If I own MIG, should I get a stick?

[rogersmithiii]

I have a chance to score a Lincoln 225 for $100 from a trusted party. I own a Hobart 180 MIG. Is the stick duplicate? Or are there cases where stick should be used over MiG?

 

[PoorUB]

I have a MIG and haven't used a stick in decades. I haven't missed it.

A stick works better in some situations, dirty metal, farm repairs.

Only you can decide.

 

[Mgdoug3]

Is it straight AC or AC/DC? The 225 amps could probably weld thicker material in a single pass and weld dirtier metal. If you wanted to weld outside and it's windy, it won't be a problem with a stick machine.

Most likely you won't use the stick machine often but at times it's handy to have.

 

[corn chip]

if you have to ask

for sure you dont need it

 

[speed bump]

I wouldn't go for a tombstone unless I really need to do some repairs on something that's magnetized to the point where AC would be useful.

At this point for entry level stick I wouldn't recommend anything other than a small inverter.

 

[Bert_]

The problem with mig is it's really limited to what you can bring in the shop. A stick welder goes anywhere. It's not bothered by wind or some rust. With a stick welder you can add some lead, you don't have to drag the whole machine with you.

 

[Mr_fixit]

100 bucks , yes absolutely, as long as the selector switch isn't real sloppy when you turn it. Your mig will be good for 1/4". the stick will do 1/8" to 1/2", if you need thicker.

 

[plinker]

Depends on your use and the size machine you have.

In my case already having a Hobart 187, I picked up a Hobart 210i DC machine for the odd time I need to deal with cast iron or other random ****, or have to weld anything thicker then 5/16". A larger MIG would be nice, but not practical for me at the moment.

 

[silentpoet]

You can run flux core wire for the thicker and outside stuff if you want in your current welder. Might not do everything the 225 amp machine would do, but it would do a good portion of it. You could run multiple passes if you need to weld thicker stuff. But I wouldn't turn down a tombstone for 100 though.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I only own stick and tig and spot, have no mig. Mig might have and advantage welding exhaust pipes or sheet metal, but I can do all I need without it. Lincoln makes good stuff. I’m going to be teaching my son his first welding lesson next week, using a 1947 Fleet-Arc.

 

[gmcgeo]

i learned on a stick, then transitioned to mig later on

 

[smackey05]

I use the MIG on almost everything. The only place where I have ever used the stick is on some cast boat risers. If it's cheap enough and you have room, why not. Do you need it? Probably not.

 

[gungatim]

LGR

 

[PoorUB]

I grew up welding with a Lincoln tombstone. Years later I got a chance to weld with a high end Miller, no clue what model it was. That ruined the tombstone for me. That Miller just about welded by itself. I screwed around with it and couldn't stick the rod like the cheap Lincolns. Just jab the rod into the material and weld away. Even the finished weld looked so much better than the Lincoln.

I would have to think hard about that $100 Lincoln. It is a good deal, but it is not the stick welder I lust after.

 

[Blind1]

Stick if you need to weld outside the shop.

 

[dr_clyde]

Stick welding is very useful and I would always want access to a stick welder. For $100 it's hard to go wrong with a buzz box.

That said, they're not the best stick welder available, by a long shot. They're perfectly adequate for most home shop welding, but if you can swing it I'd look into getting a small inverter stick/tig combo machine. MUCH more portable, which is the biggest advantage of stick welding.

We have some of the nicest MIG welders money can buy and we still burn 7018 electrodes at least once a week. They're just so fast, portable and easy to use.

 

[AA/FC]

I worked as a "wleder" for a short time in my life (long story there) but one of the things we welded often was the black iron "grease duct" above large commercial kitchen exhaust hoods. The entire duct work system from the top of the hood all the way to the exhaust fan on the roof had to be welded completely air tight so grease didn't leak out and collect on the outside of the duct, or pool on the top side of the exhaust hood. This duct work was usually 18 gauge sheet metal.... fairly thick as far as "duct work" goes but still thin in the world of "sheet metal". I welded many of those grease duct systems completely with a 110v stick welder. We got REALLY good at welding "sheet metal" with 6013 rod and a buzz box stick welder.

So to answer the original question.... yes, get the stick welder. You can weld whatever you want with it, including sheet metal. lol Also, If it's a 225 AC/DC machine, it will stick together much thicker metal than you 180 mig is capable of. I wouldn't bother with an "AC" only machine.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

A few years ago I wanted to weld some stainless, I had the rod but only a Miller 250x MIG. To use it, I would need another bottle, this time Tri-Mix. I had an Argon bottle for spool gun aluminum. So I was on the look out for a buzz box, idealy a newer one that had DC for 3/32 7018. You use 7018 when you don't want your weld to break , as in suspension parts. There are two uses right there. I ended up with a new TIG/stick pulse welder. Now I can do lighter gauge aluminum , small parts, and stainless. I tend to use the stick a lot, since it doesn't need gas. I now can use 6010 for rusty painted chit.

 

[bsaint]

I usually like stick welding over mig. No gas bottles. No wire feed to **** with. You can have the welding cables super long.

 

[slowtwitch73]

If you need to ask, you probably don't need.

 

[rockinacummins]

Depends on your application. As for me, I wouldn’t be caught dead without a stick welder. But most of my welding is done on fences, steel buildings, trailers, and farm equipment. And I’ve never owned a MIG...

 

[seber]

I have both and generally use stick unless there is a reason to mess with the mig. It's just less messing around and a lot of what I do is outside.

 

[Renegade1LI]

for a 100 bucks it's a no brainer, I just sold one I bought new in 1980 for 300$, great little machines. What I have that I love is a miller maxstar 161, weighs 13lbs & can run on 110 or 220 , can use it any where, but it's not for continuous duty work, just super portable. So if you need to do stick any where this is a great machine, really depends on your needs.

