What welder should I buy?

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Hey everyone. I am new to the forum and a complete welding newbie, I havn't welded since highschool. I live on a quarter section and need a welder for repairs and hobby building. I will be using it to make a log splitter, a badass log splitter though, so I need some serious strength. I have some rust I want to fix on the quarter panels of my cherokee as well. I am hoping to buy one machine as i wont be welding other than if something breaks or i feel like creating something or playing. I have been searching the web and forums for info and many seem to agree that an arc welder would be a good all around welder, but because I want to do the jeep repairs I am leaning towards a mig, I get the impression mig is more universal. the only thing that I am sure of is although there is lots of personal opinion involved, I have read through this forum and wanting to err on the side of overkill I am definitely going 220V. would you suggest I go for a mig? for what I am looking to use it for, is it the most all around useful?
Reply:FYI, a MIG is considered an arc welder, as well as TIG and stick.
Reply:I would look into getting a 3 in 1 machine like the 181i from Thermal Arc. It would provide you with the ability to MIG, STICK and DC TIG for about a the same price as a dedicated 220v unit.
Reply:For the heavy stuff like the log splitter I'd want to go with at least a 200 amp class 230v mig.  A 250 amp class machine would be better, but at a significantly higher cost. For the lighter stuff you could get away with a 180 amp class 230v mig. You could always supplement the 180 amp class mig with an inexpensive used Ac Stick machine for the heavier stuff like the splitter. Use the 180 amp mig to do body panels, and light to medium weight fab stuff, say up to 1/4"-5/16" and stick weld anything thicker..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:You're going to get a ton of opinions on this matter.  Here is what I would do If I started all over again...I would get the BIGGEST (highest amperage output) machine with the highest "duty cycle" that I could afford.  In welding machines, it really is true that "you get what you pay for."That doesn't mean that since you could hypothetically afford a $10,000 machine, that you should go out and buy one.  You need to buy a machine that is the most PRACTICAL for what you need.  If you were doing some light projects and repair (ie. making a gate, farm tool repair, lawn art, patio furniture repairs, etc... Then i would go with a Miller 211 or Lincoln 180 Dual.  Both models allow the user to use either 120v or 240v outlets with the plug adapter they each come with.  Even some suspension work on vehicles, both machines could handle the job.  The Miller 211 has slightly more amperage output over the Lincoln however and thus, costs a tad bit more.  Now, if you want to move up in power and duty cycle, you can look at the Lincoln 216.  It has a max output of 250Amps.  The duty cycle is 60% at 170A, which is a lot of power for the DiY at-home-welder.....  Miller has the 212, but it has less power output than the Lincoln does and it's more expensive.  That's where I'd start looking.  You have to go to each company's website and look at the specs yourself.  Make sure you have a 240v powersource where you want to set up "shop."  Otherwise, you'll have to get the right outlet for the job, which isn't a big deal.  All in all, I think a simple Mig machine is perfect for all of your welding tasks.  I have both mig and now a stick welder and I've never had the need to use Tig welding.  Those are however the "prettiest" welds, but I'm not welding for beauty, nor do i have the patience to Tig weld.  It takes the most effort and SKILL in my opinion, which I have niether.  With my Mig machine, I have welded vehicle suspensions for off road equipment, body panels, bumpers, custom gates, fences, doors, work benches, welding tables, welding tools, an engine crane, stands, lawn art, etc.... the list goes on.  By the way, I've done much of the thinner welds with my 120v Lincoln mig welder too!  It works like a champ.  r You are correct however in your assumption that the 240v machines are better.  Again, get the biggest (amperage output) that you can afford that is the most PRACTICAL for your needs, or your future needs.  You never know, you might have a bigger project in the future.  Mig will suit you just fine. On a side note, I've welded with stick for years at my place of employment and never thought I needed one at the house.  That was until recently, since I've now made plans on making a new gate outside, in windy conditions and with some small tight areas I can't get a mig gun into.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Ditto what Jay O said , TA181i.For the price of a wire-feed Lincoln 180 and less than a Miller 211 you get 3 machines: MIG, STICK and TIG.  That's 3 weling processes for the price of 1.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Kill all your birds with one stone.  Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ct_47864_47864You didn't mention a budget but the Ironman is a good buy.I would also look up Sberry on the Miller site and get his Farmer's opinionhttp://www.millerwelds.com/resources...oard/index.phpEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Lincoln Power mig 350MP....done.A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:As has already been said, a MIG is ideal for auto and general mechanical repairs, and get the biggest machine you have the power available for.  If very occasionally you need to weld something a bit unusual, it may be cheaper to have someone else do that one job for you, that already has the right type of welder, the right shield gas, and the right filler rod.I would much prefer a second hand professional quality "name brand" workhorse transformer MIG, (that was manufactured in my own country), rather than a light weight low cost imported inverter machine that has no information, no spare parts, and no service.Cheers,  Tony._________________________________Transmig 310 + Argoshield LightOxy acetyleneOxy propanePrehistoric stick welder_________________________________
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPKill all your birds with one stone.
