Opinions on this welder?

robeport · Dec 23, 2004

I posted this on another board as well, so sorry if you're seeing this twice. Anyways, recently I have been really wanting to learn to weld and thought the best way would be to just buy a decent welder and go for it. I'm not exactly sure what I should be looking at when shopping for these but I ran across this and it seemed to be a decent deal: http://www.harborfreight.com/c...=6271

I geuss I'm wondering if this is enough for me to learn on and keep me happy for awhile. Any opinions/info would be appreciated. Thanks!

DUAL MIG WELDER 151

For use with or without gas. Comes with welding torch, tip, grounding cord with clamp, brush/hammer, hand held welding mask and manual.

Input: 230V, 60 Hz, single phase; Welding current range: 30-120 amps; Duty cycle: 15% @ 115 amps; Draws 15 amps @ 230V; Max. open circuit voltage: 36V; Weldable wires: .023", .030", and .035 steel or stainless steel; .030" and .035" aluminum; .030" flux core

ITEM 6271-4VGA

$199.99

Beezil · Dec 23, 2004

Not worth it.

duty cycle 15% at 115 amps? thats a crap spec.

SAVE your money....

a welder that takes you three times as long to get that is three times better is WORTH IT.

save your money and spend it on an AMERICAN brand-name 220VAC welder....think 175 amp and higher.

do it once, do it right.

Miller, Lincoln, Hobart et al.

robeport · Dec 23, 2004

Thanks, that's kind of the response I was expecting....
I geuss I should also ask, what model those of you on here are using.

BrettM · Dec 23, 2004

hobart is a good budget option. or get an old AC/DC arc machine at a farm sale for real cheap and learn to arc weld

jjvande · Dec 23, 2004

millermatic 175. I love it so much.

Chancer · Dec 23, 2004

I had a similar conversation with one of my local welding reps - he said that my ancient 120A semi-professional mig welder would be better than a 130A hobby one - they're just simply more able to keep pumping out the power. Try and get the most substantial one you can for your money. Ebay always have loads, and I'm sure you can find a decent 2nd hand one somewhere if you can only afford a new one that's cheap and nasty.

Beezil · Dec 23, 2004

robeport said:
Thanks, that's kind of the response I was expecting....
I geuss I should also ask, what model those of you on here are using.

Millermatic CP300's
Lincoln 255's
Lincoln 215's
Miller 250's
Miller 172

YELLAHEEP · Dec 23, 2004

I bought the Hobart 175 230V version after taking Beezil's advice - and I love that welder.

I got mine on ebay from a retail shop. They shipped it for $579. Miller welders can be had for about $100 more. Miller's have a higher duty cycle than the Hobart, but I have yet to use up the Hobart's cycle.

Shop around and check out what the "packages" include. Sometimes you can get a cart included, or other accessories.

Beezil · Dec 23, 2004

YELLAHEEP said:
I bought the Hobart 175 230V version after taking Beezil's advice - and I love that welder.

I got mine on ebay from a retail shop. They shipped it for $579. Miller welders can be had for about $100 more. Miller's have a higher duty cycle than the Hobart, but I have yet to use up the Hobart's cycle.

Shop around and check out what the "packages" include. Sometimes you can get a cart included, or other accessories.

a little note on duty cycle.

you won't really "use up" the duty cycle. There is no "timer" or "switch" that will let you know when this is. Your circuit breaker tripping is not a happy indicator of that either! Duty cycle is merely a "guide" based on product and component testing that lets you know how long you can lay it out for and how long you should give it a rest. Many welders do not have internal thermal protection, which makes it hard to know how NOT to stress the internals until it is too late. Thats why I'd never touch a pc of crap with a 15% duty cycle. That spec should be read as a clear indication of how much of a pc. of shit it really is.

Steele · Dec 23, 2004

millermatic 135 here, works for most jobs, can use gas shielding, and I personally love it, but i believe that hobart has one very similiar for a couple hundred cheaper, and has selectable (infinite) heat, where mine is 1-4 for the settings... I wish mine could go lower than 1 so I'm not burning thru my sheet metal.... #4 gets great penitration on 1/4 inch steel on a single pass.... If I were to do it again I would buy the hobart.

Ivan · Dec 23, 2004

I too just acquired a Millermatic 175 with a cart just last week. I found a great deal on Ebay that even included the gas cylinder, but decided to give my local shop a shot first. Without even showing them the Ebay ad, they came within $80 of the cost. I was happy with that because buying local has its perks too. When I showed them the Ebay ad just to show him how competatively close they came (in which I was happy), the guy said "how about we split the difference?" I bought it on the spot. Give your local welding shop a shot... they could surprise you.

Now to install a dedicated 220v breaker in my garage for my welder, this weekend

Ivan

Mike L · Dec 23, 2004

Steele said:
millermatic 135 here, works for most jobs, can use gas shielding, and I personally love it, but i believe that hobart has one very similiar for a couple hundred cheaper, and has selectable (infinite) heat, where mine is 1-4 for the settings... I wish mine could go lower than 1 so I'm not burning thru my sheet metal.... #4 gets great penitration on 1/4 inch steel on a single pass.... If I were to do it again I would buy the hobart.

Thats strange since my Miller 135 has infinite control and the Hobart 135 that I was looking at did not. On mine I have 1-10 for both wire speed and voltage.

