a little help please.

Hey guys i have a question that i hope someone here can help me with. I plan on buying a welder in the next month or so and need to know what kind i should buy. all i need is one that i can use for welding in a rollpan, c-notch, filler panels, possibly some round tubing and stuff of that nature. So should i buy like a mig, tig, wire, flux or ??????? i dont wanna pay alot (but i also understand you get what you pay for) but would like one that i could practice and learn with before i drop some serious cash on a better one. any help will be appreciated thanks in advance!!!

do you have a northern tool store? you can get a hobart mig welder there for around 500. you can do most of the welding with a small 110 welder, but i recommend going with a 220. and if you can get one that uses gas. much better and easier. tig welding is the best type, but mig is easier

I got a 100amp Lincoln gas shielded(mig) welder off of ebay a few years ago.
It's just a little 110v. unit, but it welds 1/4" just fine.
Just make sure the duty cycle is 70% or better.
Otherwise you'll be sitting around, waiting for the unit to cool down, more than you'll be welding.

I'd stay away from flux core wire if I were you...
You burn through more wire and have to chip the slag off the welds.

I don't know guys My buddy and I have welded allot on our Offroad rigs with a Campbell housefield Fluxcore 80 Wire... and we still going.

Don't get me wrong an Argon fed Wire is soo much better

harbor freight, they got 220 flux/mig welders that take gas, iv had one for three years now and its a great one to learn on, its a chicago electric, now a did my whole truck with it, frame, body all of it/ its not as addjustable as most but you learn how to use it, and its really cheap dont remember how much

for a novice welder welding on sheetmetal I recommend the miller 140 with auto set its a great 110v gas or flux ( please dont use flux core) and it will weld 3/16 in one pass. Minitruckin mag did a write up on it because its perfect for us.

When I went in to buy it, and I talked to the dealer they suggested the miller 180 with auto set.
I went for it cuz, the duty cycle was waaay better and also could weld heavier material too,, from 24 guage sheetmetal up to 5/16 in a single pass, ive had it for a year and its perfect, check out the work I've done in my post, tubbin n dubbin
Its 240v

the better quality welder you buy the easier it is to weld with. To me in my experience with multiple 110 welders all 110 welders are junk. i will never own another one and advise anybody that is buying one to opt for the 220. Alot of times the only difference is a hundred or two hundred bucks. If you spend 500 on a 110 welder you have wasted your money in my opinion. You cant have too big or too nice of a welder. If you are planning to buy a 110 now to practice with and then upgrade later you will just be wasting your money because the 220 can do everything a 110 welder can do alot easier and alot cleaner plus much much more. The 220 is going to be alot more user friendly for newbie welders. Ive only had bad experiences with the 110s. Ive heard lots of success from others with them though. Take it as you will hahah. But goodluck with whatever you choose. And i love miller. Other welders are good quality such as lincoln and hobart but i wont own anything other than a miller. But thats just because of my great experiences with them and smoothness of the welders. You do have to pay for them though.






-justin






-justin

I guess I shall chime in. First timer huh? Go to pawn shops, look on Craigslist, look on Egay. Find a cheap used one. Look at the big names... Lincoln, Miller, Hobart. These are going to be a better welder and let you know if you can do it and if you should invest in a bigger one. Several things if going with a new one. I will deffinetly agree on a 220 however that is not possible for everyone. It would have been about $300 more for one for me. I got the Hobart 140 mig. I have the full gas setup with tank, gun, wire, extra tips, etc.... I think with all it was about $600. But that included me BUYING my gas tank. Now if I would have waited and saved up the additional $300 and bought the 220 that would have been great...except it would be a great garage ornament. You see I do NOT have 220 in my garage or even near it. I would of had to get a permit, get an electrician and run 220 to the garage. This is not feesible for me yet. So I settled for the 110. It works great for what I have done. I think it would be smarter to start small and used to make sure you even want to learn and do it properly. I had manufacturing experience with welding so I knew I could and wanted to do it. This is just my opinion. Now if you have the money and have the power and know you want to weld then by all means go 220. I would.

I totally agree as this has been my experience also, I wasted 500 on the lincoln handycore 100
its a 115v flux core only, horrible for finishing work but, i made the best of it for a year or two before I got my Miller

I also agree with JMZ, find something used, lots of welding gear at auctions these days

thanks for all the imput guys 1st i will have to get a 110 as thats what my townhome has in the garage. i do have a HARBOR FRIEGHT close by maybe ill see what they have...and there is always CL lol