I'm a long time member, but I don't post much.
So this Christmas i got a welder, but it's a stick welder. I give them a A++ for effort and thought. I need a wirefeed welder, MIG to be exact. Thats what I'm use to, I'm a body man. So we have a small 230 Lincoln at work and in school I got my certification on small Miller's. The stick welder i got was from northern tool and is a
Horbart Stickmate LX235 - Retail $419.99

So i've narrowed it down to two from Northern

Hobart Handler 140 MIG - 115 Volt, Duty Cycle 20%, Max 1/4" steel, $459.99


Hobart Handler 187 MIG - 230 volt, Duty Cycle 30%, Max 5/16" steel $649.99

So basically they are almost the same except one's 115 volt other is 230.
The welder that I buy will need to be able to weld sheetmetal i.e. quarter panels and core supports. I think that the 115 will be able to handle that. What makes me question the 115 volt is will it be able to do heaver stuff like roll cages. I also have a go kart idea floating around my brain. what do you guys think. Also i would have to wire the garage for a 230 outlet.

These are my realistic choices. If i had the money i would definitely buy a Miller or Lincoln that would be able to weld up to 1/2" and have the ability to slap on a spool gun to do aluminum. then turn around and buy a TIG and plasma cutter. I don't have that type of spare cash and i have to go to northern. Positive feedback please or at least constructive criticism.

 

Definitely get the 220v model if you can wire the garage easily...I wouldn't trust a 110v MIG for anything much thicker than sheet metal.

 

i agree, get the 220v. I mean you've already doubted the 115v that should be a big enough reason to not get it. Plus you are less restricted with the 220v. Ive only started to learn welding info on stuff like machines but I couldnt really see it being good on the machine if you had to run it at 115v all the time...just my .02

 

the 115 is rated to 1/4". roll cages arent that thick so i wouldnt let that be your decision factor in 115/230. If your gonna keep it in one place all the time, like never take it anywhere i would get the 230. But if your mobile with it and are gonna be helping/working on other peoples projects i wouldnt count on everyone having a place to plug in the bigger welder, and i would buy the smaller one. Either way of the 2 welders you posted the bigger one is only rated for 1/16th" more than the smaller one, so your really not losing much by going with the smaller welder and you dont have to add to your wiring.

Marcus

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScorpioMk &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the 115 is rated to 1/4". roll cages arent that thick so i wouldnt let that be your decision factor in 115/230.</TD></TR></TABLE>
that was what i was thinking, but wasn't sure

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScorpioMk &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> If your gonna keep it in one place all the time, like never take it anywhere i would get the 230. But if your mobile with it and are gonna be helping/working on other peoples projects i wouldnt count on everyone having a place to plug in the bigger welder, and i would buy the smaller one.</TD></TR></TABLE>
that was one thing i didn't think about, i might have to take it around town.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScorpioMk &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Either way of the 2 welders you posted the bigger one is only rated for 1/16th" more than the smaller one, so your really not losing much by going with the smaller welder and you dont have to add to your wiring.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Does anyone have any 115v welders that they can testify on behalf of.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k24em2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Definitely get the 220v model if you can wire the garage easily...I wouldn't trust a 110v MIG for anything much thicker than sheet metal.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I have a breaker box in the garage and it would be somewhat easy to install the 230 line

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScorpioMk &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the 115 is rated to 1/4". roll cages arent that thick so i wouldnt let that be your decision factor in 115/230. If your gonna keep it in one place all the time, like never take it anywhere i would get the 230. But if your mobile with it and are gonna be helping/working on other peoples projects i wouldnt count on everyone having a place to plug in the bigger welder, and i would buy the smaller one. Either way of the 2 welders you posted the bigger one is only rated for 1/16th" more than the smaller one, so your really not losing much by going with the smaller welder and you dont have to add to your wiring.

