Need advice on choosing a welder...

[JonnyMac]

So in the not too distant future i will embark on a restoration, , something like a 60's f100 or maybe even a split screen vw.
I'm just building up the fabrication equipment and the time has come to look at a welder.
My previous cheap, no brand mig was terrible. Notchy on the wire feed and pretty coarse on the adjustments.
So I dont want to fall into that trap again, however I dont realky have the budget for a miller or Lincoln so im looking at mid range units.
Im looking at some mig only models as I have a nice little compact stick already. Brands like Rossi, Unimig, weldsmart, cigweld are all in the price range and im favoring the more portable types, im in Australia by the way...
Whats your opinion on these brands/types of compact models? Anyone have any do's and dont's on the subject?
Theres always the option of a tig too but I guess tigs just are not as convenient to use in a restoration type environment....
Thanks... Jon

 

[beakie]

Since I have no experiece with those names, and not A LOT of experience with welding... I did just buy my first welder yesterday, so this is how I determined what to get.

1. what do I want/need to do with it. for me, max 3/8" plate, more likely 10g sheet upto 1/4"

2. how much do I want to spend... perfect world $2000... realistically, max $800

3. new, shiny and warrantied OR older, used, hope for the best. for me I prefer older tools, proven, quality, more bang, less buck.

4. go big, or go home? I could have spent months or more waiting for that perfect deal on a 250series mig machine. Or I could go tomorrow and get a brand new big box store 180 series. Or I could save my money, find a good deal, on a good machine, go look at it and decide that will check all the boxes and bring it home.


I ended up with a 200 series ESAB, 15-20 years old, owner had recently stocked up on consumables, new whip liner, extra roll of wire, etc and was downsizing before a move. I won't get to use it for another 2 months until we move... but I am very happy with this purchase.


My advice, figure out what you NEED, not just WANT.
Decide on $$

Research the heck out of the options you have, and pick one that checks the boxes on your list.

 

[Askme42]

For a restoration a mig that accepts gas is a must. Would a used Lincoln miller or hobart be in your price range? What is your budget?

 

[JonnyMac]

Well I have a budget of $500/600. But the price of equipment is generally higher here than in the states, and used high end brands dont come up too much.

 

[1grnlwn]

I don't know if you can find Hobart, but they are made by Miller and are perfectly fine. Trust me red and blue used machines are hard to find everywhere. The work good why would you get rid of them?

 

[Aquaticbob]

I would suggest a TIG, it may be a little more time consuming than the MIG doing the restoration, but it's cleaner. I got a lincoln MIG machine for Christmas and I already am looking at getting a TIG unit by Everlast. It is also nice having the capability to weld just about any metal only needing the argon. Obviously the price is higher, but it'll be worth it in the end in my opinion.

 

[JonnyMac]

Well the tigs are actually pretty reasonable compared to the migs. The two handed operation wouldnt put you off compared to the single handed mig? Just thinking the more awkward access areas might be an issue with the tig??

 

[Aquaticbob]

Well the tigs are actually pretty reasonable compared to the migs. The two handed operation wouldnt put you off compared to the single handed mig? Just thinking the more awkward access areas might be an issue with the tig??

I use 2 hands for migging anyway, one to steady, and one to guide. I think really the only difference for me would be the speed, but the cleanliness of a TIG weld is a lot nicer than a MIG

 

[rsanter]

Think the issue you are going to have is typically the lower priced units here are going to be the 110v ones. Don't you guys use 220v over there?
When you get a 220v welder here it is typically a higher end unit or heavy duty unit here

If you can fork the money, go with the miller 211 auto set

Bob

 

[JonnyMac]

Think the issue you are going to have is typically the lower priced units here are going to be the 110v ones. Don't you guys use 220v over there?
When you get a 220v welder here it is typically a higher end unit or heavy duty unit here

If you can fork the money, go with the miller 211 auto set

Bob

240v actually....
Id love miller, but at $1800 its way out of my budget!!

 

[pl_silverado]

240v actually....
Id love miller, but at $1800 its way out of my budget!!

Hardly $ 1800 for a Miller.

Miller 211 $1079
http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-millermatic-211-auto-set-mig-welder-907422/

Add a Miller Auto Darkening Helmet for $ 198ish and get 10% off on the welder, so you basically get the helmet for $ 90 bucks

http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.c...e-series-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-256159

http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-build-with-blue

 

[Aquaticbob]

Hardly $ 1800 for a Miller.

Miller 211 $1079
http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-millermatic-211-auto-set-mig-welder-907422/

Add a Miller Auto Darkening Helmet for $ 198ish and get 10% off on the welder, so you basically get the helmet for $ 90 bucks

http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.c...e-series-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-256159

http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-build-with-blue

Wonder how much the shipping is going to be cause it's going to Australia. Does that site ship international?

