Looking for welders

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I am looking into getting a Mig welder. Don' really want to spend more the $500. Can i get a decent unit for that price? I don't want to spend for top of the line but i dont want crap either. Which are the good companies to buy from? Lincoln, Century, hobart? I want this to be used for all around so it also needs to be able to weld heavy metal and not just for small 1/16 inch steal. So please let me know what you think

 

[b-suth]

Definitely stick with the big name (lincoln, miller, hobart, etc.) as this will simplify finding replacement parts in the future.
Also, if you want to go heavy duty, you gotta go 220v, which means extra cost to get an outlet wired up if you don't already have one.

 

[burnsie]

I agree that you should stick with major brands like Miller, Lincoln or Hobart. You did'n't say if you were going to run 3 phase or single phase.. If you are going to run three phase watch your local Sunday paper for auction annocements(sp?), you should be able get a 300 amp version of any one of the above listed brands in good working order with a wire feeder and more than likely on a cart for the amount of money you want to spend. The most important thing to remember is that you want a machine that is rated at 100% duty cycle. In case you don't know what that means basically you will have 100% power at all times when welding. That's my .02 .

Good luck!