The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Mig Welder?

Anybody know where to get a nice, new and CHEAP Mig welder? Thanks

"New" and "Cheap"- - - -Harbor Freight. "Good"- - - -that's another question entirely!
Jerry

lol. I think theres a harbor freight somewhere near me, so ill check online. But I was thinking sears.

Anybody wana recommend some good brands to look for?

I purchased a Lincoln handy mig from sears

...click...

It is their bottom of the line mig.
It worked well for me, just minor body panel stuff, lower cowl repair.
I've used it twice in two years
I'm not a welder, maybe a stick man can make a better recommendation for you

Good luck

I bought a 220V Clarke welder, it has some issues with feeding the wire sometimes but it does what I need for the most part. I went ahead and purchased gas for it as well, it has a much cleaner weld with gas.

Ed

Watch Craigslist and wait for a deal. (If you have time to wait.) I am pleased with my Clarke 130. Got it used for $150 including gauges. Shoot! The bottle of gas cost me twice as much as the welder. LOL!

I'd stay away from the welders sold by HF.

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/65%20Chevy%20C10/welding/0111121921.jpg

I have used many brands in the welding trade and I purchested a welder from EastWood products it's a 175 amp unit.
I have been using it for 2 weeks now and do not have one complaint about it. Welds just as good as a Miller or Clark, Lincoln, Hobart. It has a very fine tune for the voltage and wire where some welders just have click slots so you can't fine tune them. But best of all is the price and warrenty of three years. The big three do not have that warrenty on their machines. Oh and one more thing all the parts for the gun enterchange with Tweco guns.
62Blue
Don

I think Hobart makes a very good product for the price, and no, they don't offer a 3 year warranty on thier machines like Eastwood, it is 5 years.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/pdf/warranty.pdf

I have two of them, HH 187 and 210, both 220 volt welders. I would suggest you consider a 220v welder if you have the outlet or can get one put in.

I have had zero problems (I've had the 187 for close to 10 years and the 210 for about 2 years) and actually like the arc better on the 187, but got the extra amps on the 210 for spool gun use on aluminum.

If I was independently wealthy I would buy Miller, but in my opinion a Hobart is probably 95% as good at much less the cost.

Whatever you do, try to get a gas capable machine and don't kid yourself and think flux core will be all you need. Buy as big (amp) of a machine as you can afford, you can always turn a big machine down, but you can't turn a little machine but so far up. 110v machines are fine if all you are doing is sheet metal and some light fabbing but as soon as you want to do frame work you either need to be a very good weldor or you need the heat of a 220v machine.

Don, I believe you have a 175amp machine, volts only come in what the power company puts out, that's 110 in household volts, two legs for 220.

here is an interesting thread discussing the Eastwood welders: http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=41965

Not saying anything about the Eastwood machines, I have not welded with them, only that I have been very pleased with the price/performance of the Hobart for a number of years.

I've used the Hobart Handler 140. Welding uni-strut to structural steel. I was surprised on how well it worked. If you are plannning on doing any kind of frame or suspension work, I would definately suggest something larger.

When you say, "cheap," I think of poor quality. A Harbor Freight or Eastwood may get the job done, but welding experience plays a huge factor in the outcome.

Well its just going to be for welding on the truck, so i don't suppose i'll need a really overpowered one, but I may be wrong

I am a real Hobart fan . For the price they are a darn good welder . That being said if I lived in the States I would look seriously at the units from Eastwood . I just couldn't justify the brokerage fees to have one shipped North .

I use a Hobart Handler 140...It's great for sheet metal work and anything non-structural...If I were to do any frame or structural safety work, I would go with a 220v welder,
Scott

PS...Miller welders make most of the Hobart components and all of our farm and fleet stores around here sell the Hobart line.

Just for info Miller and Hobart are owned by the same company . Hobart pricing is very good here and the 5 year warrenty is hard to beat . Not many dealers but there is one about a half hour away from me . My HH190 produces a beutifil arc ,no infinite voltage setting but it does have 7 steps .

Yes you are right R-Bo it is in amps but being up all night I was not thinking and should know better as I fabricated for 41 years using all kinds of welders Arc, Mig, Tig, Tig Purge welding, scarfing with a Carbon Arc etc.
62Blue
Don

I bought a Miller dual voltage, so that if you want to weld sheet metal, use the 110, if you want structural use the 220. No complaints from me.

I've owned and used commercially nearly all major brands including Miller (primarily) Lincoln and Hobart. Never had any particular downtime with any of them as long as the hired help operators took care of them. I still have a Miller MIG, a Hobart MIG and a Lincoln AC/DC box. All work fine. Just stay away from the HF and import crap.

Incidently both Hobart and Miller have the same owners since 96'. Also owns Smith, Weldcraft and several others in the welding biz. That's the way it is in the modern world. Buy a quality machine, even a used one, and learn to use it correctly and take care of it and it won't matter all that much which flavor you use.

I always give love to my machines. That way they take care of me when I need them!

I bought a 140 Hobart from NH Northern, the store that used to be Northern Hydraulics. I almost didn't buy it because it was to cheap new. I paid right at $400 with the regulator! I'm happy with my purchase!

with a ton of time and wire you can do %85 of anything with the 110v. I still have and use my lincoln after 10 years of hard use and it still runs the same as the day i bought it... I've ran miles of wire through it... best tool I have ever bought by far. But through the years and using other peoples setups, I'd invest in more power and gas right off the bat. You may not "need" it now, but soon down the road you'll wish you had... it's one of those things that wont ever leave the garage. So a few extra bucks will make all the difference!!!

-Jerry

then you can drool over TIG machines and plasma and all the other goodies that that door opens up!!!!

Have fun!!!

Has anyone used a Longevity welder? I have their plasma cutter that works fantastic at a good price. Much cheaper than a Miller!
Darren

Very happy with my Miller 180. Whichever unit you buy, make sure you can get parts. Same goes for the welding helmet.

John

I have several Welders. All varying uses, brands, and quirks. For the money, I was impressed with a Clarke 110v unit I got from tractor supply. Runs flux core wire, is light, portable, and is a good lender for folks. Now that said, the weld is strong, but not very pretty and lots of spatter. $175 at tractor supply.

I also have a Miller 135 110v. Granted, it welds with shielding gas not flux wire. I think I gave $450 for the machine, bottle, and regulator. I just picked up a miller 252. Cannot wait to burn some wire on this machine. Thing is Cadillac and way more than I needed, but will cover anything I may ever need. Couldn't pass up the price.

Watch Craigslist. And also, don't discount a stick welding machine. With the right rod and settings you can weld as pretty as you can with a mig. I mean, that's what was used before wire Welders came along.