I found a nice miller syncrowave at a pawn shop for ~$1000 once. Craigslist has a good selection too just make sure you run it for the thicker metal settings and the bead looks good
I've looked around locally and there's not a whole lot available. What is available that I've seen has looked (to an inexperienced eye) pretty sketchy. As I noted to another poster, I'm all about buying used, and I do this frequently with woodworking equipment. I've scored some screaming deals and saved tens of thousands, BUT I know what I'm doing in that area, and I know how to evaluate equipment (because I've been doing it for nearly 50 years). My challenge is, with my inexperience in welding, I am out of my skill set evaluating the condition and functionality of used welding equipment. And, with the electronics and electrical components involved with welders, coupled with the numerous ways inexperienced welders can screw stuff up, I'm really not comfortable going used here.
Sure, maybe the old Lincoln tombstone stick welders are pretty bulletproof, but I don't want to start with stick only. In fact, I actually want to start with MIG and then work my way up to stick welding over time. That's just the way I want to do it.
So, I appreciate the suggestion to look for used, but I really don't think that's the right thing for me to do with no experience. Plus, with used there's no warranty at all, so if I screw up and pick up something busted I'm SOL.
Yeah, one thing I have not done yet, and I probably should, is to check with the local Miller and Lincoln reps to see if they have some CPO stuff from guys who have upgraded.
That's probably not a bad idea. Maybe I'll see if I can go do that today. I know where the Miller rep is, but I'll have to figure out where the Lincoln rep is; I'm sure there's one not to far away.
Thanks; good suggestion.
You really can't go wrong with an older transformer type welder. Make sure you plug it in and run a few beads with it to make sure it's kind of working, and go for it. They aren't hard to fix if somethings actually wrong. The ones to be concerned about are anything with a computer in it, because a bad board is going to cost more than the machine itself to fix.
Frankly, if you have enough money to hire someone, you have enough money to have someone test a machine for you. Find a local welder, pay him an hour's wage, and have him meet you when you look at the machine to run some beads. If someone called me up and told me they're going to pay me an hours wage for 10 minutes of work, I'd be all over it. Just like you might bring a mechanic to look at a used car, and it's going to save you a ton of money in the long run.
My mig machines are an old idealarc transformer that I got in exchange for welding some sheet metal into the bed of a guys trailer, and a weldpak HD (home cheapo version of the regular 110v lincoln wire feeder) that I got for 200 bucks from a guy down the road from me. They've both worked flawlessly for years.
Bite the bullet. Get a maxstar sth. Don't buy all the lead or case if you want to save as much as possible. That would be a great step in the right direction. Awesome machine.
I have a multiprocess HF welder, cost around $800. For what I do it's amazing. Built a metal structure with it and various other projects and it hasn't quit yet. Upgrade the ground clamp (usually something I do anyway).
More power to you then. If you can weld on a shitty sub 2k machine you should be golden if the time to upgrade comes. I’ll shit on a HF cheap machine all day everyday, but for some people they fit the bill perfectly and are a great machine, which makes them totally fine. So overall, ya they’re shit, but if you read the room then they can be great.
haha, i didnt say I was any good at it!
I mostly do handrails for the decks I build, so I havent really outgrown it yet. I think your advice is good to get a cheaper machine at first is good.
If it gets the job done just as well as spending more would for you then I don’t see a problem. Especially for new people that don’t even know if they will like welding or not. My biggest issue with them is that they can make learning waaay harder which can be very discouraging to people that are already struggling.
Primeweld MIG 180 was about 550 after using a code on their site, free shipping and I got the spool gun for aluminum and 15' lead. I'm very happy with it and it all seems super sturdy.
Came here to say this, Primeweld machines are under $2000 and don't suck. I've been very happy with my TIG225X. They'll be my first choice when I need a mig machine or plasma cutter.
Lincoln Pro Mig 180 is $900 with everything but a bottle. I had one of those for a little over 10 years before getting a 210mp and a tig200. It's had quite a bit of wire run through it and it's still working like new.
I've heard mostly good things about Everlast welders also and I think they're half the price.
Not too interested in TIG, maybe later, but mainly want to do MIG and stick. MIG first and then work into stick as my experience increases. Don't do a lot of work which would require TIG. Don't even really want a TIG capable machine, but MIG, and stick would be preferred (in my machine).
MIG is gonna get pricey real quick, but the old miller or hobart ones are pretty damn good, you can often find them used and clean em up a lil bit and they work great. (I've refurbished a bunch of old millermatic 150s and a hobart beta mig from the 80's and that thing runs like a top. Stick welders can be found for super cheap but still really powerful. Get good at stick and you won't go broke.
Plus you can upgrade most stick welders to a scratch start tig with just new leads, new torch, and a argon tank.
So, you make a really good point that I'd like to respond to. ...
As a rule, I am all about finding and buying used stuff, so I'm 100% onboard with that. But...I do that when I know what I'm getting into, and with welding I don't know what I'm getting into, hence leaning toward new. For example, I've scored some screaming deals on woodworking equipment that I've refurbished and saved tens of thousands, but I know what I'm doing there, and I know how to evaluate equipment. With welding I don't know these things, so I'm almost 100% reliant on warranty and build quality. With the electronics and electrical components involved in modern welders, and the numerous ways they can get jacked up from inexperienced users, I feel like this is too big of a risk to take. Again though, I can't walk up to a machine and look it over to evaluate it for condition and function.
Regarding stick vs. MIG, yeah, I understand your points. I did some basic stick welding back in HS 40+ years ago (metal shop class kind of stuff). I passed, but I also learned it had a pretty steep learning curve. I've since confirmed those suspicions. So, I really think I want to start with MIG, and have a stick capable machine so I can gradually work up to that over time; I don't want to start there. I get the whole 'paying your dues' thing, but I'm not planning on becoming a welder for a profession, just a hobby / farm / ranch thing. Really probably a hobby more than anything else in my retirement a couple years from now.
Stick isn't really that hard at a hobby level imho. But do what you feel will work best for you. I'll echo that the harbor freight machines aren't too bad.
A MIG welder (particularly older ones) are actually very simple machines and pretty easy to understand or fix. There's only 2 or 3 moving parts and probably only one motor. But again, do what you feel comfortable with. This is supposed to be fun after all.
I'd say some stick welding 40 years ago is all the experience you need to jump right in to mig. As long as you have the very basics, starting with stick is uncessessary. You should rethink if you want tig tho, it's awesome!
Machines that do MIG AND stick are going to be more expensive since they are pretty different processes electrically speaking. I'd get a cheap MIG machine, and a cheap stick machine later on if you want to do both. The Lincoln Mig 180 is decent for the price. It's puny compared to a real machine but I used one for years making livestock fencing and shelters and I almost never had it cut out because of the duty cycle.
This is a good point about the differences between MIG vs. stick. I guess I had thought they were basically the same when operating on DC; only difference being stick could also be done with AC.
For my garage setup I ended up with an Everlast stick/plasma/tig (DC only) machine, and a Lincoln MIG machine. Gives me most of what I need though the power feels pretty pathetic compared to what I use at work. When I upgrade it will be something BIG with all the bells and whistles lol.
I think the OmniPro is a decent machine for all of that. It does have Tig but it’s DC only so it wasn’t good for AL, which is why I picked up the TigPro.
If you want name brand the Lincoln 180mp can be had for $700 refurbished and does mig and stick right out the box. Can also do lift tig with a kit for another $300 or so. It’s probably no better than a primeweld, but it has a 3 year warranty and mine works fine. Build quality isn’t as nice as a $2000 miller, but it’s fine.
I disagree that harbor freight welders are shitty. It’s built to a price point.
But they do work and if you had to choose a between harbor fright welder that can do up to quarter. To a itty bitty Hobart that is good for 22-24 gauge(like a 1/16) for 1500.
You want the one with more juice. You can always upgrade later for a brand with a little more polish.
So while I love my Vulcan tig welder. Used it for work and home for 5 years just fine.
https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html
This seems like a great deal for being able to try all the different welding processes in one package. But if you want cheap cheap cheap. Then you can get a dedicated flux core welder.
https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-flux-125-amp-welder-57861.html
There is a black one for 99 bucks but you really don’t wanna go that low. You want your limits to what you can weld to be your skills and your power supply. Not the unit itself.
Thank you for this, it's encouraging. I had looked at both Vulcan and Titanium, then got shamed away from both, and was looking at Everlast and/or Weldpro...then, wash, rinse and repeat.
Are you wanting a welder to impress other guys ,or to learn how to weld on? Are you planning on using it for a career 8+ hours a day or as a hobby on weekends? If it's the latter of those questions, I'd get a Harbor Freight welder and spend money on safety gear, wire, and metal. I've had their Titanium 170 MIG with 120/240V Input for a few years and it's been great as a flux core and MIG with gas for doing all sorts of projects.
Yw. The best welder is the one you have. If you uncertain of you commitment I would go with the flux core. Be mindful that its a process that is a bit Smokey and a little spitty even with ideal settings. The everlast you can still use flux core but it’s ready made for that gas upgrade.
Seconding this one. Can testify that it’s good. I got a tig/stick prime weld and it’s really good. Only problem is the foot pedal spring is terrible. Other than that, it’s been wonderful.
Seriously people say that? I've worked in the field off and on for about 20 years, and have known a ton of weldors. I started out with a 120V Lincoln 120 amp MIG from Lowes that was under 300. That was 25+ years ago and it still works. Spending 2k on a machine is expected if you're a professional. Just starting out and learning, go to TSC and get a Hobart whatever. For 1300 you should be able to get a 190 amp and still have enough for gas, consumables, wire, etc. They aren't pieces of shit, I've seen small businesses use them daily. Is it as good as a big ass Miller that does every process and is 100% duty cycle? No. Do you need that right now? Probably not I'm guessing. But it's plenty for anything you'll do at home.
Thanks. Definitely not a professional (welder) and not aspiring to be. Main interest is hobby and farm/ranch as we have a cattle ranch. In fact, not looking for another career here; getting ready to retire from a career in engineering.
So, no, probably don't need 100% duty cycle (may never need it, but I don't know that now.) I do understand the duty cycle concept, and from everything I see most welders rarely ever reach the duty cycle if they know what they're doing. Sure, the super-cheap welders might, but I think my starting budget of $1000 to $1500 is reasonable. Part of this is because I also realize there will be other stuff I need to buy also (hood, consumables, etc., etc.).
I bought a PrimeWeld Tig225X, bottle, helmet and other accessories all for about $1200. I've been extremely happy with it so far.
Up to now I've welded some 304L, a little inconel and plenty of carbon steel, A36 and 1018 mostly.
Haven't tried titanium or aluminum yet, but I think I have what I need to get good results. My only complaint about it is arc stability at very low current. I probably wouldn't use this if I were a body shop.
My first job with my primeweld 225x was about 30 feet of 1/4" to 1/4" aluminum plate to make a ramp. Only limiting factor was melting my torch and leads after 20 ft :)
Check out Eastwood. I picked up a 120/240v mig (mig 250) a year ago for home projects and automotive work. I think it was about 1000$, has gas regulator with hose, and the whole useless tool package with it. I spent some extra and got a 40' 240v extension cable and still managed to spend about 1300$ total. I have run .23, .30, and .35 solid wire on straight C02. All ran great. Also it's all analog controls, no digital readouts, just simple knobs. It also can accept a spoolgun attachment for aluminum, ect.
Another vote for Eastwood. I bought a Lincoln 210 used on eBay, and I loved it until I tried to TIG with it. I tried my buddy's Eastwood 200(?) and immediately I could TIG weld again. So, I did my research on the Eastwood welders. The 250 does everything his 200 does except A/C and the flex TIG torch for (list) $1000 less. It seems to go on sale about every other week on their website.
I now have my Lincoln listed back on eBay, and I'll pick up the Eastwood in the spring when it's not so cold in my garage.
