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Best welder

Chilsam

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What would be the best all around welder for garage use ? THANX !
 
What would be the best all around welder for garage use ? THANX !
What would be the best all around welder for garage use ? THANX !
This is what I have, it's a no brainer welder because the machine has the brains. Just finished welding 22ga metal without burn-through. Set the front panel to 22ga and the welder set everything else. Then set it to 24ga for hole filling (bit cooler setting for that thickness) and the fills were unreal. It won't do aluminum so if that's your material you'll need an AC welder.
I have used this welder to MIG, TIG and braze with. It's amazing especially for a beginer. Here's an honest review:
https://topreviewzone.com/esab-rebel-review/
 
I recently bought a Lincoln 140 Easy Mig from Blains Farm Supply. Runs on 110 and is a nice unit, minus the gas bottle it was less than $500 shipped.
 
you would have to rip my 14 year old Lincoln power mig 200 from my cold, dead hands
 
I use a Hobart 140 handler great little welder you can run it shielded wire or flux core and it will run the big spools of wire

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Based on my personal experience, don’t just go for a “cheap enough to just get by” welder. I personally think the welder that I use is the perfect all around welder for garage use. It’s a Miller 211. It’s got the option for 120 or 240. 240 is much better to use, but the convenience of having 120v is awesome. It’s a Miller so it’s a high quality rig, but it’s small enough and cheap enough to not kill your wallet or take a ton of space in your garage.
I’ve used a few different brand welders and still think Miller really worth saving a few hundred extra bucks on good equipment that is super easy to find consumables. Lincoln is nice but just not as good as Miller. Never used ESAB, but I’ve heard everything from great to crap. Harbor Freight is cheap, but it just won’t last as long or run as well. I’ve considered getting a cheap welder for my own garage for quick fixes, but I don’t think it’s worth it unless you really get a good deal.
Don’t waste your time on something too small like a 140 IMO. At least get a 180, so you have room to grow into bigger projects.
I hear the newer harbor freight welders aren’t as bad as the old ones but that’s a lot of money to spend on something that’s harbor freight quality, when for a few hundred more dollars you can pick up a good used Miller 180 or 211.

But the biggest thing is going to be, get what you can really afford and start practicing as much as you can. A good machine doesn’t mean **** if you don’t take the time to learn how to use it properly. Look for deals on used equipment (especially if you can’t afford a newish Miller.) You can always pick up a used Lincoln or something and run it for a while then upgrade, but that might end up costing more money. You know the saying Buy once, cry once.
 
I've had nothing but great performance from my Millermatic 175 MIG. Rollcages, hitches, light sheetmetal. I run .024 wire and just turn it up to do anything up to 1/4. It can do a lot moreif I used heavier wire, but small wire is very flexible for typical car guy stuff.

I did just buy a used Miller 330a/bp TiG unit. It weighs about 700 lbs and can draw 108A of 240V, but on my home shop's 50A supply I can still do a little more than 1/8" aluminum. I realized there was a void not being able to weld aluminum, and the price was right.
 
I recently bought a Lincoln 140 Easy Mig from Blains Farm Supply. Runs on 110 and is a nice unit, minus the gas bottle it was less than $500 shipped.

Got the exact same one. Works like a charm.
 
If you really want to start welding and working on your own stuff, then I highly recommend getting something a little nicer even if it’s used. At this point, take advantage of your time and practice welding. I have a bunch of small pieces of scrap metal you can have to practice on if you want.
 
Recently picked up a Hobart 210 MVP with a spool gun. Dual voltage. I was always a mediocre welder but with this machine Im 100% better. Havent used the spool gun yet, but the regular mig is awesome!

Hobart 210.jpg
 
eastwood sells a good mig been using it for 3 years 220 volts 175 wielding amps.it comes with a spool gun for aluminum
 
bought a MIG Welder, Millermatic 212 auto-set several years and has been great.
Might be looking at a TIG welder soon, I really should have bought the TIG first.
 
Without getting into the cost, You need to have an idea of how much power you will need.
How thick of material (and what type of material) do you want to weld? That will help identify how much power you need.
How long timewise will the machine be welding every hour, to help figure duty cycle of the machine.
What power source do you have, 110 volts, or 240 volts? Many of the newer machines will run on multiple voltages, just reduced output power when plugged into 110 volts. Newer Inverter machines will be smaller and lighter than the older transformer type machines.
The torch length and quality will vary with the cost of the machines. Some of the lower end Mig welders only have an 8' torch length meaning the welder has to be really close to where you are welding. Usually those machines use a short length torch lead because the wire drive system in not very good. Many of the better machines will allow using an optionally longer torch leads (better wire drive system.)
Usually, most people go for a mig welder as a first welder. The old oxy/oxygen torch setup is also nice to have, but the bottles take up some garage space.
Some of the multi process machines are nice, but some of the low end ones again come with cheap torchs and foot controllers.
You could also start with a nice AC/DC TIG stick welder and add a mig wire feeder attachment, but that is in the higher cost range.
 
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