Welding Equipment

[anthonyhaswell12]

Hi guys!

What kind of welding equipment are you using?

I'm planning on getting one.

Please let me know what you think about a brand, etc...

 

[crewchief888]

Lincoln mig at home.
We have a Lincoln mig at the shop. Lincoln mig at another shop. 1 service truck has a Miller airpac on it, and there's a Hobart mig floating around somewhere

 

[liliysdad]

I have a Miller MM175 that I was lucky enough to stumble across at a pawn shop for a great price. Its an older machine, but a lot better than the Lincoln HandyMig that it replaced.

 

[Terra Nova]

Hobart 187 MIG at home, looking to add a TIG welder this year. Eying an HTP Invertig 221 but will probably end up with a PrimeWeld 225 as I'm a novice TIG welder (have a Miller Syncrowave at work I use a bit).

Planning on adding a Victor Oxy-Acetylene setup soon as well.

 

[seber]

Lincoln, Miller (Hobart), Esab. Welders are not a place for cheap imports. Good ones will last forever so used is a good option. Cheap import welders will only frustrate you. Stick welding is best for heavy material, mig or fluxcore for lighter material. It is possible to mig heavy materials but the cost of the welder makes it impractical for home use. I was lucky enough to get a Powcon for almost nothing at an auction some years ago. Miller bought the company and based their inverter technology on it. But your odds of finding that kind of deal are slim. A better chance is finding an old Airco stick welder. They were high quality and very common in industry before they went under.

 

[corn chip]

Hobart 187 MIG at home, looking to add a TIG welder this year. Eying an HTP Invertig 221 but will probably end up with a PrimeWeld 225 as I'm a novice TIG welder (have a Miller Syncrowave at work I use a bit).

Planning on adding a Victor Oxy-Acetylene setup soon as well.

invertig is top shelf stuff. it would blow the doors off that primeweld. buy once cry once ,i would find a way to get the invertig. they have a 300 model ,but if theres no way you can swing it then 221 is great next choice

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I picked up a hobart handler 190 in January to replace my Campbell housefield welder. There’s NO comparison!! I struggled to weld with that Campbell for years and always told myself im just blaming the tool. That’s not the case with a welder. I went from 110 volts to 220 going that route and had to put in a 220 outlet but it already had the breaker in the box from a few owners ago so i st got 3 ft of wire and the outlet

 

[b-dog]

I have a Miller MM175 that I was lucky enough to stumble across at a pawn shop for a great price. Its an older machine, but a lot better than the Lincoln HandyMig that it replaced.

That's what I have! Purchased new ~20 years ago.

 

[Kenstone1]

Hi guys!

What kind of welding equipment are you using?

I'm planning on getting one.

Please let me know what you think about a brand, etc...

Welcome, an interesting 1st post.
I suggest using the search feature here, as there are many "1st welder" threads to review, some are very recent.
At the least, post up what your intended uses are.
jmo,
.

 

[strantor]

I picked up a pair of Lincoln SP250 MIG welders a while back; one has a spoolgun. These are old (early 90s) machines and had issues that I fixed. In addition I have an Eastwood TIG 200 and Kutch plasma cutter.

I would recommend buying a used Lincoln, Miller, or other good quality unit over a new import. The Eastwood welder is a cheap import and I have more issues from it than my Lincolns.

 

[cannuck]

I have used a Lincoln 200A mig, Miller 250 ac/dc tig/stick and ESAB push-pull (set up for Al wire) for the last 38 years and bought a Miller 211 rectifier a few years ago. As has already been mentioned: try to use major brand name stuff. BUT: since you are just starting, suggest you guy something big name used as big as your power supply will allow. Once you know your way around you can figure out what fits your needs best you can get your money back on a sale or trade for what you choose.

 

[rockinacummins]

OP, I think we really need some more context here. What type of welding are you looking to do? And how often do you plan to do it?

As stated (repeatedly) anything Lincoln or Miller will be great. A lot of other good brands also, but I’m unfamiliar with those. I run RED myself.

But, when you say “welding equipment” rather than “welding machine” I assume you are talking about PPE (jackets, sleeves, gloves, helmet), electrodes, torches, clamps, hand tools, etc. I’m not loyal to any one brand for most of these items, but when it comes to electrodes I stick pretty tightly to Lincoln. I’m also partial to Tillman gloves, but not so much that I don’t try on other brands when I see them. I’ve got several different hoods of varying brands, and I don’t think I could confidently choose a favorite. Different types of work call for different types of equipment.

 

[ItsNemo]

Miller Multimatic 215 here...

Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, or Esab are top end. HTP and a couple other mid tier brands are ok too. Avoid the tempting cheap chinese junk.

