welding help picking the right one.?

Question

Im looking to get a small welder im not sure witch one is best for me.
I have done some welding but not much so help me get the right one.
anything i will be welding will be no thicker than 1/4 inch thick and will not have deal with alot of force or big loads.
So im looking at 2 welders witch will be easy to use and do what im looking for.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55167
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44568
ill be looking at this post so if you need more info to help me pick the right one ask and ill post more info.
thanks

Answer 1

First, I would say stay away from Harbor Freight welders unless you are only going to be using the welder for a very limited number of jobs. Simply put, they are cheaply made because they are not designed to last. The components are cheap and the quality control is just not there to give you a reliable machine. If you buy a machine, go with Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, or Thermal Arc. They will last a lifetime if you treat them well, and their value declines very slowly if you decide to resell it. You pay for quality, and there is no way around that.

If you are only going to do something as thick as 1/4" mild steel then the best new welder you could get would be a Hobart 187 which will set you back $600-$700. It actually has been getting better reviews than both its competition Miller and Lincoln models. However, you are still going to have trouble getting full penetration on 1/4" steel even with this welder unless you are have some experience. Still, it is hands down the best welder for the money if you are going to be doing more than a handful of small jobs.

If you want to go cheaper and don't mind going less than 1/4" then Lincoln has a wide range of models that could suit your need. The entire HD line is a good place to look. A used Weld Pak 100 can be had for less than $200 on ebay, and the 175 HD is another great welder than has slightly more power behind it. However, if you decide to upgrade to gas then the conversion kits run an extra $100-$150.

To give you more info on wire, you are simply not going to be able to weld anything too thick with solid wire unless you have a power supply that can put out a decent amount of current. For penetration with a small machine, you are going to have to use fluxcore wire. It burns hotter which translates to better penetration, and if you want to question it, just look at the welding schedules included with any decent welder. The fluxcore is always rated for thicker material. The welds will look dirtier, and if you do multiple passes without cleaning then the weld will get loads of porosity. Also, the splatter with fluxcore can be pretty bad, but it is the nature of the beast.

If you can move away from a wirefeed welder, a "buzz box" might be up your alley for thicker stuff. This means using a stick welder. It is messier and there is a much larger learning curve, but welding thicker metal will be easier, and you will be able to do a much larger variety of materials. Personally, I hate using stick on anything less than 3/16" thick, but it does have its uses. Master welding with stick and MIG will seem like a cakewalk. Also, with SMAW, you don't get cold starts like you do with GMAW which reduces strength considerably.

Answer 2

MIG units are better for thin metal. If it doesn't use gas, you will need to clean the weld of slag after completion. Fluxcore wire will be harder on the sleeve inside the hose to the head. It is very rough. This means you will be replacing the sleeve. Make sure you can obtain parts. Look at the Duty Cycle on the machine. Most small welders are 10%. This means you can weld 6 seconds out of one minute at full power. Then you need to let it "rest". MIG is the easiest to make better looking welds. Although I do buy things from Harbor Freight, I think a welder would come from a more well known manufacturer.

Answer 3

Well, if you are only doing some general welding then the cheaper one is all you need. I do like the more expensive unit because it has DC capability. This is good for overhead and vertical welding as the DC allows a stable current to draw the bead nicely into the weld. I myself would go for the more expensive unit. I don't know about the reliability of these particular units, but I would also look around for some a little more expensive and reliable, such as Lincoln and Miller welders.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

If you're going to be using the welder in your home, then the 110 volt model is the machine for you. The obvious advantage is that you can plug it into any wall socket nearest to where you're working. The trade-off, however, will be power. The 220 volt mig welders will weld much heaver metals, but for home use you can't beat the 110 volt mig welder for lighter stuff.

Answer 5

Mig welder is fine for light stuff, but you have to buy the gas don't go with the gasless kind . the one that uses gas is much better weld and looks much better, On the other hand a Holbert 140 AC/DC will do you much better on heaver stuff and you can also weld light stuff say round 1/16th if you cut it down on low amperage. I have both and like the ac/dc best, I just weld for hobby and it seems to fit me best., Best of luck,
ps: Don't go withs cheap stuff.

Answer 6

if you are going to be welding up to 1/4" plate steel than you ll need a good MiG welder that should be a 220volt model.
Lincoln and miller both put out a high quality line of welders.try calling airgas inc. they will be able to set you up with the correct unit for your application.

Answer 7

You are looking at Mig Vs Arc I found a Mig easier to learn on
I have a small MIG 132amp using C02 gas cheaper than Argon Shield(Argon/C02 mix) and it will weld up to 6mm(approx quarter inch) easily

A Mig with gas will give you a better weld.
Gassless Mig wire is usually much dearer(fLUX CORE)