Welders

[speedy448]

I am thinking getting a welder.
I was thinking about getting a Miller 252 or a 212. they are kind of high. Are there other welder that will do the job for less. Open to opions.

 

[v-8power]

What do you plan on doing with it? Heavy welding?

Miller makes a good welder, they also make hobart.

 

[speedy448]

Little of everything. Fab and repair.

 

[99RangerKrazy]

I like my little Flux Core. They're cheap, and with some practice you can make really strong welds. For just personal use, I recommend a Flux Core.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Check out the Lincoln Power MIG 180

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.aspx?p=42422

I bought one last year and couldn't be more happy with it.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Along the same lines as what sasquatch recommended, Look at the Hobart Handler 187. It is what I have used to build everything except my bumper with.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I looked at welders for quite awhile before I bought one....

MIG welders (and flux core welders), most people agree that they are easy to learn to use. But unless you get one that is powered by 220v, they just don't have heavy penetration (thus better weld prep is needed along with multiple passes).

Oxy-Act gas welders are one of the hardest to learn to use, but they'll weld dang near anything with some skill. Up side is that you can change torches an cut stuff with it.

And there's stick welders... I picked up a Lincoln AC-225 awhile back for a hundred bones used. Takes 220v power, and they've been around forever and a day. I'm not sure I'd try welding sheet metal with it, but it works great on heavier materials, say for fabbing a bumper.

 

[c_note]

im saving up for a tig welder. its just so much cleaner and you have more control of you penetration.

 

[metalmacguyver]

Its also soooooooooooo much slower. Yeah you can lay the most beautiful weld in the world, and weld anything from aluminum to steel to titanium, it is not practical for many fabrication jobs because it is difficult to tack weld with it. You need two hands to weld instead of one holding what your tacking and the other holding the MIG torch.

 

[Capt Jay]

You also can't lay on you back and weld a rusty bracket under a truck.

I have an ac/dc stick and used it for just about everything. I was having trouble with thin metals so I picked up a Hobart 140 with gas. It is a great combination. I can go from the thinnest of metal all the way up to the thickest stock. Plus then you have MORE tools. More is better.

If I was buying a general mig I like my Hobart. It's been good to me.

 

[c_note]

almost everything on my sas is tig welded. anything that is mig welded, i wanna go over with the tig. it is strong and i have no problems tacking anything really.

it can be a pain in the ass to weld under a vehicle but not impossible. mostly due to the filler rod.