Looking to purchase a welder?
Question:Hello, I am looking to purchase a welder for my garage, nothing fancy, i'm not fabricating motorcycle frames or anything like that, just a simple machine to have in the garage for light fab. work and repairs. I'v been away from a welder for quite some time now so i'm going to consider myself a beginner.
Can anyone recommend a good machine for a beginner, not too expensive. Preferably wire feed. Thanks!
Answers:
You would want a 'stick' welder, probably a Lincoln Buzz Box
Try the Craigs list, www.craigslist.org.
People buy those welders and then let them sit around and never use them and dispose of them on Craigs List.
For the projects you mentioned, I would suggest a MIG welder. You can get 110 volt models. Easy to use and do thin metal without blowing through. A stick welder is hard to do light metals with. If you go with fluxcore wire and not gas it will be cheaper. Lots of machines out there. I like Miller but they are not cheap.
I prefer the Hobart/Miller Mig welders. A Hobart Handler or Millermatic 175 with the gas kit is perfect. I repair welding equipment for a living (billswelderrepair.com) and have seen less problems from these models. We have a Handler 180 in our shop for everything from sheet metal to 1/4" frame work. Hobart is made by Miller and carries a 3 year warranty, average cost is $485-560. Check out http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/... or http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/mi... these are very informative sites. Stay away from the Lincoln models sold at Home depot, there are made in Poland especially for Home Depot (hence the model name 3200HD). Snap-On migs are made by Century so don't spend the extra money with the Snap-On guy.
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