What welder to buy with my b-day money?

[Nightingale]

Welp another year passes me buy, and now I am turning 18(already got my military registration almost a week before heh). Anyhow my mom pretty much left me with free reign on what to buy myself within reason(600 is what she is giving me but I am probably going to spend a little more on top of that), and I am looking into getting myself a decent mig welder for light fabrication of exhaust, body,and chassis fab/repair. I was really interested in the Lincoln pro mig 175 that is carried by lowes, but it is a tapped unit and I have heard the 175 plus has a better quality wire feed motor as well as continuous voltage control. Anyone have any suggestions for a decent welder that will last me for a few years(especially though my learning period), and is reasonable in cost maybe around 800 at most. Gonna start checking local welding supplies on friday to see what they offer so any info is much appreciated just incase I walk into a pack of hungry wolves.

[TurboGt]

If you are going to buy one for a hardware store just make sure you get one with some type of shield gas.

[Nightingale]

Ya I am planning to get one equipped for shielding gas for sure that and I am looking mainly into the 220v welders rather then the smaller 115v house untis.

[Nightingale]

Ya I am planning to get one equipped for shielding gas for sure that and I am looking mainly into the 220v welders rather then the smaller 115v house untis.

[geoffinbc]

Any mig welder must run sheilding gas. Unless your running flux core self sheilding wire.

I like miller or lincon units. Both are good names I would stick to them

Get one that runs on 220V. 110V is a waste of time. The welder should require at least a 50A circuit. This will give you the ability to weld thick metal.

For sheilding gas just pick up a 75/25 Argon/CO2 mix. You can also get straight C02 is is cheeper but takes more skill to make a nice bead and the welder setup becomes a little more finikey as poor settings will cause lots of spatter.

In American $ a welder 800 to 1000 will be a very nice unit. You should also see if it as capable of accepting a spool gun. They are handy

[RednBlack]

Here is your Baby! I am a Miller freak! Use argon for gas. Then you can weld aluminum also. This is a sweet deal! http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Miller-Mille...QQcmdZViewItem

[geoffinbc]

I hope you don't mean straight argon.

C02 is cheep plus C02 has much greater penetration than Argon or an Argon Mix.

175 is ok, 130A @ 20V is just enough to do 1/4" material. Look for used welders. If you can score a good deal look for something in the 251 Range. That will put you into 200A output and give you the ability to well 1/2" plate if need be.

[RednBlack]

I hope you don't mean straight argon.

C02 is cheep plus C02 has much greater penetration than Argon or an Argon Mix.

175 is ok, 130A @ 20V is just enough to do 1/4" material. Look for used welders. If you can score a good deal look for something in the 251 Range. That will put you into 200A output and give you the ability to well 1/2" plate if need be.

Dunno...Only welded for 30 years.

[geoffinbc]

I still think for a beginner an 75/25 or 85/15 gas will be better suited. It will help prevent burnthrough promote deep penetration and give reduced spatter and good overall bead aperance.

You have been welding for 30 years so you know all the things to look for in a weld puddle to insure full penetration and zero undercut.

If aluminum welding is his aim then he must use argon thats a given. So maybe he should use straight argon right off the start and maybe hit up a night school course.

[Nightingale]

Welp didn't make it to the supply shops today, but I think I might be able to stop by a few places tomorrow. I was really interested in either the Lincoln SP175+ or the Miller 175 since from what I have heard either is a great buy for the price range. I was hoping that if I go to a welding supply company I might be able to purchase a refurbished unit for less and maybe even deal a bit(plus at lowes you can't buy a gas cylinder and a decent welding helmet). For the moment I will only be working with steel because my main goal is to fab up a complete exhaust for my beretta from headers on back(large volume log style in preparation for a turbocharger). I still want the ability to easily adapt it to do light aluminum work though, but my question is does the miller 175 need any special parts to make aluminum wire work like the lincoln does(you have to buy that special kit with the rollers and liner). A spoolgun would be nice, but for the moment outta my budget.

[geoffinbc]

I was just browsing through Miller site and they list the 251 for $2500USD Well shit my buddy paid $2500CDN when that model just cam out.

Thats messed. Sounds like price fixing LOL.

[Nightingale]

Well still no luck in finding a larger machine thats in my budget. There is a local authorized lincoln repair shop that bought a few lincoln power mig 200 units when they were being cleared out. I can pick up one of these units for about a grand out the door. I'd really like to try and find one of the millar 185's or 210's, but most of the used units I found on ebay are availible for local pickup only.

[geoffinbc]

Hey man nothing wrong with a Loncoln. I use them at school along with the Millers. They are both comparable in performance. If you hid them behind a curtian you really wouldn't notice one way or the other.

[eliteweapons]

I just added a lincoln ac/dc 225 to my garage and am going to add a tig torch to it. The mig is ok for smaller stuff but also wanted a tig option. A really good tig was $2800 with the basics (miller syncrowave 250). A little more than I need right now. The stick welder can hit up to 1 inch plate with a root pass and 2 finals. Always nice to add some extra reinforcement to the skid plates on the truck for rocks. It all depends on what you are going to be welding and what type of welders you have used. Oh home depot has the best deal I could find on the 225 ac/dc for $389.00 delivered!!! Good hunting.

[Nightingale]

Well mainly gonna be doing some body work on my side beretta project(needs new dog legs welded), plan on making some motor mounts eventually, maybe some light frame work, exhaust, and I would like to do light aluminum work. Basically I kinda want a jack of all trades machine thats all reasonable in cost which is why I am willing to settle for used equipment(almost like a unicorn thing right now )