 

[619DioFan]

I learned in High school on a lincoln tombstone and that is what I bought for my self many years ago. I did eventualy pick up a HF flux core wire welder. unless it is something very thin I always use the tombstone. I never do anything outside of my shop so portability is not an issue and I am NOT a pro welder at all so I only fix my own broken junk. will probably pick up a better wire welder at some time but for now what I have works fine for me.

 

[charbar]

My stick gets used very little. I don't even keep it in the main shop. Heavy duty stuff or outside/windy days it gets used. How often do you see yourself doing that? Enough to justify spending the money (even if its only 100 bucks, but that buys a decent amount of booze (lol) ) not to mention its one more thing to take up space in the shop/garage.

 

[bsaint]

I hate the mig torch and cable / sheath thing. It's always too damn short and heavy. And resists you in some positions.

But to each his own. If you're just doing body work or fixing a go kart frame for the kids stay with a mig. If you're ever gonna do welding thicker than 1/8 than get good with a stick. 7018 will make you look like a Rockstar.

 

[trackwelder]

I would pass if it’s an AC only machine. I would put the cash towards an inverter machine. I replaced a Miller 150s with a esab 161. Great little machine and burns 7018 great on 110 or 220.

 

[bsaint]

Inverter machine won't do a 6010 tho.

 

[Badgerstate]

I have a chance to score a Lincoln 225 for $100 from a trusted party. I own a Hobart 180 MIG. Is the stick duplicate? Or are there cases where stick should be used over MiG?

Id say it depends what you are doing. If you do a lot of welding on greasy, dirty, rusty metal; stick is nice. If you do all of your work on clean metal, MIG is all that you need.

 

[EZ_Garage]

Had a Lincoln 225 stick welder and a small cheap mig for years. About 10-15 year ago I upgraded my mig to a Hobart 187 and from that point on neither the cheap mig or the stick welder got touched. I ended up selling the old Lincoln and cheap mig on CL.

 

[speed bump]

Inverter machine won't do a 6010 tho.

Some will, some won't. The invertecs I learned on will, Miller XMTs and whatever the tiny Miller is will as well.

For the cheap machines run 6011, it does pretty much everything 6010 does but it will run on a cheap inverter. Or just run 7018, for every 10 lb of 6010 we consume we probably burn 250 lbs of 7018.

For everyone saying you can't run wire outside I encourage you to try some decent flux core wire. Anything we do at this point that is continuous welding (particulary crack repair welding) is all flux core. Only downside for us is packing a 50 lb feeder and gun to a project that might only take 2lbs of wire.

 

[PoorUB]

You can run a MIG outside, but I do agree, if the wind is blowing very hard it makes it difficult. You can do it if you block the wind with you body, or a piece of sheet metal, it doesn't take much.

I have run my MIG out in the driveway many times.

 

[seber]

Inverter machine won't do a 6010 tho.

I run 6010 with my inverter a lot. What you can run is limited by the power available, not the type of welder.

 

[gmcgeo]

Inverter machine won't do a 6010 tho.

an expectation is an ESAB 161, they can

 

[dnschmidt]

If all you had was 110V MIG then definitely yes. Since you've got a bigger MIG maybe no. My solution was to buy the AHP AlphaTIG which does both DC and AC TIG (aluminum) and is a really good AC or DC stick welder bringing 7018 into the game. I also have a Miller Thunderbolt 225 which I haven't used in at least 40 years which has an advantage over the Lincoln in that it has a continuously adjustable amperage setting.

 

[dffay]

Stick (AC and DC) offers the ability to do things better and cheaper if it’s a specialty situation. Buying just a few sticks of Cast or Nickel or Hardfacing or Al or Stainless rod is preferable to finding an entire spool that might not see use again.

 

[dr_clyde]

Inverter machine won't do a 6010 tho.

Inexpensive inverters tend not to have enough open circuit voltage (OCV) to keep a 6010 electrode lit.

More and more are being sold with the capability to run 6010 however. My Miller Maxstar machines have a setting specifically for 6010.

That said, 6010 isn't used much outside of open root pipe and plate joints, and if you're doing those welds, you know to have the right tools available.

For the home/farm shop, 6011 will do what 6010 does for the most part.

For the home shop, a stick welder represents portability, ease of use, simplicity, and the ability to change whatever metal you're welding simply by swapping electrodes and possibly polarity. DC machines are much more versatile.

In a home shop, you can weld stainless, aluminum, structural steel, rusty farm equipment, and whatever else comes in with the right electrodes.

 

[johninct]

You can't beat the old REAL ac/dc Lincoln Tombstone's.

 

[APEowner]

It really depends on what types of things you work on and where. I have, MIG, TIG, Stick and Oxyacetylene capability in my shop and it's been over 30 years since I've used the stick. I just don't work on stuff that requires it.

 

[seber]

Inexpensive inverters tend not to have enough open circuit voltage (OCV) to keep a 6010 electrode lit.

More and more are being sold with the capability to run 6010 however. My Miller Maxstar machines have a setting specifically for 6010.

That said, 6010 isn't used much outside of open root pipe and plate joints, and if you're doing those welds, you know to have the right tools available.

For the home/farm shop, 6011 will do what 6010 does for the most part.

For the home shop, a stick welder represents portability, ease of use, simplicity, and the ability to change whatever metal you're welding simply by swapping electrodes and possibly polarity. DC machines are much more versatile.

In a home shop, you can weld stainless, aluminum, structural steel, rusty farm equipment, and whatever else comes in with the right electrodes.

That is not what I use it for. It excels at cutting steel and especially cast iron. Soak it in water first.