hobbiest, have 1000 to spend on a welder

[MinnesotaDave]

Gr8twhite - I'm guessing you are referring to the mm211.

The mm210 is an older full size model (I have one) and it's replacement is the mm212.

[gr8twhite]

Gr8twhite - I'm guessing you are referring to the mm211.

The mm210 is an older full size model (I have one) and it's replacement is the mm212.

Yup. Had 210 stuck in my head for some reason.


Decision made.

Millermatic 211 and miller spoolmate 100.

That's what I will be shopping for. Now its just a matter of finding a decent price.

I'll be buying local. Not something I want to buy off the internet and have shipped.

[whtbaron]

Good move. I used my local parts guy when I got the O/A. It seemed like more money at the time, but when it had to go back on warranty that $60-$90 every time something crosses the border starts to add up really fast. Total shipping only cost me another $20.

[newbury]

<snip>
Millermatic 211 and miller spoolmate 100.

That's what I will be shopping for. Now its just a matter of finding a decent price.

I'll be buying local. Not something I want to buy off the internet and have shipped.

For reference the 211 is about a $1100 machine on the net, but Zoro has it for $1267 and has been running 30% off sales.

['Stang]

Agree with that. I have the 211. Great machine! Bought the spool gun later for aluminum. Tip! Go to the Miller site. Guy on there named Bob has a link that tells how to convert the 100 spool gun to the heavier industrial tips. Helps with the burn-back. Saves a lot of tips, and time.

[VPT]

A nice TIG can be had for under $1000. TIG is nice, once you weld with TIG you won't want to use anything else.

[BD1]

Yup. Had 210 stuck in my head for some reason.


Decision made.

Millermatic 211 and miller spoolmate 100.

That's what I will be shopping for. Now its just a matter of finding a decent price.

I'll be buying local. Not something I want to buy off the internet and have shipped.

You'll love it ! Miller has the rebate until the end of month,
http://www.millerwelds.com/landing/build-with-blue/

Go with CASH to local supplier and get a package deal with tank or tanks and goodies.

[Ian Duffin]

Got a millermatic 211 with spool gun for 1400 , I rarely use the spool gun and should probably sell it since I have a dedicated tig. Connected to 110v the arc is super smooth for bodywork.

Lemme know if you want to offload it, my LWS threw in just the barebones kit with my 211, and I could really use that spool gun until I can afford a hf-51 for my TB

[gr8twhite]

So, I'm dragging back up my old thread rather than start a new one.

I ended up getting a Lincoln 180. It gets really good reviews from what I've read and I got it at a price point I just couldn't turn away. It's teh retail version rather than the "commercial" one, but it was also half the price the local welding shop wanted. Only difference I was able to research out if the tapped step voltage and the drive mechanism had a plastic housing instead of aluminum.

I bought a 25 foot extension cord and a bottle of 25/75. I picked up a welder cart from a big box store which actually isn't that bad for my use. Pretty solid for a stamped steel china jobbie.

I'm doing autobody work (floors, not super critical on warpage and looks), so I'm using .025 wire.

Bad news is that I've confirmed it's not my welder that was poor (although the cheapo I was using with .035 flux core wasn't helping any) it's me. With the Lincoln set up for 20 gauge steel, I'm still blowing holes and making crap tacks everywhere.

Oddly enough, I read a bit on how welding pliers would give you a 3/8 stick out. I figured for a couple bucks I couldn't go much wrong. I picked up a pair and clipped my wire. Suddenly, I can actually tack half decently! Stick out was obviously a fairly big part of the problem for me.

I also saw a trick on the net for closing wide gaps with a mild steel rod for but welds. Well, some of my cuts were.....ahem....not exactly flush. I picked up an 1/8 rod and laid it in my wider gaps. Amazingly, I can now fill the gap without blowing the 20 gauge away.

I picked up a reasonable autodimming helmet also. I had one already, but it's another cheap china "get you by" one. The new one is a "Mastercraft" (canadian tire brand, so also made in china no doubt), but much bigger viewing lens and much clearer. Seems more comfortable too. It seems to be helping me quite a bit.

