110 volt migs

[Mrweld]

I have a Lincoln 140 c with 92/8 gas mixture on it in my shop and run 75/25 mix for body panels and I love the convinence of this little machine. The gun size is great for tight spots on roll cages and with the 92/8 has no problem welding the .125 wall tubing. Best 600 bucks I spent on a machine!!!

[jpfabricator]

I bought a 110/130 amp mig from northern tool for 240$. Its great for small jobs and can be hauled anywhere. I wouldent try to weld anything over 1/8 max. Its found a home for tack-ups; the convinience of pulling a trigger has spoiled me. I then come back and do the actual weld with my licoline 225 ac/dc. I wouldent buy one for a primary welder, but would seriously consider one as a secondary, or third line machine.

[fourXFord]

Wow, some of these comments are as polarized as a magnet! I bought a Clarke 100 about 10 years ago and still have/use it. I've done alot of welding with this 110v welder including major mods on a go-cart project, exhaust work, light steel tubing projects like a firewood rack for the house and even a wood stove for the garage! Also purchased the gas kit and a S bottle of argon, used that with a 2# spool of aluminum wire to fix the rear axle housing on my JD 111 rider mower/pulling tractor. Don't expect it to weld big stuff. I have since bought and fixed a Miller Blue Charger welder, and recently purchased a L-tec 225 mig.

[amysmith]

110 are not a waste of money if that is what you want and need.

I totally agree.it just depends on what kind of expertise you need when it comes to growing your welding career. So whatever makes you more productive and credible, go for it!

[bobhdus]

I have 220 machines but I also have an HTP120 that I've used for almost 12 yrs and it's paid for itself time and time again. It's nice to be able to plug it in anywhere. I have a 20 amp breaker run out to my garage and only kicked it out once. It welds 3/16" single pass easy. If I want to weld heavier I just do more passes. I use it when I do auto body welding for people. It's doesn't weigh much so I just throw it in the car and go. I also weld junk art with this and it's what helped me pay for my other welders but I still like to use it the most.

[jtcnj]

I have been looking for a good used Lincoln/Miller/Hobart 140 class machine for over a year. The few I found in the $350-500 +/- range (the Miller generally the higher price)disappeared instantly. Money is tight, so I have to make my spending decisions carefully.

Even before that, I have been all through this and other sites and forums. This one is by far the best.

I almost went for one of the Eastwood / Northern Tool / Realgear, etc units for around in the $300 - $330 range.

Then it became clear that the real difference is the jump from there to about the $550. usually seen for the Hobart 140. So, $200 more for a solid name brand machine you can find parts for. I just wish I could shoot aluminum wire with it, but oh well.

Tractor Supply is running a special now for $369.99 (plus tax, and shipping if you can't go pick it up using the Ship-to-Store option.

I ordered mine today.

The Lincoln 225 AC/DC handles the heavier stuff, up to it's limits in either stick or air cooled scratch start DC Tig for now. Hopefully down the road I can upgrade to a larger single phase AC/DC Stick / Tig machine.

[Jo Diesel]

I would base my purchase on where you can get parts for it. I like Miller as it is the brand my local welding supply caries. If my liner or trigger goes bad, they are in stock. Try that with your mail order units. THINGS ONLY BREAK WHEN YOU REALLY NEED THEM!!

On the note I have a 185 and a Vintage 250 and neither do body panels very well

[vtwin86]

I use a 110v 20a Miller everyday for 1/4 mild steel overhead and Im running it off a 150ft extension cord! I dont have a choice. Its doing repair work in a prison and thats all I that is mobile enough to get up and down the stairs and in cells. I run straight co2 because penetration is the main concern not slag/glass. My lws said I should try argon co2 oxy mix for even better penetration and is ordering me some.
I cant take pictures due to being in a prison but with my heat all the way up and my wire speed about halfway it lays in just fine. Only time I have trouble is if I have a spot I couldnt get all the paint off the old surface.

