Time for my very own mig welder.

[Sneke_Eyez]

Gonna turn some money I made selling parts into a Mig welder, finally, after wanting one for so long.
It'll finally give me an opportunity to do my own welding work, including, primarily, practicing to get better before I finish my 74 Dart and turn to the 69 Coronet.

Only real requirements I have:
I want a 110, 115, or 120 powered Mig unit. This will be for body repairs to the Coronet and Dart, and I used my buddy's 110 powered Lincoln to do the QP on the Dart and it worked spectacularly. Buying one of these will mean it'll work easily in any one of the 3 shops I have available to me in which to work without having to add a 220 line to each of them.

I want one that will weld Flux Core or with gas.

I've currently got $300 in my pocket from the sale of parts. It isn't that I couldn't spend more, but I'd buy used and in good shape if it meant spending around $300 or so.

Definitely looking for a quality welder that will last, I don't want junk.
I know the Harbor Freight welders must fall into this category, but I can't decide if the Eastwood ones do too.

What say ye, oh wise welders of GJ? What do you have and like? What should I look for? Thanks!

 

[plinker]

If your're dead set on a 110v welder, the Hobart 140 is pretty popular. I have a 220v 187 myself and really like it. Both will weld with either gas or flux core wire.

 

[regguy1]

I have the Hobart 140, you won't be dissappointed with it.
see it in the video link below......

 

[Cheap5.0]

I bought a Clark 220V mig off ebay a few years back. It performed very well (I learned on 2 millers, so i was expecting to lose *something* but not sure what it would be...i couldn't tell the difference).

I ran about 5 spools through it, all flux core wire. I never had a problem with it. It took my rookie mistakes and kept on ticking.

If you want to find one local, id go with a hobart/miller/loncoln on craigs list.

 

[bobcatdan]

Its more money then you want to spend, but I'm just going to throw the miller 211 or hobart 210. Both welders can run on 110 or 220. I want to say price range from $900 ish to $1200ish. I'm just saying, you may find yourself in a few years wanting to jump up to a 220 welder, you'll already have one.

 

[countryroad82]

I have a Hobart 135 (predecessor to the 140) and all it has done its whole life is weld body panels and some frame work. Granted it is a little more out of your price range but I would go for a 140. Another suggestion would be go to a Lincoln, you can get parts for them a whole lot easier and cheaper, my circuit board had to be replaced (common problem with the 135) due to one contactor that Hobart had the patent to and they wouldn't sell just the contactor, I had to buy a whole board. The Lincolns, I can build the entire circuit board aftermarket.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

Okay, I own four welders and three of them are Lincoln's. All my Lincoln's are 220 V and range from 155 Amps all the way to 300 Amps. My fourth welder which I bought 2 1/2 years ago was a Northern tool 135. It is an identical clone to the older Lincoln Weld Pac 155 and Weld Pac 100. I bought the Northern tool welder because I needed to have one for 110 volt operation to use in the field as well as being generator capable for a reasonable price. I have ran the **** out of this thing and it has been 100% reliable in every way. It has the same warranty as the Lincoln. I have pushed this welder pretty hard and have done a lot of welding on the higher output settings. You can get this thing new for in the mid $300 range. In fact, a buddy of mine was so impressed with the he purchased one and has had two years on it without any trouble.

I highly recommend it for the price.....

 

[Sneke_Eyez]

Thank you everyone for the recommendations!
That Northern Tool Welder looks like a pretty nice unit, I'm definitely going to consider it. Definitely a good price, too.

Does anyone have any experience with the Eastwood MIG 135?

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Just curious as a friend suggested it to me and said he has heard good things.
Its also very affordable, which is always a plus...

 

[RangerDaleXp]

Thank you everyone for the recommendations!
That Northern Tool Welder looks like a pretty nice unit, I'm definitely going to consider it. Definitely a good price, too.

Does anyone have any experience with the Eastwood MIG 135?