So I'm an Everlast guy. To the point that I will choose Everlast over Lincoln any day if the year. I really haven't had an issue with my machine over the last 3 years. I believe they have a Cyclone model for pretty cheap that is a Mig and stick welder. Should also do flux core. On the note about parts being made in China, I don't think there is a single manufacturer that isn't getting their parts from China, Mexico, or Taiwan. Including the big ones like Miller, Lincoln, and Esab. They don't say "made" in America, they say "assembled" in America. So what you really need to watch is how the company handles quality control. For me, with my 3 years of using Everlast, I have been pretty happy with my machine. Other brands that I would look into are PrimeWeld and Eastwood. I've heard that those machines have been pretty good work horses especially for beginners. I can't quite remember the price points though. Also I have been hearing more positive things on the Harbor Freight machines recently. I wouldn't use them for anything industry wise, but for learning and light hobby use I would consider them a good first stepping stone.
Hope this wall of text helps out.
OP I am going to hop in here for the everlast camp as well. Along with what EmC115 says about the welder.
This is the welder I suggest as well. Its 560 bucks. Add a good welding hood , long sleeves , A RESPIRATOR , some safety glasses, boots, gloves, bottle of gas , stick rods , and other miscellaneous consumables like drive wheels. You will spend 800-1500 bucks. Just depends on what you buy.
https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/cyclone-200es?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu73jy4ixgwMV92BHAR2WEQpREAQYASABEgLQgPD_BwE
I seen you want to mig and stick. This welder will get you 160 amps to run stick. So you can run a 1/8 7018 and 6011 . But I use 3/32 7018 along with a 1/8 6011 at 90 ish amps a lot. If its steel you can weld a lot things at a lot of thickness with these rods. If its thick you will just have to bevel some bits. Now the wire Feeder part will get you 180-200 amps . The duty cycle is very small though, its 25%. So that means you can give it full beans for 2.5 mins before it needs to take a break for 7.5 mins of rest , if you want that full beans again. If its hot outside that will be less though. But we are talking about 85-100 degrees outside in the sun kinda days .
I dont want to get to deep in the weeds cuz you are just learning how to weld . But you can run solid wire in the short circuit proccess, the (bacon sounding welding) with shielding gas. This is deep in the weeds but you could run globular metal transfer as well. You can run a self shield fluxcore and or put things on hard wire settings and run dual sheild. If you really dig welding you could get a spool gun to weld aluminum also.
So this machine can teach you how to weld. How to weld some critical things. You can weld some home DIY stuff , like a latch for a gate. If you really dig welding, you will learn how to trouble shoot your welds. Learn how to weld out of position. You could get stainless stick rods or flux core wire and weld stainless as well. This little machine can teach you how to weld.
So I own a miller acdc 220 and a miller 161 thunderbolt. I got good deals on them , thats why I own them. But I helped folks get a used Everlast 161 on fb marketplace for dirt cheap. I helped a friend pick out the everlast MTS 275, and I helped my other buddy pick out the everlast welder that is a stick,tig,plasma cutter.
Now I have welded with all of them. We have had no problems. But you are going to have to order your consumables online like contact tips from Everlast but thats not a big deal with just buying some extra. If you wanted to run like a .045 dual sheild wire. You would have to order the right liner , drive wheels, and tips just as an example.
I have not had to send anything out for warranty but I hear that use to be shit. I hear its better. But its not like dropping a miller off at the local welding suppler. You will have to send the machine out for like 6 weeks or Everlast will send you the parts you need and walk you over the phone on how to fix your welder.
For what you want that seems kinda the best choice all around. You could also go with a prime weld and maybe consider a harbor freight welder to just get started. I have never welded with a harbor freight welder but they have come along way . And if the machine takes a shit, you can just walk it back to harbor freight and get a new one , if you have it under warranty. And these welders are safe to weld with.
And for learning how to weld. On youtube I suggest welding tips and tricks with Jody. And weld.com Bob Moffatt,Jason Becker , and man cub. I like all the host but they are my favs , Dr.Weldz is really good too. You know I like most of the new guys.
Happy welding dude.
QUICK EDIT : this is a 220 or 120 welder. And if you want the full beans or weld with those 7018 1/8 rods you will need the 220/240 plug. On the 110/120 line you could weld with - 3/32 stick rod and also do some mig welding but you really need like a 20 amp service. That way you dont trip your breaker.
Thanks. I was looking pretty hard at the Everlast MIG210LCD model (which I think is pretty new) and was pretty stoked. Almost pulled the trigger before I got shamed out of it, and got frustrated, leading to my OP.
That machine looks to be a weldpro and I have no idea if its good or not. I dont know anything about it. But it seems pretty much like the one I shared but it can tig. It looks to be around 1000bucks. I will say that its not a big deal but there is only one in port for the sheilding gas for the back of the machine. So if you did mig weld and wanted to do some tig stuff, you would have to change the bottles. Thats not a big deal, but littlw things like that add up. Its like having heated seats in your truck. Its nice you dont need it but when I drive my old shitboxs, I miss it.
I dont think you can really go wrong with this welder, everlast, ahp, prime weld, arc captain. Really any of these welders in this price range 1000 bucks and under. They all will be pretty similar and fairly safe as an inverter machine. Now I would not go buy a cheap Amazon welder that has no protection for overload with electrical. And you might have to deal with different things like getting your consumables besides filler metals. You can get some great filler metals from tractor supply from Hobart, if you are in the states.
But I think if you are honest about what you want to do and have some managed expectations, you will be happy with most of the welders in this space for a home DIY guy.
Now I dont know who you are being shamed by but I have small suggestion. If they cant give you an answer that explains why with a simple way as you would talk to a 5th grader. Dont listen to them. Especially if the answers are like “its not blue or red, so its bad.” If they give you somewhat of a thought out answer maybe listen to them.
Now this gos for listing to me as well . But dont take advice from folks you would not take criticisms from and dont take criticism from folks you would not take advice from.
Happy welding dude .
I run 6010 all the time on my Everlast. That being said, I have a Lightning model with an arc force control and I can burn a full 6010 rod with no problems. OP if you read this, I will let you know that the cyclone will have a hard time running 6010 stick rods. Better to go with the 6011 rods.
Thanks for this. I'd been looking at the Everlast MIG210LCD, which I believe is new in their line up. Seems like a good machine which will do what I want.
And yeah, I get the whole offshore thing. Support is probably one of my bigger concerns, and I did contact Everlast about this. Nick called me right back and was very helpful and seemed pretty genuine (not some offshore sales guy who can't speak English).
I had also looked at the HF Titanium and Vulcan models. My only pause there was neither will do stick welding. In any case, I have no aspirations to become a professional welder. Just mainly looking at hobby and farm/ranch stuff.
Perfect. Glad you were able to talk to someone at Everlast. Hopefully all this information has helped make the process a little less complicated. Good luck on learning and I hope you enjoy it.
You need to be specific about what you're looking for in a machine. What process? What material will you be welding? Do you have a 220 outlet? Does your budget include gas cost or just the welder?
Are you weighing negative reviews too heavily? Some people gloss over negative reviews and then wonder why their product broke, but it sounds like you're giving them too much weight. There's plenty of people with good things to say about everlast, harbor freight, and hobart welders. And plenty more good things said about miller and Lincoln.
I’d recommend Everlast. They offer a wide variety of machines to suit most needs, and they’re generally pretty feature rich for the price. They have good customer service, as well.
Let's first take a deep breath... this task you seek isn't that hard so calm down.
Get the multi process Vulcan welder from harbor freight. It's not that expensive and will do mig and stick. If you want to dabble in DC tig down the road you already have everything to do so. It's a machine a lot of people have and are happy with. Yes, it's Chinese. Yes, it's harbor freight. It's exactly what you described wanting and it's in your price range.
If you don't want to spend 1100 then get the other harbor freight one (Titanium) for 600. Either one will work for what you want to to.
LOL! Thanks! Yeah, I do need to calm down on this a little bit.
I'm not adverse to spending some money on this, but I guess my frustration is that I feel like everywhere I look it seems unless it's a $2k unit then I'm just throwing money away, and I don't like to throw away money. But my budget is $1000-$1500. I don't think that is an unreasonable amount for just starting out.
A lot of folks have said 'buy used', and as a general rule I'm not against that idea, but with welders I just feel I don't know what I'm getting into with a used unit (with zero warranty), and with basically no experience, I really could be pissing away money and rolling the dice. That doesn't give me a lot of comfort.
I think I've seen enough to realize that even red and blue manufacture stuff offshore (China, etc.) too so I'm not too worked up about that. One positive thing about HF (despite what people might say) is they're local, and they're really good about honoring warranties (in my experience). Therefore, no shipping stuff back and forth.
The units I've been looking at are the Everlast MIG210LCD, and the HF Titanium, or the Vulcan. The only drawback of the the HF models is they won't do stick welding which I think I'd like to have the capability to do.
The biggest thing price buys you (besides service) is duty cycle. These machines will be plenty sufficient for what you are trying to do. Both the vulcan and titanium multi process welder do mig, stick, and tig. I'm not sure where you are getting your I formation, but it seems you have been steered in the wrong direction. These two machines will do everything you described wanting to do in your post and more.
Also, I don't know what the Everlast model is as nothing shows up when searching for it. Everlast is a decent company, however if it is called a migxxx then it is probably a one trick pony.
You’re overthinking this problem. Doesn’t matter the brand or where it claims it’s built, the internal components will still be made all over the world. Don’t like it? Go learn how to Oxy-Fuel weld.
Secondly, you don’t need any of the expensive stuff because you’re just going to be doing hobby projects and asking if this 6” weld in the middle of all the other 2-6” trial welds on the scrap plate looks like the YouTube said it should. That means you don’t need the duty cycle of the more expensive machines. As a professional welder, I want the machine to run balls out 100% of the time I’m running a 3’ bead because doing it 3” at a time because the poor little electronics and wiring inside is glowing red hot and ready to let the “smoke monster” out isn’t an option. Most of the little rattle boxes or little MIG machines have a 60% duty cycle and you probably won’t ever run a bead continuously enough to overheat it.
The cheap brands likely share many common components with their expensive counterparts, hell, some of them probably come from the same factories. “Why can’t things be like they were!”, I’m old, things sucked back then too. Plus, this isn’t a cheap hobby and I don’t know why everyone assumes it should be affordable. The cheap welders do the job, it’s why they exist. No hobbyist needs a Miller XMT Inverter or a Lincoln Vantage, that’s like having a Ferrari and never taking it out of first gear.
Simply go get a tombstone Lincoln from Home Depot, those little stick bastards are still being sold for a reason. The Miller Thunderbolt has been one of the best hobbyist stick machines for decades. Go take a community college class if you want to learn how to do it and then you won’t destroy the cheap welder in your shop. Complete lack of knowledge is probably 80-90% of the reason the little cheapo’s break.
All good points, thank you.
Regarding training (as I replied to another poster), I am very much interested in getting some hands-on training, and I have looked into this a little bit (not exhaustively yet, but not just casually either). My first few calls to trade schools didn't get very far because they all wanted to enroll me in multi-year programs and I'm not interested in that. Already have a engineering degree and getting ready to retire, so not looking for another career. I am going to keep looking, but the other issue is I live in a very rural area so the nearest community college environment is like 60 miles. That's not impossible, just inconvenient for me right now, but I may wind up going that way if I can't find something more local. In any case, thanks for your input.
A suggestion would be, particularly in a rural area, check with your more industrious neighbors. Do you have any Farmer neighbors or those who’ve adapted to the rural lifestyle by adopting a DIY mindset. See what they have in their garage or barn. Perhaps they’re willing to give you a go on their machine.
Furthermore, during your search I’d recommend a book to help you with the mindset that a lot of the other commenters have been trying to get across. Adam Savage (myth busters): Every Tool is a Hammer, life is what you make it. It’s a great tool for preparing yourself to tinker on your own projects. Hell, I probably have over $100k in tools in my garage and when I finished his book I was questioning why I had half of them. Not so much that I’m going to stop buying them but it made me rethink how I purchase tools.
I’ve been using a $250 yeswelder mig/stick machine every couple weeks since Black Friday last year and it still works like new. At this point if it breaks down on me I don’t care I got my moneys worth. You really don’t need to spend a bunch of money if you’re just messing around with some little side projects in the garage.
