i need selecting a welder

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

i,m in the market to buy a welder , i could use a little help from experienced welders choosing .

i,ve narowed it down to these 2 machines

century 90amp arc-tig welding inverter
90 amp arc/tig welding inverter | Welders | Welding Products | Welding | Princess Auto

lincon mig-pac 140
Browser Level Verification

ps: ( the lincon mig is only on sale till the weekend ) and ( the century arc-tig , is a scratch start , doesn,t have a foot control )

i don,t know if i can add a foot control to this tig ? but do i even need to ?

any help from experienced welders or poeple that own one of these would be appreciated

2door · Feb 18, 2010

Dice, comparing TIG to MIG is like apples to oranges. My first question would be how much experience you have with either welding type. Mig is relatively easy to learn and can be mastered with a few hours of practice, TIG, on the other hand takes a lot of skill to become proficient at. With that being said I'll offer this advice. Stay away from the cheap, auto parts and big box store welders. Many of them are made in Italy, don't know why, but they are hard to get parts for and nearly impossible to get repaired if you have a problem. Stick with the brand names, Hobart, Lincoln, Miller are three of the best. MIG, especially if you use shielding gas is a good all round machine capable of doing almost anything you'll ever want to do on a bicycle. TIG, depending on the current range can do anything from thin sheetmetal to heavy steel. MIG can do big stuff too but you'll need a hotter machine than the 110 volt units most purchase. Hope this helps a little.
Tom

DOC BOLM · Feb 18, 2010

Lincon builds a good welder as does hobart.The hobart 130 will do anything you want at less money.Stick with a machine you can get parts and service for.Go with a shielded gas mod.

BarelyAWake · Feb 18, 2010

Foot pedal control w/TIG is pretty essential with the gauge metals you'd be workin' - or at least I find it to be w/my limited skill lol Gas shielded MIG on the other hand is really pretty easy, of the two you described - I'd pick the Lincon MIG inna heartbeat

camlifter · Feb 18, 2010

if i was going to buy a new welder i'd go with this one U2689-1 Lincoln Electric Reconditioned SP-180T MIG-Flux-Cored Welder - WeldingMart.com
it will do anything you need and a spool gun can be added later if you want to do aluminium. also has a warranty and free shiping.

Retmachinist · Feb 18, 2010

2door and Doc pretty well summed it up. If you don't have any expierience with Tig, I would stay away from it unless you plan on taking a welding class. Mig is very easy to learn and if done right works pretty well on thin materials which is mainly what you will be doing on your MB's.
Myself, I mainly use my Oxy, Actylene torch for brazing, on the MB parts. I can work with very thin parts, and the finished joint has some flexability to it so it won't crack with the somewhat high vibrations these Chinese motors have.
That being said, it is kind of up to what all you will be using it for.

John

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

i,v got lots of time on migs , can do some nice welds ( as long as the last guy didn,t run us out of argon ) - tig i just been messing around with , steel so so , aluminum looks pretty ugly , practicing on 3/16 , its not easy , takes some skills and a lot of practice .

i haven,t seen any hobarts in my area , i,ll take a look at the 130 on line and see if theres one around here i can look at in person .

thanks

civlized · Feb 18, 2010

I'm all for Lincon. 110volt is very handy. It won't do really big jobs, but it welds up to 1/4" steel with no problem. Having a machine that can accept a gas bottle is great. Actually using a bottle is not so much a necessity as flux core wire is great for quick welding jobs on carbon steel. Being able to convert it over to wire weld aluminum is also a great plus for when you get a little more experience with welding.

BarelyAWake · Feb 18, 2010

diceman2004 said:
i,v got lots of time on migs , can do some nice welds ( as long as the last guy didn,t run us out of argon ) - tig i just been messing around with , steel so so , aluminum looks pretty ugly , practicing on 3/16 , its not easy , takes some skills and a lot of practice .

i haven,t seen any hobarts in my area , i,ll take a look at the 130 on line and see if theres one around here i can look at in person .

thanks

TIG really is awesome... but between the cost of a real machine and the practice required... meh, best to stick w/MIG

Still, if you've got access to TIG - defo keep practicing, it's like the difference between a craft and an art ifn ya know what I mean. Wish the TIG at my work was a nicer machine

culvercityclassic · Feb 18, 2010

Check out the two welders listed below. The Millermatic is duel voltage.

Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ (mig) and the (Diversion™ 165) both made by miller and are my choices.

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

i,m looking for a welder because , the place i worked for closed tier doors ( auto indusry ) , and now i don,t have access to a welder .

i,m not having the greatest luck finding any hobarts in my area . i,m gonna look a bit more . but its looking like the LINCON is the one i,ll probably end up going with .

i gotta make my mind up quik though . its only on sale till saturday $499 Canadian .
that will leave me with just enough for an auto darkening helmet .

DOC BOLM · Feb 18, 2010

Do you have Tractor Supply near you.

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

good call DOC , forgot all about them , gonna take a drive to TSC right now and see what they have . ( go figure , on line , on their website , the welders part of thier site is under construction .

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

yeah , i just came back from TSC , they have the hobarts , looked at the 140 . the hobart is on sale for $599 the lincoln is on sale for $499 , i checked the specs for each .

the lincoln is 1 inch taller than the hobart
the hobart is 1 inch longer than the lincoln

the electrical specs are identical

so i guess it boils down to price , and which colour i like better

im gonna go with the lincoln and get a good helmet

DOC BOLM · Feb 18, 2010

Glad you found one.I was in tractor supply the other day to buy some drill bits and when i left i had bought a trailer and a engine driven hobart welder.What a price to pay for a 3/4inch bit.

diceman2004 · Feb 18, 2010

yeah , i seen that one , but you forgot to buy a hoist , to get it on and off the trailer .

POPS · Feb 18, 2010

Eh Dice

I have that Lincoln and love it.

Really good unit.

Just make shure you have a dedicated 20 amp circuit to plug into

or you will not get enough power (heat).

If your going to use an extension cord, make shure it is the appropiate size

to carry the amps...POPS

doubledice · Feb 18, 2010

I say go with a MILLER its a very reliable brand and is what i trust

doubledice · Feb 19, 2010

haha ya miller is more expensive but they are pretty much the leader in the industry now. I cant wait to learn how to tig weld

im gonna learn after high school because all we have is MIG and ARC at my high school

diceman2004 · Feb 20, 2010

well , i got the lincoln , comes with regulator valve and everything , but no bottle , no biggie , i still have a bottle from the last mig i had ( sold it for needed cash years back )

so , now that i,m broke again

i need selecting a welder

New Member

Moderator

New Member

New Member

Active Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Member

New Member

New Member

New Member