Which welder?

[buckwheat_la]

Looking at the purchase of a new welder today. Thoughts on the 3?
http://m.kmstools.com/tweco-fabricator-3-in-1-211i-welder-123309
http://m.kmstools.com/firepower-220i-3-n-1-welder-105497
http://m.kmstools.com/esab-rebel-multi-process-welder-free-jacket-118577

 

[koditten]

I like the middle one. I'm sure the others are fine. I just like single purpose welders better.

 

[buckwheat_la]

I like the middle one. I'm sure the others are fine. I just like single purpose welders better.

They all are 3 in 1 I believe

 

[koditten]

Then I retract my choice. I wouldn't want any of them.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I like the third one, it has the best duty cycle, But it is also the most expensive.

 

[pi_guy]

If your going to buy a multiprocess unit buy Miller was not that much more and it works great.
But you can only tig steel not Al with these units but my spoolgun works great with Al.

 

[buckwheat_la]

I like the third one, it has the best duty cycle, But it is also the most expensive.

Exactly. Not sure the 5% difference in duty cycle is worth it. The site these are on has a 15% off today only

 

[GN4WHLN]

I've bought a lot from this guy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lincoln-Power-MIG-210-MP-Multi-Process-Welder-K3963-1-/361850838319?hash=item543ffd9d2f

Not a fan of multi-purpose, but all the Lincoln equipment I have had or used has been very good. This has a good price and duty cycle. When I have bought from him, the product came directly from a Lincoln warehouse, free shipping, no tax.

 

[cvairwerks]

Sounds like you are looking only by price. That's a sure way to get something that may not be near what you actually need. I'd figure out my minimum requirements and then hunt for machines that met or exceeded them, and only then start hunting those machines by price.

I need to add another welder to handle things my EconoTig won't. One feature that I absolutely want, puts me in a much more expensive machine that I will probably never outgrow, but that's the way things go sometimes. Work some more ot and keep living under budget, and it will be bought soon enough.

 

[Mattpopp]

Esab make a great machine, almost wish I would have bought their mig. I have a Miller-matic 211, it is a decent machine but nothing to right home about. Much better once you dumb the low end quality gun that comes with it.

 

[buckwheat_la]

It isn't all about price. It is about what this particular store has in stock atm (with the additional 15% off) I am also looking for something that can do 110 or 220v as sometimes we are asked to do welding in places that just can't be reached with the gas powered miller we have mounted on a truck. So feel free to through out your suggestions as well. I grew up welding with a older 250 Miller. And stick welding with a hobart.

 

[Bobcat753]

I would go with the ESAB Rebel. I haven't used one yet but it seems like a very nice machine. My Lincoln 210MP is awesome but I would not mind owning an ESAB machine.

 

[Dr Stan]

I too lean toward the ESAB primarily due to the company's reputation.

That said I also prefer single use welders with the exception of a TIG/Stick combo.

 

[buckwheat_la]

So I didn't buy any of them as I was misinformed about them being 15% off. So now I am looking for suggestions on which welder I should be looking at?

 

[pi_guy]

The blue ones, except the millermatic 200 is in black suitcase.

 

[Dr Stan]

I have a Miller MIG and a old AC-DC +/- Century with a good amp adjustment. Thing weighs a ton as it has a copper coil.

If you stick with the name brands, Esab, Lincoln, Miller and the like you should not get burned. Most of the preference is solely by brand much like the old Ford/Chevy debate. That said watch out for Chinese equipment.

 

[LXCam]

Well if it were only those 3 choices, the ESAB hands down. Ya know at that price range you could get a decent unit like the ESAB or miller or Lincoln. But trying to get all three processes in a single unit wouldn't be my suggestion.

 

[koditten]

Can you get Hobart welders there? I think they are a under appreciated unit for a great price.

 

[Mattpopp]

What are you looking for in a welder? What type of welding will you be doing the majority of the time? What is the size of the projects that you will be building? What is the type of material that you will be working with? How thick of material will you be using.