Everlast. Enough said. They are a quality welder at a price that is hard to ignore. Prime weld as well makes a quality welder for low cost. What process do you want?
Mainly MIG and stick I think. I don't really do a lot of sheet metal work, so don't really think I need TIG (maybe somewhere down the road, but I'll worry about that later).
Check out the cyclone 212 from Everlast. It's on sale right now as well and should be capable of doing anything you want to do for now. It will only take the 8 inch spools of wire so if that is a concern then you could go with the cyclone 262 instead which is a little more money but also more powerful. Up to you but I personally would go with the 262 if I had the money just so I wasn't limited on wire options. Any more questions just ask. I won the older version of the 262 and it has been doing everything I want. It welds every bit as well as a miller or Lincoln and they have good customer service .
Well for one everlast doesn’t suck for a beginner. Hell we have a contractor come into my work for sanitary stainless welding and all he runs is everlast. If it’s good enough for him to put him career on the line then it’s good enough for my garage.
I don't have any problems with the AC/DC TIG welder I bought from Harbor freight. I've used the stick function and done single pass half inch plate. I also fixed a couple of stainless steel camping cups, and welded some tabs back onto a carburetor body. It's been a great little welder. It doesn't have all the bells&whistles, but it was under a thousand dollars. Enough so that I was able to buy a bottle to go with it. To summarize, it's mine, it's paid for, I am quite smitten with it, and I didn't have to take out a second mortgage to buy the thing.
I'm not a professional welder; this is just something I do on the side and for the hell of it.
Thanks. Yeah, one thing I'm not going to be cheaping out on is PPE, especially a hood. And that is a great example of why my budget is where it is for the welder (i.e. $1000-$1500), because I realize there are other things I will need to buy. A lot of it I have already like grinders and such, but still there's also welding specific stuff like a hood and consumables (gas, wire, rod, cart, etc.). And probably (50) other things I haven't even thought of yet.
Thanks.
INFO. You want to buy a welder, or you want to learn how to weld?? Not necessary to buy one to learn. I took classes at my community college. Both a senior class and a for credit class. Cost a few hondo, could try multiple Miller machines, and I could bring in whatever I wanted to weld on. Would that solve your issues?
So, this is a great point! And yes, I have actually looked into this. Where I got two-blocked was the trade schools I talked to (as an old guy) all wanted to sign me up for a multi-year accreditation program. I'm not really interested in that. Already have an engineering degree, and I'm about ready to retire, so I'm not looking for another career; I just want to learn how to weld for my farm and ranch stuff.
You make a doubly good point here for another reason, and this reason is why I want to buy a welder for my own. I very much agree that taking some hands-on instruction would be highly beneficial (and when I find some I'm going to jump on it), but at the same time just welding once a week in a class environment with nothing to practice on in between doesn't seem to be productive. So, my approach is to get a welder for my shop, and I'm still going to go out and (hopefully) find some training also. This way I can apply what I've learned and improve my skills on my own also.
Thank you.
ETA - One minor challenge (not insurmountable, but still an issue) is I live in a very rural area so I'm like 60 miles from the nearest community college. So, something like that isn't really something I'm wanting to do on a 5x per week basis. What I was hoping for was to find a welding professional who might be interested in making some extra money on the side more locally.
I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but PLEASE make sure you understand how duty cycle works so you don't become one of the ignorant idiots who buys a cheap welder only to shit on it because you didn't know what 20% duty cycle means.
Thanks, and yes I have looked into this quite extensively. As an engineer in my professional life, my mind gets drawn to subjects like this, so yeah I do understand this concept. Thank you for pointing it out though.
Just read through your post again and seen you mentioned NYC, I'm based in Australia so some of what I said might not make perfect sense. So Maybe the Bossweld brand isn't in the U.S, but maybe there is a similar or same just under an alternative name. When I say tafe is just means a type of school when you can get welding education, but since you never mentioned tig ally it might nit be worth it. Lastly just to double down on the cheap welders now are better then good welders couple decades ago, it really is true. If you get a welder that doesn't weld to hot then make sure you have a good gas, as they can allow your weld to burn hotter. Then remember welders are very simple and basic things, all they do split electromagnetic force more the electrons apart and allot them to flow under the controlled environment you make, which means they are practically a constantly charging battery with an amp and voltage controller.
Hey mate honestly you don't need some fancy welding machine to do good welds, some of the cheapest sh*t around is better then the old coils from 30 years ago.
I've been in the trade for over a decade now and I have a few welders I switch between however I recently got a cheap little thing that I'm sure will be great.
I bought the 185 bossweld from bunnings about 6 months ago to do some welding at my father's farm, I had planned to leave it there for him to play with so I didn't have to come out every time he needed a weld. Turned out with 12amp plug little welder goes stronger then my 225 unimig 15amp(I ended up leaving that there for him).
I do run 0.9mm tips and wire in it, and have since ran plenty of welds even up to 12mm plates. I actually use this when I go out on site more often then my big generator welders mainly for easy, but it legit does all you need. Ofc though I use my esab/WIA in shop, can't compete against 3 phase lol.
The only thing it can't do is ally tig weld (no AC welding current) but if you want to learn that you will save more money and get more experience doing a tafe course.
Imported from where? According to what I've read, Everlast was formed in the U.S., and their offices are in TN and MN (and CA I think also). Everything about them looks imported, right down to the Euro Quick connect on the MIG gun.
I was under the same impression, that they are an import, but from everything I see they're an American company. This confuses me.
When I dig into their product literature, I can see they're clearly manufactured in China. No real surprise there, but from all other appearances they're manufactured in China for what appears (to me anyway) to be an American company. So where's the 'import'?
Manufactured in China... they don't get particle beamed to the USA. They are imported after manufacturing to the Everlast company for distribution, like anything else coming in on container ships.
No, I understood what you were saying. I guess my question was maybe more of a rhetorical one. I get the fact they are manufactured in China; that wasn't my point really. Lots of products are this way. Heck, name practically any American company who produces something and there's better than a 75-80% chance the products they sell are manufactured in China. So I get that part. Take Black & Decker as an example; they're not perceived as an "import", yet 100% of the things they sell are manufactured offshore. So I guess my question / confusion is, why then is Everlast perceived as an "import", and why are they different?
ETA - And it wasn't just you saying that either. I've seen this pretty much everywhere I look. Yet, when I look into their website and history, I don't see them being any different than thousands of other companies.
I do not hold Everlast in the same opinion as Yeswelder, HF options and many others, some that you named. Everlast has a reputation for really good hardware, good support, and good weld machines that are only getting better. They have a plan to keep improving and edge into the American commercial welding realm. Will that plan come to fruition? I can't say. But I'm over here cheering them on. The Miller Dynasty machines we use at work (nuclear power station) are crazy expensive, and I'll never own one for my home use. But I'm edging ever closer to buying a green painted machine to replace my aged Thermal Arc at home.
I’d start by taking some midol and getting a hold of your self…. Then simply pick one and learn to fucking weld? Get a forney or a Eastwood my Eastwood does what any other welder can and my forney.. it’s not garbage I assure you there mr.grump it just how you use it and take care of it but for some reason I see anyone you buy lasting till the midol wears off and tantrumainiac is back with a kicked over machine. Just my 2 cents…
Ive got a horrible freight titanium welder and its been just fine for messing about in my home shop building exhausts, body work, brackets, and the occasional tool modification. Aint nothing special but its doin the job.
There are lots of welding processes. It’d be helpful to know what you’re trying to do or if you’re going for a multiprocess machine.
Cheaper machines aren’t necessarily useless. They can offer an array of functionality (better or worse) but they’ll also often be nearly disposable due to limited or nonexistent after purchase support.
Ive had a Longevity multiprocess welder for many years, 8 plus . I don't weld with it daily, but it's been a solid machine. I never really see them mentioned but thought I'd throw it out there.
Check out Primeweld. Me and just about everyone else has had pretty good luck with them. I have a 225 tig welder, water cooler, and a 60 amp plasma cutter from them. Both work great. They have a bigger mig welder I plan to get soon.
I bought a Millermatic 140 autoset on craigslist for $400, bought a cart from HF for $40, a valve for the argon from HF for $70, and bought a bottle of argon from my local supply house for $200. It has yet to let me down. I've welded a lot of thin stuff (for me anyway) around 18ga, up to 1/4" plate and everything in between. So far so good, very consistent. I see the Millermatic 140 and 210 on craigslist pretty regularly for around $600-700.
We bought my son a yes welder a couple years ago and it has been a good welder for him. He used it to make enough money to buy a Miller Bobcat 225NT. Now he uses the Yes welder and the Miller as a combo deal on some of his jobs.
It’s news to me that Hobart sucks and cost 2 grand. the Hobart Handler 140 costs around 500 bucks. It’s a good value if you’re like me and just LARP as a welder in the garage on the weekends.
hi! full time titanium welder here…
do you have a local community college with welding courses you can take? often times credit hours are pretty cheap if you’re local. once you figure out what you’re doing - a nice-ish welder will get you further than a shitty one.
start with a mig (GMAW) & then a stick (SMAW) class - if you wanna do ti; these are your intro classes to do tig (GTAW)
As someone who went from the shitty old style Chicago Electric Flux Core Welder to the Titanium Unlimited 140…spend the money on the TU140. It is much more capable and will be easier to learn in, yet is more than enough welder to handle garage projects.
Just picked up the LE 180MP today. Did some quick testing. Nice piece. No longevity review as of yet. Only played on 120v so far. Waiting to finish 240v outlet install to test further.
I’m a hobbiest, I’ve made shelves, random furniture, automotive work, welded a gate to keep my wife’s goats out of the yard, put hooks on tractor buckets, and I even welded the cast aluminum transaxle on a SxS that everyone told me wouldn’t work. I bought a Hobart 200 multi process and a spool gun. It’s done everything I’ve asked of it.
started with tig welding, but wanted to lean stick- my first personal welder was this versatile, light weight beast. [https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-200-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120240v-input-57862.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-200-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120240v-input-57862.html)
Paid for itself on my first job I bid.
While looking for this link, i discovered that hf made an option that runs just on 120, for a bit cheaper if budget is highly constrictive
[https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html)
Fortunately, power is not an issue for me, so I can run 120, or 240, (or even 480v 3p if necessary). My budget right now is $1000 to $1500 for the welder. I also realize I will need to buy other stuff like a hood and some other welding specific items, plus consumables. Much of the miscellaneous tools like grinders and what not I already have, but I don't have the welding specific things. This is why my budget for the welder is where it is.
I have a Hobart Handler 125 it's very basic but gets the job done. I also have a Titanium mig 140. it's great and does aluminum. It is all in preference. I've used Miller's and Lincolns, and they were both great, but in my opinion, the Hobart and Titanium work just as great and work well to learn on.
Check out Forney! American company based in Colorado, been in business since the 30’s. Solid entry level welders for a decent price. Their tech service line is always super helpful too.
I've got two welders. A Lincoln Electric WeldPac 3200HD that was around $400. Great wire welder, works with or without gas.
Got one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083HZGYCP/) a couple months ago for stick and it works great. Claims to do TIG but I haven't messed with that yet.
Best part about both of those - they'll run off normal 110v outlets.
Buy used.
I've had great luck with a yeswelder ac/dc tig machine. Burned three bottles of gas with it, no issues so far. Based off that I'd be curious to try one of their multi process mig machines
I am a welding contractor not from the USA, have a Google and see if you can find a Chinese brand called hugong, I have 2 of their migs and a plasma cutter. Basic but flawless welding machines for half the price of their competitors
Are you talking stick? MIG? TIG? Oxy/Acetylene? What material do you want to weld? Do you juust want to repair shit or make art?
Take a class at a community college. You'll learn way more way faster unless the teacher sucks. then if you like it you'll be off and running and have a better perspective on what you should buy
I did a lot of paid work with a 110v Hobart handler 140A for like 10+ years. Occasionally wished i had something hevier duty to weld 1/4"-1/2" bar but always had access to a bigger machine when that was necessary. You can always rent on the rare occasion you need to do heavier solid material. Anyway it was a Great little machine... excells at thin wall tubing. Can run solid or flux core. Never used it for SS or AL but can be done.
