Welder

[Catadj78]

I am looking for a welding machine.

I have a 50 amp receptacle in the shop I installed just for this reason however I have not decided on which machine to get as of yet.

I don't plan on doing heavy duty stuff. Likely 1/8" or so welds.

Suggestions?

 

[Nermal43]

What type of welder? Arc, Mig? Price range? You will get many opinions, but I love my Millermatic 211 for mig and tig. Easy to use and great welds. Also works on 120 and 240.

 

[Catadj78]

Ideally one that would do everything. I haven't bought one yet because I don't want to spend the money on a cheap one only to have to spend more later on. I'd rather just buy one that will last.

 

[Marctrees]

I have limited experience on this, but I would purchase the smallest 220 wire feed Miller... or Hobart.

I had the Hobart, sold when moving, ... dumb...very happy, will be buying new Miller soon.

It will run around $800 once you buy the gas bottle.

Now, supposedly, there may be "comparable" imports that you may get by for for under $200 w bottle, but I prefer to stay w more known brand.

At this price level you can do 1/4" ? + ? w some beveling prep.

Marc

 

[cvairwerks]

All process and you are into serious money. You are probably better off going with two machines, a small multiprocess one and a dedicated MIG machine.
For all process, you are in the Dynasty 280 class machine and will be spending $7k+ to get it in your shop. Definetely less expensive to do by using a couple of different machines over an all-in-one.

 

[IndyGarage]

What type of welder? Arc, Mig? Price range? You will get many opinions, but I love my Millermatic 211 for mig and tig. Easy to use and great welds. Also works on 120 and 240.

I bought a miller 211 a few months ago - great welder..

 

[Marctrees]

Actually, he said "To do EVERYTHING" cause he is new to welding, and does not yet know "everything" will be bigg bux.

We all start somewhere.

Marc

 

[WittHay]

The starting point is a HF OmniPro 220MP welder that sells for $900. It will weld, how long it will last is anybody's guess. I have a Lincoln 210MP that will easily mig weld to 3/8 and stick weld to 1/2 and will tig weld steel. A expensive Dynasty 200 will not necessarily stick weld any better than the Lincoln.

Miller has a 215 multiprocess welder and ESAB, Firepower and others all have similar welders.

 

[Marctrees]

Catadj - Do you really need to do "everything" ?

Just starting out w steel is much cheaper... and you need to really learn that.. get experience. before you move on to stainless, AL, etc.

Marc

 

[Musicinabottle]

I bought a miller 211 a few months ago - great welder..

Second the Miller 211. Expensive, but one hell of an outfit.

 

[Backwodsurvivor]

I would also recommend multiple machines. A decent AC/DC stick and TIG machine paired with a MIG only unit is how we do it at work. Makes it much more portable and less setup when changing processes. I would suggest learning stick (6011) first if you only want to buy one machine. At least that's how I was taught...

 

[cvairwerks]

O/A is pretty versatile. With the correct flux, filler and goggles, one can do Al. with it. It will also teach both heat and puddle control quickly, and make the learning curve going to MIG, stick or AC/DC TiG much faster.

 

[mike93lx]

O/A is pretty versatile. With the correct flux, filler and goggles, one can do Al. with it. It will also teach both heat and puddle control quickly, and make the learning curve going to MIG, stick or AC/DC TiG much faster.

Lol. No one today is going to buy an O/A setup instead of one of the modern, incredibly easy to use MIG's on the market., maybe outside of someone looking to work professionally.

 

[jhn9840]

O/A is pretty versatile. With the correct flux, filler and goggles, one can do Al. with it. It will also teach both heat and puddle control quickly, and make the learning curve going to MIG, stick or AC/DC TiG much faster.

Exactly the way we were taught when I went to welding school back in the 70’s. If you learn O/A properly it makes all the other processes much easier to learn.

jhn9840
John

 

[sberry]

Basically anyone advising you to get anything other than a small 240V mig is giving faulty advice. They invented these just for you ande they really do most of the work in small shops today. If you want to go further later but,,, my neighbor, a professional in a home hobby shop hasn't been down in a decade to weld something since he got a 175.

