Which welder is for me? (1 Viewer)

[PAToyota]

I'm kind of thinking the opposite. The more different ways you have to join metal the better. While I appreciated the ability of my Heliarc to weld aluminum and many other kind of metals and the fine control it has for welding some steel parts, the deposition rate is very slow compared to stick and MIG processes. I have very little experience with MIG, but I am impressed with its ability to produce high quality welds rapidly.

Totally agree. It all depends on what you’re welding. If most of your stuff is little brackets and such, I’d probably stick to TIG. But as PinHead says, there are times I need to lay down some serious beads and go to MIG or stick.

 

[Weber Sarge]

I'd almost kill for a good Idealarc 250 or a Thunderbolt ac/dc - both of those are bulletproof welders that will last a lifetime . I have a knockoff Silver Beauty (same internals as your Miller Thunderbolt ac/225) that I've ran the snot out of for years - can't kill it .

I got to agree with Pin Head - mig is just way faster and with the new controls on the new machines available it's hard to beat for weld quality .

Sarge

 

[gregnash]

So just read through this entire thread plus did some other research. Looking at picking up either the Tweco 141i, Miller Millermatic 141 or Lincoln MigPack 180HD. I am looking to do some of the same stuff as the OP so wondering if going with the 220v machine is worth it over the multiprocess of the Tweco 115v. This is all basic DIYer stuff and if I need a bigger welder I can borrow my BILs huge Miller.

 

[spressomon]

FWIW other than bigger fabrication LC projects like sliders and bumpers I get far more utility and versatility out of my GTAW aka TIG box (HTC221). Apart of purging of stuff I sold my MM252 and kept the HTC221 and haven't regretted that decision. And for me the HTC221 makes welding aluminum and stainless a breeze compared to the spool gun approach. Just another perspective.

Having said that the $ entry point for GTAW is quite a bit higher (new to new).

 

[Pin_Head]

Skip the 120V only units and pay a couple of $100 more for the dual voltage, multiprocess (MIG, TIG, Stick) model of your Miller/Lincoln/Tweco favorite color. They all have a 180 and 211 amp models for a little more that have a lot more grunt for when you need it.

 

[gregnash]

Ok that makes sense and part of the reason that i was asking was because the Lincoln 180HD can be found for around $75 more than the Tweco/Miller 140s. Jumping up to the 180 version of either jumps the price considerably from what I have found (like $200-$300). Cheapest I have found the Tweco 181 was $750 on weldersupply.com but they are OOS, next cheapest is $899 vs. the $565 for the 141 at weldersupply and others. I really dont want to buy something just because I need it now to do some body work but saving up the extra money will push the purchase date out a bit to push it up to that price range.

Then on top of that is looking at if I will really utilize it that much, the old Lincoln 175 that I had (family members) got very little usage from me in the first place in the 2yrs I had it, hence why I am debating between going with the 115v multi-process or doing the 220v MIG only.

I really dont impulse buy things because when I do I am rarely impressed with them. Case in point we bought a new pull-down style kitchen faucet to replace our leaky one from Costco. It was all of $59 on special sale, normally $89 or something like that. Anyways, get it home and start pulling things apart to see about matching up only to find it is some odd supply line size (5/16) so head to Lowe's to see about making an adapter to adapt to my 1960s house 1/2 supply only to find that even switching the ball valves is going to cost me another $30 and that is cheap. Long story short, I replaced the Moen valve assembly for $18 and called it good after multiple trips, reading and ultimately returning items.

 

[Pin_Head]

If all you are going to do is sheet metal work, then the 120V will work out fine, but people usually end up doing more than they need at the moment.

 

[gregnash]

Yeah I don't think I will really do anything like armor building. The most that I will add down the road is sliders from @reevesci but that is pretty much the extent of it. So sounds like the Tweco 141 is the one then.

 

[e9999]

I got a 120V. I was tempted by the multivoltage ones of course, but came to my senses so to speak. First I don't have 240V in the garage and it'll cost a bundle to draw it from the other side of the house. Then, I don't envision doing anything that thick or critical that I could not do it with multiple passes with a good 120V unit. And if it's a critical application, I'll want to have a pro do it anyway for liability reasons. Then, I figured I would not have much time welding. And in fact, it's even less than I thought originally. Then, if I really really need to do something heavy but not critical, my neighbor has a stick welder. And it was considerably more expensive to get the multiV I wanted than the 120V I wanted, not just a couple of 100s, more like double. And so on. I'm very happy with my little 120V. YMMV.

 

[gregnash]

See I have 230v (dryer) in the garage. I was using that with the old Lincoln 175 I had previously, just unplug the dryer and that was all that was on that circuit. As for the rest of the plugs in the garage there are MULTIPLE things on that circuit so should I ever pull the max of the circuit I would probably pop the breaker.

