maxgee

iTrader: (5)

I've always found having a welder being beneficial. Just never really looked into them. Now I am looking into them and have a budget of $400 to get one. Need one the can weld pipes and do odds and ends, like making custom brackets for the home and mods I do to my cars.


What do you guys recommend?

1INSANEGTO

iTrader: (13)

Harbor Freight Fluxcore unit. Cant beat $129.99 Or they have a Flux or Mig Unit for $299.99

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

the harbor freight cheapie 110v will do exhaust and brackets and **** all day. If you have 400 though i would look into a 110v lincoln, miller, or hobart.

73 nova guy

iTrader: (8)

i have used one of the Harbor Freight welders b4 a friend of mine has one but its not a flux cored it uses gas and man it welded very nice i have used a few Hobart and Lincoln's before of that size and it welds just as nice.. what i find to look for in a mig is the amp rating in your price range your going to find all 110v pro in the 110 to 120 amp range the more amps the better.. i would say a 110/120 amp is fine for exhaust tubing,sheet metal,and tin you'll be good but don't expect to build a cage with it.

i would recommend if you can find it in your budget to get a non flux cored welder spend the extra bills and get a welder that uses gas.

that's my two cents!

KurtRardin

iTrader: (11)

I manage the HF in Knoxville. The flux welder has gone for $89 in the past, and the mig unit has been $199 or less... I think. I've never used either, but people tell me they work fine. Especially for stuff like exhaust. Check their website for deals or coupons, as they sometimes give out 20% off coupons. I bought a Lincoln, not to say that there's anything wrong with the HF welder, I just wanted something that I thought would be around for a long time.

Gordon0652

iTrader: (4)

maxgee:
Save about 75$ more and get a Hobart Handler 140. That was my first welder and it was awesome to learn on! Extremely reliable, infact i still have it after 7 years and its my back up welder, or welder for exhausts (currently have millers).
Do not wast your money on some cheap stuff.
The Hobart Handler 125, is okay but you want something with some more power.

Really, save some more $ and get the Hobart Handler 140. I'd sell you mine, but its worth more to me than i could sell it for.

2000_SS

iTrader: (24)

good advice. i weld for a living and wouldn't have anything less than a Millermatic 251 for mig purposes or a 250DX Syncrowave for TIG/stick. These are very expensive machines though and for the casual hobbyist too much machine. I wouldn't waste the money on a harbor freight welder. Save up a little more and get a Hobart or a Lincoln. i personally won't use anything besides Miller. When you weld for a living, there are DRASTIC differences between brands/models and under no circumstances will a HF welder get the job done as far as i'm concerned. Get the Hobart

726.0chevelle

iTrader: (17)

i would purchase a machine such as miller or lincoln then get the biggest amperage or model number for your budget the small cheap machines weld ok however the low duty cycles make them shut off after a a couple minutes of welding also the very cheap machines usually cannot be connected to 75/25 gas which makes some pretty welds

KurtRardin

iTrader: (11)

I got mine at Home Depot. I think I have about $300 in my Lincoln 135. I saw some of the 220v migs that can weld 1/2" on clearance for about $500. I bet you can talk em down to $4-something though, especially if one is open.

726.0chevelle

iTrader: (17)

i bought the lincoln 185hd 220 last year had a cambell hausfeild 110 before that it drove me crazy

Kix

iTrader: (3)

I would find a used Miller before I would risk a cheap new unit. Our TIG is probably 20 years old and the MIG is at least 15. They both work just fine.

fast01

iTrader: (16)

I had the small 90 amp mig/flux HF unit and it lasted me about 5 years with light use. I used it with and without gas. It didn't seem to have great penetration with a Ar/CO2 mix, so I used straight CO2 to get a little better penetration instead of flux core. That stuff makes a huge mess! I don't weld too much, so I replaced the 90 amp unit with a 120 amp 220v HF ($199!) unit. It seems to work pretty good for my purposes. I also picked up their small 130/80 amp TIG/stick welder for like $170 with a coupon. I'm not a welder, but a friend of mine is and he was so impressed with the weld that little thing was capable of, he bought one to kick around. It does have some severe weaknesses, but for the money it lays down one nice weld!

On that note, if you're going to use it with any regularity, I would go with one of the better names listed above. If it's for the occasional job, the HF units are ok.

maxgee

iTrader: (5)

my budget is $400, but if i can get something cheaper for my needs, i'll go that route.

i currently only need to weld up some exhaust piping on my SS.
i don't see me using it much beside light duty work.
seem like a couple of you have gotten by with some really inexpensive units that served their purpose.

KurtRardin

iTrader: (11)

Check out the clearance section at Home Depot. My welder still has $479 on it, but I paid like $299. I've seen them at a few HD stores, so they must be discontinuing them or something.

gtpvette

iTrader: (2)

I have a Miller 135 with the gas. It's perfect for what I do,,, which is about the same as what you are planning. New it's over what you are talking,,, but if you keep an eye on CL they are out there.

One additional thought. As with most things especially tools it always pays to get the biggest/best you can afford. The problem I have is I want to be able to mig weld aluminum. With my 135 it's too expensive for the gun and controller. Wish I'd gotten something bigger.

Good luck....

jimbo98z

iTrader: (3)

You just showed the problem with your own suggestion there, a good welder will last pretty much forever if you're not careless with it, and a good used welder that's not older than dirt and impossible to find parts for is hard to come by.

That being said, I have a little Lincoln 110V that I got from Home Depot that I've used for all sorts of stuff; exhaust, welding in SFC's, helping a buddy weld in a cage, etc. I learned to weld on a bigass Lincoln industrial welder. For the most part, there's not a lot you would want to tackle at home that you couldn't do with a 110V buzzbox. Most of the buzzboxes can do stick welding too, which is nice to have.

Another thing I can't reccommend enough is that you try to find somewhere that will offer a basic welding class for cheap. I took one at a local community college for less than $200 and it was more than worth it. They went through basics from cutting with a torch to stick, mig, tig, aluminum tig, aluminum mig/spray, cast iron welding, etc etc.

Steel185

iTrader: (2)

I agree with these last few posts, you want a quality one that will last. Some of the millers,(and maybe others) are upgradeable so you can weld aluminum. Give you an option when you are ready to grow into that. I've only been welding a year and i already want to weld AL. and its just for hobby stuff.

CamaroRick

iTrader: (24)

just bought a lincoln 140 from HD, but you can get the same off ebay for 430 i needed it the same day so i paid 525. I got the aluminum gun conversion kit off ebay and i dont have any problems mig welding aluminum. make sure you use the proper shielding gas. My machine can be set up for mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum within 5 minutes.

I would try to get a mig in the 180 range but the 140 gets the job done.