Which welder is for me?

[alia176]

ThermalArc has the 180i Fabricator that does MIG/TIG/Stick and less than $1000 shipped from multiple outlets WITH an autodarkening helmet. Might be a good package for a beginner.

Trust me, you WILL want to TIG weld once you get rolling on the concept of welding and if your garage space is premium like mine, having all in one does sound practical. I don't own one of these units so don't have any feedback.

Now, more importantly, how are you planning on running a 240v/50amp service to the garage? Perhaps start a new thread on home improvements on that topic?

 

[Gumby]

I have a new Hobart 220v at school. I replaced a miller 35 with it. The 1975 Miller is actually a far easier welder to work with, but it was getting unsafe with the kids. If you can find an old 35 it is a great welder.

I looked at the dual voltage ones. Nice way to go.

The Hobart came with a plug. That shouldn't be an issue.

A good 110v and good welding practices can do an awful lot of work. I know of a couple if very well built, very capable, extremely modified trucks built with 110 flux core.

 

[Jetboy]

I'm surprised by the negative comments on the Eastwood welder.

Have any of you used one? Seen one?

I've been more than happy with mine and would recommend it. My family owns a metal fab shop so I've been around my share of welders. IMO it's on par with the other small 180 amp 30% duty cycle machines. There are 100's of reviews on them online. Almost all of them from actual owners are positive. Much like mine. The naysayers simply assume they are a different sticker on a mass produced unit. They are not. They are also not a clone of a Miller. Open one up and look inside. If you look around online Eastwood has put up pictures of a number of R&D machines in various versions that were tested along the way to making this one.

All fo the little ones are similar though. They are all mosfet. They all use Chinese components internally. It probably is easier to source a motherboard for a Miller, but I'd bet they cost more than they are worth to replace.

If they were the same price I'd probably buy a Miller, but they aren't. Not even close.

Consumables = tweco. Easy to find. You can even buy them at harbor freight and sears.

A welder isn't exactly rocket science to build. There are no expensive components in them. I don't see a reason they "need" to cost a lot. No reason a good quality one can't be manufactured in the same country that built the computer I'm using and my cell phone.

 

[fj40charles]

I'm surprised by the negative comments on the Eastwood welder.

Have any of you used one? Seen one?

I've been more than happy with mine and would recommend it. My family owns a metal fab shop so I've been around my share of welders. IMO it's on par with the other small 180 amp 30% duty cycle machines. There are 100's of reviews on them online. Almost all of them from actual owners are positive. Much like mine. The naysayers simply assume they are a different sticker on a mass produced unit. They are not. They are also not a clone of a Miller. Open one up and look inside. If you look around online Eastwood has put up pictures of a number of R&D machines in various versions that were tested along the way to making this one.

All fo the little ones are similar though. They are all mosfet. They all use Chinese components internally. It probably is easier to source a motherboard for a Miller, but I'd bet they cost more than they are worth to replace.

If they were the same price I'd probably buy a Miller, but they aren't. Not even close.

Consumables = tweco. Easy to find. You can even buy them at harbor freight and sears.

A welder isn't exactly rocket science to build. There are no expensive components in them. I don't see a reason they "need" to cost a lot. No reason a good quality one can't be manufactured in the same country that built the computer I'm using and my cell phone.

The Eastwood welders looks like clones of the little Lincolns with same small plastic drive roll housing.

I disagree with you assertion about welders not having any expensive components in them and building them is not rocket science. It it were that easy, I would have expected the chinese to produce a better and more reliable tig welder than the Miller Dynasty.

What do you define as, "chinese components?"

Here is thread about Eastwood welders:
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=41965

 

[Jetboy]

The Eastwood welders looks like clones of the little Lincolns with same small plastic drive roll housing.

I disagree with you assertion about welders not having any expensive components in them and building them is not rocket science. It it were that easy, I would have expected the chinese to produce a better and more reliable tig welder than the Miller Dynasty.

What do you define as, "chinese components?"