 

[pl_silverado]

Wonder how much the shipping is going to be cause it's going to Australia. Does that site ship international?

Not seeing the option online, maybe if you call them.

 

[Aquaticbob]

Not seeing the option online, maybe if you call them.

Yeah, I didn't see it either. It'll most likely be easier for him to find somewhere localish to get the welder cause I'm sure shipping from anywhere US based is going to be insane for a 75+lb package

 

[JonnyMac]

I buy a fair bit from the US but electrical, heavy items just aren't worth it. Locally the 211 is big bucks.
Im still torn between tig and mig at the moment, I love the convenience of the mig but the neatness of a tig weld is a thing of beauty!

 

[brownbagg]

miller or hobart, forget lincoln.

i don't like lincoln 110v migs because they have gotten cheap.

i love the lincoln arc welders, just not the home depot lincoln migs

my opinion 220v or forget it, and on 220 volt line, lincoln, miller , holbart, they all good

any other brand don't even look at them

 

[Aquaticbob]

I buy a fair bit from the US but electrical, heavy items just aren't worth it. Locally the 211 is big bucks.
Im still torn between tig and mig at the moment, I love the convenience of the mig but the neatness of a tig weld is a thing of beauty!

This is exactly how I was 3 months ago. I had a friend of mine who is an autobody welder telling me to get a MIG and he'll show me how to use it, that's all I will ever need, and another saying to get a TIG. I've also heard a lot of people say just get a TIG, save yourself the money of getting a MIG then realizing you should have gotten a TIG.

Considering I'm in the situation of I should have just gotten a TIG, I know just how that is. Though I can see how a MIG might be all someone would need. I say get the TIG and save yourself the money in the end. Make sure to get an AC DC unit too

 

[JonnyMac]

Oh god.. ac/dc (aside from being a great band) is probably twice the price of a dc. I don't plan on doing any aluminum work so I wasnt really considering a acdc unit.. theres no disadvantages of dc only if not doing aluminum is there?

 

[Aquaticbob]

Oh god.. ac/dc (aside from being a great band) is probably twice the price of a dc. I don't plan on doing any aluminum work so I wasnt really considering a acdc unit.. theres no disadvantages of dc only if not doing aluminum is there?

You just never know when you'll run into some aluminum is kinda how I'm viewing why I should do the AC/DC unit. And yeah, it's pretty much twice the price unfortunately. How much are the everlast 185 TIG units there?

 

[TheLS1Lover]

I have a Miller 211 Auto-Start MVP and a Syncrowave 250DX and they are both great, but out of your price range. If you could find a used Hobart, which was already stated is made by Miller you should be in good hands. Now, I don't know from personal experience but I have read some really good reviews on the Eastwood stuff.

 

[JonnyMac]

Everlast 185 micro is $1000... the spec looks pretty damn good though. .

 

[Aquaticbob]

I know a few people really like them, and it's what I'm looking at getting to get into TIG welding. I hear really good things about everlast as a company too, sounds like they stand behind their product

 

[1grnlwn]

No doubt TIG welders are cool. But a mig welder is the workhorse. Basically an entry level tig is nothing more than a fancy buzz box. It takes considerable skill to tig sheetmetal. And most use advanced features present in fancier tig models. And the real truth is if you get bit hard by the bug you will end up with one of each. Then your quest will be to upgrade each piece to the better models. Hint Basic AC tigs will weld Aluminum but not real well. That is what most of the bells and whistles are for.

 

[sberry]

Bob,,, I can see your dilemma but your personal perspective is pretty narrow. This OP screams 200 compact mig and its probably the right machine for you ,,,, you just don't know it.

I can say this, tig is highly over rated especially with the newbie crowd/questions etc. In almost 40 yrs in general and automotive can count on one hand the actual need for a tig and maybe even less with the advent of the small spool gun.

I have one, don't use it, did and have reason due to the extensive equipment I own but my Bud in general auto,,, I cant ever remember him calling me for a tig job, 30+ years.

This is different than,,, I want to do this as a hobby,,, this is ,,, need. If you don't already have a 200 or better compact feeder it should be far and away,,, by leaps and bounds based on results and usage,,, multiples,,, *** you need one.

There is no better place to put the 300 synch than where is sits, I really havnt used it in years and finally installed 2 other machines I do ues on top of it and the same gas bottle feeds the spool gun on the Hobart. It got rid of 2 carts on the floor.
I have moved the red ones home a little since but this on the other hand,,, 1000's and 1000's and 1000's of welds, daily driver.