So now it is back to trying to keep the budget around $600 and a 230v welder. Looking at the Lincoln or Hobart as they are about $150+ cheaper than the Miller.

 

[e9999]

Yes, having 240V right there is a big plus, of course. Especially if one recalls that if you will use a good 120V transformer welder to the full 140A or so they are capable of, a solid 20A circuit and big extensions cords are needed. For newer inverter ones that may be less of an issue, not sure, but I'm still hesitant to go that way.
When I looked, a couple of years ago, I could not find a multivoltage (would not want a 240V only one) MIG welder I liked around $600 new, though.

 

[gregnash]

Damnit I really wish I could be one of those people that just goes and drops the cash on something and is just happy with it. Stupid analysis paralysis.....

 

[Pin_Head]

You can get 240V in any house anywhere in the US with a cheater plug and two extension cords. You just have to find two 120V circuits that are on opposite phases by either 1) looking inside your circuit breaker box. Or 2) plugging in the extensions in different rooms and measuring across the hot leads until you read 240V. Then just plug in your cheater and instant 240V. Of course this is not NEMA approved and will void your home insurance if you get caught.

 

[ewillis]

Good Ol' Lincoln tombstone AC/DC...simple, reliable, effective

 

[e9999]

You can get 240V in any house anywhere in the US with a cheater plug and two extension cords. You just have to find two 120V circuits that are on opposite phases by either 1) looking inside your circuit breaker box. Or 2) plugging in the extensions in different rooms and measuring across the hot leads until you read 240V. Then just plug in your cheater and instant 240V. Of course this is not NEMA approved and will void your home insurance if you get caught.

and you'd be limited to 15 or 20A I imagine, meaning the tombstone above at 50A input may not be usable at full power or would pop/fry the breakers/wiring?

 

[Pin_Head]

Yes, you are limited to the amperage that you plug into, but it is still twice as much power than just running on 120V. The buzz box needs a 30A circuit for full power, but you can run it on half power at 15A. I used to run my 300A LInde Heliarc on a 50A circuit while it needs a 70A circuit for full output. I could get at least 200A out of it which was fine for TIG welding 1/8 inch aluminum and running 5/32 stick electrodes.

 

[gregnash]

So here is a question... Are the higher end multi-process rigs (Tweco, ESAB, Victor/Thermal Arc, who are all ultimately the same company) really that good at doing all three processes well or are they just "ok" at doing all three. At this point the budget is between the Tweco 141i 115v variant or the Lincoln/Hobart 180/190 230v variants. Again this is going to be mainly for small repairs like exhaust and body work, nothing big like welding bumpers or doing major frame work. Really the main thing it will be used for is getting the body panels replaced on my 60, maybe down the road getting some sliders slapped together or a small roof rack (no RTT bearing or anything like that). Then from there would just be fun stuff around the house, again no structural type welding.

This week I am going to try and hit up the local LWS and see what they can do for me, maybe even the a couple of the local pawn shops. Really trying to keep the budget below $600 but I do have a 230v dryer plug on a dedicated circuit so that would allow me to run it. Dual voltage rig, 115/230v, is out of the price range unless I can get a smoking deal on something during the holiday. But with a big trip planned next month to NYC for wife for her bday/work we are gonna be short on funds for fun stuff for a bit.

 

[Tapage]

While having a multi process machine it's nice and " desirable " are you really gonna use all of them ?

I would like to have access to TIG but just coz would like to learn it .. but all my stuff I do MIG .. and on another note, it's the V .. while have a 230V unit's it's also nice .. ( coz you tell us you are in a budget ) you can do sliders with 115V machine and surely bodywork.

I like to have the best .. if my wallet allow me .. but sometimes it's just overkill.

 

[gregnash]

While having a multi process machine it's nice and " desirable " are you really gonna use all of them ?

I would like to have access to TIG but just coz would like to learn it .. but all my stuff I do MIG .. and on another note, it's the V .. while have a 230V unit's it's also nice .. ( coz you tell us you are in a budget ) you can do sliders with 115V machine and surely bodywork.

I like to have the best .. if my wallet allow me .. but sometimes it's just overkill.

Yup, that last sentence is me to a T. But not necessarily the best, because that does not necessarily imply best quality. Samsung or Sony TVs are considered the best but you can have comparable resolution and specs from a Vizio TV that is hundreds of dollars cheaper. You pay a lot for the name in electronics, so wondering how much that really transfers over to this category of "electronics". Never know, one of the LWS may give me a deal on something like the 180/190 rigs and I dont mind it being a dedicated 230v setup.

 

[Tapage]

About names, you also pay IMHO warranty and parts availability .. like having an Warn 8274 you bought 20 plus years ago .. or like having a Land Cruiser ..