Thinking of buying this welder

[old-yellow]

i was thinking of buying this welder but i wanted to know if it was worth it.
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Specialty-Welding-Welding-Machines-Wire-Feed-Welders/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc2bj/R-100596739/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UF2WKlFIV-w

[Dirtcrasher]

It's not bad for a starter welder. It will only weld 1/8th or less; If that suites your needs then grab it!

You really need 230V to get the use out of it. Mine is an Lincoln SP175 230V. Came with a cart and I bought a tall bottle for the shielding gas.

[kb0nly]

Got a harbor freight or northern tool around you? They both have some cheaper yet decent welders. I have the Chicago Electric flux core mig from Harbor Freight, its a 90 amp unit and it works great for the $109 they are selling for. Just don't judge it by the wire it comes with, they ship with some really crappy wire that has horrible splatter, get some Lincoln wire from your local farm/auto supply stores and it works awesome. I have about $150 invested into the welder and a auto dimming helmet, i can lay down some pretty darn good welds. They say up to 3/16" with it but i have done 1/4" by chamfering the two pieces and making more than one pass.

I grew up with an arc welder, these new cheap mig's are nice to an old stick welder junkie.

[jays375]

Get a bottle of 75/25 mixed gas and use the smaller 023 wire.Another thing try to not run off a extension cord.If you use a cord make sure it is a heavy one,not very long.The gas less wire is tough to work with and make nice quality welds.

[old-yellow]

if i do pick this up i plan on only running it with the shielding gas and not using the flux core (I've seen how crappy the flux core welds) but my next question is about the tank of shielding gas it says i can run argon and CO2 is one cheaper then the other one or work better then the other one and whats with the mixed gases?, here's were i was going to get my tank http://www.airgas.com/home.aspx. thanks for all your help guys. Alex

[kb0nly]

I use flux core, other than a little more splatter i haven't had any troubles. Buying better quality wire and spraying down the surrounding metal so the splatter doesn't stick takes care of it.

[jays375]

You either want straight C02 or a mix such as 75/25.Which is 75 percent C02 and 25 percent argon.You will get a much nicer weld with the mix.The straight C02 will work just fine.The smaller 110 machines tend to like the mixed.

[Dirtcrasher]

Got a harbor freight or northern tool around you? They both have some cheaper yet decent welders. I have the Chicago Electric flux core mig from Harbor Freight, its a 90 amp unit and it works great for the $109 they are selling for. Just don't judge it by the wire it comes with, they ship with some really crappy wire that has horrible splatter, get some Lincoln wire from your local farm/auto supply stores and it works awesome. I have about $150 invested into the welder and a auto dimming helmet, i can lay down some pretty darn good welds. They say up to 3/16" with it but i have done 1/4" by chamfering the two pieces and making more than one pass.

I grew up with an arc welder, these new cheap mig's are nice to an old stick welder junkie.

Flux core is horrible. 90 amps does not penetrate enough; not to mention that it's from "Harbor Freight".

It's up to the purchaser to decide what their needs are but I'd rather own a machine that will penetrate better. I'd save my money till I could get a real machine...........

My Lincoln arc welder fixes my backhoe, the Lincoln mig does all the ATC frame work and gusseting. It's all about your needs and finances.

It's not my place to say "what you need to buy"; I can only share experiences.

Best mig I ever had was when I was an Industrial mechanic. That mig could do the thinnest or thickest penetration possible. Yes, it was a 2K machine.......

[kb0nly]

I have no problems with my cheap welder, i guess its all in how you use it. Flux core is no worse then a stick welder, which i grew up using. Sure 90 amps won't penetrate much if your your welding a butt joint, but any good welder knows to clean and chamfer the edges, i can get 100% penetration with my cheap 90 amp welder after spending a few minutes at the bench grinder with the wire wheel and stone, if its too big for that i have other grinders to take to the work.

I don't have a backhoe or a need for one, but i have regularly welded up to 1/4" with my cheap welder and the welds hold up fine, its all in the prep work. Sure i could own a 2k mig that can do anything but in my opinion if you rely on the welder then you need to spend more time doing the work. Thats how i was taught by both my father and my teachers in school, i could weld circles around most of my classmates.

