What welder should I buy ?

[Spare Parts]

For mig welders I prefer the Miller brand.
Simple and reliable
I’ve had a Miller matic 200 for decades. It will weld everything I need it to.

 

[hunt2elk]

I had a Millermatic before buying my Lincoln. It had a feature called soft start, I believe. It would delay the arc a split second after pulling the trigger. I hated that and a guy couldn't disable it. It really sucked on sheetmetal. That is why I traded it in on my Lincoln...

 

[eldubb440]

I use .030 in my Lincoln...... it does everything from fill paper thin sheet metal to the heavy stuff...... it does everything I ask, and never argues.....I would marry my Lincon, if I could

 

[threewood]

Mig is the most versatile. I have a Miller multimatic 215 that has stick and tig. I use the mig way way more. I suck at tig. Stick is for thick metal if you ever have the need.

 

[padam]

I bought a Kicking Horse (I know) flux core wire welder last year. I got it second hand, and I just wanted something I could tack weld stuff temporarily. I don’t have 220 in my garage so that’s a factor as well.

I have ended up using it a bunch more than I thought I would. It welds ok, but I should’ve gotten a MIG.

I will probably get one in the future.

 

[kiwigtx]

ot too many mention the good old oxy-acetylene welding setup. But no electrical power needed, and great for heating, bending, cutting, brazing, and gas welding.

I didn't even consider that for the mix simply because the local Gas Supply companies have made private bottle rental an absolute nightmare with all this wokeness and Health & Safety drama.
My father had an arc, mig and gas setup until he retired from working. Never got the chance to weld much or work with him due to diverting career paths. He did give me a few lessons in arc and mig welding many years ago.

I need to get back into the swing of welding, and it looks like the popular choice is mig. I'll report back before pulling any triggers.

 

[Budnicks]

steve from staten island ?

 

[eldubb440]

View attachment 1483910

my Pop would not approve

 

[Budnicks]

For 99% of the stuff you will need it for
1st off, I highly recommend
get a really good instant electronic darkened helmet
"with the biggest 'viewing lense' you can get !!
it will help you when learning especially
see where to start & after you stop
not having to flip the god damn helmet up & down constantly
especially in tight spaces it's a PITA otherwise
(trust me)
you will need to figure out what lense or darkness
you can use & actually still see well enough after you strike an arc
if you can't see well you won't/can't weld well either

for the 99% of the time
I'd suggest something like theses
Buy a Miller (Millermatic) or Lincoln Electric MIG for common use of,
something that will be 140-180 amp range (110-120/220-240vt)
(200amp if you get a really good one, if it's in your budget)
a decent portable unit is $500 to well over a $1,000 for a quality portable MIG
before any bottles,
(I'd get 2 x 10# at a min. if it's a portable unit, use 1 as a spare)
a dual voltage 120vt/230vt so it can be used most anywhere
also buy a quailty or you should make a quality 50-75" (100') extension cord,
for 240 & 120vt (since you're a sparky) use bigger wire on the extension cord,
so the duty cycle won't be diminished, the longer the cord the less duty cycle
any voltage loss, from a longer cord, can/will affect duty cycles & the welds

And also on the machine you choose
I'd highly suggest, try to get the highest duty cycle you can
for the style/budget of machine that you choose

(Grainger's has a crapload for decent prices)

to use either/or Flux-core
(no bottle needed, with flux core, it's nice to have that option
in the smaller units, it's mainly for use in windy areas/conditions
not the best looking welds either, unless you are really familiar with it)
& I'd recommend using a gas, the other 95+% use an Argon/CO2 mix,
& a 0.032" wire 12# rolls are cheap, get some 'spatter protection spray' too
keep the torche/nozzle clean & the area you're welding around clean
(also; clean metal welds so so much better)
you can get bigger spools with some portable machines
some of the more portable versions, will suffice for 99% of anything you will do
some of the cheaper/lesser (Lowes/HomeDepot/Harbor Frieght 'China') machines
some will have a 0.023" wire , that will still work at 5mm-1/4" on higher settings

& buy the bottles
'don't rent them'
have them fill 'your bottles'
don't do an exchange
FREAKEN' NIGHTMARES

 

[moparwacko]

View attachment 1483910

Never mind that pic, it's just Cranky's garage cam. It is hot in Texas you know. As far as a welder choice, I'll join the mig crowd - Miller 141.