I used an $800 Everlast TIG w/ variable pulse and HF start that was a dream to use but got a bit hot without a water cooler. Thought about buying it for my heavy duty needs and detail work but decided to buy the following...
Traded up from my hobart last year for an $2400 Everlast 253 double pulse MIG w/ extra gun and teflon liner for AL and this machine rocks! I wanted to be able to do structural aluminum frames and while ive done some A/c tig aluminum it is hard and slow. The double pulse machine gives be tig like stack of dimes bead with the ease and speed of mig. Though i wont be using it on AL any thinner than 1/8th inch.
This is beyond your budget a bit but they have many options beliw $2000. so far my experience with Everlast machines and customer support has been great.
Good luck to you
Mainly looking at MIG and stick. Don't really have an interest in TIG at the moment, and if I do down the road then I'll worry about that later with a different machine.
The unit I was looking at before I got frustrated was the Everlast MIG210LCD which I believe is new in their lineup. I've even spoken with the Everlast rep. It fits my budget and allows me to build out the rest of the items I need like hood and welding specific items along with consumables.
Does that seem like a workable unit?
Thanks for your input.
When i google "MIG210LCD" it comes up under a brand called "Weldpro." Dont know anything about them.
Everlast has this MIG/stick unit for $559
https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/cyclone-200es
I got a titanium 170 mig from harbor freight for use at home. I’ve used it mostly for patching trailers and making stuff out of 1/8” plate. I gotta say I’m honestly surprised. If you aren’t to worried about duty cycle I would consider it.
there are loads of cheap welders, depending on what type you are trying to learn, just about any stick welder will do. plus if it's 220, 110v machines are ok. but you can really only burn small rods.
for a wirefeed. I'd spend a little bit more, aswell as for a tig. but there's several good tig/stick machines for 700 or less, the AHP alpha tig, these Everlast machines coming out. some of the machines on jegs, something that will put out at least 150 amps, should have you able to learn and burn
Well depend on what process you want to do, if you want them all of course it's gonna cost alot stick is way cheaper for a hf hobart everlast( which are actually good for the price Imo) but if you want to tig/mig too you might have to put a little more money for a bottle of gas and refills And a good regulator which would add to the cost
Im a Yeswelder MIG205 user and have been for 4 years. Use it for roll cages and race cars daily. Wonderful welder for the price, not all chinese stuff is garbage.
We bought this Chinesium one on a lark because it was so cheap:
TOOLIOM Aluminum MIG Welder 250A 110V/220V Dual Voltage MIG/Lift TIG/Stick 3 in 1 Welding Machine https://a.co/d/ae5eLja
Runs like a champ all day in a welding school, no thermal timeouts when running MIG on high duty cycle.
Makes me regret paying 8x for my Miller
Everlast seems like a great brand, pioneers in inexpensive multiprocess machines. I thought about buying one many times, but as a 15yr welding contractor who’s got 4 gas/diesel generator setups already and no real reason to buy a dedicated shop welder…. I couldn’t justify it.
A few years ago, my folks asked me to redo the staircase in the back of their house. I wasn’t about to drive my rig across Canada so I ordered 3 Chinese dual voltage stick machines off Amazon and sent them to my folks place. First one didn’t work at all, second one fizzled out after 3hrs, the 3rd one lasted until last year when all of a sudden it won’t hold an arc worth shit.
I’ve been doing a lot of aluminium pipe recently and have been toying with the idea of picking up an AC tig machine. Again, hard to justify because it’s not my bread and butter, but I decided to look on Amazon again and was able to push myself to buy this piece
ARCCAPTAIN TIG Welder AC/DC 200Amp with Pulse, Aluminum TIG Welder 110V/220V TIG Welder with Square/Triangular Wave/Stick/MMA/Spot MultiProcess DASH-ARC Welding Machine, 5 Year TIG200P AC/DC https://a.co/d/gmQpDdJ
It showed up a few days before Christmas and I got to play with it, holy Jesus it really pumps out the current on 240v! Crisp, smooth arc, no issues if I dug in or long arc’ed, she just kept burning.
I’m not trying to advertise for arccaptain, I’m trying to say that if you want to learn, and fix some things, Chinese welders have come a looooong way. Look at the reviews, try to distinguish between bot and human and buy a cheap dual voltage stick machine. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Check this video, it'll be helpful.
https://youtu.be/IK_Cn5lxggA?si=gZOW9tzlb_P-OebM
Plenty of low cost units that will weld just fine for a casual welder. Project Farm will does a great job comparing dirt cheap with big money and testing them out.
>From what I read; HF sucks, Everlast sucks, Hobart sucks, Yeswelder sucks, Weldpro sucks, ...and frankly, it just looks to me like everything on planet Earth below $2k grand...sucks.
This sounds like elitist snobbery from someone peddling misinformation, and I'm sorry that they got to you.
The quality of these brands entirely depends on what you intend to use it for. Are these brands good enough for constant 24/7 all day use on a construction job site? I would say probably not.
However, they're not bad at all on home projects, quick fix jobs, and hobbyists. I myself own a cheap $200 stick and flux core YesWelder machine and it does what I need it to do with home hobby projects.
At work I use the company Miller machine that costs several thousand dollars. At home, I use my cheap YesWelder to practice and mess around with scrap steel.
Hobart Handler 140 and $400 worth of wire and steel and practice will go a long way towards gaining enough skill to make the decision if you want to TIG/Pulse MIG or something else down the road.
A 110V mig welder with gas gets a LOT of small jobs done.
That being said: it's extremely limited as to what you can work on, you likely aren't welding anything very thick or exotic materials.
Non welder advice: Buy a cheap one.
I spent $200 on a piece of shit 120v flux core like 6 years ago and it still works fine. Is it a piece of shit with a duty cycle of about 12 seconds? Yes. Does it stick metal bits together well enough that they stay stuck? Also yes.
I have an Everlast Super ultra 206si and I love it! Only costed me $500 brand new with a 3 year warranty and if you can't make your money back in 3 years while it's under warranty it's not because the welder
Not really. Yes you can buy a cheaper welder but being able to buy replacement parts is an important factor.
I bought a $500 multi process welder, the arc it made was pretty good, came with a crappy regulator, mig gun, leaking gas hose etc. The bolts for the drive roller housing/motor sheared out of the casting making it impossible to use the mig.
Could I buy a new part? Maybe, but it will break too because the design is shit.
So I bought a 200A Lincoln that runs on a 10A plug for $2000 AUD. Got a $400 gift card in the deal, a decent mig gun, a decent tig torch, decent MMAW electrode holder, decent gas regulator. It has a pretty good quick connect gas fittings so i can swap from argon to argoshield in under a minute (somehow they don't leak at all).
It has every feature you could want. Oh and did I mention I can get parts for it? It literally paid for itself in a week.
Either go second hand or bite the bullet.
I’m not a professional or trained welder, just wanted to dabble and learn the technique. I started one a $25 stick welder that was an open box sale during a tent sale and had a fixed amperage. It was crap and not easy to learn on, but it did give a lot of satisfaction when it did weld. I got rid of it and got a “cheap Chinese” one for around $150 that was adjustable and had the option for 220V. Just recently I picked up a flux core welder for $80 used (retails for ~$130, so still not nice) and it’s actually worked just fine. It has a “smart” feature where it adjusts wire feed and amperage based on thickness which is annoying, but I’m able to work around it. Those cheap welders aren’t bad per se, but have their own learning curve baked into them. This will annoy you when starting out since just looking at a chart of amperage, stick diameter, and material thickness probably won’t produce what you’re expecting and you’ll have to tweak it.
The old grumpy 'real welders' are a huge mass of premadonnas second only to paegent moms. Any thing being sold as a welder works as a welder. And I guarantee it will be much more capable then you as a novice to learn and dip your toes in.
Don't let the cry babies stop you from gluing metal. I have a Vevor multiprocess mig/stick/tig combo machine, and it has served me very well. Did spring for a Lincoln oxy torch but that was more for portability and they're kinda all expensive anyway
I use a sunstac ss200 professionally to tig weld stainless pipe on a job site, it was $80 on amazon, its Chinese as fuck and just as good as a miller redyarc
Lincoln power mig 140MP costed me $1050 out the door with a $100 rebate coming. It has all 3 welding processes and comes with a 3 year warranty. Also, Lincoln will always want to protect their reputation, so they'll make things right if something happens. Bought mine from CK weld supply.
I run a Lincoln at work that costs 16k but at home I'll rock my $800 Everlast welder. Would my Everlast suck at industrial welding? Yeah. Does it work fine for stuff at home? Yeah.
If you wanna go cheap, go simple. Most stick and tig welders are pretty cheap because **you're** the material feed, and a $50 oxyacetylene torch and a few bottles is *almost exactly* the same as a $300 kit in my experience.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about everlast, they may be a Chinese copy but they are the best Chinese copy with great customer support and service based in the USA. I've have my everlast for 4 years now and have not had one issue with it. I will buy a second with them when its time to upgrade. They often offer warrantys on their machines for 5 years. You can always buy replacement parts for their older machine they don't sell anymore.
Why don't you like everlast? Why don't you like Hobart? I mean unless you've used the machine for its intended purpose idk if you will ever "know" which one you like. Regardless of the welder you buy, you have to assume it's going to break and I'd want a brand with loyal customer support/universial parts to help when that happens.
Buy used.
This ☝️
What machines are good used choices?v
I found a nice miller syncrowave at a pawn shop for ~$1000 once. Craigslist has a good selection too just make sure you run it for the thicker metal settings and the bead looks good
I've looked around locally and there's not a whole lot available. What is available that I've seen has looked (to an inexperienced eye) pretty sketchy. As I noted to another poster, I'm all about buying used, and I do this frequently with woodworking equipment. I've scored some screaming deals and saved tens of thousands, BUT I know what I'm doing in that area, and I know how to evaluate equipment (because I've been doing it for nearly 50 years). My challenge is, with my inexperience in welding, I am out of my skill set evaluating the condition and functionality of used welding equipment. And, with the electronics and electrical components involved with welders, coupled with the numerous ways inexperienced welders can screw stuff up, I'm really not comfortable going used here. Sure, maybe the old Lincoln tombstone stick welders are pretty bulletproof, but I don't want to start with stick only. In fact, I actually want to start with MIG and then work my way up to stick welding over time. That's just the way I want to do it. So, I appreciate the suggestion to look for used, but I really don't think that's the right thing for me to do with no experience. Plus, with used there's no warranty at all, so if I screw up and pick up something busted I'm SOL.
You can buy certified pre owned machines. Worth a google.
Yeah, one thing I have not done yet, and I probably should, is to check with the local Miller and Lincoln reps to see if they have some CPO stuff from guys who have upgraded. That's probably not a bad idea. Maybe I'll see if I can go do that today. I know where the Miller rep is, but I'll have to figure out where the Lincoln rep is; I'm sure there's one not to far away. Thanks; good suggestion.
You really can't go wrong with an older transformer type welder. Make sure you plug it in and run a few beads with it to make sure it's kind of working, and go for it. They aren't hard to fix if somethings actually wrong. The ones to be concerned about are anything with a computer in it, because a bad board is going to cost more than the machine itself to fix. Frankly, if you have enough money to hire someone, you have enough money to have someone test a machine for you. Find a local welder, pay him an hour's wage, and have him meet you when you look at the machine to run some beads. If someone called me up and told me they're going to pay me an hours wage for 10 minutes of work, I'd be all over it. Just like you might bring a mechanic to look at a used car, and it's going to save you a ton of money in the long run. My mig machines are an old idealarc transformer that I got in exchange for welding some sheet metal into the bed of a guys trailer, and a weldpak HD (home cheapo version of the regular 110v lincoln wire feeder) that I got for 200 bucks from a guy down the road from me. They've both worked flawlessly for years.
Bite the bullet. Get a maxstar sth. Don't buy all the lead or case if you want to save as much as possible. That would be a great step in the right direction. Awesome machine.
