WHAT KIND OF WELDER SHOULD I GET???

One with out a caps button and with punctuation......


Depends what you do/like, mostly. Since I'm me, I'd go with a stick, just cause I like em.

MIG, all the way.

Millermatic 135.. for the win.

:viking:

Millermatic 175 for a home wire feeder. Perfect for Jeep projects.

A Miller econotig is also nice for a home TIG machine.

Or a simple, cheap "buzz-box" for burning rod.

-Jeremy

Wire feed is awesome. MIG baby. Hobart=Miller, so if you can find a Hobart for a good deal, do it. If you have 220 in your shop/garage, take advantage of it, get a 220v welder. Some may argue that you can get a better penetrating weld with a stick welder, and they are correct, until you get a good 220v wire feed welder. At that point, you can weld anything you would need for your Jeep, and it is far easier and much nicer looking. Don't waste your time with flux core wire, just get a tank and use a shielding gas with regular wire. 110v welders work okay for smaller stuff, but a nice 220 will work as good in those situations (turned down of course) and will work much better on thicker materials.

Megawatt said:

Millermatic 175 for a home wire feeder.

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X2.

I love mine and will do everything any normal house, garage project would need.

Michael

I'd go w/ MIG-there's a much broader range of thing you can do w/ 'em over a stick welder----as for what to buy, Go with the largest 220v machine you can afford; A MM175 is a good all around 220V machine; I went with a MM210 for the few extra bucks, and haven't regretted it one bit!!!:clap:

For the red option instead of blue, Lincoln make some nice MIG welders. I have the Lincoln 180C (220v) which is made in USA, welds 1/4" single pass, and has more options available than Miller. Lincoln also has some cheapy versions made in Taiwan, so watch out for those. The thing I like about my Lincoln is the aluminum Spoolgun that runs directly off the main welder without an interface box(blue).
I used to own a Miller 135, but sold it. It was a fine welder but suffered on thicker material.
I might have gone back to Miller, but got a deal on my Lincoln with the spoolgun and spot timer for the same price as the Miller.

I have a millermatic 180 and it's great for an XJ owner because a mig can weld on the unibody. For years all I had was a Lincoln 225V a/c welder and it did great! I built my bumpers and heavy stuff like on my tractor and it did fine. It was only when I needed to weld thin stuff without blowing holes in it did I need to jump up to a mig. I kept the Lincon for real thick stuff because the 180 is not for over I think 1/4 ". If you are buying only 1 welder then look hard at the deals they have on closeout Miller 210 or you will like the millermatic 180 size migs. If you need 3/8 or thicker welded up then just tack it and take it to sombody that can throw a lot more heat to it. One more thing is gas vs flux. The gas will save your lungs during a lot of welding in a garage but I hear the flux is better on thick stuff and maybe dirty old metal???? I've only tried gas.

What little I've read would suggest that flux mig is best for beginners and should still be able to handle up to 3/8". Correct?

DeftwillP said:

What little I've read would suggest that flux mig is best for beginners and should still be able to handle up to 3/8". Correct?

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No such thing.

MIG= Metal Inert Gas. Without gas, you're just wirefeedin'.

As for thickness, that's more machine dependent. I wouldn't trust a little 110v welder on 3/8" but step up to a bigger 220v machine and you could be burning holes through 3/8" with a fluxcore setup if you tried to.

I am no pro welder by any means, but yes fluxcore is WAY better for metal that hasn't been prepped much. My rule of thumb is if I'm gonna turn on the gas, the metal needs to be shiny, free of rust or scale. Flux burns hotter so its better suited for thicker/dirtier metal, but it comes at the cost of spatter. Personally, I just use stick if I'm doing thick or dirty metal.