Welder purchase questions

[mercracing]

Hey guys,
I am getting my project Jeep back from the guy who’s doing the gears soon and have a project on my list that will require a welder. Short version is, I’ve welded in the past and am capable. I want to build a spare tire carrier that uses the trailer hitch. Currently this is the main project for the welder. I would like to use MIG as I have the most experience with that. Are there off brands I should look at or am I best server to find a new/used Miller/Lincoln?

 

[u2slow]

if you can find a major brand 240V machine at a good price, go for it.

We ended up with a cheap amazon mig at work due to the low price and our oddball 220V/50Hz electrical supply. Gosh its welded a lot of things in the past 4 years.

 

[gimpyrobb]

You can usually find lots of welders on FB marketplace. I would look for a nice miller, lincoln, or hobart. If you have 220 available, I woould get one in that voltage, much better output which in turn makes for better fusion.

 

[zendriver]

Search the forum. there is probably 8000 threads on "what welder should I buy?"

I have a MIGMax that works fine, but now days, there are way more capable import machines out there at lower prices.


Used welder will either be stolen or tired, IMO.

 

[mercracing]

You can usually find lots of welders on FB marketplace. I would look for a nice miller, lincoln, or hobart. If you have 220 available, I woould get one in that voltage, much better output which in turn makes for better fusion.

I don’t have 220 at the moment, but I should be able to add it if I want it.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I had a Lincoln Tombstone I got second (or probably 8th) hand at a flea market for not much pocket... no doubt copper wound, not aluminum (and yeah, it was that old) as it weighted in excess of a metric s#!tton... it wasn't pretty, it was stick only, but man, it would lay down last-you-forever welds.

I also bought a Miller 211, would run 120 & 240, for a wire unit it walked the dog pretty well!

 

[ADKAmateur]

Primeweld, HTP and Everlast are good alternatives. I have a Miller MIG but an Everlast TIG and I am very happy with it. I know lots of people with Primewelds and they swear by them. Stay away from the YesWelder and super cheap stuff. Have heard mixed things on Harbor Freight and Eastwood.

 

[zendriver]

I don’t have 220 at the moment, but I should be able to add it if I want it.

120v kind of limits on how thick of metal you can easily weld.

At least get a dual voltage welder.

 

[theoldwizard1]

if you can find a major brand 240V machine at a good price, go for it.

Or at least get a dual voltage machine !

The super cheap one will only do flux core. AVOID ! Make sure the machine can do gas also !

 

[liliysdad]

Used Miller, Hobart, or Lincoln. Good, very low usage 110v machines are super easy to find for cheap as folks either decide welding isn’t for them or they need a 220v machine.

A 110v box can do a lot as long as you understand its abilities and limitations.

 

[GeoBruin]

I have a Lincoln 200 amp MIG and a Lincoln 200 Amp TIG. If either or both bit the dust today, I would probably replace with a Primeweld.

 

[MJD1]

Primeweld. 285 is dual voltage around a grand. Otherwise the mig 180 is dual voltage around 600_

 

[finn]

I have Miller, HTP, and Primeweld.

Best bang for the buck is Primeweld. The HTP and Miller are nice machines, but priced out of the market by the influx of imports.

Stay away from any Miller, Lincoln, etc more than a few years old. Parts like boards are increasingly expensive and hard to find. That said, my Miller Multimatic (multifunction) welder is a 1 year old FBM find, and that’s where I sold my old Millermatic MiG welder.

Posts on their Facebook page indicate there’s something new in the pipeline from Primeweld to be released in the spring or summer. Primeweld has a three year no questions asked warranty and, per the Facebook page, outstanding customer service.

 

[liliysdad]

I can buy a board right for my ancient MM175 for under $600. I’d spend $600 to fix my Miller if it went down tomorrow.

 

[u2slow]

Or at least get a dual voltage machine !

The super cheap one will only do flux core. AVOID ! Make sure the machine can do gas also !

At least get a 240V machine. Dual voltage is a nice extra for lighter use (sheetmetal).

On that cheap amazon machine we use flux core only. (it is gas capable). It gets the job done.