Reply:That badass log splitter is going to have some badass steel involved. Not a lot but enough to put you into the .045 wire and/or serious penetration category."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by Rick VOK CEP, so where's the foot-pedal?
Reply:A good quality mig and if you need to go real heavy throw in a buzz box!  My 2 cents.AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:What is your budget? It sounds as if a 250v, 200amp (minimum) MIG is what you are after. I have a thermal arc 210 which is pretty light for heavy fabs but the sweetest rig I have used on sheetmetal so far. I wish it was a 250amp for the extra omph.
Reply:you dont want to do auto sheet metal with a big mig. get a  110 volt lincoln  for that.for the farm stuff get you a  acdc 220volt stick machine. a  used engine drive like my old ranger will weld real well and make electricity when the power goes out.or  an ac tombstone will work  too.
Reply:Thanks for the replies guys.Everyone I know has always called a stick an arc and a mig a mig, but thanks for the correction.  What exactly can you do with these little 110V mig/flux welders. The impression I get is that they are great if I wanted to weld up a quarter panel or fix a quad frame or rails, but would never do for something like the splitter. Most replies to other questions were you get what you pay for, and if you say its so great have you even tested your welds and how?.. and so on, I'm surprised to see any praise for them in the replies.I don't really have a budget, I can't see it being a well thought through purchase to go and throw a couple thousand at a welder I will only use occasionally that will be above my skills and needs. I am thinking I will buy used, but good quality off kijiiji or craigslist. $400 or less would be nice but I am guessing I will need to throw a bit more than that at it. I would rather buy what I need than get by and have to get something bigger a month later.I am willing to spend what it takes to get something that would be good for general use around the property, but strong enough to make a splitter and other toys. I don't want to go way over the top and I certainly don't want to fall way short and find that I can't even fix a fence rail properly. and that is why I am asking your advice, I want a good machine that is practical for my uses.
Reply:I have been wondering if weldbeads suggestion is my best bet, buy a good stick for heavy uses and a cheap mig for quad fixes and sheet metal? If I could avoid buying two I would like to, but I could see it working out cheaper and being more practical in some instances.