 

[Bretny]

Some advice on buying the HF welders...look up the price on a name brand one first.

A hobart 210 is about $900. The new model has the ability to run on 120 or 240v. I have had the older 240v only model for about 8 years. I have ran many 11lb spools through it with out a problem.

I am not a fan of the lincoln 100L gun that all the smal body lincolns come with...this is why i went to a hobart/miller

 

[Kenskip1]

Here is what I bought. At a Lows as a matter of fact.A Lincoln Mig 140 Pro. This was my second welder. My first was a Longevity 100. Anyway the Lincoln is a Mig/Flux Core.For a beginner, this would be the way to start. Now wanting o move up the ladder, I purchased a Alpha ST160 Stick Welder.This has up to 160 Amps. More than enough to burn a whole in whatever you are attempting to weld. This one will run on 120/220. I have yet to master this but I am working on it.Now to thoroughly screw you up I purchased a Lotos ALP5000D plasma cutter.This will run on 120/220. They recommend using 220.

 

[dogdog]

Ideally one that would do everything. I haven't bought one yet because I don't want to spend the money on a cheap one only to have to spend more later on. I'd rather just buy one that will last.

How much $$$ you have and your needs/future needs....?
You'll have to start by at least choosing one, define your budget, or define your needs....

I mean you can go as cheap as a HF, to a decent miller / Lincoln to an all out industrial machine..

but I would choose one that is from a welding company though.... Miller/Hobart , Lincoln, ESAB, HTP, etc....

 

[RustyJunk]

I'll say no more

https://www.hobartwelders.com/products/stick/

 

[sberry]

I will agree with the small Hobart, they should have had this model way earlier.

 

[Ericmacc]

I would choose between a Hobart or a Miller. I had a Miller 252 and it was an excellent machine. Also a 211 is a great machine. If money is a concern go with Hobart.

 

[sberry]

The Hobart Handlers have a very good arc. So does the box store Lincoln. All the major brands are now very good and they have weeded any losers out of the lineup. Where it is a great idea to spend up is for 240V, some extra money, double the machine. They run 030 well and it gives them a lot more poop for structural work.

 

[dnschmidt]

You need two machines to cover the entire spectrum.

1) AHP Alphatig 200. For peanuts you get a great stick welder (can't do 6010 but who cares it works great on 6011 and 7018) and a damn good AC/DC Tig welder so you can do aluminum. You'll need to buy an aftermarket foot petal but that's less then $200 and you're good to go. All in for less than $1K

2) HTP Propulse 200. Spectacular MIG machine with amazing features. Can do regular short circuit MIG, Spray arc MIG, Spray arc Pulsed MIG and Double Pulse MIG. Also, does great on aluminum without the need for a spool gun if you can live with an 8' long MIG gun which isn't that hard to do since the machine only weighs 50#'s. If you get both a steel and an aluminum MIG gun all in for about $2,500.

With these two machines you can do every process and aluminum, steel and stainless steel.

 

[blake101]

What type of welder? Arc, Mig? Price range? You will get many opinions, but I love my Millermatic 211 for mig and tig. Easy to use and great welds. Also works on 120 and 240.

Didn't know a 211 could tig.

 

[dr_clyde]

Didn't know a 211 could tig.

It can't. A MM211 is strictly short arc MIG. He probably means the Multimatic.

 

[Medwards]

If I had to have only one welder, it would be a tig. When you say do it all, that ain't a mig. It's 90% a steel welding machine. Sure you can add a spool gun for aluminum, but the welds are bug and ugly.

With a Tig, you can weld all materials. And with exception of a couple models, you can do stick also. The only place a mig beats a tig is in speed of laying down weld. But if you aren't doing it for a living, you don't really need speed. I would like to put that comparison to the test though. I bet I'm as quick with the tig as I am a mig these days.