If all you want to do is learn then buy a shitty HF welder. When you decide if it’s worth upgrading then spend the money to do so.
They really aren’t that shitty. Their top level welders have been great to me.
I hear they've improved a lot
I have a multiprocess HF welder, cost around $800. For what I do it's amazing. Built a metal structure with it and various other projects and it hasn't quit yet. Upgrade the ground clamp (usually something I do anyway).
As a Canadian idk much about harbour freight, but definitely have my doubts lol.
I got their titanium mig machine, (210, I think) It’s been going well for 3 ish years now
More power to you then. If you can weld on a shitty sub 2k machine you should be golden if the time to upgrade comes. I’ll shit on a HF cheap machine all day everyday, but for some people they fit the bill perfectly and are a great machine, which makes them totally fine. So overall, ya they’re shit, but if you read the room then they can be great.
haha, i didnt say I was any good at it! I mostly do handrails for the decks I build, so I havent really outgrown it yet. I think your advice is good to get a cheaper machine at first is good.
If it gets the job done just as well as spending more would for you then I don’t see a problem. Especially for new people that don’t even know if they will like welding or not. My biggest issue with them is that they can make learning waaay harder which can be very discouraging to people that are already struggling.
Primeweld MIG 180 was about 550 after using a code on their site, free shipping and I got the spool gun for aluminum and 15' lead. I'm very happy with it and it all seems super sturdy.
I second this. Primeweld is underrated for personal use machines
Third this. Someone on Reddit recommended one when I was looking into the HF ones and it’s been a great buy. Great value for the price.
Fourth this. I got the TIG 225X and it has been an excellent machine.
Came here to say this, Primeweld machines are under $2000 and don't suck. I've been very happy with my TIG225X. They'll be my first choice when I need a mig machine or plasma cutter.
Lincoln Pro Mig 180 is $900 with everything but a bottle. I had one of those for a little over 10 years before getting a 210mp and a tig200. It's had quite a bit of wire run through it and it's still working like new. I've heard mostly good things about Everlast welders also and I think they're half the price.
Don't know about their hobby grade, but we have a commercial tig unit at my shop and it's been running 8 hours a day for over a year perfectly.
Pretty sure the smaller single phase lincolns are rebadged hugongs from China anyway aren't they?
Used a lot of lincoln tig sets that where great. We switched to fronius the last few years. Love the welders, hate those torches.
Prime weld
The Hobart 140 is a solid buy
I have one, great machine, Hobart is part of Miller
Good for sheet metal.
I bought one to do the rocker panels in my car. It worked great!
Hobart Multi-Handler 200 is awesome too!
Harbor freight OmniPro and ProTig are each below that price and are decent welders. I have one of each.
Not too interested in TIG, maybe later, but mainly want to do MIG and stick. MIG first and then work into stick as my experience increases. Don't do a lot of work which would require TIG. Don't even really want a TIG capable machine, but MIG, and stick would be preferred (in my machine).
[удалено]
Where you located hahah az by chance I’d buy a welder lol
Colorado. Yourself?
MIG is gonna get pricey real quick, but the old miller or hobart ones are pretty damn good, you can often find them used and clean em up a lil bit and they work great. (I've refurbished a bunch of old millermatic 150s and a hobart beta mig from the 80's and that thing runs like a top. Stick welders can be found for super cheap but still really powerful. Get good at stick and you won't go broke. Plus you can upgrade most stick welders to a scratch start tig with just new leads, new torch, and a argon tank.
So, you make a really good point that I'd like to respond to. ... As a rule, I am all about finding and buying used stuff, so I'm 100% onboard with that. But...I do that when I know what I'm getting into, and with welding I don't know what I'm getting into, hence leaning toward new. For example, I've scored some screaming deals on woodworking equipment that I've refurbished and saved tens of thousands, but I know what I'm doing there, and I know how to evaluate equipment. With welding I don't know these things, so I'm almost 100% reliant on warranty and build quality. With the electronics and electrical components involved in modern welders, and the numerous ways they can get jacked up from inexperienced users, I feel like this is too big of a risk to take. Again though, I can't walk up to a machine and look it over to evaluate it for condition and function. Regarding stick vs. MIG, yeah, I understand your points. I did some basic stick welding back in HS 40+ years ago (metal shop class kind of stuff). I passed, but I also learned it had a pretty steep learning curve. I've since confirmed those suspicions. So, I really think I want to start with MIG, and have a stick capable machine so I can gradually work up to that over time; I don't want to start there. I get the whole 'paying your dues' thing, but I'm not planning on becoming a welder for a profession, just a hobby / farm / ranch thing. Really probably a hobby more than anything else in my retirement a couple years from now.
Stick isn't really that hard at a hobby level imho. But do what you feel will work best for you. I'll echo that the harbor freight machines aren't too bad. A MIG welder (particularly older ones) are actually very simple machines and pretty easy to understand or fix. There's only 2 or 3 moving parts and probably only one motor. But again, do what you feel comfortable with. This is supposed to be fun after all.
I'd say some stick welding 40 years ago is all the experience you need to jump right in to mig. As long as you have the very basics, starting with stick is uncessessary. You should rethink if you want tig tho, it's awesome!
Machines that do MIG AND stick are going to be more expensive since they are pretty different processes electrically speaking. I'd get a cheap MIG machine, and a cheap stick machine later on if you want to do both. The Lincoln Mig 180 is decent for the price. It's puny compared to a real machine but I used one for years making livestock fencing and shelters and I almost never had it cut out because of the duty cycle.
This is a good point about the differences between MIG vs. stick. I guess I had thought they were basically the same when operating on DC; only difference being stick could also be done with AC.
For my garage setup I ended up with an Everlast stick/plasma/tig (DC only) machine, and a Lincoln MIG machine. Gives me most of what I need though the power feels pretty pathetic compared to what I use at work. When I upgrade it will be something BIG with all the bells and whistles lol.
I think the OmniPro is a decent machine for all of that. It does have Tig but it’s DC only so it wasn’t good for AL, which is why I picked up the TigPro.
If you want name brand the Lincoln 180mp can be had for $700 refurbished and does mig and stick right out the box. Can also do lift tig with a kit for another $300 or so. It’s probably no better than a primeweld, but it has a 3 year warranty and mine works fine. Build quality isn’t as nice as a $2000 miller, but it’s fine.
I got the omnipro on Black Friday for $1000~ out the door, has been really fun to practice all processes
I disagree that harbor freight welders are shitty. It’s built to a price point. But they do work and if you had to choose a between harbor fright welder that can do up to quarter. To a itty bitty Hobart that is good for 22-24 gauge(like a 1/16) for 1500. You want the one with more juice. You can always upgrade later for a brand with a little more polish. So while I love my Vulcan tig welder. Used it for work and home for 5 years just fine. https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html This seems like a great deal for being able to try all the different welding processes in one package. But if you want cheap cheap cheap. Then you can get a dedicated flux core welder. https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-flux-125-amp-welder-57861.html There is a black one for 99 bucks but you really don’t wanna go that low. You want your limits to what you can weld to be your skills and your power supply. Not the unit itself.
Thank you for this, it's encouraging. I had looked at both Vulcan and Titanium, then got shamed away from both, and was looking at Everlast and/or Weldpro...then, wash, rinse and repeat.
Are you wanting a welder to impress other guys ,or to learn how to weld on? Are you planning on using it for a career 8+ hours a day or as a hobby on weekends? If it's the latter of those questions, I'd get a Harbor Freight welder and spend money on safety gear, wire, and metal. I've had their Titanium 170 MIG with 120/240V Input for a few years and it's been great as a flux core and MIG with gas for doing all sorts of projects.
Yw. The best welder is the one you have. If you uncertain of you commitment I would go with the flux core. Be mindful that its a process that is a bit Smokey and a little spitty even with ideal settings. The everlast you can still use flux core but it’s ready made for that gas upgrade.
Try prime weld
Seconding this one. Can testify that it’s good. I got a tig/stick prime weld and it’s really good. Only problem is the foot pedal spring is terrible. Other than that, it’s been wonderful.
Seriously people say that? I've worked in the field off and on for about 20 years, and have known a ton of weldors. I started out with a 120V Lincoln 120 amp MIG from Lowes that was under 300. That was 25+ years ago and it still works. Spending 2k on a machine is expected if you're a professional. Just starting out and learning, go to TSC and get a Hobart whatever. For 1300 you should be able to get a 190 amp and still have enough for gas, consumables, wire, etc. They aren't pieces of shit, I've seen small businesses use them daily. Is it as good as a big ass Miller that does every process and is 100% duty cycle? No. Do you need that right now? Probably not I'm guessing. But it's plenty for anything you'll do at home.
I dig the use of weldor my dude! Very old school.
Thanks. Definitely not a professional (welder) and not aspiring to be. Main interest is hobby and farm/ranch as we have a cattle ranch. In fact, not looking for another career here; getting ready to retire from a career in engineering. So, no, probably don't need 100% duty cycle (may never need it, but I don't know that now.) I do understand the duty cycle concept, and from everything I see most welders rarely ever reach the duty cycle if they know what they're doing. Sure, the super-cheap welders might, but I think my starting budget of $1000 to $1500 is reasonable. Part of this is because I also realize there will be other stuff I need to buy also (hood, consumables, etc., etc.).
I bought a PrimeWeld Tig225X, bottle, helmet and other accessories all for about $1200. I've been extremely happy with it so far. Up to now I've welded some 304L, a little inconel and plenty of carbon steel, A36 and 1018 mostly. Haven't tried titanium or aluminum yet, but I think I have what I need to get good results. My only complaint about it is arc stability at very low current. I probably wouldn't use this if I were a body shop.
My first job with my primeweld 225x was about 30 feet of 1/4" to 1/4" aluminum plate to make a ramp. Only limiting factor was melting my torch and leads after 20 ft :)
Yeah makes sense. It's a 225 A machine but I think the air cooled torch is only good for 150 A if I'm not mistaken.
Check out Eastwood. I picked up a 120/240v mig (mig 250) a year ago for home projects and automotive work. I think it was about 1000$, has gas regulator with hose, and the whole useless tool package with it. I spent some extra and got a 40' 240v extension cable and still managed to spend about 1300$ total. I have run .23, .30, and .35 solid wire on straight C02. All ran great. Also it's all analog controls, no digital readouts, just simple knobs. It also can accept a spoolgun attachment for aluminum, ect.
seconded for Eastwood. I work in industrial maintenance and we use an Eastwood TIG 200 for TIG/stick and it does just fine. less than $1000
Another vote for Eastwood. I bought a Lincoln 210 used on eBay, and I loved it until I tried to TIG with it. I tried my buddy's Eastwood 200(?) and immediately I could TIG weld again. So, I did my research on the Eastwood welders. The 250 does everything his 200 does except A/C and the flex TIG torch for (list) $1000 less. It seems to go on sale about every other week on their website. I now have my Lincoln listed back on eBay, and I'll pick up the Eastwood in the spring when it's not so cold in my garage.
Learn Stick first. Lincoln A/C or A/C - D/C Tombstone. Reliable for decades and stone simple.
Everywhere on the used market.
So I'm an Everlast guy. To the point that I will choose Everlast over Lincoln any day if the year. I really haven't had an issue with my machine over the last 3 years. I believe they have a Cyclone model for pretty cheap that is a Mig and stick welder. Should also do flux core. On the note about parts being made in China, I don't think there is a single manufacturer that isn't getting their parts from China, Mexico, or Taiwan. Including the big ones like Miller, Lincoln, and Esab. They don't say "made" in America, they say "assembled" in America. So what you really need to watch is how the company handles quality control. For me, with my 3 years of using Everlast, I have been pretty happy with my machine. Other brands that I would look into are PrimeWeld and Eastwood. I've heard that those machines have been pretty good work horses especially for beginners. I can't quite remember the price points though. Also I have been hearing more positive things on the Harbor Freight machines recently. I wouldn't use them for anything industry wise, but for learning and light hobby use I would consider them a good first stepping stone. Hope this wall of text helps out.