In my opinion people get to wrapped up in the duty cycle of a machine. Unless you are buying a machine for production then I would not worry so much about it. As most people believe they weld continuously a lot more than they really do.

 

[Know Wosad]

I find dual voltage a huge plus and multi purpose a not wise choice unless, like me you have a bunch of equipment.Everything i did today was on 110 because Chimpy2 was on the planer and Chimpy 3 was on the belt grinder(s).Plus the air ran all day.
I couldn't fathom having a bunch of work on the benches an one lousy machine..the card fries(fairly common)....... and there ya stand with yer **** in yer hand/per se.
I mean. A MIG fries or the liner gets fupped,run outa wire, outa gas... finish the job with a stick, the TIG, or oxy acet weld it and vice versa.
3 in one farts and its all over.
If you must......get the Lincoln 210. Aint no better machine out at the moment

 

[pmason0]

I have the Miller Multimatic 200 3in1, while I do like the machine, I wish I did more research, not knowing much at the time I didn't realize that I couldn't TIG weld aluminum, did get the spoolgun to do aluminum but I enjoy TIG welding much better. If I was to do it again I would get two machines.

 

[pi_guy]

I have the Miller Multimatic 200 3in1, while I do like the machine, I wish I did more research, not knowing much at the time I didn't realize that I couldn't TIG weld aluminum, did get the spoolgun to do aluminum but I enjoy TIG welding much better. If I was to do it again I would get two machines.

Bought the DX200 6 or 7 years ago been a good money maker and run flawless. Bought the multimatic 200 with the desire of being able to mig Al and Si bronze mig brazing on 115v. I built a rolling shelf for parts containers in less than a hour, welding part with the Al spoolgun on 115. It would have taken me many hours with my tig. It was a learning process and some welds are poor others will hold hundreds of lbs. It is over kill for the parts containers it will hold.
So now I have no issue welding with the spoolgun for commercial jobs.

I am first a Tig guy but a times there is call for mig use often in less critical areas. But with some chassis they are gas welded with Si Bronze and trying to Tig it can be difficult. Yes you can braze and silver solder with tig but it really takes a touch. So going in the direction of using mig brazing

 

[sberry]

They say they are 200A machines. It would run a 5/32 lo hy. Doesn't get much better than that from those little machines. If there was an S version to cheapen it wouldnt hurt, for me, dont care about the tig ****.

 

[buckwheat_la]

So I had a thread before about if anyone had heard of newer Linde welders..... Well I got a look at 1 today. 250 mig and arc welder. 60%duty cycle at 220. Comes with a spool for doing aluminum too. And priced at $1700..... I think I found my welder....

 

[koditten]

Is that spool or aluminum with a spool gun? Kinda hard to push aluminum wire thru 10' (3 meters) of mig gun and lead.

$1700 is a great price for any 230 volt machine.

What is the exact model? I'd like to look it up and see what it is.

 

[pmason0]

Yes you need to spoolgun to weld aluminum with a MIG machine. I have a ladder project that I'm building out of 1 1/2 square tube aluminum, been practicing, getting better but can't get past the cold starts, after that I'm doing pretty good with it.

 

[buckwheat_la]

https://shop.lindecanada.com/shop/en/ca/linde-mig-250gs-arc-welding-machine-t11299757

According to their specs, you can just change to a u-grove wire feed roller and it will accommodate the aluminum just fine.... I plan on picking one up today for my Shop and the 180 for my home.

 

[sberry]

For a small shop feeder the Hobart IM230 would be on my short list too. Priced right and has a lot of poop.

 

[Mattpopp]

You really need a Push/Pull gun to run Alum through any length if you dont use a spool. Also it is not a good idea to run Alum through the flex line that has had anything but Alum ran through it. Never a good idea to mix metals/alloys as the Alum wire will pick up the shavings and impurities left behind from other metals. Resulting in flawed welds.

running Alum through even a 10ft line with only a push setup will ****.

