Advice needed: What welder should I buy?

[thefox]

I think it is time to start shopping for a new MIG welder. First off I should say that although I know about welding and “how” to weld, I haven’t actually welded before. I do have a friend that has welded and will teach me, although he currently doesn’t have a welder. So far this is what I am thinking…..

I would really want to stay with a 110 volt welder, from what I hear I won’t need anything more powerful. I plan on using it for ATV frames and that sort of thing. But what size should I be getting anyways?

I hear Lincoln is a good brand, what about other brands? I assume it’s a get what you pay for type thing and I don’t want to buy a cheap Harbor Freight special to have it be junk.



Thanks for any help!

[smokinwrench]

Get the highest voltage 110 you can buy. If you buy one of those cheapies at tractor supply or a farm and ranch store like that you will hate it. I have owned one and it was horrible, biggest you can weld is maybe 16 gauge.

[carscomefirst]

Lincon, Firepower, Hobart. I have a 130 amp Marquette and love it. I dont know if they make them any more. Mine is gas or gassless.(gassless sucks Imo)
Whatver you get make sure it's not just gassless.
Marquette was a division of lincon years ago.

[300rman]

stick with a gas welder. stay away from flux core, they produce slaggy welds and arent as clean as gas welder welds.

[super90]

I have a millermatic 212 mig welder and its great, all miller products are good also. Lincoln, hobart and firepower like mentioned above are all nice welders too. I have a little 130 amp stick welder that I got from harbor freight a long time ago and I have no complaints, it will weld atv frames or any metal up to quarter inch pretty nicely, though sometimes it does take multiple passes.

[Dirtcrasher]

I could not find a 120V welder that would do what I needed it to do.

I got a small 230V Lincoln SP175 plus and it does everything and up to about 3/8 thick too. Best money I ever spent.....

I think I paid about 600$ and it came with a cart for the bottle etc.

[brapp]

i like my little hobart 125 handler just make shure u get the shield gas hook up stay away from flux cored its alot nicer.

[thefox]

So for good brands we have Lincoln, Firepower, Hobart, Marquette, Miller
.
I should make sure it has a gas hookup.

Will a 110V be big enough? I don’t know if I can talk my Dad into letting me run a 220 line into the garage, although I did just talk him into letting me splice a cable line in. I also plan on keeping it at my friends house until he teaches me how to weld and I get the hang of it, he doesn’t have a 220 line in his garage either.

I do want to stay with a MIG welder, I just think it would be easier to learn on. I do have a friend with an old Lincoln TIG welder but he isn’t very good with it.

[300rman]

a 110 welder will do ehat you need to do quite well. just buy a nice one, around 130 amp + and you will be golden. just remember, even a 110 will pop breakers if the garage isnt set up for high-current. you may not be able to run anything but the welder (like refrigerators, air compressors, excessive lights, etc. etc. )

[KASEY]

i have a millermatic200 and a new 252.. i just bought a miller tig welder... i love my miller welders!!!!! go as big as you can afford!!! my 200 with .023 soild wire is so smooth its unreal,,, i had a small miller 130 that was 110v... i sold it... you get better welds from a big welder turned down than a little welder turned up!!!!!

[thefox]

Well, I cheaped out. I figured that since I am getting a low powered welder I am not going to spend the money on a good brand. That and I found a Farm Hand (Tractor Supply Co. brand) on ebay and I was in the area to pick it up this weekend. For the $136 it should be good enough to start with.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110298943901

[motoman110]

Even tho I love my little lincoln 135 mig, all I have to say is, "roses are red, and welders are blue!"

[ProCarbine2k1]

Temporarily put aside what you may have learned in school, and have a welder teach you how to weld, because you wont know how to weld by reading a book (although it is helpful). The right teacher will make all the difference in the world, trust me on that one. You may even want to pick up a dvd while you are at it.
I would also listen to the guys telling you to run with gas, it will cost you some dough to get set up (if your welder is not flux-only), but pay for itself in the long run. Last but not least, have FUN with it! You arent going to be a pro in a day, and thats not what its all about. Same as being able to work on your own machines, you dont have to pay someone else to do it- and you may make some extra cash on the side-

[Daddio]

It ain't a mig without the gas. Sorry!

[thefox]

I have the flux core wire now because it came with it but I am planning on getting a gas tank whenever I can get to the welding supply place. I am looking forward to welding a practicing it. I have a friend that learned how to weld a couple of years ago and has impressed me with how good he has gotten without “formal” training (he was able to tack weld a nut to the outer races of a $400+ Westcoast swinger without hurting the swinger), he is going to teach me how to weld.

Tonight we cut up some steel to make a press so I can rebuild some YTM shocks. Tomorrow we can weld it up!