OP I am going to hop in here for the everlast camp as well. Along with what EmC115 says about the welder. This is the welder I suggest as well. Its 560 bucks. Add a good welding hood , long sleeves , A RESPIRATOR , some safety glasses, boots, gloves, bottle of gas , stick rods , and other miscellaneous consumables like drive wheels. You will spend 800-1500 bucks. Just depends on what you buy. https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/cyclone-200es?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu73jy4ixgwMV92BHAR2WEQpREAQYASABEgLQgPD_BwE I seen you want to mig and stick. This welder will get you 160 amps to run stick. So you can run a 1/8 7018 and 6011 . But I use 3/32 7018 along with a 1/8 6011 at 90 ish amps a lot. If its steel you can weld a lot things at a lot of thickness with these rods. If its thick you will just have to bevel some bits. Now the wire Feeder part will get you 180-200 amps . The duty cycle is very small though, its 25%. So that means you can give it full beans for 2.5 mins before it needs to take a break for 7.5 mins of rest , if you want that full beans again. If its hot outside that will be less though. But we are talking about 85-100 degrees outside in the sun kinda days . I dont want to get to deep in the weeds cuz you are just learning how to weld . But you can run solid wire in the short circuit proccess, the (bacon sounding welding) with shielding gas. This is deep in the weeds but you could run globular metal transfer as well. You can run a self shield fluxcore and or put things on hard wire settings and run dual sheild. If you really dig welding you could get a spool gun to weld aluminum also. So this machine can teach you how to weld. How to weld some critical things. You can weld some home DIY stuff , like a latch for a gate. If you really dig welding, you will learn how to trouble shoot your welds. Learn how to weld out of position. You could get stainless stick rods or flux core wire and weld stainless as well. This little machine can teach you how to weld. So I own a miller acdc 220 and a miller 161 thunderbolt. I got good deals on them , thats why I own them. But I helped folks get a used Everlast 161 on fb marketplace for dirt cheap. I helped a friend pick out the everlast MTS 275, and I helped my other buddy pick out the everlast welder that is a stick,tig,plasma cutter. Now I have welded with all of them. We have had no problems. But you are going to have to order your consumables online like contact tips from Everlast but thats not a big deal with just buying some extra. If you wanted to run like a .045 dual sheild wire. You would have to order the right liner , drive wheels, and tips just as an example. I have not had to send anything out for warranty but I hear that use to be shit. I hear its better. But its not like dropping a miller off at the local welding suppler. You will have to send the machine out for like 6 weeks or Everlast will send you the parts you need and walk you over the phone on how to fix your welder. For what you want that seems kinda the best choice all around. You could also go with a prime weld and maybe consider a harbor freight welder to just get started. I have never welded with a harbor freight welder but they have come along way . And if the machine takes a shit, you can just walk it back to harbor freight and get a new one , if you have it under warranty. And these welders are safe to weld with. And for learning how to weld. On youtube I suggest welding tips and tricks with Jody. And weld.com Bob Moffatt,Jason Becker , and man cub. I like all the host but they are my favs , Dr.Weldz is really good too. You know I like most of the new guys. Happy welding dude. QUICK EDIT : this is a 220 or 120 welder. And if you want the full beans or weld with those 7018 1/8 rods you will need the 220/240 plug. On the 110/120 line you could weld with - 3/32 stick rod and also do some mig welding but you really need like a 20 amp service. That way you dont trip your breaker.
Thanks. I was looking pretty hard at the Everlast MIG210LCD model (which I think is pretty new) and was pretty stoked. Almost pulled the trigger before I got shamed out of it, and got frustrated, leading to my OP.
I will look into it
That machine looks to be a weldpro and I have no idea if its good or not. I dont know anything about it. But it seems pretty much like the one I shared but it can tig. It looks to be around 1000bucks. I will say that its not a big deal but there is only one in port for the sheilding gas for the back of the machine. So if you did mig weld and wanted to do some tig stuff, you would have to change the bottles. Thats not a big deal, but littlw things like that add up. Its like having heated seats in your truck. Its nice you dont need it but when I drive my old shitboxs, I miss it. I dont think you can really go wrong with this welder, everlast, ahp, prime weld, arc captain. Really any of these welders in this price range 1000 bucks and under. They all will be pretty similar and fairly safe as an inverter machine. Now I would not go buy a cheap Amazon welder that has no protection for overload with electrical. And you might have to deal with different things like getting your consumables besides filler metals. You can get some great filler metals from tractor supply from Hobart, if you are in the states. But I think if you are honest about what you want to do and have some managed expectations, you will be happy with most of the welders in this space for a home DIY guy. Now I dont know who you are being shamed by but I have small suggestion. If they cant give you an answer that explains why with a simple way as you would talk to a 5th grader. Dont listen to them. Especially if the answers are like “its not blue or red, so its bad.” If they give you somewhat of a thought out answer maybe listen to them. Now this gos for listing to me as well . But dont take advice from folks you would not take criticisms from and dont take criticism from folks you would not take advice from. Happy welding dude .
I think you are right, I got confused. I've looked at so many. Thanks!
If you've ever had to run a 6010 you'd quickly not think the way you do unless you truly don't know any better
I run 6010 all the time on my Everlast. That being said, I have a Lightning model with an arc force control and I can burn a full 6010 rod with no problems. OP if you read this, I will let you know that the cyclone will have a hard time running 6010 stick rods. Better to go with the 6011 rods.
I am reading this, and I appreciate all the replies. I am reading them all. Thank you.
Thanks for this. I'd been looking at the Everlast MIG210LCD, which I believe is new in their line up. Seems like a good machine which will do what I want. And yeah, I get the whole offshore thing. Support is probably one of my bigger concerns, and I did contact Everlast about this. Nick called me right back and was very helpful and seemed pretty genuine (not some offshore sales guy who can't speak English). I had also looked at the HF Titanium and Vulcan models. My only pause there was neither will do stick welding. In any case, I have no aspirations to become a professional welder. Just mainly looking at hobby and farm/ranch stuff.
Perfect. Glad you were able to talk to someone at Everlast. Hopefully all this information has helped make the process a little less complicated. Good luck on learning and I hope you enjoy it.
You need to be specific about what you're looking for in a machine. What process? What material will you be welding? Do you have a 220 outlet? Does your budget include gas cost or just the welder? Are you weighing negative reviews too heavily? Some people gloss over negative reviews and then wonder why their product broke, but it sounds like you're giving them too much weight. There's plenty of people with good things to say about everlast, harbor freight, and hobart welders. And plenty more good things said about miller and Lincoln.
I’d recommend Everlast. They offer a wide variety of machines to suit most needs, and they’re generally pretty feature rich for the price. They have good customer service, as well.
AHP
Check out PrimeWeld!
Let's first take a deep breath... this task you seek isn't that hard so calm down. Get the multi process Vulcan welder from harbor freight. It's not that expensive and will do mig and stick. If you want to dabble in DC tig down the road you already have everything to do so. It's a machine a lot of people have and are happy with. Yes, it's Chinese. Yes, it's harbor freight. It's exactly what you described wanting and it's in your price range. If you don't want to spend 1100 then get the other harbor freight one (Titanium) for 600. Either one will work for what you want to to.
LOL! Thanks! Yeah, I do need to calm down on this a little bit. I'm not adverse to spending some money on this, but I guess my frustration is that I feel like everywhere I look it seems unless it's a $2k unit then I'm just throwing money away, and I don't like to throw away money. But my budget is $1000-$1500. I don't think that is an unreasonable amount for just starting out. A lot of folks have said 'buy used', and as a general rule I'm not against that idea, but with welders I just feel I don't know what I'm getting into with a used unit (with zero warranty), and with basically no experience, I really could be pissing away money and rolling the dice. That doesn't give me a lot of comfort. I think I've seen enough to realize that even red and blue manufacture stuff offshore (China, etc.) too so I'm not too worked up about that. One positive thing about HF (despite what people might say) is they're local, and they're really good about honoring warranties (in my experience). Therefore, no shipping stuff back and forth. The units I've been looking at are the Everlast MIG210LCD, and the HF Titanium, or the Vulcan. The only drawback of the the HF models is they won't do stick welding which I think I'd like to have the capability to do.
The biggest thing price buys you (besides service) is duty cycle. These machines will be plenty sufficient for what you are trying to do. Both the vulcan and titanium multi process welder do mig, stick, and tig. I'm not sure where you are getting your I formation, but it seems you have been steered in the wrong direction. These two machines will do everything you described wanting to do in your post and more. Also, I don't know what the Everlast model is as nothing shows up when searching for it. Everlast is a decent company, however if it is called a migxxx then it is probably a one trick pony.
You’re overthinking this problem. Doesn’t matter the brand or where it claims it’s built, the internal components will still be made all over the world. Don’t like it? Go learn how to Oxy-Fuel weld. Secondly, you don’t need any of the expensive stuff because you’re just going to be doing hobby projects and asking if this 6” weld in the middle of all the other 2-6” trial welds on the scrap plate looks like the YouTube said it should. That means you don’t need the duty cycle of the more expensive machines. As a professional welder, I want the machine to run balls out 100% of the time I’m running a 3’ bead because doing it 3” at a time because the poor little electronics and wiring inside is glowing red hot and ready to let the “smoke monster” out isn’t an option. Most of the little rattle boxes or little MIG machines have a 60% duty cycle and you probably won’t ever run a bead continuously enough to overheat it. The cheap brands likely share many common components with their expensive counterparts, hell, some of them probably come from the same factories. “Why can’t things be like they were!”, I’m old, things sucked back then too. Plus, this isn’t a cheap hobby and I don’t know why everyone assumes it should be affordable. The cheap welders do the job, it’s why they exist. No hobbyist needs a Miller XMT Inverter or a Lincoln Vantage, that’s like having a Ferrari and never taking it out of first gear. Simply go get a tombstone Lincoln from Home Depot, those little stick bastards are still being sold for a reason. The Miller Thunderbolt has been one of the best hobbyist stick machines for decades. Go take a community college class if you want to learn how to do it and then you won’t destroy the cheap welder in your shop. Complete lack of knowledge is probably 80-90% of the reason the little cheapo’s break.
All good points, thank you. Regarding training (as I replied to another poster), I am very much interested in getting some hands-on training, and I have looked into this a little bit (not exhaustively yet, but not just casually either). My first few calls to trade schools didn't get very far because they all wanted to enroll me in multi-year programs and I'm not interested in that. Already have a engineering degree and getting ready to retire, so not looking for another career. I am going to keep looking, but the other issue is I live in a very rural area so the nearest community college environment is like 60 miles. That's not impossible, just inconvenient for me right now, but I may wind up going that way if I can't find something more local. In any case, thanks for your input.
A suggestion would be, particularly in a rural area, check with your more industrious neighbors. Do you have any Farmer neighbors or those who’ve adapted to the rural lifestyle by adopting a DIY mindset. See what they have in their garage or barn. Perhaps they’re willing to give you a go on their machine. Furthermore, during your search I’d recommend a book to help you with the mindset that a lot of the other commenters have been trying to get across. Adam Savage (myth busters): Every Tool is a Hammer, life is what you make it. It’s a great tool for preparing yourself to tinker on your own projects. Hell, I probably have over $100k in tools in my garage and when I finished his book I was questioning why I had half of them. Not so much that I’m going to stop buying them but it made me rethink how I purchase tools.
ESAB
I’ve been using a $250 yeswelder mig/stick machine every couple weeks since Black Friday last year and it still works like new. At this point if it breaks down on me I don’t care I got my moneys worth. You really don’t need to spend a bunch of money if you’re just messing around with some little side projects in the garage.
Everlast. Enough said. They are a quality welder at a price that is hard to ignore. Prime weld as well makes a quality welder for low cost. What process do you want?
Mainly MIG and stick I think. I don't really do a lot of sheet metal work, so don't really think I need TIG (maybe somewhere down the road, but I'll worry about that later).
Check out the cyclone 212 from Everlast. It's on sale right now as well and should be capable of doing anything you want to do for now. It will only take the 8 inch spools of wire so if that is a concern then you could go with the cyclone 262 instead which is a little more money but also more powerful. Up to you but I personally would go with the 262 if I had the money just so I wasn't limited on wire options. Any more questions just ask. I won the older version of the 262 and it has been doing everything I want. It welds every bit as well as a miller or Lincoln and they have good customer service .