 

[Beerhippie]

Lots of good advice here, so I'll just cut to the chase: I want to see the receiver hitch tire mount build! Will it be a tilt-down?

I need to build something for a spare mount for my Vanagon.

 

[mercracing]

Lots of good advice here, so I'll just cut to the chase: I want to see the receiver hitch tire mount build! Will it be a tilt-down?

I need to build something for a spare mount for my Vanagon.

Yes, the plan is for a tilt-down carrier. 35” tires are heavy lol.

 

[Beerhippie]

Yes, the plan is for a tilt-down carrier. 35” tires are heavy lol.

Mine are only 28"s on 16" steelies--still heavy enough.

 

[finn]

I can buy a board right for my ancient MM175 for under $600. I’d spend $600 to fix my Miller if it went down tomorrow.

You can buy a new Primeweld for that or less, and it’s arguably more capable than an ancient Miller. I sold my MM for $600, which was market rate at the time. A Primeweld MiG 180 is $540 right now, less any promotions, with a 3 year warranty, and it’s not thirty years old with questionable future parts availability.

This argument comes up every time welders are discussed. I got rid of my MM a couple of years ago. It still worked ok, but needed a fan ($100-150) and new rollers, and was hardly state of the art, being what, maybe six or eight generations old. Glad you found a board, but others report a six month wait for boards, if you believe some of the forums. I got rid of my MM when an ac/dc 230 Multimatic popped up.

i replaced (or supplemented) my weak Miller Spectrum 375 plasma cutter with a Primeweld Cut60.. I also a Primeweld ac/dc 225X Tig. No complaints.

 

[liliysdad]

You can buy a new Primeweld for that or less, and it’s arguably more capable than an ancient Miller. I sold my MM for $600, which was market rate at the time. A Primeweld MiG 180 is $540 right now, less any promotions, with a 3 year warranty, and it’s not thirty years old with questionable future parts availability.

This argument comes up every time welders are discussed. I got rid of my MM a couple of years ago. It still worked ok, but needed a fan ($100-150) and new rollers, and was hardly state of the art, being what, maybe six or eight generations old. Glad you found a board, but others report a six month wait for boards, if you believe some of the forums. I got rid of my MM when an ac/dc 230 Multimatic popped up.

i replaced (or supplemented) my weak Miller Spectrum 375 plasma cutter with a Primeweld Cut60.. I also a Primeweld ac/dc 225X Tig. No complaints.

To each their own, and I’ll not judge anyone for their choice. For me, I’d just as soon keep what I have going as buy an offshore machine. If I do upgrade it will be another used blue machine.

That’s a personal choice, not a campaign to change others minds.

 

[finn]

To each their own, and I’ll not judge anyone for their choice. For me, I’d just as soon keep what I have going as buy an offshore machine. If I do upgrade it will be another used blue machine.

That’s a personal choice, not a campaign to change others minds.

Understand. I was there for a long time. Just doesn’t make economic sense anymore to me. Might be different for a business where the government pays for equipment via tax write offs, but that’s not an option for me, so everything is self funded.

The guy I sold my MM 175 to was replacing his old SnapOn mig. He had just spent several weeks trying to fix it (wire drive?) unsuccessfully. I hate when your tools become your project.

 

[Benw455]

I manly do body work my Hobart 140 has worked flawlessly. I would buy another one when this one dies.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

Does anyone know anything about these machines? Looks to be made by ESAB. A guy i know has a near new one he wants to sell cheap because he wants a bigger machine.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/firepower-mst-200-multi-process-mig-flux-core-stick-lift-tig-welding-system-115-230-volt-10-200-amp-output-model-1444-3200-109444?srsltid=AfmBOoodU2fvRkBgIhw-qznzBh948yTjqrWC7WxS2PC9SgVGtHKAsvHY

 

[finn]

I manly do body work my Hobart 140 has worked flawlessly. I would buy another one when this one dies.

For thin metal like body sheet metal, I still use my 120v HTP from the early 80s. It’s a transformer machine with discrete vs infintly variable amperage settings. It was an evaluation machine HTP used when they were trying to figure out if there was a market for 120v machines for home shops, etc, at a time when the choices were expensive professional Lincoln, Miller, etc, or some of the really crude, and not very reliable or precise machines advertised in the back of Popular Mechanics.