"I would marry my Lincon, if I could"

I really like mine, but I'm not even close to even going on a date with it.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

I'm going to buy an AHP tig here soon as my wife quits blowing our household budget on stupid **** like patio furniture she won't use.

 

[451Mopar]

One thing I don't like about some of the low end MIG welders is that the MIG gun length is only 8 feet. Likely the drive unit can't feed much more than that.
Even the Harbor Freight unit comes with a 10' MIG gun.
I mention this because my Hobart 120 (which is a nice welder) only has a 8' MIG gun, and it makes it hard to reach some places without repositioning the welder location.
Example: I was working on exhaust system with the car on a lift, and had to put the welder up higher on a cart to get to the top of the exhaust tube.
Just something to consider. I don't know about others who weld, but after using the expensive professional machines I got spoiled with their extra capabilities.
It's just not fair comparing a $500 welder to a $5,000+ welding machine. I'm not even a professional welder, but did go to welding school (usually welding for 3-4 hours a day, 4 days a week, for almost a year), and have been welding since the 1980's.
Even worked summer job at a Gas and welding store, but mostly in retesting / certifying oxygen bottles, refilling different gas bottles (Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide, CO2, and Acetylene)

There are good points above on duty cycle and using large gauge wire extension cords.
A good extension cord can cost $100+

 

[blue69runner]

Make sure you get spare tips and shields. I found out you need extra for my tig as well as my mig.

 

[Cranky]

steve from staten island ?

 

[eldubb440]

"I would marry my Lincon, if I could"

I really like mine, but I'm not even close to even going on a date with it.

you don't know what you're missing

 

[Cranky]

I use mine the most to get broken bolts out. Once you master that you're a local super- hero lol. Sadly.

I was the go-to guy at work for that crap....and kept it mostly to myself whenever someone would call home and ask if I could do that. I would say 'if you ain't afraid that I might destroy it.....' The conversation usually ended right there lol

For mig welders I prefer the Miller brand.
Simple and reliable
I’ve had a Miller matic 200 for decades. It will weld everything I need it to.

Had my Millermatic since 86......traded a motorcycle for it and a ton of steel.....literally a ton of steel.

View attachment 1483910

Never mind that pic, it's just Cranky's garage cam. It is hot in Texas you know. As far as a welder choice, I'll join the mig crowd - Miller 141.

"I would marry my Lincon, if I could"

I really like mine, but I'm not even close to even going on a date with it.

Well, I have welded barefoot and wearing shorts with a T-shirt. A guy needed something tacked so went for it. The floor was a little bit damp and the thing buzzed me. Figured wearing shoes would catch a drop or two of that hot mess.....

@kiwigtx Did ya buy a machine yet? I have 3, stick, Mig and TIG.....actually one machine that has TIG is also used for stick. I also had one of those Lincoln 'cracker box' welding machines that I got in 1970. That's what everyone around here calls them. Anyways, the newer welding machine with the TIG and the stick side of it is nice. I used to add a lead to the old cracker box to weld thinner metals but the newer one, doing that isn't needed. It goes down to 5 amps. It's a Miller 250 TigRunner. Btw, had to buy a new MIG gun for the Miller 200 and that thing was $320 TT&L! One thing that it came with was a new spool of wire....the BIG spool and there's still a good deal of wire still on it.

 

[6PKRTSE]

I have always had good luck with Miller welders. I have 2. One 110V Miller 130 for sheet and thinner tubing and metals. One 220V Miller 250 for much heavier duty structural materials over 1/4". Both welders I bought cheap used over 30+ years ago and haven't had to repair or replace anything on either one. Just wire and gas when needed.

 

[kiwigtx]

Did ya buy a machine yet?

No, not yet, but I have narrowed it down at my local Tool Supply shop. I was advised to just buy a smaller spool or wire (unless Iwin a major contract repairing bridges) so as not to end up with extra weight, expense, and that way I can have a couple of different sized wires. I'm going for a Mig.

Nice and small carry type welders....perfect for the small jobs I will use it on.

 

[Fury 440]

I've had my Lincoln Mig (argon) for almost 30 years. Still works like when it was new.
Lincoln have always made a quality product.

 

[RemCharger]

I think it's easier to pour the coal to a smaller unit, then to tone down a big boy unit with heavy wire.

I'm not an expert and open to opinions though