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Hello all! I'm excited to be apart of this forum and learn more about welding. I've been wanting to weld for years now, and just haven't gotten the chance to. I recently was given the chance to work for a friend to do fabrication/welding which I jumped on. I've been really good over the years at fabricating things here and there, and now I get to through in welding with it. I love it. I don't even look at it as work.At work we use a mig welder, Hobart 210, and I like it a lot but have nothing to compare it to since it's the only one I've used. I want to be able to do things at home also so I want to get one for my house. I'm a car guy, so making things down the road would be awesome. I also have project stacking up that I could do for the house so I think it's time to get a welder. A mig welder would be the obvious choice of course.So, I'm looking to fabricate small stuff at first for my cars, truck like a headache rack, or rack, and things like tables and whatever else comes up for the wife for the house. I would also love to pick up side jobs to bring in extra cash, as I know many others intent to do. Right now I'm leaning toward the Eastwood Mig 250. The price is great as I would like to keep it as close to 1K as possible for now. Other than the price, I like the duty cycle, and the ability to weld 1/2" steel. I can get it for $835 shipped online. I was previously thinking about the Lincoln 210MP. Still seems like a good choice. So my question would be, would the eastwood 250 be a good choice for the things I mentioned above, or is it overkill? Could I get a smaller one, and maybe a better brand name like a miller or Lincoln? If I did that, would a 175 or around that range be sufficient enough? Does anyone else have input on the Eastwood 250 machines? I haven't been able to find many threads with people talking about them. Thanks guys!
Reply:I've got to say the eastwood 250 is the cheapest 250 mig I've ever seen. Buy it it will be lots of power for what you needLet us know how it does and how easy all the parts are to purchase.
Reply:estate auctions have been my best place to purchase welders...I do repair my own stuff and buy most untested...usually makes them super cheap but you never really know what you have till you get it home and open it up. sometimes decent deals are on Craigslist but it's only sometimes. my ironman 210 is a good general purpose mig and it'll do aluminum with its spool gun.
Reply:Originally Posted by Daniel-BI've got to say the eastwood 250 is the cheapest 250 mig I've ever seen. Buy it it will be lots of power for what you needLet us know how it does and how easy all the parts are to purchase.
Reply:Originally Posted by Michael rayestate auctions have been my best place to purchase welders...I do repair my own stuff and buy most untested...usually makes them super cheap but you never really know what you have till you get it home and open it up. sometimes decent deals are on Craigslist but it's only sometimes. my ironman 210 is a good general purpose mig and it'll do aluminum with its spool gun.
Reply:Farm and fleet had the Hobart last week for less than $800.00 . I would vote for that before the everlast.
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1Farm and fleet had the Hobart last week for less than $800.00 . I would vote for that before the everlast.
Reply:Htp mig2400 built like a soviet tank. Cheap for its capabilities. I'm getting one very soon.Eventual master of the obvious, practitioner of "stream of consciousness fabrication". P.S. I edit almost every post because because I'm posting from my phone and my fingers sometimes move faster than my brain.
Reply:Personally I would run away from the Eastwood. I'd look out for a lightly used Lincoln 175, but then again, you don't see them come up often...I wonder why? . I didn't like the Lincoln 180 we had in the shop I used to work even though the internals seemed higher quality than the 175. I've used the Lincoln 210 briefly, not enough to say I really got it dialed in, but I'm sure it is a fine machine. The 210 can run off 110 or 220 which is a real feather in the cap. I've also used (what I believe was) a Miller 180 MIG...it had a pretty decent arc quality. Cheap out on welder or an angle grinder...cheap out on the quality of your work.Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200Lincoln SP-175 PlusDynabrade 52636Grizzly Lathe + friendsAll in a barn too far awayCertifiably uncertified
Reply:For $1k the Lincoln 210 MP seems the way to go. Dual voltage and the ability to do stick and lift start TIG down the road. Plus no tap settings for voltage so you can dial in the heat perfectly. Even the Millermatic 211 can be had for close to $1k with the rebate. Don't get me wrong, Hobart makes a great welder. I used a Handler 140 for awhile and it was great. The others just allow more adjustment, I'm not a fan of the tap settings for voltage.