Marcus</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would probably never get into a car with a cage that was migged with a 115v machine. Just because it is RATED at 1/4" doesn't mean it will they way you have it setup. Plus, 220v gives you flexibility in the future should you decide to buy a bigger machine, GTAW, plasma, etc.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k24em2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I would probably never get into a car with a cage that was migged with a 115v machine. Just because it is RATED at 1/4" doesn't mean it will they way you have it setup. Plus, 220v gives you flexibility in the future should you decide to buy a bigger machine, GTAW, plasma, etc.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i think it comes down to the person welding, if someone cant weld a cage with a standard 115 and get good penetration they shouldnt be welding a cage, thats the car i wouldnt drive in . you are right it is always better to have more than you need just in case, but my easily portable 135+ has been a life saver. (**** breaking at the track sucks).


Marcus

 

Don't get me wrong the little MIGs are great...but not for welding cages...The typical person that owns a 110v MIG isn't usually a highly skilled welder. Not saying EVERYONE that has one is a crappy welder, just most of the time I wouldn't want them welding a cage. Turbo manifolds, sheet metal, no prob, you wont kill anyone if that stuff fails.

 

I have the 115v at home and like it alot. I use it mostly to weld exhaust work and other little projects. Hobart is made by Miller so I wouldnt feel bad about buying it.

 

I have a 115v lincoln 135pro. and I weld 1/4" with it. its all about the preparation. if you butt it even your penetration is gonna be horrible. but if you bevel it to allow for a root pass and then another pass to cap it off. I would still prefer the 220v over the 110v.

 

I am also interested in the Hobart Handler 140 MIG anyone have experiences with it.

 

I'd go 120V only because the ability to take a welder anywhere is pretty sweet.

 

I appreciate the comments. I'm still not sure which route to go, but I'm not in a rush to go get one.The 115v is sounds like a good choice be cause of it's portability and price; on the other hand the 230 would be nice because it's better to have to much than not enough and thats what I'm use to using. When I brought it up to the guys in the shop i got the same response. One guy who has a 115v says he loves it be cause he can take it to his buddy's houses and he's never had any issues with the machine. Another guy said that he had a 115 at first but then had to get a 230 because of the heavier work he does with it. So as of right now i think the tie breaker will be how much money I will be able to toss in. I'll have to balance the books after all this holiday mess settles and the next pay check gets deposited.

keep the great comments coming. FYI I won't be using flux core, only for teaching my little sister how to weld, not joking she's stoked to learn.

 

Honestly, I wouldnt even weld a cage with a 230V machine, I welded my cage with my 380V 3-phase tig, its nice to actually see it penetrate well. I want my cage to have complete penetration, not just the skin of the tube. I did my cage out of 3.5mm tube.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just because it is RATED at 1/4" doesn't mean it will they way you have it setup.</TD></TR></TABLE>
True and at what duty cycle will it do it...

 

my suggestion is the 120V for a first welder. portability means more to me.

if you plan to earn a living doing this then neither of the ones you suggested are right.

also look at the miller 140 with auto-set closely...

http://www.millerwelds.com/pro...toset/

and don't let the list price scare you.

 

I don't get why you guys don't think he can do cage work with a HH140. He'll be using .125" mild steel and the capacity is .25". Last time I checked, the welder could handle double what he needed.

 

i think I'm gonna get the 115v, if i need to do any heavier projects I'll just take it to work

 

Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the welder, I have been looking at that one for a while and want to know your thoughts on it.

 

Whats the duty cycle on both? Thats another thing you need to think of. Most 110 migs have 20-30% duty cycle which means out of 10 minutes you should only be welding for 2-3 minutes and let it rest for 7-8. You can forget about that and just weld as long as you want but your welder won't last long. I personally think the 110 would be fine for what you want to do. Ive done structural welding with a 110 off a generator and got perfectly fine penetration.

 

the 110 mig will do you fine. You can go hot enough to weld a cage with it no doubt.

BTW the "1/4 inch steel" part of the specs just means it can theortically run hot enough to lay a bead on top of a 1/4 piece of steel and actually stick. If you want a full pen weld on 1/4 with that thing you are laying multiple stringers in there.