The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest welder-get what u pay for

I recently put patch panels on the floor of my 1971 C-10. I also did the door bottoms. I am not a welder so just beginning I bought a cheap flux core welder. Didn't work, too hot-not enough adjustability. My son is a certified welder and while in school for that, his instructor told everyone that if u buy a MIG, don't buy anything less than a 180AMP, or u would eventually be disappointed. So 3 welders later I bought a Lincoln 180A. mig. The difference was unbelievable!! My lesson learned- u can't go cheap with welders. U must buy one that is capable to do the job/jobs that u are attempting. So if u are new to welding-especially if u are going to do thin sheet metal, spend the 7-8 hundred for a good mig, u won't be disappointed. Thankfully my 52 is in much better shape and won't require any welding at all!!!

Makes sense to me!

I think some of the brand name 140 amp machines are ok. I wouldn't be afraid to get a Miller, Lincoln or Hobart 140.

John

I have a Handler 140 that I love-a dedicated 120 circuit is really the key, IMO. Fantastic on sheetmetal, it welds to 1/4" no problem, if using a lot of thicker stuff I would go w/a 220 unit. Voltage drop thru normal wiring affects them more than the 220 models, so if your wiring is marginal, welder performance will be also.

looked at several options before I purchased mine, everyone I talked to said get the biggest name brand you can afford. purchased a Hobart Ironman 210. has been great!

of all the tools in my garage, I am most happy with my Lincoln 140 mig/flux. The welder FAR surpassed my expectations. I bought the welder because the price was right at the time that I needed it to be right. I picked it up at Lowes for 501.86 with tax. (15% off) ZERO complaints!

Another good option, is look for a used pro level welder. For instance, I have a Hobart BetaMig 250 that I bought on ebay. With shipping, it only cost my $750 and it's a 250 amp, 60% duty cycle welder. Heck, I use it in my fab shop. Alot of times, you can get a very heavy duty welder, with some nice accessories for the same or less money as a new, light duty machine. For sheet metal, having a welder that uses shielding gas is key. I don't care how expensive the welder is, if you're using flux core wire, it WILL burn too hot and you WILL have a terrible time welding thin stuff.

Another side benefit of getting a pro level welder, is that for the major brands (Hobart, Miller, Esab, ThermalArc, etc) your local welding supply will have a large selection of parts in stock.

FWIW, Hobart and Miller (same company now) are THE ticket for entry level to medium duty welders.... Lincoln just doesn't have the arc stability that Miller/Hobart does.. On the heavier stuff, they all are good choices.

And, as a second note, the Hobart Handler 187 seems to be the Best light duty 220v machine out there for sheet metal. We had one at the garage I used to work at for exhaust work and it was great! I could weld paper thin rusty exhaust without burn through, but still penetrate the thicker stuff. I don't think there's anything that the average guy here would do that would overtax that welder... So if you really want new, that'd be my choice.

Gotta' agree with you, I like and use the Lincoln products and have no complaints.

I used a Hobart 140 at work to weld unistrut to I beams. I love that little welder!

Since the topic is about getting what you pay for...
I'm not a welder, I have no experience at all and I can only think of a few things that I could do with one repair-wise.
The main thing is repairing the bottoms of my doors on my '59 and putting on new bed rails once I grind off the old rusted ones.
I've read tons of reviews and have seen You-Tube videos on the HF 90 amp flux rigs and it looks good. They are on sale and I've just put in my request to Santa!
Now I am seeing all your remarks and wondering if I should pull my request... ?
I just thought I'd spring for under $100 versus having the job done by someone else.
Any input or thoughts on this guys? Thanks!
Jerry

I can think of a lot of reasons "not", but the easiest one is using flux core on sheet metal is messy and does a poor job. You will be grinding most of it off or blowing holes through the metal.

A nice 110v gas set up (like the Hobart 140, Miller or Lincoln) is far superior for sheet metal.

If you are serious about learning to weld, you will kick yourself for buying the HF one, once you get a little experience.

Other opinions may vary...

Dale

I can speak from experience-my buddy had a HF 90 amp 120v welder that I borrowed, then I purchased a Handler 140.

Both units are 120volt, but there's no comparison in performance. The HF welder does not penetrate well, I even hooked his up for argon/CO2 mix & used .023 solid wire & still was disappointed-so much so that I was somewhat leery of the Handler, being a 120volt. Buy a name brand, IMO.

SPEND THE MONEY, buy a name brand welder (preferrably American made). I have a Lincoln 120V gas/flux mig welder, and it's been invaluable. A few years ago, I rented a foreign made flux welder, and it was a piece of crap. With the Lincoln, I was making perfect weld beads after a few tries with no prior welding experience.

You gets what you pays for!

Chris

I have been tempted by Eastwood's 110 V welder which is $299. I have also looked at a Hobart Handler 140 which amazon has for $497. That is a significant difference in price. Is the general opinion here that the Hobart is worth the extra money? Why? Thanks.

I bought the HF 90 amp flux core welder b-4 I bought the Lincoln 180. Cheap welders will not weld sheet metal. Maybe if u are a pro u could get it to work but you'd still have a messsy job requirering alot of grinding. 130Amp mig is the lowest I've used to get to work on sheet metal. I am a beginner welder and went the route of cheap welders. They simply won't do the job. Thicker metal-yes- sheet metal- absolutely not. Spend the $ or have it done by someone else.