Reply:I was also thinking about the millermatic. Looks like a great machine and everyone knows the name. I keep tossing them up and go back and forth. I'm just trying to think of all the other things I will need to get once I buy the welder, like a tank, helmet, jacket, gloves..etc. Not a huge deal I guess, but it means waiting a little longer
Reply:It will do what you want, it's your money!!!Lincoln A/C 225Everlast P/A 200
Reply:I have the Hobart 210 dual voltage and the bigger IronMan. If you tried to pry one out of my hands, I'd leave claw marks on it.The 210MVP will do anything automotive including frames and thick brackets up to 3/8"....Plus the spoolgun is usually less than 200 bucks for alum. AND you can get all the parts you need from Miller or Hobart because they are interchangeable..Hell, even harbor freight sells the nozzles and electrodes super cheap.You are going to need a gas bottle anyway unless you run fluxcore(FC), and you prolly will run it at first just to learn the welder and burn up the 4" spool of FC they give you with the welder....You can also run one on straight C02 and solid wire just fine, except for really thin stuff where you cannot use FC or C02, and must use C-25 gas to limit burnthru and blowing holes.Take lots of care to select a machine with a well known name and great support. Those machines will demand a much higher resell price if you decide to trade up or just stop welding.
Reply:Yes, resale...that is also something I've been contemplating. Eastwood also sells a package for the mig 250, plasma 60 and a cart for 1550...so that even seems good. I've read a lot of great reviews about their plasma 60. I've also read a lot of good reviews about eastwood's customer service. Yea, I'll definitely be getting a tank. I fully intend on that, but depending on how much I spend on the machine will tell me how long I'll have to wait for the tank, so that's in the front of my mind for sure.
Reply:Originally Posted by Xlr8tinI was also thinking about the millermatic. Looks like a great machine and everyone knows the name. I keep tossing them up and go back and forth. I'm just trying to think of all the other things I will need to get once I buy the welder, like a tank, helmet, jacket, gloves..etc. Not a huge deal I guess, but it means waiting a little longer
Reply:The Eastwood plasma looks like it uses the Italian made Trifamet torch, and many of the same parts as the Harbor Freight plasma like I once owned. I liked the HF plasma just fine, except it didn't like drag cutting at all.There are several sources for Trifamet torch consumables including drag tips that work pretty well cheap nuff. Even circle cutters.....I think there is a guy on here that sells lots of plasma parts and can perhaps tell you more about the Eastwood plasma cutters.Go here too before you buy and ask this guy about the Eastwood Versa-Cut. I bought lots of consumables from him for my HF plasma really cheap, and most of it wasn't available from HF:http://www.georgesplasmacuttershop.com/default.htmlYeah, now that I looked at his ebay page, he does participate here. His screen name here is mechanic416...Nice guy and I trust his opinions.
Reply:Oh wow! That would be great if I could get a supplier around here to do that for me. I may have to go around to a few till I find the right one;-). Thanks wornoutoldwelder, I'll search a bit on that when I get a chance.
Reply:Originally Posted by SedanmanHtp mig2400 built like a soviet tank. Cheap for its capabilities. I'm getting one very soon.
Reply:Does anyone have any input on the Tweco Fabricator 211i? Great price and is multiprocess
Reply:they have been sucked into the esab corporation thingy if I'm correct...50/50 chance on my part.I'd chose lincoln,miller or hobart. they'll be around for parts, they are proven and most of them will outlast anything made in china. tweco guns are sweet, have 2 on my millers. I have no experience with the tweco machine though so can't say good or bad...unless it's made in china, then I'll talk bad about it.
Reply:So is ESAB not a good welder to think about, or are you saying due to getting parts for it down the road it could be an issue? The ESAB Rebels look decent for a little extra. Can you use Tweco guns on any brand? I am finding myself drawn to the multiprocess machines as it would be nice to be able to do a little of everything, minus AC TIG of course. Which would bring me back to the Lincoln power mig 210, the Tweco, the esab rebel, and I'll look at the miller but I think it's more than I feel like spending at the moment. I'll be waiting weeks more to save for it...I'll still consider it though. I'm not sure about Hobart as I write this so I'll look to see if they have one as well.