Don't knock a cheap 90 amp welder just because you couldn't make it work! Its all about doing what you can with what you got, i know Harbor Freight sells a lot of junk... But a lot of the welders in the stores are made in the same factories overseas just get branded by whoever bought them. I have compared the guts of my Chicago Electric to many store brands as well as a few well known US brands. The parts swap cause they were all made in the same factory and just painted whatever color was wanted by the end seller.

[plastikosmd]

As noted above, it is part machine and part the person running the machine. I have welded with car batteries and gotten good welds. Brazing, another lost art. The problem that I ran into with these smaller machines is the duty cycle. 20% is fine for some stitching or small weld jobs. DC is on to something, I worked my way up from brazing to a stick welder (the big old heavy ones can be had for little money and have great durability/cycles.) In the end, it is probably a good little welder if used within it's capacity but as many things in life there will be a want/need to go bigger in the future.

[Mosh]

I am not a pro welder by any means so take my advice from where it comes from.
A few weeks ago I was in the market for a welder and was looking at cheap models from HF..A friend who may be the best welder I have ever known said "no dont settle for some cheap model." He advised me to get a Miller, Hobart or Lincoln. Once I started looking for those his next advice was get the biggest you can afford for what your shop can handle electrically within your budget. and make sure it does both MIG and flux..The advice i got was it never fails when you are doing a job on the weekend you almost always run out of shielding gas and you better be good with FLUX core wire so you can finish the job.

So I took his and others advice and picked up the Lincoln 140 series. Yeah it is almost 2 times the price of that one you are looking at, but your heat settings being more controllable with also having the higher amps is worth it.

As far as MIG vs flux, the flux actually will burn hotter on thinner metals so MIG will be better for thinner stuff like frames. But with Flux core burning hotter, that will get you more penetration on thicker metals..As fars as splatter, I really have not encountered much with my equipment..The newer wleders and wires are pretty good with splatter control and most times flakes right off with a welding hammer/scraper.
That is just my experience..I would strongly suggest the 140 series, and if it is too pricy for the Lincoln 140, the Hobart has been on sale for 425$ at TSC for sometime and is 100 cheaper and is still a good welder from all the opinons and reviews I have heard. But any mask they include in the kit, sucks.... So I advise spend some decent money on a good auto helmet.

Here is a link to the thread I had others help/comments in..

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/147736-Anyone-running-a-Lincoln-140-series-welder

[kb0nly]

Auto helmet is a must... Really... I don't know how i ever lived without mine. You will be better with just the auto helmet, smoother starts and stops and less work fiddling with the helmet or a shield.

[old-yellow]

thanks guys for all the info i think I am going to hold off and save my money for a nicer welder.

[Dirtcrasher]

I have no problems with my cheap welder, i guess its all in how you use it. Flux core is no worse then a stick welder, which i grew up using. Sure 90 amps won't penetrate much if your your welding a butt joint, but any good welder knows to clean and chamfer the edges, i can get 100% penetration with my cheap 90 amp welder after spending a few minutes at the bench grinder with the wire wheel and stone, if its too big for that i have other grinders to take to the work.

I don't have a backhoe or a need for one, but i have regularly welded up to 1/4" with my cheap welder and the welds hold up fine, its all in the prep work. Sure i could own a 2k mig that can do anything but in my opinion if you rely on the welder then you need to spend more time doing the work. Thats how i was taught by both my father and my teachers in school, i could weld circles around most of my classmates.

Don't knock a cheap 90 amp welder just because you couldn't make it work! Its all about doing what you can with what you got, i know Harbor Freight sells a lot of junk... But a lot of the welders in the stores are made in the same factories overseas just get branded by whoever bought them. I have compared the guts of my Chicago Electric to many store brands as well as a few well known US brands. The parts swap cause they were all made in the same factory and just painted whatever color was wanted by the end seller.

Did I say cheap anywhere? The OP wanted opinions; To each their own.

I "couldn't make it work?" Is that an assumption or fact? on your behalf? You seem a little butt hurt about your welder. Your problem, not mine.

I also said my LINCOLN ARC or JUKEBOX welder was for thick materials such as on a backhoe. You, having no need for a backhoe is regardless.

My Lincoln SP175plus 230V MIG (or 180, I forget) has served me for 10 years now with excellent results. It was 800$ shipped with a cart.

Again, I was only sharing my experience.

I still need an AC TIG for aluminum machined parts that require welding. Maybe your welder can do that too?

Heck, you can use a drill press for a milling machine too but your father and teachers must have taught you that as well :D