 

[BigMike782]

Having run both the ESAB Rebel and the Miller Multimatic 215 it would be very hard to decide which one is the right choice.
The both stick weld very well(6010 included) and MIG well I was thrown by the lack of a gas solenoid on the Rebel and the very tiny foot control on the Multimatic. To validate that I am used to my Syncrowave 250.
The Rebel comparable to the Multimatic that is TIG capable is 1,000.00 less(about).

 

[brownbagg]

For a small shop feeder the Hobart IM230 would be on my short list too. Priced right and has a lot of poop.

i bougth one last and love it. it make my miller 140 like a trash hf machine on very low voltage, soooo smooth, no fighting it

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Looking at the purchase of a new welder today. Thoughts on the 3?
http://m.kmstools.com/tweco-fabricator-3-in-1-211i-welder-123309
http://m.kmstools.com/firepower-220i-3-n-1-welder-105497
http://m.kmstools.com/esab-rebel-multi-process-welder-free-jacket-118577

If I was going to spend $2K I'd go ahead and get a MM252. The guy at Airgas I bought mine from beat all the prices on the internet by the time you figured the shipping. I went ahead and got it set up for two tanks and a 30A spool gun...but it's your money and you know what you have to work with.

 

[sberry]

i bougth one last and love it. it make my miller 140 like a trash hf machine on very low voltage, soooo smooth, no fighting it

I have used and tested quite a few machines. I havnt ran the 230 but Dan who was frequent on Hobart and Miller and is way qualified to do objective testing says it is super smooth too.

 

[sberry]

I suspect that Eastwood and a couple of the others now work pretty well too. For a long time it really lagged, the cheap junk simply didn't work as well and wasn't very reliable. The USA stuff was super dependable, had a long warranty and was priced decently while the junk was still priced quite high.
I wouldn't mind trying some cheap stick inverters, I aint gonna buy them up to test but the super low end Forney wasn't much good at 100$. I suspect the 225$ dvi 140 may. My Max S cost 800 8 yrs ago but it really works well and even though it was a pinch before they may have got the 6010 issue doctored up it doesn't matter.
However something at 20% the price is worth taking a look at and it brings it really in to entry level affordability.
I havnt been to welding web, I saw a UTube a while back and a test or 2 from guy knew what he was doing and it worked.
As I mention the Forney, it is a 3/32 6011 machine. Anything else trips the breaker. A good one like the max will output 1/3 more 100%.
Hrere is a test and I doubt I was very sharp. pic one, machine struggles to make 75 at best and tripped half way thru with a 1/8 6011, pic 2, 3/32 6011 and can weld with that but its too dam small and fussy but it finished the rod. Pic 3 is 3/32 7018 DC rod and 4 is AC. Both barely made 75 if that and tripped.
6013 is mild penetration but has near the same current demands as 7018 to run correctly. The machine that made these needed another 10A minimum, just didn't have it.

 

[buckwheat_la]

If I was going to spend $2K I'd go ahead and get a MM252. The guy at Airgas I bought mine from beat all the prices on the internet by the time you figured the shipping. I went ahead and got it set up for two tanks and a 30A spool gun...but it's your money and you know what you have to work with.

Keep in mind Canadian funds. We can't get a Miller for less than $3000 up here.....

 

[370]

So..For those of you that say esab based only on the name. . Tweco and esab are the same company.

 

[byoungblood]

I've only been welding a few months, but I think I'd much rather have a couple of purpose built machines with good duty cycles than one that is only so-so right in the range where you might be welding a lot.

If you're primarily wanting to MIG weld, then buy a MIG. Since you can TIG weld with most any stick welder (how well it will do it is another topic!) you can pick up a relatively inexpensive AC/DC stick and scratch start, or look for an inverter with lift start down the road.

 

[sberry]

Tig gets a lot of press but,,, I never use it. I can and am a pretty good tig welder, I just don't. Havnt used it since I have a spool gun, been a decade or more and it finally is used as a cart for machines I do use.
Only been a couple minor changes since the pic, mostly to bench.