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Just curious as a friend suggested it to me and said he has heard good things.
Its also very affordable, which is always a plus...

that welder is made by the same manufacturer as people that make realgear but in a different color. I had looked at the real gear model and the one thing that bothered me about it was the drive motor set up. It wasn't as well made as the Northern tool set up. The one on the Northern tool 135 is almost the same as the Lincoln weld pack 155. I have read some reviews on realgear that were positive and don't recall any negatives. The only other problem I seens with the realgear is the only people selling it were some small welding supply shop back east. At least with the Northern tool Welder, it is sold by a big outfit which would make me feel more at ease on warranty issues and support if they arise.

 

[Major Ramifications]

The bottle and gas are going to take a big chunk out of your budget.

 

[buildmyown]

Let me get my flame suite on first. Ah there we go.

Was at the local welding supply house not to long ago looking at migs. They sell Holbart miller and Lincoln. Like you I was looking for a 120 input 140 amp out. Its all i really need. Well they also sell an off shore brand called Real Gear thats almost $300 cheaper then the big 3 name brands for obvious reasons. Looking at the Real Gear and Lincoln side by side you can hardly tell a difference. The welding shop guy told me that Lincoln had to sue Real gear so they would change the front to make it look different. The Real Gear had all the same settings as the Lincoln. The supply house is also a repair facilty they took one apart and said it had the same exact board inside as the Lincoln. He also said he wouldnt be surprised if you could swap boards between machines without issue. The Real Gear is also capable of running a spool gun if you want to weld aluminum where the other 3 you have to step up to a bigger and more expensive machine. The Real gear comes with a one year warrenty that has a full first year replacement if anything goes wrong. After that they are servicable and parts are available.

I am not a rep for the company im just a weekend warrior that might need a welder once a month or once a year for lite duty repairs and lite fab work. I have not bought a machine yet im still in the looking phase. If I was going to be running a machine 8 hrs a day 7 days a week no question i would be all over a name brand machine but im really considering one of these no name brands.

 

[buildmyown]

The bottle and gas are going to take a big chunk out of your budget.

Bottles and gas around here arent to bad imo compared to what i have seen other say. I can by a 60cuft bottle for $154 full after that its $41 to refill.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

Ok, Here is a series of pictures taken when I received the Northern Tool 135 and the comparison to a Lincoln Weld Pac 155...

 

[RangerDaleXp]

And a few more from 2 1/2 years ago. Remember that the Lincoln 155 is a 220 volt machine and the Northern is a 110 volt machine...

 

[Murphy4570]

For $300 your best off getting a nice used name-brand welder. I have a Lincoln SP-100 that I bought for $250 used, works great.

 

[plinker]

Ok, Here is a series of pictures taken when I received the Northern Tool 135 and the comparison to a Lincoln Weld Pac 155...

As an observation,

It looks like the Lincoln has copper windings vs. the Northern's (appear's to be) aluminum. Which would have an effect on the price point (not saying it's junk, ete..).

 

[twincam00]

get a used Miller off craigslist or a new Hobart 140

 

[tyndall]

My fourth welder which I bought 2 1/2 years ago was a Northern tool 135. It is an identical clone to the older Lincoln Weld Pac 155 and Weld Pac 100. I bought the Northern tool welder because I needed to have one for 110 volt operation to use in the field as well as being generator capable for a reasonable price. I have ran the **** out of this thing and it has been 100% reliable in every way. It has the same warranty as the Lincoln. I have pushed this welder pretty hard and have done a lot of welding on the higher output settings. You can get this thing new for in the mid $300 range. In fact, a buddy of mine was so impressed with the he purchased one and has had two years on it without any trouble.

I highly recommend it for the price.....

Same here.

I've beat on mine for almost three years. Not one problem. Bought it for bodywork but also used it to make trailers. Very good little welder.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

As an observation,

It looks like the Lincoln has copper windings vs. the Northern's (appear's to be) aluminum. Which would have an effect on the price point (not saying it's junk, ete..).