[mn welder]

i have the luxury of havin 2 machines maxstarstl an hobart 210 both. are 110-220 machines portable plenty of power expensive but worth it

[AKmud]

Been using my Lincoln weld-pac 100 for many years now with no problems. Works very well on 1/8" wall stuff. Proper fit up makes a big difference. Only frustration is duty cycle, but on most of my smaller projects it isn't really a problem. I've tinkered with up to 3/8" thick material and was pretty impressed at the penetration.

[zeke]

I have been hobby welding and doing car rustorations on the side for 10 years. Before that, I used oxy/gas for some 30 years. I can use my SP 100 up to where I'll break out the stick machine. There's even some overlap there. Now, having more power in MIG will be fine, but I have no problem using small rod at 70A (or lower) on the stick machine. Everyone can't spend a grand on a dual voltage MIG that will do as much as they will do. 240v is not for everyone and it certainly is less portable.

Another + for 120v MIG's

[workshoprat]

I think the biggest draw to a 110v mig welder is the price. They are really inexpensive even bought new. Heck if you look you can even find sweet deals on them on craigs list from time to time. Like me i bought my lincoln weld pak 100 HD off of craigslist for $125. They guy bought it brand new and used it once to fix a seat frame. I think after that project he realized welding took more skill than he wanted to try and develope so he sold it off. Now how can you beat a deal like that??? I know mine didnt have gas and I didnt want to spend the money on a gas kit. I did my own conversion with parts I scrounged and saved a bunch of money over the price of a kit. Here is a video I did on that.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjPLTpl04j0[/ame]

[vtwin86]

I just picked up a Multimatic 200. Kinda screws the idea of 110 being cheaper at almost $1900 BUT versatility in the field makes it worth it if you can front the cost! 110 or 220 plug. welds mig tig arc, mig stainless (my favorite feature for saving money on a job!) spoolgun for aluminum, autoset feature is phenominal! I set it one setting higher then whatever I am welding calls for (I burn hot and fast) and then fine tune the setting from there to fit my welding style. 35 lbs without a spool in it makes it super portable. It is my new best friend and has retired all my other welders to collect dust. I have no reason to use any other machine anymore. I used to use a variaty of 4 diffrent machines and the Multimatic has replaced them!

[j440]

i have a miller 140 autoset. i love that thing for small projects.

[brangerII]

I have had a little Craftsman 110v box (identical to Clarke 85en) for about 6-7 years. I have built a lot of stuff including a pickup flatbed, ladder racks, lots of car body rust repair, and many other small projects over the years and none of them have fallen apart. It took a while to get the hang of using flux core to get solid welds but as with anything, it has a learning curve. I'd never give it up and my only complaint is the short duty cycle.

I own four welders (110 stick/mig and 220v stick/mig) as well as a huge Victor o/a set and an old carbon arc torch. The only thing I'd call "useless" would be the 110v stick welder...everything else has its own little niche where it is really handy. I use my tools daily for personal use and occasionally for work so I feel I have a pretty good understanding of what "works" and what doesn't.

[mudbugone]

I owned one of those little Clarke migs years ago and really missed it after it was sold,but I replaced it with a Hobart 125 and then replaced that with a Hobart 140 (which I seldom use)

Try using one of the 110v inverter DC stick welders (with correct size rods) you might change your thinking about a 110v "stick" welder.... I love both of mine. They aren't suitable for anything heavy duty,but are light weight and easy to setup or tote around (8 pounds) for those quick simple fix-it jobs. I use mine to tack weld things until I get ready to solid weld stuff or fix broken brackets on non-critical applications...everything from porch railings to grocery buggies & store carts at the local grocery store...

One of mine is in a briefcase...the manager wanted to know where my welder was when I showed up to fix his carts... They were facinated by the welder in a box I could tote in one hand...LOL... Best few hundred bucks I ever spent was on those two machines

[docwelder]

my lincoln 110 has paid for itself many times over as has most of my personal tools. just like i wouldn't use a 6" adjustable wrench to drive 1" structural bolts, i would not ask the 110 to weld 2" thick moment plates on a bridge job. knowing the right tool for the right job differentiates us from the everyday common youtube cowboy. but that's just my very humble opinion.