 

[nadogail]

I have a Hobart AC/DC StickMate, it is a transformer based Stick Welder, and approximately the same machine as a Miller Thunderbolt. The Miller rep told me that Millers are sold through Professional Welding Supply dealers and Hobarts are sold at a lower price point through big box retailers, so my welder is Hobart Gray rather than Miller Blue.

The output is continuously adjustable as opposed to steps.

 

[txvwnut]

AHP Alpha tig 203xi for tig and stick
Snapon YA212ind for mig

 

[quickfarms]

Lincoln 216

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

Miller 161 S Maxstar

 

[Ricky Joe]

I have had a lot of welders in my time. I currently have three: a very old Craftsman, probably from the 1940s. I bought it for another GJ member. It welds fine, but the wheel won’t change the amperage. So that one really doesn’t count. I have a 1947 Fleet Arc 180 that welds like a dream, and a 1968 P&H Harnischfeger 300 amp AC/DC+&-, 60% duty cycle, soft start with high frequency stabilizer, water-cooled tig with adjustable pre- and post purge, spot weld, remote control capable ( I don’t have the remote); in short, it does everything but wire feed. It is a military surplus welder that I bought from the pilot for Virginia Tech. He used it to build home built airplanes until 9/11 put the kibosh on airspace freedoms.

Enough bragging!

Things I look for in a welder are high duty cycle; prefer 40% or more; ease of adjustment, and smoothness of weld. I also like a copper winding. I think a lot of the Chinese are using aluminum. And I prefer American. Miller Thunderbolts are good. Another very smooth welder that I have had is the 1950s Craftsman 200 (they made the same model in 180, but I can only assume that it performs similarly). I think it was made by Marquette. You plugged into your amperage, which wasn’t as precise as variable adjustment, but I never ran a weld that I needed more precision than the range I could get from it. A good cheap welder is the old PowerKraft and Century buzz boxes. They are also portable ( my P&H weighs 800pounds without the cart or leads!).

Anyway you go, good luck with it! Grab some rods and get going!

 

[sparky 1971]

Lincoln 180 mig. I also have an old Lincoln 225 buzz box from the early 80's, but it hasn't been used since I bought the mig.

 

[Retroman]

I recently bought a Hobart handler 140 just for little garage projects.

EDIT: Sold the Hobart and Got a Miller 211.

 

[MushCreek]

I have an old (1980's) Lincoln 200 MIG that I bought at a school auction. It's huge, heavy, and works fine. I suspect that it will outlast me.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

anthonyhaswell12: ​

Your question is very open ended, which makes it difficult for me to give the best advise I can give. I resell welders when I can acquire them. Here're some questions I would ask my customers:
1.) What is your welding skill level? A beginner should start with a cheap AC buzz box for ~$100. Someone more experienced needs more.
2.) What power supply do you have? Single phase or 3 phase? 110 volt, 220 volt, 440 volt? What's the current capacity of the power supply you plan to use for your welder?
3.) What do you plan to do with your welder? If you plan on mostly auto body work, a 110 volt MIG will do the job. If you use one to repair trailer frames and do misc. projects, a 220 volt AC/DC stick welder is all you need. TIG welding is great for "clean" work like mold repair.
4.) Are you going to do heavy welding? For most homeowners. a Miller Thunderbolt, Lincoln AC/DC Tombstone or Hobart AC/DC Stickmate will take care of all of your needs. However, those 3 examples have a lower duty cycle. Meaning that you have to give the machine a rest. If you're going to weld large pieces, a Miller 250 Twin will do the job better than the previous ones I previously mentioned.

I also notice that you're in Australia. What's available down under may be different than what's available in the U.S.

My basic advise:
1.) Only buy a name brand (Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, etc).
2.) Keep it simple by avoiding the complex electronics that become obsolete.
3.) Buy something that does a little more than what you think you currently need. If you think you need an AC stick welder, get an AC/DC stick welder.

BTW: I currently use a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC. Does everything I need.

Good luck

 

[will335i]

Vulcan Omnipro 220. I got it at the lower price plus 25% off which I would consider a great deal. At the current price I don't see it being much of a bargain. I have done flux core and mig with it so far and it has performed well. Just a novice home user but this machine can do everything I would ever need. Really happy with my purchase.

 

[gmcgeo]

Here we go with a 10 page miller or Lincoln comments Just kidding

so, miller or Lincoln, and you can add in Hobart, and esab to the mix now. https://www.esabna.com/us/en/index.cfm
Esab is a great welder and has great units

 

[tester19]

I have a Snap-On YA-205 MIG and a Oxy Acetylene torch. You did not ask but maybe consider a plasma cutter? They have come down in price a lot. I have a LOTOS LTP5000D. Nice because it has a pilot arc start instead of the old time scratch start.
.
.
.

