Good MIG welder??

[Guest]

suggestions on a good mig welder for a decent price. i use a hobart one at the shop i work at but i was wanting input on some others... thanks


this is the one i use at the shop http://www.hobartwelders.com/product...ed/handler140/
i like it a lot but i was curious if there was anything comparable but maybe a bit less money

[Punkskalar]

I bought the Lincoln Sp175 from Lowes many years ago, and it has been a damn fine welder for the $$. They sell the SP180 now.

I just made the move to TIG, but after mile upon miles of wire being fed through this thing, its still in great shape. Im not getting rid of it, thats for sure.

Don't even bother with anything that plugs into a wall outlet. Go 220, you'll never regret it...

[Guest]

thanks for the info man! now why do you say the 220 v outlet is better? im real new to welding, only used, like i said, whats at the shop. thanks again

[rustrocket84]

I just got a Hobart 140 a few months back and love it. My welding still requires a fair amount of grinding, but it is getting better. I've been dealing with a guy at the local Airgas for a few years for work stuff, mostly buying rods for an ArcAir exothermic torch, and our new Petrogen torch. He gave me a line on it for less than 400 shipped from online place, then gave me good deal on the 75/25 bottle helmet and some other stuff. www.toolking.com sells refurbished ones that carry same warranty for cheap as shit.

[SMChewy]

Justin the simple answer is heat. A 220 welder will produce more heat, thus penetrate (huh huh, I said penetrate) the metal more. Also allows thicker metals to be welded, longer continuous welding (not having to let the machine cool down), and more control (it is easier for a welder to limit it's output, rather than make more than it is designed). Keep an eye on the site below also. Always some killer deals if you wanna go sit through a auction.

http://www.rollerauction.com/auctions.asp?WhichAuctions=Upcoming

[Punkskalar]

thanks for the info man! now why do you say the 220 v outlet is better? im real new to welding, only used, like i said, whats at the shop. thanks again

Most of the stuff we do on bikes is thin, which the Hobart 140 would be fine for. BUT, I like to use .120 and bigger on a lot of stuff, and i love the heat control that the larger welder has. The smaller welder is still a great welder, but bigger is always better.

BTW, I run mine off of a dryer outlet with no issues... I also run thinner wire at all times, with a higher heat setting. It "sinks" the welds really nicely instead of piling up like alot of MIG you will see. Again, the higher heat helps with that.

*edit: also, I owned a non-220 welder for about a year at best, and upgraded to the Lincoln I have now, and have had it about 10 years or so...

[Guest]

thanks for the response guys, im just not sure on the output of the outlet ive got in my tiny one car apartment garage, its only got one outlet in it... ha.

[SMChewy]

I have a 220 stick that I soldered a 250ft cord on to and put a dryer plug on it. When I need to use it i run the cord through the house and plug it into my dryer outlet. Old lady complains if she's doin laundry, but oh well. She can wait.

[SMChewy]

Sorry to keep chiming in Justin. Check out the auction I listed below. A tool rental company auctioning a bunch of stuff. Not a full list yet, but auction hasn't passed, and they usually have some good shit.

http://www.rollerauction.com/auction/39071_RentalYardLandscapingEquipment.asp

[Punkskalar]

Yep, I made a 100 FT extension cord. I use it on Plasma, TIG, and MIG. Sucks to have to swap it over all the time. I just installed a 2nd outlet at the dryer so I never have to unplug it. We just don't run the dryer at the same time...

[rustrocket84]

I too was limited by power outlet. The place I'm renting is old and has all aluminum wiring which I'm not willing to push to hard. Been on many fires in older homes caused by aluminum wiring.

[Guest]

I too was limited by power outlet. The place I'm renting is old and has all aluminum wiring which I'm not willing to push to hard. Been on many fires in older homes caused by aluminum wiring.

how do i know what kinda voltage ive got in my garage outlet? whats the standard?

[motorad08]

I just got a miller 211 so far pretty happy with it, but I am still a rookie. The think I like about it is you can go 110 or 220 with swapping out the plug. It has a pretty wide range. I found a bunch online , but all in all the local weld shop gave me a better deal, and more input then I would have gotten buying it online.

[Guest]

I just got a miller 211 so far pretty happy with it, but I am still a rookie. The think I like about it is you can go 110 or 220 with swapping out the plug. It has a pretty wide range. I found a bunch online , but all in all the local weld shop gave me a better deal, and more input then I would have gotten buying it online.

hmmm the plug swap option seems rad, cause then when i move to somewhere that can handle the higher volts i wont be stuck with a lower power machine...

anyone else stoked on the millers?

[rustrocket84]

The shape of the plug will let you know if it's standard household 110/120, like a microwave or light. If it has the blades that aren't parallel and look like a twistlock style it is going to be 220, unless of course it's twistlock. Hard to describe, I'll look for pictures. More important than volts is Amps. You can severely overload a circuit and if the breaker doesn't work properly it's bad news.