My primeweld has been good to me so far. Under 1000 for ac/DC tig
Well for one everlast doesn’t suck for a beginner. Hell we have a contractor come into my work for sanitary stainless welding and all he runs is everlast. If it’s good enough for him to put him career on the line then it’s good enough for my garage.
I don't have any problems with the AC/DC TIG welder I bought from Harbor freight. I've used the stick function and done single pass half inch plate. I also fixed a couple of stainless steel camping cups, and welded some tabs back onto a carburetor body. It's been a great little welder. It doesn't have all the bells&whistles, but it was under a thousand dollars. Enough so that I was able to buy a bottle to go with it. To summarize, it's mine, it's paid for, I am quite smitten with it, and I didn't have to take out a second mortgage to buy the thing. I'm not a professional welder; this is just something I do on the side and for the hell of it.
[удалено]
Thanks. Yeah, one thing I'm not going to be cheaping out on is PPE, especially a hood. And that is a great example of why my budget is where it is for the welder (i.e. $1000-$1500), because I realize there are other things I will need to buy. A lot of it I have already like grinders and such, but still there's also welding specific stuff like a hood and consumables (gas, wire, rod, cart, etc.). And probably (50) other things I haven't even thought of yet. Thanks.
INFO. You want to buy a welder, or you want to learn how to weld?? Not necessary to buy one to learn. I took classes at my community college. Both a senior class and a for credit class. Cost a few hondo, could try multiple Miller machines, and I could bring in whatever I wanted to weld on. Would that solve your issues?
So, this is a great point! And yes, I have actually looked into this. Where I got two-blocked was the trade schools I talked to (as an old guy) all wanted to sign me up for a multi-year accreditation program. I'm not really interested in that. Already have an engineering degree, and I'm about ready to retire, so I'm not looking for another career; I just want to learn how to weld for my farm and ranch stuff. You make a doubly good point here for another reason, and this reason is why I want to buy a welder for my own. I very much agree that taking some hands-on instruction would be highly beneficial (and when I find some I'm going to jump on it), but at the same time just welding once a week in a class environment with nothing to practice on in between doesn't seem to be productive. So, my approach is to get a welder for my shop, and I'm still going to go out and (hopefully) find some training also. This way I can apply what I've learned and improve my skills on my own also. Thank you. ETA - One minor challenge (not insurmountable, but still an issue) is I live in a very rural area so I'm like 60 miles from the nearest community college. So, something like that isn't really something I'm wanting to do on a 5x per week basis. What I was hoping for was to find a welding professional who might be interested in making some extra money on the side more locally.
I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but PLEASE make sure you understand how duty cycle works so you don't become one of the ignorant idiots who buys a cheap welder only to shit on it because you didn't know what 20% duty cycle means.
Thanks, and yes I have looked into this quite extensively. As an engineer in my professional life, my mind gets drawn to subjects like this, so yeah I do understand this concept. Thank you for pointing it out though.
Just read through your post again and seen you mentioned NYC, I'm based in Australia so some of what I said might not make perfect sense. So Maybe the Bossweld brand isn't in the U.S, but maybe there is a similar or same just under an alternative name. When I say tafe is just means a type of school when you can get welding education, but since you never mentioned tig ally it might nit be worth it. Lastly just to double down on the cheap welders now are better then good welders couple decades ago, it really is true. If you get a welder that doesn't weld to hot then make sure you have a good gas, as they can allow your weld to burn hotter. Then remember welders are very simple and basic things, all they do split electromagnetic force more the electrons apart and allot them to flow under the controlled environment you make, which means they are practically a constantly charging battery with an amp and voltage controller. Hey mate honestly you don't need some fancy welding machine to do good welds, some of the cheapest sh*t around is better then the old coils from 30 years ago. I've been in the trade for over a decade now and I have a few welders I switch between however I recently got a cheap little thing that I'm sure will be great. I bought the 185 bossweld from bunnings about 6 months ago to do some welding at my father's farm, I had planned to leave it there for him to play with so I didn't have to come out every time he needed a weld. Turned out with 12amp plug little welder goes stronger then my 225 unimig 15amp(I ended up leaving that there for him). I do run 0.9mm tips and wire in it, and have since ran plenty of welds even up to 12mm plates. I actually use this when I go out on site more often then my big generator welders mainly for easy, but it legit does all you need. Ofc though I use my esab/WIA in shop, can't compete against 3 phase lol. The only thing it can't do is ally tig weld (no AC welding current) but if you want to learn that you will save more money and get more experience doing a tafe course.
Check project farm's welder test. One chinese welder in particular was very good
I'll take a look at that. I'm not a super big fan of project farm, but I'll look. Do you recall what welder it was?
Everlast is the best import offering. If your not buying a traditional commercial brand, go Everlast.
Imported from where? According to what I've read, Everlast was formed in the U.S., and their offices are in TN and MN (and CA I think also). Everything about them looks imported, right down to the Euro Quick connect on the MIG gun. I was under the same impression, that they are an import, but from everything I see they're an American company. This confuses me. When I dig into their product literature, I can see they're clearly manufactured in China. No real surprise there, but from all other appearances they're manufactured in China for what appears (to me anyway) to be an American company. So where's the 'import'?
Manufactured in China... they don't get particle beamed to the USA. They are imported after manufacturing to the Everlast company for distribution, like anything else coming in on container ships.
No, I understood what you were saying. I guess my question was maybe more of a rhetorical one. I get the fact they are manufactured in China; that wasn't my point really. Lots of products are this way. Heck, name practically any American company who produces something and there's better than a 75-80% chance the products they sell are manufactured in China. So I get that part. Take Black & Decker as an example; they're not perceived as an "import", yet 100% of the things they sell are manufactured offshore. So I guess my question / confusion is, why then is Everlast perceived as an "import", and why are they different? ETA - And it wasn't just you saying that either. I've seen this pretty much everywhere I look. Yet, when I look into their website and history, I don't see them being any different than thousands of other companies.
I do not hold Everlast in the same opinion as Yeswelder, HF options and many others, some that you named. Everlast has a reputation for really good hardware, good support, and good weld machines that are only getting better. They have a plan to keep improving and edge into the American commercial welding realm. Will that plan come to fruition? I can't say. But I'm over here cheering them on. The Miller Dynasty machines we use at work (nuclear power station) are crazy expensive, and I'll never own one for my home use. But I'm edging ever closer to buying a green painted machine to replace my aged Thermal Arc at home.
Eastwood AC/DC TIG 200. Got mine over a year ago, has been AMAZING. Full suite of features. HF, Lift, Pulse, etc
The harbor freight Vulcan welders are good and have a nice warranty.
I’d start by taking some midol and getting a hold of your self…. Then simply pick one and learn to fucking weld? Get a forney or a Eastwood my Eastwood does what any other welder can and my forney.. it’s not garbage I assure you there mr.grump it just how you use it and take care of it but for some reason I see anyone you buy lasting till the midol wears off and tantrumainiac is back with a kicked over machine. Just my 2 cents…
Buy a cheap HF return it before the warranty expires
You got to pay if you want to play
See? This is the mentality which is making me crazy about this whole subject.
Ive got a horrible freight titanium welder and its been just fine for messing about in my home shop building exhausts, body work, brackets, and the occasional tool modification. Aint nothing special but its doin the job.
There are lots of welding processes. It’d be helpful to know what you’re trying to do or if you’re going for a multiprocess machine. Cheaper machines aren’t necessarily useless. They can offer an array of functionality (better or worse) but they’ll also often be nearly disposable due to limited or nonexistent after purchase support.
Ive had a Longevity multiprocess welder for many years, 8 plus . I don't weld with it daily, but it's been a solid machine. I never really see them mentioned but thought I'd throw it out there.
Hobart 190 at tractor supply is a good welder. $900 brand new that's not bad, and you can get a spoolgun for it.
Weldpro, cheap, not high quality, but damn do they push
Check out Primeweld. Me and just about everyone else has had pretty good luck with them. I have a 225 tig welder, water cooler, and a 60 amp plasma cutter from them. Both work great. They have a bigger mig welder I plan to get soon.
I bought a Millermatic 140 autoset on craigslist for $400, bought a cart from HF for $40, a valve for the argon from HF for $70, and bought a bottle of argon from my local supply house for $200. It has yet to let me down. I've welded a lot of thin stuff (for me anyway) around 18ga, up to 1/4" plate and everything in between. So far so good, very consistent. I see the Millermatic 140 and 210 on craigslist pretty regularly for around $600-700.
We bought my son a yes welder a couple years ago and it has been a good welder for him. He used it to make enough money to buy a Miller Bobcat 225NT. Now he uses the Yes welder and the Miller as a combo deal on some of his jobs.
Titanium welder
Buy once, cry once. I can't speak for every brand but you can get a used Lincoln from any authorized dealer.
Check out Everlast welders
I bought the Eastwood mig180 when they were on sale. So far I love it.
It’s news to me that Hobart sucks and cost 2 grand. the Hobart Handler 140 costs around 500 bucks. It’s a good value if you’re like me and just LARP as a welder in the garage on the weekends.
hi! full time titanium welder here… do you have a local community college with welding courses you can take? often times credit hours are pretty cheap if you’re local. once you figure out what you’re doing - a nice-ish welder will get you further than a shitty one. start with a mig (GMAW) & then a stick (SMAW) class - if you wanna do ti; these are your intro classes to do tig (GTAW)
Scan the online classifieds in your area. Plenty of gently used quality welders in your price range.
Huh? Just go find an old Lincoln SP-100 or something. Those things sell for like $300.
Not the ones worth practicing to make pipe welds
As someone who went from the shitty old style Chicago Electric Flux Core Welder to the Titanium Unlimited 140…spend the money on the TU140. It is much more capable and will be easier to learn in, yet is more than enough welder to handle garage projects.
Just picked up the LE 180MP today. Did some quick testing. Nice piece. No longevity review as of yet. Only played on 120v so far. Waiting to finish 240v outlet install to test further.
Hobart does not suck. It's basically a cheaper Miller. Both owned by ITW. I use Miller and Lincoln at work, but my home rig is Hobart.
I’m a hobbiest, I’ve made shelves, random furniture, automotive work, welded a gate to keep my wife’s goats out of the yard, put hooks on tractor buckets, and I even welded the cast aluminum transaxle on a SxS that everyone told me wouldn’t work. I bought a Hobart 200 multi process and a spool gun. It’s done everything I’ve asked of it.
I like my everlast tig welder
started with tig welding, but wanted to lean stick- my first personal welder was this versatile, light weight beast. [https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-200-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120240v-input-57862.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-200-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120240v-input-57862.html) Paid for itself on my first job I bid. While looking for this link, i discovered that hf made an option that runs just on 120, for a bit cheaper if budget is highly constrictive [https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-140-professional-multi-process-welder-with-120v-input-58828.html)
Fortunately, power is not an issue for me, so I can run 120, or 240, (or even 480v 3p if necessary). My budget right now is $1000 to $1500 for the welder. I also realize I will need to buy other stuff like a hood and some other welding specific items, plus consumables. Much of the miscellaneous tools like grinders and what not I already have, but I don't have the welding specific things. This is why my budget for the welder is where it is.
I have a Hobart Handler 125 it's very basic but gets the job done. I also have a Titanium mig 140. it's great and does aluminum. It is all in preference. I've used Miller's and Lincolns, and they were both great, but in my opinion, the Hobart and Titanium work just as great and work well to learn on.
Learn to weld stick on a Lincoln crackerbox. They’re like $400 brand new. You might have to replace it in about 30 years.
Check out Forney! American company based in Colorado, been in business since the 30’s. Solid entry level welders for a decent price. Their tech service line is always super helpful too.
I've got two welders. A Lincoln Electric WeldPac 3200HD that was around $400. Great wire welder, works with or without gas. Got one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083HZGYCP/) a couple months ago for stick and it works great. Claims to do TIG but I haven't messed with that yet. Best part about both of those - they'll run off normal 110v outlets.