Here is thread about Eastwood welders:
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=41965

I'd say an ESAB Caddy is every bit the equal of a Miller Dynasty of comparable amps, and IIRC they are Chinese made. I'm not sure where the panasonic unites are made - probably same as Miller (made in Japan with Chinese components?). They are popular for industrial tig use - mostly with robotic welding machines. The one Panasonic we had in our shop lasted less than a year before it burned up so I'm not a fan of Panasonic, but they do seem popular for factory use. - The warranty was great though - 100% refund no questions asked.

I would consider chinse components as every device set on the motherboard. The heat sinks. The coils. The microcontroller - might be from japan? I doubt miller is manufacturing the components. I'd actually be pretty interested to take two apart side by side to see how they compare internally. I think they will be very close and probably share 95+% of the components.

A welder is a VERY simple electronic device compared to your cell phone. I'm not sure why you think a Chinese factory can't put the same components on a board and mount a few coils and heat sinks in a box as well as an American factory. The assembly isn't all that important.

If anyone in SLC area has a mini miller and wants to put them side by side I think we could make some interesting comparison videos. I'd be especially interested to crank the heat up on both and weld until they overheat to see how they compare. We could also compare internal components.

I'd also like to see how the aluminum welding with the spool guns compares. I think the Eastwood spool gun is junk, but I will admit that it works pretty well as much as I've used it.

-also fwiw, the drive rollers are all metal. They are machined alum alloy of some sort on the main gun drive and appears to be mild steel on the spool gun.

This part is almost identical to the Miller 180 except the Eastwood uses some plastic for the drive system lever arm.
Miller 180 autoset:

Eastwood 175:

 

[22re]

Thanks for all the awsome responses guys! Im still looking so feel free to add your opinions.

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

I have a friend who owns a large machine shop. For small quick jobs, he has a Thermal Arc Tig welder that uses a standard plug. He recently welded up my seat frame with it. It takes a little longer but the welds are great. It's cheap too...

http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/m...D&Product_Code=W1003203&Category_Code=thrmarc

 

[22re]

Thank you! ^^ ill look into that.

 

[FJmaine]

Does anyone have any experience with the Lincoln Electric 180HD from Lowes? Its a 230V setup and says it will weld up to 3/16 with gas or up to 1/2" with flux core. For under $700 it pretty tempting. I'm almost sold on this one, so if anyone has a good reason not to get it, let me know.

 

[KLF]

I believe like a lot of other products in the big box stores, those welders have been "tweaked" to make them cheaper. Plastic guts, flimsy mounts, etc. I wouldn't buy one there, go to your local AirGas where they know what they're talking about and will support you if there's a problem.

 

[Honest Don]

I picked up an Eastwood TIG 200 last November using the Hot Rod (699.99 w/ free shipping) special. It was the earlier "blue case" version. I had a friend drop in town around Christmas and we gave the thing a workout. Thin mild/thick mild/stainless/etc.

We even made a few attempts at sticking beer cans together (we only got about three tries each, then the welds went to s***; can't blame the machine for that though)

Long story short, I had the thing cranked on some thicker material(we gave up on the cans) heard a pop, and the red O.C. light came on and wouldn't reset with the breaker.

Called eastwood the next day, they said to put it in a box and set it on my front porch. Didn't need to make a label or anything. FedEx picked it up and I had a new "black case" version within a week. I'm at almost a year now, and it hasn't given me so much as a hiccup. I've even tried to recreate the last failure situation a couple of times and it still continues to run just fine.

 

[Beau Diddly]

FWIW, I would take a serious look at an Eastwood like this one: http://www.eastwood.com/mig-175-welder-cart-and-helmet-kit.html . I have this one for my garage welder. I did a review here: Eastwood 175 Mig Welder (240v) Review

I've been very happy with it. Especially for the price. Great for a DIY home welder. Has enough power to weld pretty much all of your auto related stuff. Not big enough for production work (only 30% duty cycle), but works great for me.