I am a career welder, extremely broad background,, expert level, use a 600$ mig and a 500$ AC/DC buzzer for 98% of it except for engine drive and I got 3 or 4 machines that cost several times that much.

I come full circle and that's what it boils down 2.

 

[sberry]

I quizzed up an Airgas salesman, he was the store mgr and don't know the first thing about welding but,,, he is a good salesman and gets people in to the "right" machine for them where they will see the results, when he upsells its valid and a good fit. I was rather impressed and in some cases knowing less than a professional can be good,, he is not selling from his personnel experience but for a salesman who sees comebacks when they didn't get what they thought they would.

I realize this is an opinion forum but on a couple of these issues the opinions ****,,, but my opinion which is that for anyone asking this question a 200 mig should be on the very top of a very short list for a first unit. There can be some exceptions but the estimation of the need is suspect at best.

 

[JonnyMac]

All opinions are gratefully received here!
I suppose I should give a little bit of background here.
I am an auto engineer who you would typically see sitting in a camouflaged prototype vehicle with a laptop. Most of my experience lies with engines and their control and performance. My home projects are based around the same thing really.
Now I do have a trade qualification and did spend several weeks with mig in hand at trade school and if I had $1500 to spend it would be a very easy trip down to the local Miller dealer to pick up a nice mig.
However I don't have that kind of budget allocated to me by the wife especially as the next project is really an unknown at the moment, but it will most likely be a more restoration based car compared to what I usually get involved with.
So as i mentioned earlier I've had a cheap crappy ebay mig in the not so distant past and I don't want to get burnt like that again.
What i am trying to figure out is whether the mid range, more portable design type units typically have the capability to deliver wire smoothly in a nice controllable fashion. The question of the tig option is also in the mix just because it's a valid option really, I do understand the level of skill needed to produce nice results with a tig but I have lots of practice opportunity, but the question is the same, does a $600 unit typicall have the necessary build quality to perform well in a light use scenario. ..

 

[BD1]

Reading your last post leads me to believe it maybe be time to trade the wife in. Since that would really be COSTLY, I would look for a used Miller machine. I don't think it's worth buying the cheap stuff.
Here's a local supplier by me that has a deal on a TWECO. I don't know anything about it other then supplier said he's selling a lot. A sad issue I don't know if they would ship to you FREE. You could contact them through a email. http://www.weldersupply.com/P/538/ThermalArcFabricator181i

 

[rsanter]

Here is another option
You can buy a miller 211 from here for under $1100 and send it to me.
I have a friend in Australia that comes here to get cars and car parts. I usually hold the cars and parts as he collects them till he comes and fills a container to send them back.
You can work a deal with him to pay his a little to put it in his container.
You can get a great welder and save several hundred bucks

Bob

 

[JonnyMac]

Here is another option
You can buy a miller 211 from here for under $1100 and send it to me.
I have a friend in Australia that comes here to get cars and car parts. I usually hold the cars and parts as he collects them till he comes and fills a container to send them back.
You can work a deal with him to pay his a little to put it in his container.
You can get a great welder and save several hundred bucks

Bob

Thanks bob, thats pretty tempting. .. even more so to stick it inside the '56 f truck I wanna buy!!
What state is your friend from? Victoria? Quite a few come in through here..

 

[dr_obson]

Im running a cigweld transmig 175i its a little over your pricerange however it migs nicely and has tig and stick capability aswell. I bought my own gas bottle too as rent prices can quickly add up. I use it for panel and chassis work and it can handle both easily. ive welded up to 10mm with it and as thin as 0.8 no worries.

On the cheaper side alot of my mates (5+) all have lincoln powermig 180's and they love them. also used for panel and chassis

All of my mates who have had unimigs are sorely dissappointed and have had to get them repaired regulaly.

Lincolns and cigwelds come up secondhand on ebay and gumtree all the time so have a look there.

 

[JonnyMac]

A couple of the fab guys at work run cig at home and all say they are good units..
Is the transmig an acdc tig or just dc?

Glad you mentioned that unimigs weren't too good, total tools seem to do a good deal on them but I don't know anyone who's used them...

 

[dr_obson]

its dc only. To be honest its mainly a mig, a good one, the tig and stick capabilities are a bonus but if you wanted to tig with it all the time buy a dedicated tig machine. Most car work is mig anyway, tig is way too fiddly unless you are doing it on a bench.

 

[JonnyMac]

Well ive managed to get a slightly higher budget released..
Im now heading towards the Everlast 185 tig. Good warranty and it's had a good review by a couple of the you tube experts. Its probably the best chance I'll have in the near future to get an ac machine so I might as well take advantage.