[docwelder]

I use a 110v 20a Miller everyday for 1/4 mild steel overhead and Im running it off a 150ft extension cord! I dont have a choice. Its doing repair work in a prison and thats all I that is mobile enough to get up and down the stairs and in cells. I run straight co2 because penetration is the main concern not slag/glass. My lws said I should try argon co2 oxy mix for even better penetration and is ordering me some.
I cant take pictures due to being in a prison but with my heat all the way up and my wire speed about halfway it lays in just fine. Only time I have trouble is if I have a spot I couldnt get all the paint off the old surface.

dude! i work in a prison also and use my work 110 to go up the stairs and into hard to reach places also. i been using innershield wire for the longest and for me it works great. no extra bottles to lug around and refill.

[mudbugone]

Unfortunately...Common Sense...Isn't all that common anymore. Which explains the 12 pages of "Warnings" in a manual for a tool with 16 pages

[tadawson]

It's not a common sense issue - it's money grubbing scumbag lawyers who convince folks to blame others for thier own actions.

- Tim

[docwelder]

It's not a common sense issue - it's money grubbing scumbag lawyers who convince folks to blame others for thier own actions.

- Tim

spoken like someone who's been on the bad end of a litigation. i hope i'm wrong.

[brangerII]

Try using one of the 110v inverter DC stick welders (with correct size rods) you might change your thinking about a 110v "stick" welder.... I love both of mine. They aren't suitable for anything heavy duty,but are light weight and easy to setup or tote around (8 pounds) for those quick simple fix-it jobs. I use mine to tack weld things until I get ready to solid weld stuff or fix broken brackets on non-critical applications...everything from porch railings to grocery buggies & store carts at the local grocery store...

Someday I'll probably buy one but I haven't found a specific reason to drop the cash just yet. So far for portable applications my small Clarke with flux core has been perfect.

FWIW the 110v stick welder I have is an old Century AC unit that has two settings, Low and High. I guess I could see where it might work well in certain situations but it's just not very versatile. For the same amount of money as one would cost new, you could buy a HF flux core machine that will far outdo it. I only have it because it was a $10 impulse buy that looked interesting.

[vtwin86]

dude! i work in a prison also and use my work 110 to go up the stairs and into hard to reach places also. i been using innershield wire for the longest and for me it works great. no extra bottles to lug around and refill.

I have actually switched equipment since posting that. Now running a Multimatic 200, 75/25 argon co2 gas, .030 wire. I LOVE that welder! 35 lbs without a spool in it makes it way easier to get up and down stairs. I dont like the mess flux core makes or else I would use it.. The cells I am working in are occupied so they have to be spotless when I leave!

[Donald Branscom]

It seems like a quality machine. People in Europe have good opinions of them, in North America everyone is either Miller/Lincoln but they are expensive in comparison. I bought this one on Ebay new for about $300 including shipping, a similar Lincoln at Home Depot would cost me $450.

I am very much a novice but the welds seem smooth and it is consistent in its welds, and heck if a n00b like me can make a decent weld then it must be OK. I guess we'll see how the longevity of it is over time as I put more hours on it.

The piece in the pic is actually a spindle bracket for a go-kart that I've been slowly plugging away at for almost 2 years now.

A spindle is very important on a front of anything.
That spindle needs to have the metal cleaned and the mill scale removed.
It also needs to be beveled. A 110V mig may not be the right machine for that job.
Hard to tell from the photo about the metal thickness.

[jstasney]

I have a Lincoln 140 c with 92/8 gas mixture on it in my shop and run 75/25 mix for body panels and I love the convinence of this little machine. The gun size is great for tight spots on roll cages and with the 92/8 has no problem welding the .125 wall tubing. Best 600 bucks I spent on a machine!!!

Try straight CO2, ....
save yourself a few bucks if you don't need the heat.

Lincoln's rule....Miller's drool.