At 07:22 PM 8/20/99 -0500, Jan Schmidt wrote:
>List
>Anyone have any experience with the cheaper mig welders before I plop down
$1100 or more on a Lincoln or a Miller welder? I have found really cheap
ones at Harbor Freight Catalog in the $200 to $400 range new and even
cheaper if they are factory reconditioned. Then there is the Century brand
at Tractor Supply Co. for $300 to $500. And good old Wal Mart has Campbell
Hausfeld one for $200. Obviously the Lincoln and Miller are better
wewlders, but I am just a shadetree mechanic who will occasionally weld.
People with experience please speak up. TIA
>Bill Schmidt cs rx7 kc reg
>
What are you going to do with it? I borrowed my brother-in-laws 110volt
Lincoln
MIG to work on my trailer frame, kind of a space frame with lots of .060" wall
1x4 rectangle. It did a fabulous job. It also worked fine on the 1/4" thick
gussets and brackets. I ended up using an entire 10 lb roll of wire before I
gave it back to him. If you get a 110v unit get either a Lincoln or Miller.
Everyone I talked to said the same thing; they're just built better. The local
welding supply house has 'em for about $6-700.00 complete. You can get them at
Home Depot for less, but not a LOT less. If you want to weld stuff like
suspension parts or want to do aluminum or just plain better looking welds,
get
a TIG. I've got a Lincoln "Square Wave 175" and I love it. As a bonus, this
unit
is also a stick welder by flipping a switch and changing a cable. It
retails for
about $1700, but the local welder had it on sale for about $1350. The whole
rig
with a 125 cu ft argon bottle and a new electronic helmet was a shade over
$1800
inc tax. Either JEGS or Summit has this same unit in their catalog for
about $1300
plus freight (about $100). You'll need an Argon tank (about $200). YOU WILL
LOVE A
TIG once you get used to it. My acetylene unit is basically just for
cutting now.
The tig welds everything the gas rig will only quicker and neater and a lot
less
radiated heat. I've seen these units or similar used for about half price
if you
can find one. If I was starting from scratch, I'd rather have a used TIG
than a
new MIG.
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