Reply:I love my esab plasma...my cousin hates his rebel...wire feed issues.I'm just saying the 3 I mentioned have always had outstanding customer support, they hold a better resale value and I just prefer to buy U.S made when possible.I have an esab plasma, L-tec 130 mig and they were purchased by esab.my esab plasma, 5 tips and ceramic cup cost me almost 200 to replace and it took 4 weeks for my lws to even get the stuff. parts for my L-tec are next to impossible to find, it has been good and only needed gun parts, still tough to find.I don't trust companies that often buy,sell,merge or just change the names from time to time...example Chrysler...Benz, fiat, diamler...all major company changes that affect the consumer. we had a Chrysler car come in recently and even the dealer didn't know where to get parts...the excuse was Mercedes Benz built it...it's an 06 model and the dealer said they don't support those because it's 10 years old....bs IMO. you can always get most of your investment back with a red white or blue machine. Red White & Blue used to mean something...it should again
Reply:Great points. That might get crazy if things cost that much and take that long to get for those machines...Maybe I will look at the red, white or blue...funny that their colors are like that...Just thought about that since you said it. hahaNow I'll have to decide if the multiprocess are worth the extra money to haveLast edited by Xlr8tin; 05-17-2016 at 07:47 PM.
Reply:definitely worth it. my shopmaster will do almost anything, hf box and s22 feeder. It has 2 tigs connected with the feeder and the stick leads. I unroll which electrode I want and a ground and just flip the switchs for different stuff..keep a 75/25 and a pure argon tank on it and I can roll it anywhere in my shop and weld anything I'll ever need to.It is big but it works great. I found it on Craigslist with the s22 for $500 a couple years ago. added 200 ft stick/tig leads and 75 foot between the feeder and the machine. I'm in it less than $1500 for everything, including a used hf251d, new Arc Pig, leads, tig torches, stick stinger and ground cables.
Reply:Well, right now I'm leaning toward the ESAB Rebel 215ic. I've been watching videos on it to get a good look into it. Not sure if anyone realized this, but the manual is stored in the computer of the welder, and it also gives you a list of the wear parts that will need to be replaced. It also has Smig where you just tell it the thickness. You can also tweek it a little in that setting and save it. I thought that was all pretty cool. I still haven't pulled the trigger yet, since I'll have to save a little more for it, but I will continue to do some research.My vote is for the ironman or 210, I have both and they are outstanding welders with outstanding customer support. Miller makes great welders too, I just don't care for digital readouts. To darn expensive to have the digital readout repaired if it quits working, I know from experience. Good luck!
Reply:sounds like you may end up with a POS. then you'll be posting about it being crap. remember red white and blue...old gold ain't bad at all either.
Reply:I took count yesterday. in our shop we have 2 old gold hobarts, 1 white hobart. 6 millers. 1 air products. 2 lincolns. 1 LTEC. 1 snap on plasma. 1 esab plasma.the older ones work the best and the only service they see is an occasional blow out from an air hose. both gold hobarts, both lincolns and 3 of the millers are older than me. I'm 34. all those machines work flawlessly. all the newer ones work great alsoLast edited by Michael ray; 05-20-2016 at 08:41 AM.
Reply:I'm a finger click away from getting the Hobart handler 210 since it's only $824, and I'm getting tired of waiting and saving. Seems like whenever I get close something happens and have to chip away at the fund. This is the same one I use at work so I know all about them, and think it's a great machine, but it's the only one I've ever used. What do you guys think? Am I jumping the gun or should this one be as good as I hope it to be?
Reply:I wouldn't sell my 10 year old ironman210 for 800 if that says anything
Reply:Kinda my thoughts...I was saving for the miller 211, but I'm getting impatient
Reply:I was just at Northern tool just to see what they had and to look at accessories and they have just about everything I'd need for the Hobart so that just about seals it. I have an airgas in town, which is just about it, but their prices are high and their hours suck...so Unless someone makes a good point against it in the next few hours I'm gonna go for it
Reply:if you'll check Chattanooga craigslist and search for welders you'll find an ad where someone has a few extra for sale...millermatic in the mix. might be worth checking out
Reply:use the word welders in the search box, not just welder.
Reply:I just looked the other day and kept finding things closer to Atlanta. I'll look again, but driving that far isn't easy for me to do right now....chatt isn't bad though...only 1 1/2hrs
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Reply:Found it..texting right now
Reply:I know
Reply:Is it you? haha
Reply:yeah...and my ironman ain't for sale...it's proven itself here with me the 2 migs for sale don't get used often.I've wiped them off more than I've used them
Reply:Details....What are they and how much?
Reply:got a deal on a ac dc tig stick too
Reply:Well text me back what you have and some prices so I can figure this out;-) |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:06:00