And to give you some perspective my family owns a metal fab shop so I have a pretty good idea of how it compares to both Miller 250 amp and 400 amp machines. It's not as smooth or quite as powerful as either larger size, but the reality is that 99% of the use of the larger machines is under 175 amps.

For the price it's an excellent little 240v welder. And it comes with a spool gun - albeit a kinda crappy one - but functional and very nice to have if you need to do a little bit of aluminum or stainless welding.

I would not buy the smaller size to save room. The reality is that you'll end up with a cart and tank and the size is about the same as a midsized 250 amp machine.

Of the midsized machines, having used Miller, Lincoln, Esab, and Panasonic, I believe that Esab makes the best. They are not as easy to find or get parts for, but I would buy an Esab for my shop if I had the need for a larger welder and price was comparable. Not to say the others are bad, but that's my preference. The only one I would not buy of the above is a Panasonic.

The best way to find a cylinder of gas for cheap is to buy used. Make sure it is owned not leased. The owned ones will be stamped on top near the valve. You can google how to identify them. You can usually buy any type of compressed gas cylinder and trade it for what you need. I bought an empty acetylene tank for $50 and traded it for a full c25 tank and Praxair only charged for the gas refill and a pretty cheap tank swap fee. A lot less than the $200+ for the cylinder. My family's shop leases large tanks because it's cheaper for how many they keep and use - and they use the larger sizes.

Good luck.

Nothing like dragging up a 3 year old thread, so don't yell at me for not using the search. I'm considering purchasing my first welder and I'm wonding how this Eastwood has held up over the last 4 years. @Jetboy, anything to report?

 

[Pin_Head]

Check out the Tweco (was Thermal Arc) Fabricator 211i. Up to 210 amps MIG/TIG/Stick and 120/240 V for about $860 without the TIG torch, which is $150 more. They have been around for about 4 years and people seem to like them. I tried one and it was pretty sweet.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

Check out the Tweco (was Thermal Arc) Fabricator 211i. Up to 210 amps MIG/TIG/Stick and 120/240 V for about $860 without the TIG torch, which is $150 more. They have been around for about 4 years and people seem to like them. I tried one and it was pretty sweet.

Pin_Head, if you tried the TIG aspect, how did you like it?

 

[skully3]

Pin_Head, if you tried the TIG aspect, how did you like it?

I have the 181 version of this. The tig set up is not bad, if you are learning for the first time the scratch start can be tricky. Def get the pedal and make sure you have the right gas and filler for the job. As far as the other feature such as stick, mig and spool gun (for aluminum) its an excellent choice for the money and home use. Biggest downfall for these units is that the torch is air cooled only and no AC so you can't tig aluminum. but for light sheet metal work you will never have a problem. good luck.

 

[Jetboy]

Nothing like dragging up a 3 year old thread, so don't yell at me for not using the search. I'm considering purchasing my first welder and I'm wonding how this Eastwood has held up over the last 4 years. @Jetboy, anything to report?

Still working normally. The only parts I've replaced are gas nozzle assembly. I think it is a direct swap with Lincoln parts, but I can't remember. It was an off the shelf assembly from Praxair for about $25. That and some tips. Otherwise I've had nothing but smooth sailing. I don't use it in a production shop though, so it often sits for months at a time without use. I've probably run about 50lbs of wire through it in 3 years. And maybe two small spools of aluminum through the spool gun. The spool gun is cheap - not designed for heavy use, but it's worked every time I've needed it. To give a bit of comparison, at my dad's welding shop when they were manufacturing wood stoves one person on a good day could run through a full 40lb spool. I'm not sure I'd put an eastwood in a production shop, but for me it's been great. I'd buy again without hesitation.

The only things I'd change would be to add a T fitting to the gas line and setup my cart for dual tanks so I don't have to swap bottles on my cart and move the regulator over to the other bottle every time. It would also be nice to have a "euro" fitting torch attachment so you only have one plug to hook up. My Plasma cutter is that way and it's a nice design.

