Welding Shops in COS and Machine Advice

[zith]

I'm looking into buying a welder, and I'd like to know of good shops in the area that I could price out machines, consumables, and tanks/gas.


I'm undecided about about what I need, so I'm looking for advice. It's going to be a 220V MIG because I'm tired of chipping slag from the arc I used to use. I want to be able to do 1/4 in a single pass and ideally 3/8, and have been considering both Lincoln and Miller. So this brings me to my questions on machines:
-Is a machine in the 180 Amp range powerful enough, or should I be looking at the 210/215 range?
-Infinite voltage adjustment seems like a nice feature to have, but I'm not too experienced with MIG welders. Is it worth it? (This limits me to either a 180 model or paying through the nose for a 250ish model).

Thanks.
Brian

 

[jdxj]

IGP west of down town off Colorado ave. Don't have phone #. That's the only place I know of. They have Gas and all supplies.
JD

 

[Frank Z]

I use a Lincoln 175, works great.

As far as bottles and gas are concerned, Colorado Welding Supply was the best prices in town and their service is excellant too.

 

[zith]

Thanks for the replies.
hammerandnailsco - I've been looking for information on IGP. Do they also go by the name AirGas?

FrankZ - What type of work do you use your Lincoln 175 for, and what thickness metal can it handle?
I guess I'm trying to figure out why Lincoln rates their 180 models at 3/16th single pass (which is not powerful enough for what I want to do).

 

[Frank Z]

I use to build stuff for my Jeep. Bumpers, sliders, tire carriers, long arms....that kinda stuff.

 

[98POSXJ]

I have a miller 180 and it works well for the money, but If I have to weld anything over 1/4" I use ExNews4XJ's miller 251. It just depends on how much you are willing to pay for the extra power and how often you will use it. Mig welding is easy too, its practically point and shoot

 

[jdxj]

Thanks for the replies.
hammerandnailsco - I've been looking for information on IGP. Do they also go by the name AirGas?

.

YA now that you say that I think they changed there name.

 

[Frank Z]

IGP has been AirGas for a long time, better than 5 years.

 

[zith]

98POSXJ - Is your Miller 180 not up to the task of 1/4, or do you just feel more comfortable using your friend's 251? Miller rates their machine at 5/16th, but I'm not sure how much I trust those ratings.

If I'm going to drop the cash on a machine, I want to be confident it'll do what I want and I'll wait to save my money if a smaller machine won't. A large amount of welding I do is with 1/4", and I'd rather find another used $50 220V ARC than buy a MIG that can't handle it because i know 130Amps on that sucker can burn through 1/4.

 

[98POSXJ]

Welding 1/4" is borderline with the 180. I Usually will do 1/4" with mine and havent had anything fail, but if It is a high stress part or thicker than 1/4" I just feel more comfortable use the friends welder.