Welder recommendations?
 

Hello all, I've been lurking for awhile now and have been saving up for a larger build hopefully late this summer.

One thing that I wanted to get a good handle on though is what would be a great all around welder - something that would tackle this build with ease, but also would be reliable and handle any general work I throw at it as well (nothing too major, just basic farm/cabin work)?

I am open to pretty much any suggestion for what a great brand/model of welder would be, so any help that you can offer I would greatly appreciate!

Sinko,

There is a thread that deals with welding and welders. I am sorry I could not find it or I would point you to it. Some one else will know where it is or try searching.

Good luck with your build.

Sinko,

Look at Brad's thread. He used a Harbor Freight welder (I think) and completed his MechMate in record time.

I have a Millermatic 130 MIG welder. I've had it about 10 years. It cost about 5 times the HF that Brad used. I'm a real hack at welding. I can make two recommendations. One, if you use MIG, get shielding gas capability. I used the flux core for some time. My MIG welder is gas capable and I recently added shield gas. MIG with shield gas is much cleaner and the welds are much nicer...even for a hack.

My second recommendation is to get a Auto-darkening helmet. It makes it a lot easier to follow the weld line, because as soon as you stop welding you can see the work almost as well as without the helmet. I got one for about $50 from NorthernTools. Works fine.

Regards,
John

+1 on the auto darkening welding mask, once you try one you wonder why it took you so long to buy one. And these days they are cheap I paid usd60+tax for one here not long ago.

If you don't want TIG/MIG I would suggest an inverter welder, they deliver over 150A and their weight is less than 3kg

I bought a Hobart Handler 210 for under $700 reconditioned off amazon (looks brand new not even dusty in side). Only 30% duty cycle but never had a overheat problem with my MM. It is a great machine made by Miller and you can get a spool gun for welding aluminum too. I had to buy a bottle local to, another $130 filled, the machine came with regulator. And of course the auto dark adjustable helmet.

Awesome! Thanks much for the links and info guys. I re-read my original post and couldn't of worded it any worse :o; I meant to ask if there are any brands that I should look more into, and are there certain brands I should steer clear of? I just didn't want to buy a welder that will suffice for the build, but then crap out on me a year down the road :).

I don't know too much about the individual companies, so I was just curious if there is 'go to' brand that you will see in 4 out-of 5 builders workshops?

I will definitely look into the Harbor Freight as well, bought a few things from them in the past - kind of a toss-up with them, but they do have a lot of quality products for an amazing price!

Thanks again guys

I used a classic Lincoln AC-225 stick welder at the beginning, $50 on Craigslist. I then moved to a harbor freight #94164, $150 reconditioned, in flux core mode. I agree that you really, really want an auto-darkening helmet.

I'm happy with the harbor freight, and it has found other uses. Buying, using, and then selling a welder on craigslist is also a pretty good route if you aren't a tool junkie. But I'm betting most of us are :)

I second the Miller and the Auto darkening helment. I have a 135 I picked up at a pawn shop super deal. But wire feed Mig with Shield gas is a good all around machine. I have larger welders and still go back to the 135 just because it is super easy to deal with. I put a spool gun on mine for aluminium work. Not needed for the Steel wire. I think the comp unit today is the Miller Matic 211 http://millerwelds.com/products/mig/...c_211_autoset/ .

It also runs on 110 volts. I used mine on a 20amp circuit with no problems. This make a HUGE diference in portability.

Well worth the investment. Plus I like the color :)

"wire feed Mig with Shield gas is a good all around machine" there are only two areas where that might not be true . . . .

- outdoor work with even slight wind (blows away the shield gas leaving poor welds)

- where shield gas is hard to get, or a supplier holds one to ransom with their prices.

In the above cases, plain old stick welder is the workhorse. The inverter version of it is easier to work with.

True on the shielding gas out side. I use flux cored wire for those applications. I am not pro by far (Hack actually :) ) but I have built a couple of trailers and repaired some thin walled tube feeders with my 115 volt unit.

More good reading. This site is loaded with info even if you don't buy a miller.

http://www.millerwelds.com/education...article62.html

Miller and Lincoln are the 2 big brands in the USA.

Buy a used one on Craigslist and you know you can sell it and get your money back.

Get one that runs on 220V (actually, Miller makes one now that can run on 110 or 220V).

If you want a specific recommendation, many seasoned welders worship the Millermatic 35. It puts out 220 amps, can do 1/2" material in a single pass and can often be found for $500-$1000 used. It has no circuit boards inside, so it might be the most serviceable MIG welder ever made. While other people are plunking down $500 for a replacement control board, MM35 owners are just replacing $20 diodes and $15 reostats.

I use your basic 120v Lincoln that I picked up at a yard sale. I added tri gas to it and it works great. Better yet just rent one for a week and see what you like.

Tons of info and exactly what I hoped for, you guys are the best! Going to try craigslist for awhile in the hopes that I can get a great deal; otherwise looks like I'm going to just have to save for a few months.

Thanks again
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