Advise or Suggestions

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I have a chinese mig that I purchased from Princess Auto (same as Harbour Freight ) 230 volt ,rocker switch heat selectors mostly plastic wire feed mechanism .  I would like to replace it with a better quality unit ,I have Miller,Lincoln ,Hobart , Thermal Dynamics and Weld King readily available to me.  Any recommendations ?
Reply:We'd really need more info to make suggestions. Miller, Lincoln, Hobart , and Thermal Dynamics are all good companies. I've used Miller, Lincoln, and Hobart units all across the price range with good results. I have 2 Miller migs and use the Millers at the tech school. Around me, Millers tend to be more prevalent than say Lincolns in most shops. For a small "hobby" machine, the best bang for your buck usually goes with Hobart. The material quality is a bit lower ( more plastic parts vs metal ones in say a Miller) to help keep the price down, but for the occasional user, that wouldn't matter much..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Generally it's the housing that holds the feed rolls that are plastic. It;s stable, and strong if designed correctly. So because something is made out aluminum, does not mean it functions better. On the small units, the wire feed motor are generally about the same, and that probably has way more impact on wire feeding. There is not 2 cents difference between a Miller and Hobart as far as how they feed wire. Now one area Miller is better, the bayonet Miller style allows for many more options in mig guns, then a small Hobart back-end. With the Thermal-arc, and Lincoln (Tweco 2) machines offering even more options. (Ebay,and the like)Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Originally Posted by OLDMERC...mostly plastic wire feed mechanism .  I would like to replace it with a better quality unit ,I have Miller,Lincoln ,Hobart , Thermal Dynamics.   Any recommendations ?