What Kind Of Welder???

[90NHXJ]

If possible buy either a Miller or a Lincoln Electric (they are top of the line). We have two major suppliers in my area (NH) which is Merriam-Graves and Northeast Airgas. I found the welder I wanted on E-bay. A dealer was selling about 12 of them for a fixed price. I printed that add then contacted the local companies with that price to see if they could beat it. I ended up picking up a Lincoln Powermig 200 for just shy of $1200. Sears listed it for a few hundred more and wouldn't touch that price. The mig will allow you to weld mild steel, stainless, and aluminum (different wire and gas for each). My other mig welder is a Lincoln Weldpack 100. It runs on 120volt and is nice for sheet metal but not for heavier stock. The Powermig will weld 1/2" plate with multiple weld passes and I would trust that more. The Powermig runs on 220 volts (you will either have to run the wiring for that or have an electrician do it for you) and I would recommend getting that. I worked for two years as a production welder with a Miller 200, another nice machine that took a beating (I averaged a 44 pound spool of wire a week). I have no experience with the onboard welders though the articles I've read speak highly of them. You will need to install an extra battery to get the amperage needed to run it and the welder itself costs somewhere around $600. I personally would rather have one for the shop as that's where you will probably do most of your welding (not on the trail with the mobile one). Try what I did with the e-bay and start a price war with the local companies and see what you can get.