Topic" What is the best all around mig welder for the shop?

[cat320]

I saw this on the business page and thought that this would be the best place to ask .What does every one look for in a shop mig? I saw a hobart 140 with gas runing on 115 ,welds up to 1/4" . Please I would like to here the pros or cons for welders .I know they have been talk about before now that the repair season is among us I think it would be a good idea to talk about these machines again .

[wyldman]

For me,I wouldn't really buy anything less than a Miller\Lincoln\Hobart 250 or 300 amp unit.

The smaller units just do not have the duty cycle at higher amperages to do most repairs quickly.My 25 years old Italian made 200 amp welder will do pretty much 100% duty cycle at 180 amps.Try that with a newer smaller unit,you'll be lucky to see 20-30% duty cycle.That means you can weld for about 2 mins,and then it has to sit and cool for 8 mins.That's a pretty long weight if your doing a lot of welding.

Most of the bigger units will also do spray transfer welding,as well as short circuit welding,which produces much better welds.Arc is much more stable and consistent on the bigger units too.

If your just doing small repairs in your driveway\garage,a 120V unit will suffice,if you get a good one.I think Hobart has one of the best,with the Handler 140.

[frosties snowremoval]

i think around the shop i would go with a millermatic 251 and in the feild for guick repairs a 135.

[dapgar]

are most welders that are mounted to trucks for outside work, stick welders? and Migs are meant for inside shops? i'm learning about welding, and eventually going to buy my own so I can teach myself how to weld when I build my shop on this property we just bought.

[snowjoker]

Dan, most welders mounted on trucks or trailers are for ouside work, but you could run the cables inside and still use them. They make portable add on wire feeders "MIG", or "Fluxcore" for Direct current "DC" welders for portable wire feed welders. As for a good around shop welder a Lincoln 225 amp "buzz box" would be perfect for the occasional user. Any name brand mig like Esab, Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart 200 plus amp machine would be a nice shop mig machine.

[drobson]

I have a Lincoln 135amp MIG welder that seems to be a good size for a small shop. It's got enough power to do most small repairs, has the gas option and doesn't take up alot of shop space....

[Pickering Snow]

Like most said if your gonna do alot of welding at one time a 100percent duty is a must unless like Chris said you got time for it to cool inbetween passes i have a snap-on 240 mig for in the shop and to be honest its a very nice machine but was way over priced like most snap-on stuff plus they dont use a tweeco gun so you have to buy there stuipd tips or cut down miller tips.


I have a Miller stinger in the service truck its primarly a stick welder / gen has a 17hp kolher engine and does have the add on migger but like most i love a wire feed but still love to scratch a stick

[Big Nate's Plowing]

here is my unit, a hobart Fabstar 262, picked it up for about $800 last fall when I needed to build a skidsteer trailer

[itsgottobegreen]

The word that usally follows "MIG welder" is "Miller". No body builds a better welder. I have a millermatic 210 w/3035 spool gun and dual tanks. I can weld steel and alumiumin with it. I bought it when I was 18. I have run a lot of wire through it. I don't have a stick welder. But soon will have a TIG/Stick combo. That too will be a miller.

[Lawngodfather]

The hobart will do you ok welding 1/4 inch if you are always welding the ends, but wont penitrate well off the ends of the material.

Also when you switch to argon, setting number 4 is now the heat range of #2. You get more amps using fluxcore wire

I am using that exact welder now, and does 1/8" great, but when I hit the 1/4 with argon it doesn't fare to well, and takes quite a technique (meaning better be real good at welding) to get it to bead right, but still doesn't penitrate well.

The smallest welder I would get would have to be 180 amps.

[IHI]

I started with a small cheap Century 130 mig that worked great for a beginer and the very small projects I did at that time. Out grew that and moved up to a Miller 170 and that worked great as the next stepping stone, still 120V normal plug in but would handle a bit heavier material and longer duty cycle. Out grew that and traded a buddy for his brand new Hobart 180 230V and for a cheap welder that can handle most projects I think this is the route to take, cheaper than a Miller but the added amps really allow you to do some serious welding when needed-though most of my stuff is very "now and again" so in my case it's the best of both worlds. You'll definately get alot better weld/penetration with a 220V machine as opposed to a 120V machine for both lighjt and heavy guage steel.

In our OTR shop we used a Miller 250 with dual tanks and a built in spool gun for aluminum which we used daily for both ferrious and non ferrious materials and material from 18ga to 1" thick. Very dependable unit, pricey, but it will handle any shop job you can throw at it.

Freind just got a killer deal on a Miller 210 that also serves both kinds of material steel/aluminum, so for a serious garage guy that one would be the ideal unit based off the great experience I've had with the Miller product over the years. It will handle any guage material you'll typically run into both door skin to 3/4" flat steel for building OTR ramps for RGN trailers. The 220V units will make your learning curve alot faster producing better penetrating welds than a 110V unit.

Josh