-Mike

XJFreak · Dec 23, 2004

Ivan said:
I too just acquired a Millermatic 175 with a cart just last week. I found a great deal on Ebay that even included the gas cylinder, but decided to give my local shop a shot first. Without even showing them the Ebay ad, they came within $80 of the cost. I was happy with that because buying local has its perks too. When I showed them the Ebay ad just to show him how competatively close they came (in which I was happy), the guy said "how about we split the difference?" I bought it on the spot. Give your local welding shop a shot... they could surprise you.

Now to install a dedicated 220v breaker in my garage for my welder, this weekend

Ivan

You don't even need to do that. I tapped on the dryer's 220 and ran that to the garage. Just tell thewife to not load the dryer when you got things to weld.

Ivan · Dec 23, 2004

XJFreak said:
You don't even need to do that. I tapped on the dryer's 220 and ran that to the garage. Just tell thewife to not load the dryer when you got things to weld.

Thing is, where I want to install an outlet, it's on the same wall as my main power panel in my garage. A new breaker, 24" of wire, done deal. Besides, I'm going to use the outlet to plug in a generator to power my house during power outages...

Ivan

Beezil · Dec 23, 2004

Mike L said:
Thats strange since my Miller 135 has infinite control and the Hobart 135 that I was looking at did not. On mine I have 1-10 for both wire speed and voltage.

-Mike

Miller just made the update.

infinite control is an excellent feature.

My 172 has 4-heat settings too. so did the 175's at one point.

Rev Den · Dec 23, 2004

Ivan said:
Besides, I'm going to use the outlet to plug in a generator to power my house during power outages...

Ivan

make sure you turn-off the main into the house if you do this. You local utility guys do not want to find AC on what they thought was dead do to the outage. A transfer switch is a MUCH safer solution.

JTTH

Rev

biscuitboy87 · Dec 23, 2004

lincoln
miller/hobart (same company)
thermodyne (actually i'm not sure if they even make welders any more)

i have atleast one of each for each of the three most common processes (stick mig and tig) and all i can say is listen to beezil on this.

buy a machine beter than you will need, because if you decide you like to weld then it will be a great thing, but if you dont like welding you'll be able to sell it. i prefer the millermatic 250 i have in the shop...and have run it out a few times till the fan kicks on, but never into the duty cycle.
our little lincoln has taken the biggest beating over the years and it still welds like it was purchased yesterday (in fact i dropped it from 6' about a week ago...surprise! it still works!). with the miller in the past two weeks i've gone through three bottle of trimix and 2 ten pounders of 316L .023 )or maybe 3 spools?) and it welds the thin stainless (with my help) no complaints.
so seriously save for a better machine and less problems will occur down the line. IMHO

Ivan · Dec 23, 2004

Rev Den said:
make sure you turn-off the main into the house if you do this. You local utility guys do not want to find AC on what they thought was dead do to the outage. A transfer switch is a MUCH safer solution.

JTTH

Rev

Point well taken. My reason for a generator would be to carry only the essential load (fridge, aquarium, few lights) during an outage. I don't expect it to carry the entire house load which includes a hot tub and other big ticket load users. If I did add an generator, I would make sure to disconnect the main to isolate my house from the grid, while at the same time shutting off unnecessary breakers to bring me down to essential load. I've already identified those circuits.

FYI... I'm an Engineer for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., so I'm keenly aware of the ramifications of generators hooked up to our grid, while our crews work to repair circuits

Ivan

robeport · Dec 24, 2004

Thank you for the help guys. I went to Home Depot yesterday to check out what they had and saw this:

Brand Lincoln Electric
Manufacturer Lincoln Electric
Model # K2190-1
Flux-cored Gas Shielded .025 to .035"
Flux-cored Self Shielded Wire Utilized .035 In.
Output Polarity 25-135A DC
Power Requirement 115/1/60
Rated Output 90/19/20%
UPC CODE 015082777320
Welding Capacities Welds up 5/16 in. steel using flux-cored wire.

Lincoln Electric
Weld Pak 3200HD Wire Feed Welder
Model K2190-1

Got some serious welding chores? Then you're going to want a serious welder. Lincoln Electric's Weld-Pak 3200HD handles a huge spectrum of flux-cored or MIG welding jobs -- from auto-body repairs to farm fixes to around the home chores. You just can't buy a 120V welder with a more versatile range! The Weld-Pak 3200HD comes ready to weld mild steel with self-shielded flux-cored wire right out of the box. Also included is virtually everything you need to MIG weld mild steel. Just add a cylinder of shielding gas. Rounding out the package is a welding handshield, instructional video and undercarriage. The convenient mild steel procedure chart inside the wire access door guides you to all the appropriate welder settings for the job at hand. The Weld-Pak 3200HD has a 25-135 amp output and welds up to 5/16 inch steel using flux-cored wire. The unit plugs into a 120V (20 amp) outlet. It comes with a 3 year warranty on parts and labor (90 days warranty on gun and cable).

Price: $459.00/ea

I know it isn't as "powerful" but seems to be a good setup? I was also recommended to look at this though it is a bit out of my price range right now, especially if I am to buy a cylinder:
http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Ca...heet.asp?p=8962
and
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=189189-1703-K-2280-1

Beezil · Dec 24, 2004

Rated Output 90/19/20%

NOPE!!!!

didya read my post?

20% duty cycle at 90 amps and 19 volts is SAD.

do not spend that kind of money for a baby-step welder.

if you want a welder, do it right, and do it once.

go 220 VAC welder or go home.

if cost economy is your concern, check out the 175 amp hobart.

very decent welder for the money

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