 

[Under_Pressure]

As noted, the best recommendations could vary widely depending upon what you want to do. However, I will say that process-wise, in general the most versatile (not necessarily most productive or easiest) machine will be a TIG unit, which will be able to stick weld as well. Between TIG and stick, with a reasonably sized machine you can weld about any thickness of material or type of joint with sufficient skill and practice. I'm assuming you're talking about ferrous material only, so DC is all you need. If you want to be able to TIG weld aluminum, etc. you of course need AC. Now don't get me wrong, these are not the easiest processes to use, but they can accomplish about anything. You would probably be able to lay down something resembling a passable weld a lot quicker with GMAW or FCAW, though whether it would actually be a SOUND weld under the surface is another matter. As a welding engineer, if I could only have one welder- and at the moment I do- I would be (and is) a stick/TIG machine.

 

[quickfarms]

Here we go with a 10 page miller or Lincoln comments Just kidding

so, miller or Lincoln, and you can add in Hobart, and esab to the mix now. https://www.esabna.com/us/en/index.cfm
Esab is a great welder and has great units

Lincoln or Miller

is like Chevy or ford

or red or blue

the biggest thing that will influence your purchase is dealer support, that was a bigger issue 30 years ago then no

I run Lincoln welders, I switch welder rather than changing the wire, and I have run flux core for three decades. I run NR 211 or NR 212 wire, the Lincoln wire welds better than the off brand wire.

my plasma cutter is blue

 

[boom_bap]

I agree with Mark in Indiana, you need to ask yourself what you goals are.​

Are you welding ferrous meterials and stainless? You only need a DC machine.
Are you welding alumunm? You need an AC tig or DC spool capable mig.
Are you welding thin or thick?
Do you need high frequency for AC since you plan to weld aluminum, or just liftarc for DC.
Do you plan to weld inn a shop or outdoors. Stick welding would be good for outdoor use or thicker material.

Think about your use cases and we can give you some tips. Generally a 200 amp machine is going to cover you pretty well. If you have a specific application like bike frame buildign you can get away with a 150A machine or less since you'll only be welding at 30 A and save some money.

 

[ZRX61]

Blue ones:
MM210 Mig
Syncrowave 200 Tig
375 Plasma cutter.

 

[gmcgeo]

Lincoln or Miller

is like Chevy or ford

or red or blue

the biggest thing that will influence your purchase is dealer support, that was a bigger issue 30 years ago then no

I run Lincoln welders, I switch welder rather than changing the wire, and I have run flux core for three decades. I run NR 211 or NR 212 wire, the Lincoln wire welds better than the off brand wire.

my plasma cutter is blue

or Hobart and esab? its not just the big boys anymore, more are coming into play now

 

[Terra Nova]

or Hobart and esab? its not just the big boys anymore, more are coming into play now

Yup, or Fronius and HTP.

Don't have a lot of need for a stick welder but the Esab Rogue ES180i Pro has me looking for reasons to buy it

 

[gmcgeo]

Yup, or Fronius and HTP.

Don't have a lot of need for a stick welder but the Esab Rougue ES180i Pro has me looking for reasons to buy it

I know right! they have some nice stuff

 

[Willie Makeit]

Miller Millermatic 211 - mig
Miller Synchrowave 180SD - TiG
PrimeWeld 225 - TiG

 

[MushCreek]

About 20 years ago I had an HTP 200 MIG. It was somehow 'smoother' than my old Lincoln is. I think it was tuned with auto body work in mind.

 

[autobon7]

Just bought a Forney Easy Weld 100 ST stick/tig. Had not welded since high school (1984) so I thought Id start out with this machine. So far its been great.

​

 

[MJD1]

Yup, or Fronius and HTP.

Don't have a lot of need for a stick welder but the Esab Rogue ES180i Pro has me looking for reasons to buy it

Go for it. I've had mine for over a year and it's a great machine. Welds every bit as smooth as Miller xmt and Lincoln 350 pro.

 

[corn chip]

he will probly have a ton of european made welders available im sure. stel ,telwin ,cea and a handful of others. if there were any importers of european welders to usa , theres a good chance i may have one

 

[trackwelder]

Way to many to remember all of them.
Three mm 200
mm210
Miller econotig
Lincoln sp125
Mm250

 

[MIke.Gradoz]

Late to the party-But I have a hobart 135, wire feed Potentiometer went bad. So I Just purchased a Hobart 210 Mig. Works great. I ended up replacing the Potentiometer on the 135 and i will use it for flux and the 210 for solid wire 80/20 argon, Co2. I'm a hack welder at best but I've put some effort into actually learning the process.

 

[oldmachinenut]

Blue:
Syncrowave 350LX with sequencer panel
Dialarc HF/P
Millermatic 200 with SKP35 spot/pulse panel
Millermatic 130