Mig welder for a beginner (in Europe)

[Andrej]

Hi,

May be someone could please recommend a MIG welder for a beginner?

I would like to try repairing some rust spots on the under body of a passenger car, make something like 8x14 cm patch. Also, may be some exhaust system repair, welding in a new resonator.

So I would really appreciate a recommendation of a model available in Europe (eastern Europe more specifically) or some specs I should look for. There are some cheap ones, even Lidl offered a MIG welder for 120 Eur I think. Would those kind of welders be enough to do the job or it would just be a waste of time and money.

Also I wonder if "cheaper" welding helmets are just not as comfortable to use or they can be a hazard to your eyes?

 

[American Locomotive]

First what's your budget? I see that some machines typically targeted at the U.S. market are available in Europe, but we really need a budget first.

As far as helmets go, pretty much all helmets have adequate UV protection. Cheap helmets may not be auto-dimming, or have smaller windows.

 

[Andrej]

First what's your budget?

200-300 Eur

 

[American Locomotive]

That budget is really limiting. I think it would be best to look for used machines.

It looks like a Lincoln HandyMig https://www.stokker.com/mig-keevitusseade-handy-mig-komplektne-lincoln-electric/-634825659 would be around 400 eur, and that's a really low-end machine.

There are a lot more brands available with better selection than Lincoln in the European market though. Unfortunately many of those brands don't sell here in the U.S., so I do not have that much experience with them.

But if you're just doing exhaust work and welding patch panels into floors, I think just about any MIG welder would be up to the task.

 

[Skin]

European brands would be ones like ESAB and Fronius. They also have their own flavor of Chinese imports that would be clones or fairly similar to the units available to us at HF.

Example

These Stahlwerk units seem to be pretty well received.

 

[Andrej]

Thanks for the advice