to use.

Miller makes both the best WELDERS (machines) and the best also the best BEER! I think I'll go crack open a cold HIGH LIFE on that note.

and as far as 110vs 220; GO FOR THE 220!!! you won't be let down;
My next welder? It will be gas powered and double as a generator for when my power goes out here at the house. so I can part with 2 seperate machines I have for those needs now, and only have to store one.