Being an analog machine with heavy copper windings and all analog relays, it’s pretty obsolete Compared to today’s inverter welders. A former employee founded HTP, and assured me he would repair or replace it if anything went wrong. He sold the company a few years ago, so my lifetime guarantee is probably no longer invalid, and there’s no parts list or schematics. Being 40ish years old, I guess I got my money’s worth. I could probably scrap it if it came down with something terminal, and given today’s copper price, maybe come close to breaking even.

It welds much better than the 240 v Miller I bought later, as long as you stay within it’s power limitations, being 120v.

 

[Jagmandave]

I'm not familiar with HTP, but I have a Clarke like that from about 1990 that still welds like a champ. Consumables are a bit hard to find as it's considered a 'hobby welder" but I found Machine Mart in England stocks all sorts of parts for it including shields and tips for very reasonable money. 120V Mig gas or flux.....I've welded a ton of stuff with it - literally!
Point being, oldies can still be a good welder......I'm still using it today. The main downside is probably shorter duty cycle, but then I'm not a professional shop running foot long beads.....

The problem I have with buying a welder off FB or CL is they all look like they've been left out in the backyard for a year or two....

 

[finn]

I'm not familiar with HTP, but I have a Clarke like that from about 1990 that still welds like a champ. Consumables are a bit hard to find as it's considered a 'hobby welder" but I found Machine Mart in England stocks all sorts of parts for it including shields and tips for very reasonable money. 120V Mig gas or flux.....I've welded a ton of stuff with it - literally!
Point being, oldies can still be a good welder......I'm still using it today. The main downside is probably shorter duty cycle, but then I'm not a professional shop running foot long beads.....

The problem I have with buying a welder off FB or CL is they all look like they've been left out in the backyard for a year or two....

HTP is now owned by Stel, the Italian company that was formerly the supplier for HTP..

They have been wholly owned by Stel for a couple of years now.

interestingly, Stel makes or made some inverter Tig welders sold as Millers in the European market. Don’t know if they still do, though.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I had a Lincoln Tombstone I got second (or probably 8th) hand at a flea market for not much pocket... no doubt copper wound, not aluminum (and yeah, it was that old) as it weighted in excess of a metric s#!tton... it wasn't pretty, it was stick only, but man, it would lay down last-you-forever welds.

great welder! I picked up one years go for $100. Built like a tank.

 

[nadogail]

My Hobart AC/DC StickMate is more welder than i need, but maybe I will grow in to it

 

[drmarkr]

Primeweld. Their customer service is literally unmatched. Just do it

 

[PhantomEB]

I am more than sure there’s a lot of brand loyal welders here.

I like my Miller 175 but if I could I would go to a Miller 212 or even 252 auto set. Got an Everlast TiG welder and a Amazon Plasma cutter on the cart too. Lincoln AC/DC tombstone wraps up my collection.

I wouldn’t go any less than a dual voltage unit but I highly recommend a 220 model.

 

[Jagmandave]

HTP is now owned by Stel, the Italian company that was formerly the supplier for HTP..

They have been wholly owned by Stel for a couple of years now.

interestingly, Stel makes or made some inverter Tig welders sold as Millers in the European market. Don’t know if they still do, though.

Funnily enough, after owning my Clarke welder for 35 years, it was only a few days ago that I saw this sticker on the back - I thought it was an English made welder - imagine my surprise! Made in Italy....it's hard to see the little sticker in the pic unless you enlarge it.

 

[liliysdad]

I like my Miller 175 but if I could I would go to a Miller 212 or even 252 auto set.

Me too man, me too.

I’m alway on the lookout for a good deal for a bigger blue autoset machine. I’ll stumble into the right one at some point.

 

[Wamsutta]

Get one with a digital readout and one that switches between 110V and 220V input automatically. The Miller 211 Pro will do that.

Auto-Set is a nice feature. All you do is enter in the wire size and material thickness and the machine sets the parameters for you.