looking to buy my first welder

[Ben824]

Ok so I figured it was time to start experimenting with welding so I was thinking I should buy my first welder. From the research I have done a gas-less MIG welder might be the best for the price and versatility. What do you think? Any recommendations? I am not trying to build roll cages just maybe some light brackets and tack welds and spot welds and maybe try fabbing up some rocker guards.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

i got a Hobart 140 from Tractor Supply a couple of weeks ago, its very easy to use and works awsome! it can do gas or flux and its made by miller

http://www.tractorsupply.com/weldin...mig-welders/hobart-handler-140-welder-3812040http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2108935762.html

 

[xjtrailrider]

I'm a fan of Hobart/Miller, my little 125 w/gas has done all of the fab work on my XJ. A 140 would be even better with a longer duty cycle. You will need a 20 amp supply for it though, my 125 kept popping the 15 amp breaker so I ran some 12-3 and swapped the breaker out for a 20 amp.

 

[mbogosia]

I would try to pick up a used Hobart or Miller on craigslist. Get a feel for if you like it or not.

 

[thechief86]

i second the used hobart or miller idea, but trust me, you can do much, much better welding with gas. if you go used, they hose for the bottle won't drive the price up much, the wire will be cheaper, and the bottle won't be too bad. i bought a used snap-on/bluepoint welder from a tweaker for 75 bucks, and it came with 2 spools of wire, and the equipment to hook up gas. i later traded it for an aussie locker for my waggy.

 

[Jamescad04]

I also second the gas your better off that way because you can go either way if you want to but once you go gas you'll never go back.

 

[t-frady]

I have a Lincoln 140HD and I like it true gas is better-nicer weld but you get alot better penetration with flux. Just so its clear

 

[Team Willys]

I wouldn't say you get better penetration... well, I guess you do but what Im getting at is if you have a welder big enough for the job then you don't need gas. Flux core wire is basically just a band aid for having a welder that is too small. For example, a Hobart 140 is rated for like 3/16" material with .030 wire using gas I think. With no gas and Flux core wire you can weld 5/16". I have a Hobart 210 (with gas obviously) and I love it. It is rated for 3/8 single pass with gas, and I have personally welded 1/2" (and even a little 3/4") and felt just fine with it, you could see it really burning in and melting everything nicely. My suggestion is to think about what you really need the machine to do and size it accordingly, then go buy the next size up. There is nothing worse than buying a welder and then 3 months later realizing its not big enough for what you need it for.

 

[t-frady]

I wouldn't say you get better penetration... well, I guess you do but what Im getting at is if you have a welder big enough for the job then you don't need gas. Flux core wire is basically just a band aid for having a welder that is too small. For example, a Hobart 140 is rated for like 3/16" material with .030 wire using gas I think. With no gas and Flux core wire you can weld 5/16". I have a Hobart 210 (with gas obviously) and I love it. It is rated for 3/8 single pass with gas, and I have personally welded 1/2" (and even a little 3/4") and felt just fine with it, you could see it really burning in and melting everything nicely. My suggestion is to think about what you really need the machine to do and size it accordingly, then go buy the next size up. There is nothing worse than buying a welder and then 3 months later realizing its not big enough for what you need it for.

X2 I bought the 140 because it was 120 knowing it would get me buy for a while I got a really good deal on it. get the biggest you can afford.

 

[Team Willys]

EDIT: I meant to say that if you have a welder big enough for the job then you don't need flux core wire. As in, you CAN use gas. I was scatter brained apparently and said it backwards in my previous post. :doh:

 

[Ben824]

Well after looking around I realized they are much more expensive that I was thinking so I am going to keep looking around on craigslist for a good deal on a used one. My buddy does professional welding and he suggested getting at minimum a 140 so I think that is what I am going to aim for but if a good enough deal comes up for a 125 I may also buy that just to get me started and upgrade later down the road when I get better at it and get more serious about it.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

For example, a Hobart 140 is rated for like 3/16" material with .030 wire using gas I think. With no gas and Flux core wire you can weld 5/16". .

mine is rated 3/16 flux and 1/4 gas

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I wouldn't say you get better penetration... well, I guess you do but what Im getting at is if you have a welder big enough for the job then you don't need gas. Flux core wire is basically just a band aid for having a welder that is too small. For example, a Hobart 140 is rated for like 3/16" material with .030 wire using gas I think. With no gas and Flux core wire you can weld 5/16". I have a Hobart 210 (with gas obviously) and I love it. It is rated for 3/8 single pass with gas, and I have personally welded 1/2" (and even a little 3/4") and felt just fine with it, you could see it really burning in and melting everything nicely. My suggestion is to think about what you really need the machine to do and size it accordingly, then go buy the next size up. There is nothing worse than buying a welder and then 3 months later realizing its not big enough for what you need it for.

X3, I bought a Lincoln 135 at first and wished I had got a bigger machine right from the get go. I have a Hobart 210 now and it is a night and day difference. Get the biggest welder you can afford and stay away from the harbor freight crap.

 

[Team Willys]

mine is rated 3/16 flux and 1/4 gas

Im not calling you a liar, but I don;t think you are correct on this... the flux wire rating should be higher than the gas rating.

 

[Lowrange2]

I have a Hobart 140. I use flux core wire simply because I don't notice a big enough difference to have to pay for gas and it makes it MUCH more portable without a huge ass tank to lug around. The only issue I have with it is that it likes to get hot and start tripping breakers... but I also have a hard time knowing when to give it a break... In hindsight, I wish I would have purchased the Hobart 187. I got this one used in mint condition for 300 bucks.

I also have a Miller Arc welder 120v that I've never used that I bought for 40 bucks from some guy and some very small 120v Miller welder that someone gave me because it was out of wire... lol I don't like it. It's one of those that pretty much stays arcing as long as the machine is on. All the trigger does is feed wire.

 

[Team Willys]

The cost of gas varies significantly depending on where you live. For example, I have an account at air gas here in chattanooga, and Tim has one in Atlanta. I pay roughly 33% of what he does for the same exact bottle!

The reason this is relevant is because Flux wire is double the cost of regular wire, but you don't need gas with flux. For Tim it would possibly be cheaper to run flux wire, but for me, its WAY cheaper to use gas and regular wire. So obviously its the only thing that makes sense for me; a good looking clean weld and its cheaper.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

Im not calling you a liar, but I don;t think you are correct on this... the flux wire rating should be higher than the gas rating.

i honestly just started welding, im not sure what its limits are(actulally sheetmetal sucks) i was just relaying what the welder says

 

[Team Willys]

Yeah, welding sheet metal can suck at times! A lot of dime stacking lol.

Anyway, the reason I said that is because the flux holds the heat in better and allows for better penetration on larger work pieces with a smaller machine, which therefore band aids the fact that the machine is too small for the job in the first place.

I mean, if you are just welding on light tabs and you don't care how the welds look, then a flux machine will be fine. But if you ever want to do anything even slightly serious and you want the welds to be strong and look good, then I would highly suggest a gas machine, or at least one that can be easily converted in the future when you decide you want it.

 

[Lowrange2]

I don't know what you pay but I priced a bottle or gas in Greenwood, National Welders at 65 bucks. Now thats an average size tank. I don't recall which size it is. 80 cuft? bout 7-8" in dia. and 4 foot tall...

 

[southernrebel20]

Have you looked into getting a stick welder? You can almost always find very good stick welders on craigslist for CHEAP. If this is your maiden voyage into welding then a wirefeed machine will be easier to learn with, but you can weld damn near anything with a good DC stick machine and pay half the money for it compared to a wirefeed machine that has similar output and duty cycle.