Which Welder to Buy?

[SPWRYAN]

Hi, I am looking into buying a small welder for my garage at home. I am new to this and really could use some help trying to figure out which set up would be the best for me. I would be using the welder for light fab work such as a 4x4 DIY rear bumper, possibly sliders, gear baskets, etc.
Thanks
-Sean

 

[nuclearlemon]

best advice i ever got was from christo slee. he said never buy a cheap welder because all it does is frustrate you and then you don't weld. he was right. i won a cheap 110a lincoln welder and it was crap. went out and spent the &$800+ on a millermatic 135 and haven't looked back..it's awesome!

 

[batcon]

220v for what you want to do.

 

[Jetboy]

I put my review of the Eastwood 240v a few places down. I'm very happy with it. Especially for the price. I would not plan on anything more than sheet metal with a 120v welder. If you have 240v available, buy a 240v machine. Also plan on adding a bottle of shielding gas to your budget, or two if you plan to also weld aluminum (need different gas). They run about $200. If you're considering a used one, they often come with a bottle, and that reduces your cost.

Used Lincoln, Esab, Linde, Thermal Arc, Hobart, Miller welders will all probably be good units if they were reasonably well maintained.

The off brands vary a lot. For example the Norther Tool 175 amp welder looks a lot like the Eastwood, but the duty cycle is only half what the Eastwood is. Duty cycle in the smaller 240v machines is your primary limitation. You'll probably run .035 wire in both a 250amp or 175 amp machine and rarely will you need to max out either one.

If you have questions about a specific model please ask.

 

[misterpepper]

Miller Passport. High quality, 110/220 capable, the new ones can accept a spoolgun if you want to do aluminum in the future, uses paintball CO2 tanks for gas so no big expensive gas setup to deal with. They run about $2k new, I found one on CL for $550. Granted, that was a fantastic deal, but they can be found used.

 

[SPWRYAN]

I do not have access to 220V in the garage at my current home. Is it possible to weld up a bumper such as the DIY kit from 4x4labs with a 120V mig welder?

 

[Pin_Head]

Is it possible to weld up a bumper such as the DIY kit from 4x4labs with a 120V mig welder?

Anything is possible with enough skill, but you will get tired of welding multiple passes and hitting the duty cycle limit of a 110V welder.

 

[fieldsken1]

miller 211 you get the best of two worlds. it welds on 110 or 220 and it will weld up to 3/8 thick in a single pass and they are going for 1000 right now. Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ with MVP™ - MIG - Miller

 

[fj40charles]

Miller Passport. High quality, 110/220 capable, the new ones can accept a spoolgun if you want to do aluminum in the future, uses paintball CO2 tanks for gas so no big expensive gas setup to deal with. They run about $2k new, I found one on CL for $550. Granted, that was a fantastic deal, but they can be found used.

Miller Passport Plus is a great welder. What I use for portable work.

 

[KLF]

miller 211 you get the best of two worlds. it welds on 110 or 220 and it will weld up to 3/8 thick in a single pass and they are going for 1000 right now. Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ with MVP™ - MIG - Miller

Agreed, I have one. If you don't have 240V available now, get one that will do both, then when you hit the limit of 120V you will be able to move up without having to get a new welder.

 

[MILLHOUSE]

Get a welder that is bigger than you think you will ever need. I got a Miller 185 thinking it was "big enuf" now the 251 is "big enuf" and so on and so forth.

 

[PAToyota]

Even if you don't decide to buy a Miller, they have a very informative article on just this subject:
Miller - Buying Your First Welder: A Practical, Informative Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers

 

[fj40charles]

Even if you don't decide to buy a Miller, they have a very informative article on just this subject:
Miller - Buying Your First Welder: A Practical, Informative Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers

Good reference. Should be a sticky.

 

[PAToyota]

It does answer most of the basic questions that seem to come up pretty regularly on forums.

 

[jynx]

I just picked up a MM211 myself as a Merry Christmas to me present. Not sure if you own or rent, but you could add a 220 outlet to your home or have an electrician do it for you. You just need 2 open slots in your panel for a 30A two pole breaker. I am planning on dropping in a 60A and setting a small sub-panel next to my main panel just for my garage. The two 115 outlets are tied into other circuits in the house and I'm tired of ending up in the dark if I fire up the grinder with the Christmas lights on.... :whoops:

And if you get the 211, spring for the running gear or plan on building a cart. It is heavy and you won't want to lug it around.

 

[fj40charles]

And if you get the 211, spring for the running gear or plan on building a cart. It is heavy and you won't want to lug it around.

Many people will get the small welder for portability and the idea that it will save floor space. By the time you build a cart and put a cylinder on it, it is basically the same foot print of a full size welder.

Small portable welders have their place, but if I were buying just one welder, I'd get a full size 250 amp class welder and not have to worry about needing more amperage at a later time. Another benefit of a full size welder is your "friends" will not bother you asking you to borrow it.

 

[scrapdaddy]

I second the Miller 250, Had one for over 15 years and it's never failed me! Anytime I can have something that long and not burn up or break, I consider it a bargain.

 

[Corbet]

miller 211 you get the best of two worlds. it welds on 110 or 220 and it will weld up to 3/8 thick in a single pass and they are going for 1000 right now. Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ with MVP™ - MIG - Miller

I got the 211 as well. I'm still running it on 110 as my garage does not have 220 yet... I use it to build all my cargo barriers. But have done larger projects like a set of sliders for my neighbors FJ80. That was a little bit of a stretch but did the job. I want 220 before I order my 4x4labs bumper kit. But I'm sure it would handle it without. I'd like to have a larger machine but this was as big as I could go on 110 and probably as much as my wallet would handle at the time. In the end I don't have any regrets so far.

 

[KLF]

There's no way I could justify a 250-amp class welder, they are over twice as much money and I seriously doubt I will ever need to go over 3/8", which my 211 handles just fine. Besides, they don't go down to really thin stuff very well, which I also need.

My friends know that they are welcome to use my welder at my house anytime, as long as they replace the consumables with equivalent beer value. And they know better than to bring me cheap stuff.

 

[fj40charles]

Besides, they don't go down to really thin stuff very well, which I also need.

Many larger 250 amp class machines do just fine of thin materials. Some amperage specs on Miller and Hobart wire feeders I got from their web site:

Welder: Welding amperage range

Millermatic 140 30 - 140
Millermatic 180 30 - 180
Millermatic 211 30 - 210

Millermatic 212 30 - 210
Millermatic 252 30 - 300
Millermatic 350P 25 - 400

Hobart Handler 140 25 - 140
Hobart Handler 190 25 - 190 (Same specs as the Hobart Handler 187, but has spool gun connection)
Hobart Handler 210 25 - 210
Hobart Handler 230 30 - 250


I prefer the larger machines for many reasons. Better wire feeding due to better/larger drive motors and drive rolls (2 or 4 drive rolls pushing vs. one), ability to us a longer mig gun, more wire choices, the ability to weld thicker aluminum, better duty cycle, and more amps and wire speed needed for spray transfer.

Ideal situation would be to own several welders since one size does not fit all for all people.