I assume you don't have a specific project lined up or you would already have your mind made up. 50 amp breaker means you'll want an inverter machine. If you just want to learn a new skill and like a challenge, the tig will fulfill both better than a mig. The plus is, if you learn tig, mig will be a walk in the park. But then you won't need the mig anyway.

 

[sberry]

If I had to have one it would be a mig. On the rare occasion a guy would ever need tig find a friend has one.

 

[MoonRise]

I am looking for a welding machine.

I have a 50 amp receptacle in the shop I installed just for this reason however I have not decided on which machine to get as of yet.

I don't plan on doing heavy duty stuff. Likely 1/8" or so welds.

Suggestions?

1/8" steel?

A 120V 140-amp class of MIG can do that. But I'd really suggest moving up to a 240V machine.

A 240V 175-180 amp class of MIG can do that for sure. A 200-210 amp class 240V MIG machine can do it too. All can run off of a 240V 50 amp.
outlet/circuit.

Hobart, Miller, Lincoln all make good MIG machines in that range. They also offer machines that can also run on 240 or 120 V power (less output power on 120V input power, no free lunch and all that).

And for slightly thicker steel with those machines, you can often use an FCAW wire (it runs 'hotter' than a comparable size solid wire GMAW aka MIG wire). You switch the machine's output polarity (usually) and don't use shielding gas with FCAW, but do have to 'deal' with some slag residue.

Thicker stuff than 1/4" steel, you can use SMAW aka stick welding. Slower than MIG or FCAW, but you can get all sorts of electrodes to do more/different things than just weld two pieces of mild steel together if you want/need to do so.

Go to the Hobart and Miller and Lincoln web sites and look at the choices in the 'small' wire feed welders. Hard to wrong with any of them from those companies.

 

[sberry]

2 things here. I could pretty much make it on 2 machines today. A 200 class feeder and that new spiffy little DVI stick machine from Hobart. I wish they had that at that cost earlier although it didn't hurt ITW any as I paid 800$ for a Maxstar 10+ years ago,,,, now its 350 list.... ha
I love the 120V stick for field work. I can,,, so I do. Most of it is fine and have moved a feeder to a job once in the last 25 years on something foil thin, needed 023.

I did a little alloy job last week, just took a couple more minutes and did it stick and spent a little finishing it. I got in a hurry and I havnt used my TIG in so long and it was do able.
Now to the real point of my ramble on threads like these. We tend to answer the question fine but we don't always give good advice as a good value added salesman would. Send me 50$ for repeating the advice from the poster above me ,,, this is a machine you want even if,,, and should be before since it does 99% of the work in small shops,,, but regardless of tig, get it second after a spare mix bottle if you work any substantial amount,, this is a machine you want even if,,,, did I say that again,, first, this will get you off to the races, you goinna feel like a super freakin hero with it.

 

[zkling]

Without listing a budget you are just wasting peoples time.

Dynasty 280 DX runner
Millermatic 350P with spool gun
Hypertherm power max 45

They have a new Dynasty 280 DX that will run an external feeder for the mig process if space is a concern.

Should do everything you want without having to upgrade.

 

[sberry]

Which is a machine that does everything should be answered like Moonrise did and recommend the one right for you.
The China had came a long way, the Hobart/Linc are still buys in the tool world, last a long long time. I don't know anyone not from forums ever really have much problem with any and I use warranty once, they even sent the part, took a min. Once in 40 years of buying new machines, not a lot but a dozen or so.
Buy a bottle used if you can, the biggest one. a 125 is ideal for these. I can count on one hand the times I needed tig and even might have been able to bypass that in favor of OA and currently use a Hobart 210 with spooly. I am in business with some aluminum equipment,,, but when I lived a burban/hobby life didn't need it ever. I didn't even buy the equipment to do my own, had a Bud so reasonable and fast it wasn't worth the cost of the materials and machine + labor at cost really especially since I fit and prep prior.
I paid 100 for 300 tig, I have 400A service, a forklift, bought a 330 bottle which I now use spooly with a Y. I aint a motor sports guy, only rarely need a repair in alum that isn't irrigation related. Don't need to repair foil alum. I fix stuff related, not really a welding shop hanging out tig work. I use a small feeder several thousand times for every one tig.
I got a bud bought 2 new Millers for his garage when he retired. 211 and 200 Dynasty, the 211 has hundred hours and cost a grand, the Dyn got 5 minutes and cost 4500 and could have done it with a spooly or hired it out for 50.

