Ha thats exactly what I have. I am extremely pleased with it.

sounds good. Looks like I could get a Millermatic 175 for 600$ locally used. Maybe I can negotiate with the guy

If I'm not mistaken those millermatic units are good 220v units although this one is one generation old and they are switchable between 110v and 220v correct?

Still wondering on the 175 (noticed its actually a lincoln 175hd, which I dont think are switchable between 115v and 220v ). I could prob negotiate that guy down to 500$ or buy a hobart handler with regulator and stand for 480$ shipped.

THis is the ad for the 175

http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/1481097764.html

You can get a brand new Hobart Handler 187 in the $600 range when it's on sale. I don't think the Lincoln 175HD is all that good of deal. Heck, there's a guy here locally selling a Lincoln 180 for $425, NIB... http://waco.craigslist.org/tls/1488425881.html

$400 seems more reasonable for a 175.

I like the looks of this one better, for the same $600:

http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/1483293154.html

Though honestly, one nice thing about staying with Lincoln or Miller is that you never have to worry about finding compatible parts. When I needed wire drive wheels for my Miller, or a replacement gun or liner, or a somewhat rare part (the spindle drive roll), it was easy to find the parts. I don't know how difficult it'd be to find a part for that Thermal Arc, or any other non-Miller or Lincoln welder.

I live in mass, if you look all around mass, ri, nh theres really nothing used around this area. And not knowing whether something is good or not is keepin me from pulling the trigger.

Ive got this welder, and for the price you cannot beat it. It works great....

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...2691_200332691

Really think about what you're going to use it for.

I have a big old Hansen MIG and I never use it. If
I want to stick some mild steel together it's either
the arc welder, or the gasless wire welder. Cheapo,
that one, but it works. The only thing I'll pull the
big boy out for, is auto sheet metal work. If it's any
thicker than the wire, and Rustoleum will do, then
so will the cheap & dirty.

Looks like I'm gonna be doing wiring in the house no matter what I want to do if I actually want to weld anything other than like sheetmetal and other thinner material.

I dont have 220v in the house other than the kitchen stove which is a good 30+ ft from the garage and the washer/dryer which is about the same distance.

And the outlets I have in the garage are 110v on 15amp breakers. Not even sure there a 20amp out there. So when I turn the unit up it will prob pop the breaker over and over. I asked the old man (my dad) is he knew if he had any 30amp circuits in the house and thus any 10ga wire and hes pretty sure all the 20amp are 12ga which isnt big enough for 30amp.

So it looks like I'm gonna be doing some wiring either way and my parents have the house up for sale so they really dont wanna do any modifications to the place.

I own this one too. I got it from Home Depot on a closeout for like $300! It welds good with gas too. The only thing I regret is not getting a larger argon cylinder. That's next. I wanted it for simple things like exhaust fabrication, sfc's, and lower control arm welding... as well as just fixing stuff around the house.

For really heavy stuff I've got access to a really old Lincoln stick welder.

Not to hijack the thread, but in my trips to have exhaust work done on cars over the years I have seen shops use about every form of welding except tig (and thats probably because none of them needed tig my stuff). I've seen people mig, arc, and even use the old heat wrench to braze pipes together. Pretty cool. While I think the Mig is best for the occasional DIYer, it would be to your benefit to master the others too. I've heard people say that if you can weld with a set of torches then you would find it easy to perform the other styles.

Flux welding sure is simple though, huh? Flip the switch, let it warm up, and pull the trigger.

If you're a beginner then check out the Haynes welding manual. They sell it at harbor freight. Its got an in-depth analysis of every type of welder that a novice can understand.

:smokin2:

I went to school for welding and have been one for a few years so I do it with my eyes closed :D we started on stick, then flux, then bare wire, then tig at the end. Never brazed anything though, so that would be a good learning experience for me.....

I think I found something I'm probably gonna pick up locally. Based on the reviews it sounds damn near impossible to go wrong with a hobart handler 140. Found one locally for 300$ without the regulator/tank.

I already called the local airgas and they said the regulator and lines are 75$.and a knee high bottle of argon is like 150$ (forgot to ask him about what co2 would cost as I wouldent be using argon)

This is the welder I plan to pick up

Hobart Mig Welder Handler 140 w/cart

I am gonna see if I can get it for 250$ if not I'll prob still pick it up.

Anyone know if the warranty is transferrable or how old this unit is actually so I can see how much warranty it has and also what should I look for? What I should check?

I talked to the guy and he says he has a tow company, and he kept this welder in his truck because trailers would break from constant towing and he would flux them together outside, only he found out this unit wasnt strong enough for hte hardened steel on the trailers and he also found out his generator would support a bigger 220v unit so thats what he got.

That is his reason for selling anyway


What do you guys think?
It seems to be hard to find deals around here and the only welders people have for sale used seem to be junk and not much cheaper than new.

I've heard great things about this unit, and the very few times I'll ever weld 1/4" I'll flux it.

Looks pretty good to me. You're gonna get a tank of just CO2? What is that good for?

Remember I'm new to this but as far I know you can use straight Co2 for a shielding gas(which keeps things a little hotter and the welds arent as pretty as co2/argon mix) I will prob just pick up co2 or co2 argon mix whatever they suggest at airgas (which is the closest place to me)

I got a little 20 cf tank from harbor freight... worst mistake ever. I swear that little tank doesnt last any time at all! I'm going to take it to the welding supply here and trade in towards a bigger tank. Tractor Supply also stocks them, which would be nice and convenient if you ever ran out on the weekend.

They told me to go with a 75/25 argon/co2 mix for the regular type of wire that I was using and the general nature of materials that I planned on welding.

keep this in mind...bottle sizes are listed in ft^3 capacity. When MIG welding you usually set your flowmeter to 20 ft^3/hr. so a small bottle (40 cf) will only let you weld for a total of 2 hours which adds up fast. This is even more important with TIG machines since they typically have pre and post flow times...

I epersonally have a weld-pak 180 hd its a LE unit. Have not gotten to use it found it brand new dirt cheap so I had to jump on it. So now I am just waiting to buy the other stuff so I can start my complete update of my 79 camaro.

I just have a cheap Schumacher flux core welder and I have not found the project it could not handle yet. I have done everything from boxing control arms and welding subframe connectors to fixing barber chairs for my friends salon. The feed wheel leaves a little to be desired at times but for the $100 I paid it has been perfect.

It sold before I got there. I posted this same question on another website and everyone was saying get a 220v get a 220v. I think the 110v unit will do whatever I need but I'm pissed I missed it. I am prob gonna just buy new from northern tool if nothing comes up in the next few days

So after missing out on this deal I have been looking around and every single 110v welder I've found is the sub par units that seem to change hands a lot.

No one seems to want to get rid of their nice Lincoln, hobart, Miller 110v units.

On the flip side I've seen a few 220v Lincoln, miller, and hobart units for sale used for the price range I'm looking to spend. So like I said I'de probably need a 50ft extension cord to make it work and run the extension cord from the wash/dryer room out to the garage.

With this length of cable any electric smarties in here tell me what gauge wire I'de need to run to make sure I dont have an issue with resistence. I know welders dont like being on an extension cord and I'm sure 50ft (would one be expensive) and create quite a bit of resistence/ heat

I think my electrician told me to keep my eyes open for number 6 wire to run it 80 feet. That was to feed a compressor and welder.

For my 110v welder I don't use anything less than a 10guage wire. I haven't come across anything yet that I haven't been able to weld, unless it's just an obvious stick type of job. The little 135amp Lincoln is supposed to weld 5/16... iirc.