None of my welds look pretty, but once I hit it with the grinder and knock the welds down, the panels are full and solid.

It's slow and painful, but I'm getting to at least functional. Still just a guy in his garage wasting wire for now.......

[Oldendum]

Knowledge, experience and skill come at a price. Persistence and a bit of humility knocks quite a few percentage points off that price. Carry on.

[distrbd]

gr8t, I have that same Lincoln 180, bought it 2 months ago probably from the same BB store as you, it is not the the big full size Lincoln welder I used to use at work but it is a very capable welder nonetheless.I had heard about "the commercial version vs retail version" argument before ,and tapped /step voltage , both versions are just as good , after a while using your welder you'll learn how to manipulate voltage/ feed rate to weld the way you like it to weld with in it's capability.
It sounds like you are well on your way to do just that and I'm glad you got yourself proper welding gear,they help making welding more comfortable and more fun /safe. that chart on the side is a great reference tool,you can use it but play around with the setting to get it just right.
Best of luck to you.

[69sa200]

I Like the Hobart 210 MVP because the dual voltage. The 120 volt welders are best suited for thin sheet metal and the 230 volt are better for 1/8"-1/4". You could buy the Hobart 210 MVP for $850 delivered from Amazon. That's under your $900 US budget. I'm not sure about internet sales tax in Canada or if Amazon ships there for free. I have a 120 volt Hobart and a Millermatic 211 which is the same specifications as the Hobart 210 or Lincoln 210. The Lincoln can do TIG too but you need to add a valve to the inside of the welder. I think the Hobart has a sweet arc on sheet metal or I would have sold it by now. The Hobart is also a transformer base welder so it will last longer than inverters. I have had 4 inverter welders and plasma cutters go bad and they were too expensive to repair.

Canadian Tire or Tractor Supply may be a good place to buy a welder in Canada.

[Keith Merrell]

Miller Multimatic 215 looks really good. Heard good things of it. You can TIG MIG and do stick. Around 1179 US dollars after 200 dollar rebate from cyberweld.

[gr8twhite]

thanks for the input gents, but as mentioned I bought a Lincoln 180.

It's a 208/230 volt input with a 30% duty cycle.

After a bit of adjusting in my technique, it seems to do 20 gauge just fine and it's unlikely I'll ever do much more than about 1/8" mild steel.

In this case, it's not the welder that's the problem with getting good welds. The problem is the "weldor".



The Lincoln 180 is a far more capable welder than I've ever had in the garage and more than capable for the tasks I will do with it.

Even with only a few days playing with it, I can already see the change in my welding for the better. I'll never be a pressure vessel weldor or such, but I'm well on my way to being a passable home hobby weldor.

This is also my first home mig welder (well, first mig actually) and I never knew a wire feed welder could be so spatter free. Huge difference over my old wire feed flux core jobbie. Literally no more clean up other than grinding down the welds. Very liberating not have to knock little "balls" off my work once done welding.

I've been in contact with Lincoln and asked about the differences between the 180C and the power-mig 180/weld-pak 180. Same internals, same boards, motors, etc. Only difference is the step voltage and the drive wheel housing. Power-mig vs weld-pak is just a marketing difference to identify different resellers. For half the price they were asking for the 180C, my weld-pak 180 (ie: home depot) will do just fine for me in the garage with my small projects.

Looks like it was money well spent, IMHO.

The Miller was horrendously priced compared to the 180C, couldn't even touch the 180.

Miller was getting into the 2 grand plus range (closer to 3 grand after bottle, gas, extension cables, etc), the 180C was in the $1400 range and the 180 was in the $700-800 range. Shipping out of the states on any of the $1100-ish deals was going to run up around the 2 grand range anyways after shipping, taxes.duties and the exchange rate between USD/CAD. The Lincoln 180 was fully kitted out (cart, helmet, bottles, wires, extension cable, etc) at just about $1300 CAD. Les than just a "bare" 180C.

I'm happy with my little "mig-pak" 180 so far. Fits my needs quite nicely in a balance between capability and purchase price.

[creativeinside]

How much for the gun.