 

[Coach James]

OP, I have no idea of your background, but before buying a machine, I would take a welding class or have someone that really knows welding to teach me. I know people say to just buy a machine and practice or they taught themselves when they were three years old, etc., but the class I took before buying a machine was money well spent.

Coach

 

[Marctrees]

I totally agree w Coach.

If no class nearby, at least pay a Pro $50 to spend an hour w you learning to correctly set your machine and show basic techniques.

In my case, I built a beautifully fabbed 900 lb offset bbq, but after half way through when I had a Pro visit I learned my frying eggs were not frying anywhere near as hard as I thought.

So, my project ended up w half the welds w poor penetration.

The 30 minutes he spent w me were invaluable.

Marc

 

[sberry]

I am so used to having the power of a 200 a smaller one feels tiny,,, in truth a 140 for a homeowner type would really do all they needed. I got a cousin ask me about machines and a month later he scores a new Hh140 from the list, full bottle, roll of wire, handful of other stuff from some eld timer for 150$, guy did one job with it 5 years ago. Half a 2# spool thru it. He said,,, it will work for what I want and he is right.
He has paid me to do a couple jobs, none of them alloy. Now he wont have to do that.
To a guy in that business, an alloy shop it may seem 1/2 the worlds work is that but it isn't. Majority of that work is business, specialty ****. I had some exotic old cast exhaust fitting I had and fooled with, finally gave it up. I have welded cast but I finally look at it a minute and realize, will build a new one steel.
Alum is so easy to bolt and hand drill that's been done. But 10's of thousands of welds on common steel that had equipment stopped, for construction and modification, man years of common steel repair.
I used the cheapest machines I ever had the most. yes, Jake the doctor uses all the machines he has to weld a lot of different stuff but if he depended on walkins to weld alloy to make a living would starve and couldn't afford them. 1000's of people walk by every day don't need the service.
Even with the hundreds of pieces of equipment I got most don't only rarely need to weld alum. I can go months without it. Joe Hometime doesn't have a straw spreader with an alum gear box got damaged. He wants to build brackets, light material, light bumper, shelves, swingset ****, the occasional exhaust and mower deck. Aint no good if it cost 10 large in machines. A few hundred to do 99.9% of it is a great deal.

 

[NitroShark]

If I had to have only one welder, it would be a tig. When you say do it all, that ain't a mig. It's 90% a steel welding machine. Sure you can add a spool gun for aluminum, but the welds are bug and ugly.

With a Tig, you can weld all materials. And with exception of a couple models, you can do stick also. The only place a mig beats a tig is in speed of laying down weld. But if you aren't doing it for a living, you don't really need speed. I would like to put that comparison to the test though. I bet I'm as quick with the tig as I am a mig these days.

I assume you don't have a specific project lined up or you would already have your mind made up. 50 amp breaker means you'll want an inverter machine. If you just want to learn a new skill and like a challenge, the tig will fulfill both better than a mig. The plus is, if you learn tig, mig will be a walk in the park. But then you won't need the mig anyway.

50 years experience here, 35 of it with a Tig welding.

One thing I will add that doesn't get mentioned often is--- TIG has No spark. You can weld near flammable material without fear of burning your garage down. (still need common sense)

Think of it as walking into your shop with a hand full of sparklers (stick-Mig) going off in one hand VS a bright flash light (tig) in the other....


Taking a welding class as mentioned above in other post is excellent advise.... DO it!

 

[Lelandwelds]

Take a class at the local equivelent to Austin Community College. Try several brands and processes. Then go buy a Miller Mig


Just kidding. Buy any name brand mig. Bigger usually makes people happier. Buying a tig is poor advice.for must people and all beginners. Most things are welded with a mig by far.

