hey guys ive been watchin my freind welding all my stuff for my car and his and i help my uncle fab and prep stuff for his iron gate buisness but i wanna start welding im sick of always watchin and have them say o look at this this is how you do it i wanna try lol so i told my girl for christmas she could get me a mig welder whats the best i can get for like 5-600 bucks


Modified by ilsimsli at 1:12 AM 12/13/2005

 

wish my gf would spend 600 on me when i was 19.

those 30A ones on ebay that are dual tig/plasma units seem nice. theres a thread that ccfab made about his.


edit: your title says mig, but post says tig?

my mig recomendation is a miller 135. i love mine. much better than the cheaper century 130 i used to have.

 

woops meant mig yea we been together for 4 years ive spent enough on her lol

 

Yup, My Fiance bought my my first welder as a Engagement gift!!

 

nice yea my girl owes me big time for all the cash and **** i give her lol

 

Anyone else got any input

 

anyone help i need to figure out which one i want real soon

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dfoxengr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
my mig recomendation is a miller 135. i love mine. much better than the cheaper century 130 i used to have.</TD></TR></TABLE>

if not the hobart 140

 

would i be able to weld in cages and do exhausts with the miller? also what do you guys think about the lincoln 175hd weld pak better or worse ?

 

I was in Lowes this weekend and they had a special on a Lincoln 175 mig with a mail in coupon for a free autodarkening helmet. $598

 

are you able to use 220v power? if so get something bigger than 135/140a

i wouldnt expect to be able to weld good enough to do cage work as soon as you get it either...

remember they must pass tech also.

 

oh i know that im just sayin when i get better will it weld cages i can run a 220 line thats no problem so anymore suggestions would be cool

 

10 days till x mas any input

 

get a miller 175 is a 100 more but it has the best range and a 5 year warranty. and i got a spool gun free to do thin aluminam. i use gas for stainless.

 

Yeah, the Millermatic 175 is nice, but the price is closer to $720 (i work at a distributor). But for about $600 or less, the 135 is great for the Handler 140, like previously mentioned. Just stick with a major brand so you can get parts/accesories later on.

Miller 175= $720
Miller 135= $590
Hobart 140= $490 These are approximations, prices will vary.

 

Hobart 140. I'm buying myself this badboy for xmas. My friend has this, and I use it quite frequently. It doesn't work spectacular with flux-core without gas, but it is very impressive with gas. I can't say that I used a miller, but for the price, the hobart is more than adequate for bodywork, exhaust, roll cages, and probably manifolds. Goes through 24 gauge no problem. Look into it.

 

I have the Clarke 180EN. Very very happy with it and extremely happy with their service!

I would def buy it over the blue and red variants..

PS.. they now sell them as craftsman as well! Its Italian made none the less

 

hobart is made by miller, just not all the bells and whistles as the miller. the hobart has just 5 heat settings while the miller has infinate adjustments. but thats not that important.

you can find the hobart for 420$ if you have a tractor supply store near you. otherwise have her get it off ebay.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1218980

Interested? SNAP-ON welder BTW. 140amp - Use regulary 110 output. No need for 220.

No more then 1 hour on this bad boy. Welds PERFECT! even on FLUX Core. I never had the time to even hook gas to this.

Decided to pick up a TIG instead. I needed to do more EXTREME gauges of welding. Not sure of price to sell for though. Id hate to get rid, but Im on the edge to.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmotorsports &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hobart is made by miller, just not all the bells and whistles as the miller</TD></TR></TABLE>

Didn't know that. That's cool. Hobart kinda seemed like an in-the-closet catalog brand, but I guess that they do indeed have a reputation to stand by. Cool

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jwbetley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Didn't know that. That's cool. Hobart kinda seemed like an in-the-closet catalog brand, but I guess that they do indeed have a reputation to stand by. Cool </TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, the millermatic 135 is pretty much the same thing as the hobart 140. the miller has an adjustable heat setting, while the hobart has 5 presets. they just use a little bit older technology on the hobart, but its just as good for alot less.

 

i'm getting the millermatic 135. since i am compromising on the 110v, i want more adjustability than the hobart's 5 settings.

i too have seen posts that the hobart is made by miller. i have also heard that effectively all welders are made in italy these days. more rumors.

if you want to stay below $500 though, don't forget about the cylinder, etc. that will be tough.

i'm expecting to pay about $700 with the welder, cylinder, wire and the clarke weld cart from sears. then get the gas and i'll be set using an old helmet and old gloves.

 

Do they sell tanks at sears? Better yet, do they fill argon at sears?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jwbetley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do they sell tanks at sears? Better yet, do they fill argon at sears? </TD></TR></TABLE>

No they dont.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jwbetley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do they sell tanks at sears? Better yet, do they fill argon at sears? </TD></TR></TABLE>

nope, but there are places around ct where you can rent tanks. they also can fill em.

and most of the welders are made in italy besides millers. my sears welder is made in italy.