 

[Pin_Head]

I have not tried the TIG on the Tweco 211i yet. My Linde Heliarc 250 is my go to TIG machine. The 211i is "lift" start DC only, which is a step up from scratch start. A spool gun is optional at about $320. It also has some advanced features like "intensity" or arc force adjustment and burn back control, which are not commonly found on units in this price range. It is also reportedly capable of spray transfer mode with the proper gas, but I haven't tried that either.

 

[Beau Diddly]

Still working normally. The only parts I've replaced are gas nozzle assembly. I think it is a direct swap with Lincoln parts, but I can't remember. It was an off the shelf assembly from Praxair for about $25. That and some tips. Otherwise I've had nothing but smooth sailing. I don't use it in a production shop though, so it often sits for months at a time without use. I've probably run about 50lbs of wire through it in 3 years. And maybe two small spools of aluminum through the spool gun. The spool gun is cheap - not designed for heavy use, but it's worked every time I've needed it. To give a bit of comparison, at my dad's welding shop when they were manufacturing wood stoves one person on a good day could run through a full 40lb spool. I'm not sure I'd put an eastwood in a production shop, but for me it's been great. I'd buy again without hesitation.

The only things I'd change would be to add a T fitting to the gas line and setup my cart for dual tanks so I don't have to swap bottles on my cart and move the regulator over to the other bottle every time. It would also be nice to have a "euro" fitting torch attachment so you only have one plug to hook up. My Plasma cutter is that way and it's a nice design.

Great feedback, thanks. Like you, I'm a hobbyist looking for his first welder and I want to pick one that will continue to serve me well down the road. What are the limitations to the spool gun when working with aluminum? I'm now wondering if I'd be better off going with another welder and buying a better spool gun from the beginning. My other pricier option is the Holbart 190 or 210 MVP, and their Spoolrunner 100.

 

[Jetboy]

I've never used the spool gun on the Hobart welders. My dad had (he sold it a few months ago) a metal fab shop, so I've had a chance to use a bunch of different welders, but the only spool gun he has is a Miller Spoolmatic - and it's not really comparable. It's $1500 for starters. The build quality of the Eastwood gun is low. It's basically all plastic and my guess is that the motor is cheap and won't last very long if you wanted to do production type aluminum welding.

That said, it's just fine for occasional welding of aluminum. I've welded a handful of parts for my sailboat and I've found it to work just fine. It's just not professional quality. I do think the base unit is very good quality. I think it would work just fine as a small welder for table work in a professional shop. Some things are hard to explain well - like arc stability. How smooth does it feel and sound? The power unit is as good as any suitcase welder I've been around. And the aluminum welder performs well as a result. It's just that I don't think the hardware in the gun its self is very good quality. I just considered it a freebie that happens to be pretty darn useful once in a while.

If you haven't had much welding experience with aluminum it's quite a bit different from mild steel. The viscosity is tricky to balance. It goes from solid to water consistency very quickly - meaning it's liquid state has a narrow range of temperature. It's kinda like trying to weld solder together. It's either solid or runny liquid without much in between. Dialing in your welder settings is not easy on a wire feed setup. If you're doing a lot of aluminum welding, I would buy a tig welder. They're just better for aluminum most of the time. Thin metal is really hard to do with a pool gun. This setup is a cheap way to add some capability to another tool you probably need more often.

Here's a pic of some welds on a 4.5" dia. aluminum tube on my sailboat.

I'm still impressed every time I weld steel with it. For the price it's a great deal just to weld steel. (I don't have a brake so I end up having to use the torch to cut 95% of each bend, bend the plate, then weld up the seems. It's not as pretty as it would be if I owned a brake, but it works. This is a skid plate for my 4runner I built this weekend. Just to show that a few years later this little guy still lays down a pretty nice weld.)

 

[Jetboy]

Also FWIW - It appears to be the exact same thing as the Lotos, northstar, longevity, etc. $150 spool gun - they're all the same:
Lotos Technology MSG094 Spool Gun for Aluminum Welding for all Eastwood and Longevity MIG Welders, Black: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific