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OK...What New Mig Welder Would You Buy???
Time to up grade...i have a old lincoln 225 cracker box(toast)...looking at a lincoln 180 mig pack....miller140....my budget is around $500 to $850....any advice....i have 220 volt single phase in the shop....but some i have noticed are 110v....i would like to have one i could do body work with...and still be able to weld 1/2 plate????
I have the Millermatic 175 22V and am happy with it. DOnt think it will fit your budget though. I'd stick with 220V for sure the 100V's dont have enough snot IMO
Time to up grade...i have a old lincoln 225 cracker box(toast)...looking at a lincoln 180 mig pack....miller140....my budget is around $500 to $850....any advice....i have 220 volt single phase in the shop....but some i have noticed are 110v....i would like to have one i could do body work with...and still be able to weld 1/2 plate????
one machine that will do both 20 gage and 1/2 plate isn't gona make your budget, not a good quality machine that will do both well. i would suggest you realy think about what you are going to weld and how often? also whats your experiance level? if you do mostly thiner gage material you can get in to a good quality 120 volt machine easly in that price range. 1/2 plate can be done with a smaller machine in multipul pass's. if you do more heavy 1/4" and up than you realy need the bigger machine. the other thing to consider is the duty cycle, the 110 machines usualy have a low rating, 10 - 20 % is common, this means you can be actualy welding for 1 or 2 minets in a 10 minet time period. the 220 machines are generaly up to 50 or 60 %. if you push the duty cycle you will damage the welder, the diodes will usuly go first wich are easy to replace, but you'll be done welding in mid project untill its repaired.
you cant realy go wrong with any of the big names, i have had Hobart brand equipment for years. hobart and miller are owned by the same parent company and in my opinion are of the same quality, hobart is usualy a little cheaper as miller is there flagship line. if you can afford it ( prob. around a grand ) look at hobarts Ironman 210 it's a good quality machine that will do most of what you want with the ability to add a second plug-in spoolgun in if you ever want or need to do aluminum.
hope this helps if i can give you any other advice let me know. i'm not a professional, i grew up spending my summers with my grandfather who held a certification to do welding on nuclear power plants. he tought me a hell of a lot, i still wish i had paid more attention.
scotty
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I have the Lincoln 175 pak sold at Home Depot. Welds very well both flux core and gas. I use flux core outside and can weld up to 1/2" with a couple of passes and when I'm inside out of the wind, use a gas setup that helps to produce a much finer weld and can weld about 1/4" single pass with a beautiful weld. Welder is about $550, if you already have a tank, you're off and running. Otherwise, buy a filled tank for about $150 and you're set.
Time to up grade...i have a old lincoln 225 cracker box(toast)...looking at a lincoln 180 mig pack....miller140....my budget is around $500 to $850....any advice....i have 220 volt single phase in the shop....but some i have noticed are 110v....i would like to have one i could do body work with...and still be able to weld 1/2 plate????
hello
I also have the Millermatic 175 230volt with the carbon dioxide bottle attachment. Makes for a good clean weld.
I've got a Hobart 250 ironman, the big one. I think it was about $1300 or so. Northern Tool had a deal that you could make like 4 credit card payments. SOmething to consider. It'll pretty much weld anything you'd ever want to build (sheetmetal, framework, aircraft carrier.....). Miller does own hobart and they share many components, but the hobart does use a few parts that are cheaper quality (I think the spool drive is plastic compared to metal in the miller) but it is all in parts that usually don't break anyway (electronics are the same). If you are buying for heaVy, constant industrial use, get miller, for light industrial or home, save the money and go hobart. And get 220. You'll never regret buying too much welder, but I know you'll regret buying to small of one.
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I have the Millermatic 175 22V and am happy with it. DOnt think it will fit your budget though. I'd stick with 220V for sure the 100V's dont have enough snot IMO
You might be surprised. I got my 175 online from a great dealer and had it shipped here for about $650 total.
You're right about 220v, use it if you have it.. 110V can't deliver the current for anything very thick.
HTH..
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