 

[finn]

HTP, Hobart, or Miller.

I mostly use my 120v HTP, which I bought in the 1980-81 timeframe. I have a Miller 175 240 v, which I rarely use, and an HTP tig, set up for aluminum, again, rarely used.

A 140 amp 120 volt machine is inexpensive, and good to learn on. You can always upgrade and get most of your money back if you get into structural steel work, or welding on bulldozers. Dual voltage would be better yet, if your budget allows. I find the 120 v useful because you can find 120 v outlets everywhere. 240 not so much. Most automotive work can be handled with a good 120 v machine.

Forget the flux core welders. They will frustrate you.

 

[Marctrees]

So, I don't think I am hijacking the thread... Info should help the OP.. and many others.

So, I had the Hobart wire feed smallest 220 v .. do not recall the model #.. bought approx 2003.

On the factory little cart.

And I got the bottle gas.

Sold the rig, Kinda had to.

I need to replace it soon, looking for guidance.

I was pretty happy with it.. it DID take care of my needs... steel, up to 3/8 w beveling prep for non critical structural stuff... BBQ's, etc.

I have not yet, nor maybe ever, do anything critical like a trailer hitch.

Not enough experience yet, maybe never.

I really try to buy USA made tools, and usually upper quality...barely have anything Asian in my shop, close to nothing.

I did have some wire feed issues, but really, it was not the machine, but leaving the spool exposed to TX humidity...I learned I really need to take it out and store in a big Ziplock, and/ or in the house.

I am prepared to buy a current similar model Hobart or Miller... but wonder if ... #1 - I should consider one of the other "Big" brands like ESAB, etc...

OR.. even consider like Forney to save some $.

I just hate to buy foreighn.

Your Guys suggestions?

Thank you, Marc

 

[Lelandwelds]

So, I don't think I am hijacking the thread... Info should help the OP.. and many others.

So, I had the Hobart wire feed smallest 220 v .. do not recall the model #.. bought approx 2003.

On the factory little cart.

And I got the bottle gas.

Sold the rig, Kinda had to.

I need to replace it soon, looking for guidance.

I was pretty happy with it.. it DID take care of my needs... steel, up to 3/8 w beveling prep for non critical structural stuff... BBQ's, etc.

I have not yet, nor maybe ever, do anything critical like a trailer hitch.

Not enough experience yet, maybe never.

I really try to buy USA made tools, and usually upper quality...barely have anything Asian in my shop, close to nothing.

I did have some wire feed issues, but really, it was not the machine, but leaving the spool exposed to TX humidity...I learned I really need to take it out and store in a big Ziplock, and/ or in the house.

I am prepared to buy a current similar model Hobart or Miller... but wonder if ... #1 - I should consider one of the other "Big" brands like ESAB, etc...

OR.. even consider like Forney to save some $.

I just hate to buy foreighn.

Your Guys suggestions?

Thank you, Marc

ESAB? You must shop at AOC.

Lots of people are very happy with their Millermatic 211. My favorite single phase mig that is still mfg is the MM252. Lincoln and Hobart has some great choices. Some internet guys like the yellow or the green ones from overseas.

 

[Marctrees]

So, can you guys point me to a specific smaller unit ( ? $800 ?) ??

Smallest 220v unit I'm thinking.

Will be doing steel only... and will get the bottle.

NO desire to do other metals.

"Serious" hobbyist use.

Fussy, want good performance.

I want me and my skills to be the weak link, NOT the Machine.

Low volume, but want dependability.

I do not want the 120v option, will always be in shop.

It will be rare I will weld more than 1/4", unless for a BBQ... I do not mind beveling those rare times.

Will NOT be doing trailer hitches or anything that needs super penetration and critical.

Maybe a Calder like lawn sculpture !

I will be buying new.

I want a decent gun whip length.. with reliable consistent feed.. nothing fancy, just the standard gun end.

Am I at all ahead paying more for Miller than Hobart or Lincoln?

Marc