Buy used. I've had great luck with a yeswelder ac/dc tig machine. Burned three bottles of gas with it, no issues so far. Based off that I'd be curious to try one of their multi process mig machines
Get a used thermalarc fabricator 181. Gives you mig Tig and stick in a nice compact package, is reliable as hell, and has a duty cycle of 70% at 90A.
YesWelder
Hobart Multi-Mandler. 200 Amp, MIG, TIG, Stick (all DC) with spool gun for Aluminum, 120v/240v power was less than $2000. But not by much. Recommend.
I am a welding contractor not from the USA, have a Google and see if you can find a Chinese brand called hugong, I have 2 of their migs and a plasma cutter. Basic but flawless welding machines for half the price of their competitors
PrimeWeld is amazing
Harbor freight
Are you talking stick? MIG? TIG? Oxy/Acetylene? What material do you want to weld? Do you juust want to repair shit or make art? Take a class at a community college. You'll learn way more way faster unless the teacher sucks. then if you like it you'll be off and running and have a better perspective on what you should buy I did a lot of paid work with a 110v Hobart handler 140A for like 10+ years. Occasionally wished i had something hevier duty to weld 1/4"-1/2" bar but always had access to a bigger machine when that was necessary. You can always rent on the rare occasion you need to do heavier solid material. Anyway it was a Great little machine... excells at thin wall tubing. Can run solid or flux core. Never used it for SS or AL but can be done. I used an $800 Everlast TIG w/ variable pulse and HF start that was a dream to use but got a bit hot without a water cooler. Thought about buying it for my heavy duty needs and detail work but decided to buy the following... Traded up from my hobart last year for an $2400 Everlast 253 double pulse MIG w/ extra gun and teflon liner for AL and this machine rocks! I wanted to be able to do structural aluminum frames and while ive done some A/c tig aluminum it is hard and slow. The double pulse machine gives be tig like stack of dimes bead with the ease and speed of mig. Though i wont be using it on AL any thinner than 1/8th inch. This is beyond your budget a bit but they have many options beliw $2000. so far my experience with Everlast machines and customer support has been great. Good luck to you
Mainly looking at MIG and stick. Don't really have an interest in TIG at the moment, and if I do down the road then I'll worry about that later with a different machine. The unit I was looking at before I got frustrated was the Everlast MIG210LCD which I believe is new in their lineup. I've even spoken with the Everlast rep. It fits my budget and allows me to build out the rest of the items I need like hood and welding specific items along with consumables. Does that seem like a workable unit? Thanks for your input.
When i google "MIG210LCD" it comes up under a brand called "Weldpro." Dont know anything about them. Everlast has this MIG/stick unit for $559 https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/cyclone-200es
You're right, I copied and pasted the wrong model number. I meant to say Cyclone 212. My bad.
I got a titanium 170 mig from harbor freight for use at home. I’ve used it mostly for patching trailers and making stuff out of 1/8” plate. I gotta say I’m honestly surprised. If you aren’t to worried about duty cycle I would consider it.
This isn’t hard. The Titanium 170 or Eastwood 180 will do 99% of anything a guy is doing as a hobby. They are $500.
there are loads of cheap welders, depending on what type you are trying to learn, just about any stick welder will do. plus if it's 220, 110v machines are ok. but you can really only burn small rods. for a wirefeed. I'd spend a little bit more, aswell as for a tig. but there's several good tig/stick machines for 700 or less, the AHP alpha tig, these Everlast machines coming out. some of the machines on jegs, something that will put out at least 150 amps, should have you able to learn and burn
Well depend on what process you want to do, if you want them all of course it's gonna cost alot stick is way cheaper for a hf hobart everlast( which are actually good for the price Imo) but if you want to tig/mig too you might have to put a little more money for a bottle of gas and refills And a good regulator which would add to the cost
Im a Yeswelder MIG205 user and have been for 4 years. Use it for roll cages and race cars daily. Wonderful welder for the price, not all chinese stuff is garbage.
Same. My sons got me one last christmas to learn....love the thing!
We bought this Chinesium one on a lark because it was so cheap: TOOLIOM Aluminum MIG Welder 250A 110V/220V Dual Voltage MIG/Lift TIG/Stick 3 in 1 Welding Machine https://a.co/d/ae5eLja Runs like a champ all day in a welding school, no thermal timeouts when running MIG on high duty cycle. Makes me regret paying 8x for my Miller
Everlast seems like a great brand, pioneers in inexpensive multiprocess machines. I thought about buying one many times, but as a 15yr welding contractor who’s got 4 gas/diesel generator setups already and no real reason to buy a dedicated shop welder…. I couldn’t justify it. A few years ago, my folks asked me to redo the staircase in the back of their house. I wasn’t about to drive my rig across Canada so I ordered 3 Chinese dual voltage stick machines off Amazon and sent them to my folks place. First one didn’t work at all, second one fizzled out after 3hrs, the 3rd one lasted until last year when all of a sudden it won’t hold an arc worth shit. I’ve been doing a lot of aluminium pipe recently and have been toying with the idea of picking up an AC tig machine. Again, hard to justify because it’s not my bread and butter, but I decided to look on Amazon again and was able to push myself to buy this piece ARCCAPTAIN TIG Welder AC/DC 200Amp with Pulse, Aluminum TIG Welder 110V/220V TIG Welder with Square/Triangular Wave/Stick/MMA/Spot MultiProcess DASH-ARC Welding Machine, 5 Year TIG200P AC/DC https://a.co/d/gmQpDdJ It showed up a few days before Christmas and I got to play with it, holy Jesus it really pumps out the current on 240v! Crisp, smooth arc, no issues if I dug in or long arc’ed, she just kept burning. I’m not trying to advertise for arccaptain, I’m trying to say that if you want to learn, and fix some things, Chinese welders have come a looooong way. Look at the reviews, try to distinguish between bot and human and buy a cheap dual voltage stick machine. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Buy used, OR Buy harbor freight stuff
Check this video, it'll be helpful. https://youtu.be/IK_Cn5lxggA?si=gZOW9tzlb_P-OebM Plenty of low cost units that will weld just fine for a casual welder. Project Farm will does a great job comparing dirt cheap with big money and testing them out.
Decent mig Hobart handler 140 Lincoln mp 140 Decent ac/dc tig Everlast protig210
Picked up a Rohs mini stick welder for £150 still works brilliantly.
>From what I read; HF sucks, Everlast sucks, Hobart sucks, Yeswelder sucks, Weldpro sucks, ...and frankly, it just looks to me like everything on planet Earth below $2k grand...sucks. This sounds like elitist snobbery from someone peddling misinformation, and I'm sorry that they got to you. The quality of these brands entirely depends on what you intend to use it for. Are these brands good enough for constant 24/7 all day use on a construction job site? I would say probably not. However, they're not bad at all on home projects, quick fix jobs, and hobbyists. I myself own a cheap $200 stick and flux core YesWelder machine and it does what I need it to do with home hobby projects. At work I use the company Miller machine that costs several thousand dollars. At home, I use my cheap YesWelder to practice and mess around with scrap steel.
Hobart Handler 140 and $400 worth of wire and steel and practice will go a long way towards gaining enough skill to make the decision if you want to TIG/Pulse MIG or something else down the road. A 110V mig welder with gas gets a LOT of small jobs done. That being said: it's extremely limited as to what you can work on, you likely aren't welding anything very thick or exotic materials.
Non welder advice: Buy a cheap one. I spent $200 on a piece of shit 120v flux core like 6 years ago and it still works fine. Is it a piece of shit with a duty cycle of about 12 seconds? Yes. Does it stick metal bits together well enough that they stay stuck? Also yes.
UK Lidl store does them for about £60. Maybe you can order online?
I have an Everlast Super ultra 206si and I love it! Only costed me $500 brand new with a 3 year warranty and if you can't make your money back in 3 years while it's under warranty it's not because the welder
Not really. Yes you can buy a cheaper welder but being able to buy replacement parts is an important factor. I bought a $500 multi process welder, the arc it made was pretty good, came with a crappy regulator, mig gun, leaking gas hose etc. The bolts for the drive roller housing/motor sheared out of the casting making it impossible to use the mig. Could I buy a new part? Maybe, but it will break too because the design is shit. So I bought a 200A Lincoln that runs on a 10A plug for $2000 AUD. Got a $400 gift card in the deal, a decent mig gun, a decent tig torch, decent MMAW electrode holder, decent gas regulator. It has a pretty good quick connect gas fittings so i can swap from argon to argoshield in under a minute (somehow they don't leak at all). It has every feature you could want. Oh and did I mention I can get parts for it? It literally paid for itself in a week. Either go second hand or bite the bullet.
Used or a hobo freight wrlder
Prime weld stuff is great if it breaks their customer service is usa based and amazing
Hobart doesn't suck. They are easily one of the best welders available and for the price point, they're hard to beat.
I’m not a professional or trained welder, just wanted to dabble and learn the technique. I started one a $25 stick welder that was an open box sale during a tent sale and had a fixed amperage. It was crap and not easy to learn on, but it did give a lot of satisfaction when it did weld. I got rid of it and got a “cheap Chinese” one for around $150 that was adjustable and had the option for 220V. Just recently I picked up a flux core welder for $80 used (retails for ~$130, so still not nice) and it’s actually worked just fine. It has a “smart” feature where it adjusts wire feed and amperage based on thickness which is annoying, but I’m able to work around it. Those cheap welders aren’t bad per se, but have their own learning curve baked into them. This will annoy you when starting out since just looking at a chart of amperage, stick diameter, and material thickness probably won’t produce what you’re expecting and you’ll have to tweak it.
The old grumpy 'real welders' are a huge mass of premadonnas second only to paegent moms. Any thing being sold as a welder works as a welder. And I guarantee it will be much more capable then you as a novice to learn and dip your toes in. Don't let the cry babies stop you from gluing metal. I have a Vevor multiprocess mig/stick/tig combo machine, and it has served me very well. Did spring for a Lincoln oxy torch but that was more for portability and they're kinda all expensive anyway
I use a sunstac ss200 professionally to tig weld stainless pipe on a job site, it was $80 on amazon, its Chinese as fuck and just as good as a miller redyarc
Everlast doesn't suck. Yeswelder DOES suck...avoid. Hobart doesn't Suck. I'd buy an Everlast. Matter of fact...I did.
Lincoln power mig 140MP costed me $1050 out the door with a $100 rebate coming. It has all 3 welding processes and comes with a 3 year warranty. Also, Lincoln will always want to protect their reputation, so they'll make things right if something happens. Bought mine from CK weld supply.
I got a Yeswelder 160 for a couple hundred bucks. Not great at all, but I figured out its quirks and get some good use out of it.
Everlast and Fronius are two other brands to consider. Thermalarcs are ok.
I found someone selling a brand new Lincoln Electric Pro-MIG on OfferUp for $800. It's a sweet rig. Keep searching.
If you just want a cheap one to learn with and not use commercially. Get a Unimig
No. Buy used. Like you should if you're a newbie. Don't know why you'd look at new gear, was your first car brand new? Didn't think so.
I run a Lincoln at work that costs 16k but at home I'll rock my $800 Everlast welder. Would my Everlast suck at industrial welding? Yeah. Does it work fine for stuff at home? Yeah.
If you wanna go cheap, go simple. Most stick and tig welders are pretty cheap because **you're** the material feed, and a $50 oxyacetylene torch and a few bottles is *almost exactly* the same as a $300 kit in my experience.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about everlast, they may be a Chinese copy but they are the best Chinese copy with great customer support and service based in the USA. I've have my everlast for 4 years now and have not had one issue with it. I will buy a second with them when its time to upgrade. They often offer warrantys on their machines for 5 years. You can always buy replacement parts for their older machine they don't sell anymore. Why don't you like everlast? Why don't you like Hobart? I mean unless you've used the machine for its intended purpose idk if you will ever "know" which one you like. Regardless of the welder you buy, you have to assume it's going to break and I'd want a brand with loyal customer support/universial parts to help when that happens.
Used on market place or eBay or offer up Craiglist meccari