I'm looking to buy a mig welder for small home/auto repair projects.
Is any one brand above better than another?
I'm looking at welders along the lines of the Lincoln Weld Pak 100.
Thanks.
All good names. I bought a MM135 last summer and am happy with what it does. You can see my set-up here:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1519550711059214605MTGpya
All three are good brands. I personally like Miller the best. I have welded with the Lincoln Pro-Mig 140 with is the Weld-Pak 100 HD’s big brother and it worked great. With the Millermatic 140 you are looking at $700. You can find the Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 HD for around $300. I don’t really have much experience with the Hobart. But I have never heard anything bad about them.
You might take a look at the Clarke 130en welder also. It willl weld just as good as any of the Linclon, Miller or Hobart 110v units for far less money and a great warranty.
I had a sweet millermatic251 with spoolgun and miller plasma cutter and loved them both i am not a pro welder but have used a few machines and the miller was definatley the easist to use. also started out with a small clark 110volt job. would not recomend for a beginer was tuff to get used to and set it up the may have come along way since then. point is if ya can afford it go with miller. lost all of my stuff in a fire and i am going with miller again. \
p.s. i am a huge fan of bed rail it tends to be a bit brittel but i never pass up a free bed frame
I have the Lincoln 110-volt MIG for 1/8 or less, run only fluxcore through it.
For bigger stuff, a 220-volt is the way to go.
If you only want one machine, get a 220-volt MIG. When I run my 110-volt welder, I want to use a dedicated circuit (such as the washing machine outlet) to avoid arc dropout. It will weld poorly sharing a circuit with other electrical devices.
I still do use the 110-volt machine for the light stuff. It's perfect for auto exhaust and sheet metal, where appropriate.
Hobart is made by miller now. I have a Hobart 180 and when I took it out of the box it had a miller gun on it. You can't go wrong with a Miller, Lincoln,or Hobart. I would recommend spending the extra money and getting a 220 v model. With that you could do anything you wanted to with it.
I agree with the suggestions offered especially the one to purchase a 220 volt machine.
Any machine in this size range in the 120 volt model require special wiring anyway.
Being 220 volts allows lower voltage drop and smaller wire sizes.
Lincoln is the first name in welding...don,t be fooled by imitations ...go with the original when it comes to small voltage/amp machines..
Actually, it was Miller who pioneered the AC transformer welder and put the welding machine in the hands of the average hobbiest and farmer.
Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, ESAB, and a few others are all top quality. Any choice made between these will be for specific machine preferences, favorite color, or brand loyalty.
Tags: lincoln, miller, hobart, Miller Hobart, Lincoln Miller, Lincoln Miller Hobart