You are correct on the aluminum windings, but the last Hobart I opened up had aluminum windings as well. Hobart has always been known to be the value model of the Miller's. Miller and Hobart are made by the same parent company. (Not saying that Hobart is junk either). I have always liked Hobart and I am considering their 210 MV model. I am at heart a Lincoln person. I hate to say it but the reason I bought the Northern tool 135 was to replace a Miller 140 which I had a lot of problems with. I had a drive motor go bad and purchased a new one then the control board went out. I purchased this welder used and after the cost of those two replacement parts along with a few smaller items that were needed, I decided to get rid of it. By no means would I condemn the whole Miller product because of this, I'm just saying out of all the welders I have had, I had the most problems with the Miller 140. Also because it was purchased used, I had no warranty which is something to be considered when purchasing a used welder.

 

[TommyK]

I bought a used Lincoln 100 off Craigslist but if I had it to do over I would probably by the Eastwood 135.

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-...zproduct_ads&gclid=CITAsNbeiq8CFUXc4AodyGCa_Q

 

[RangerDaleXp]

A friend of ours has a ranch about 50 miles from where we live. We have a road drag that we use there to fix and maintain the roads. Well, he broke the old drag and I had to make a new one out of the old one and improve on it.

The whole job took about 12 man-hours to complete because I had to disassemble the old drag with a plasma cutter and then clean everything up so I can reassemble it again. I used the northern tool 135 welder to weld this thing together. The entire time the welder was set to maximum voltage setting and ran up words to 50% duty cycle. I do have an extra fan that I put on the front of the welder to help pull the hot air out of the welder. I would say about the time I completed the project I was welding for at least eight hours. Not at any time did the welder give me any trouble.

I ran the welder off our Onan in 5500 in our toy hauler. The heavy steel was at least 1/4 inch thick. Below are some pictures of the welder and the completed drag.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

As an observation,

It looks like the Lincoln has copper windings vs. the Northern's (appear's to be) aluminum. Which would have an effect on the price point (not saying it's junk, ete..).

I do need to mention one last thing, those pictures were taken quite a long time ago and I think the copper look of the Lincolns windings were the coating that was put on them. The Northern tool welder has a coating as well but it is still clear in color.

 

[plinker]

That's possible.
As I understand it, some (if not all) of the home depot Lincoln's had aluminum windings. Either way, the Northern model would make a nice budget welder I'm sure.

 

[Sneke_Eyez]

Let me get my flame suite on first. Ah there we go.

Was at the local welding supply house not to long ago looking at migs. They sell Holbart miller and Lincoln. Like you I was looking for a 120 input 140 amp out. Its all i really need. Well they also sell an off shore brand called Real Gear thats almost $300 cheaper then the big 3 name brands for obvious reasons. Looking at the Real Gear and Lincoln side by side you can hardly tell a difference. The welding shop guy told me that Lincoln had to sue Real gear so they would change the front to make it look different. The Real Gear had all the same settings as the Lincoln. The supply house is also a repair facilty they took one apart and said it had the same exact board inside as the Lincoln. He also said he wouldnt be surprised if you could swap boards between machines without issue. The Real Gear is also capable of running a spool gun if you want to weld aluminum where the other 3 you have to step up to a bigger and more expensive machine. The Real gear comes with a one year warrenty that has a full first year replacement if anything goes wrong. After that they are servicable and parts are available.

I am not a rep for the company im just a weekend warrior that might need a welder once a month or once a year for lite duty repairs and lite fab work. I have not bought a machine yet im still in the looking phase. If I was going to be running a machine 8 hrs a day 7 days a week no question i would be all over a name brand machine but im really considering one of these no name brands.

Franklin, MA! Not too far away from me, I'm in Dedham, I take the Franklin MBTA Line out of Boston every day... Which welding supply house was this? I'd love to go and check out my options, but I didn't realize there was a good welding supply place in MA.