Reply:Welcome to the welding world....there are no one and done units in my opinion......Thats why there are so many out there. In todays world of welding, specializing is the direction the manuf have gone. You will have to assess what you will be doing the most of. This is the reason most welders either professional or for a hobby will have mulitple units, each one has its own purpose. So start with the best quality and highest amps you can afford that will do the work you will be doing most of, then when it is time to build the badass log splitter you have either learned how to weld thicker steels with what you have or will know then what other toys err I mean tools you will need. A wise old welder once told me this...."You must start before you can finish"...so just get one and have fun learning. A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:If you are not in a hurry, check out some of the auctions of bankrupt businesses.Times are tough, and a lot of businesses are going broke these days, and will not be reopening after Christmas.Very sad, but their loss could be your gain.A good quality (but older model) transformer MIG should not cost a lot.There is not a lot inside a transformer MIG that can go wrong, just a big transformer, rectifier, and a wire feed motor. If it powers up and the wire feeds, it is all working.That is certainly not true of these new low cost "toy" Chinese inverter welders now flooding the market.  They look great, until they stop working.  Then you will discover they are a throw away item, worth nothing secondhand, and more expensive to get fixed than to replace.A MIG welder can never be to big.  Even a huge industrial machine can be loaded with fine gauge MIG wire, if the feed roller and tip are changed to suit the thinner wire.It will then be every bit as suitable for very fine work as a much smaller MIG welder would be.Cheers,  Tony._________________________________Transmig 310 + Argoshield LightOxy acetyleneOxy propanePrehistoric stick welder_________________________________
Reply:The one with the most amp output you can afford! It is simple and this is where bigger is better. You cant use amps you didn't buy now can you. lol
Reply:To make your choice easier you got to know what type of welder you want to be? Which process do you really want to learn? This would be the biggest hurdle because after you decide that then you got to put in the time to learn to weld. Plan on dedicating 50 to 100 hrs of arc time just to learn the basics. For example I stick weld at work and have a stick/tig welder at home so with stick I have 1/8" thickness and up handled and anything thinner I will then tig. Not a fan of MIG just not enough romance in it for me but the next machine if I were to buy one it would be a mig and more then likely be a multi process machine. From my view I find the TA 252i very appealing and I do see how the TA 181i would fit someone like yourself with it giving you the option of use any of the three main processes for a $800 price tag. Your badass log splitter would be within range of the TA181i you just have to do your part of the equation.Last edited by Jay O; 12-22-2011 at 04:38 PM.Reason: spelling
Reply:a 110V mig is only good for light projects and sheetmetal. I will disagree with Weldbead; You can weld sheetmetal all day with a 220v machine, especially with .023 wire. Dont rule out a big machine due to budget. Like another poster said, watch for bankruptcy sales and the watch the want adds daily. You are too limited with a 110V MIG or a stick machine IMO. If you want to buy new, Thermal Arc are considerably less than Lincoln or Miller though they are built a little lighter (light industrial). You can also add spoolguns to most 220V mig machines to give you aluminum welding capabilites too. The best versatility for the buck out of one machine in my mind.Thermal Arc Fabricator 2101970 Lincoln RedfaceMiller 150 STLStill need a Syncrowave and a plasma and a milling machine and a lathe and a bigger shop and a....
Reply:Originally Posted by WarpspeedIf you are not in a hurry, check out some of the auctions of bankrupt businesses.Times are tough, and a lot of businesses are going broke these days, and will not be reopening after Christmas.Very sad, but their loss could be your gain.A good quality (but older model) transformer MIG should not cost a lot.There is not a lot inside a transformer MIG that can go wrong, just a big transformer, rectifier, and a wire feed motor. If it powers up and the wire feeds, it is all working.That is certainly not true of these new low cost "toy" Chinese inverter welders now flooding the market.  They look great, until they stop working.  Then you will discover they are a throw away item, worth nothing secondhand, and more expensive to get fixed than to replace.A MIG welder can never be to big.  Even a huge industrial machine can be loaded with fine gauge MIG wire, if the feed roller and tip are changed to suit the thinner wire.It will then be every bit as suitable for very fine work as a much smaller MIG welder would be.
Reply:Sorry, I was out getting popcorn.Did I miss anything?Now, to recap, you are not an experienced welder and you are going to build a logsplitter and also auto body welding?So inexperienced that you don't know what to buy for a welding machine?After welding up only one or two projects that is that and the welder will be unused after that?Gordie -- "I believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."Originally Posted by AwelderiamSorry to inform you but here in the states welding is going crazy....no fab shops that I know of in a 6 state area are hurting for any work right now........Its nuts.