Bottles and gas around here arent to bad imo compared to what i have seen other say. I can by a 60cuft bottle for $154 full after that its $41 to refill.

Hmm, same welding supply place?
I'll have to check into it!

Ok, Here is a series of pictures taken when I received the Northern Tool 135 and the comparison to a Lincoln Weld Pac 155...

And a few more from 2 1/2 years ago. Remember that the Lincoln 155 is a 220 volt machine and the Northern is a 110 volt machine...

Awesome pictures, thank you so much!
I'm really pondering that Northern Tool welder now, it looks to be of good quality and your pictures really put it in perspective with the Lincoln!

I bought a used Lincoln 100 off Craigslist but if I had it to do over I would probably by the Eastwood 135.

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-...zproduct_ads&gclid=CITAsNbeiq8CFUXc4AodyGCa_Q

Any particular reason why you'd go with the Eastwood?
As others (dale) have said, in my research it seems that the real gear and Eastwood welders are the same. Some have even speculated that Lincoln makes the Eastwood welders. It is interesting to note the motor differences in the real gear and Eastwood welders v. the Northern Tool/Lincoln welders.

I've been looking around at used welders on CL and such. I'm not in a super big hurry to get it as I don't think I'll have a lot of time to weld until this summer, but I wanted to start doing my research now as opposed to the day I was ready to buy!

Thanks everyone for your opinions and advice, keep it coming!
I'm seriously considering that Northern Tool welder now, unless I come across something better in good used condition on CL.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Go with the Northern tool MIG 135. A friend has been using one for a few years now in his fab shop with no problems.

 

[buildmyown]

Franklin, MA! Not too far away from me, I'm in Dedham, I take the Franklin MBTA Line out of Boston every day... Which welding supply house was this? I'd love to go and check out my options, but I didn't realize there was a good welding supply place in MA.



Hmm, same welding supply place?
I'll have to check into it!.

Yeap same place Maine Oxy in Milford Ma. I also think there is or was a good place in Brocton as well called Brocton welding supply.

 

[TommyK]

"Any particular reason why you'd go with the Eastwood?"


Presumably more powerful
Has a warranty
Virtually the same price I paid for used
Have read some good reviews

 

[RangerDaleXp]

"Any particular reason why you'd go with the Eastwood?"


Presumably more powerful
Has a warranty
Virtually the same price I paid for used
Have read some good reviews

You pretty much answered your own question. I will add that he only has around $300 to spend on a welder, but If he had $500 to $600 in his budget, I would get a Lincoln or a miller or a Hobart instead. In my case it would be the Lincoln only because that is what my other welders are and I have had very good luck with them. For the $300 range it would be the Northern 135 unit and probably would consider the RealGear/Eastwood unit but I do not like the drive system as well as the Northern unit and I have never seen the inside of a RealGear welder.....

 

[RangerDaleXp]

I figured I would post the three different wire drives. The first one is the RealGear. The second one is the Northern 135. And the third one is the Lincoln 155.

 

[Sneke_Eyez]

You pretty much answered your own question. I will add that he only has around $300 to spend on a welder, but If he had $500 to $600 in his budget, I would get a Lincoln or a miller or a Hobart instead. In my case it would be the Lincoln only because that is what my other welders are and I have had very good luck with them. For the $300 range it would be the Northern 135 unit and probably would consider the RealGear/Eastwood unit but I do not like the drive system as well as the Northern unit and I have never seen the inside of a RealGear welder.....

He was actually replying to a question I asked him, he just didn't quote me.
I am considering saving for longer for something else, but I'm just not sure I'm going to need something better.
I'll be using it for summer weekend work, maybe 4 or 5 hours at a time is the most I'll be welding period, the rest of the time it will sit...

I figured I would post the three different wire drives. The first one is the RealGear. The second one is the Northern 135. And the third one is the Lincoln 155.

Your picture posts are extremely helpful. Its awesome to visualize exactly what you mean. Thanks!