Help a noob decide on a welder

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Hi guys, been lurking for a while, and have read the stickied “welding advice for newbies” threads so I think I have some idea of what I need, but would like your input before pulling the trigger on a purchase.I am a beginning welder and whatever I buy will be used for mostly automotive stuff in the near future. In addition to mild steel I must be able to occasionally weld aluminum. Things like welding NPT bungs onto oil pans (sensors, turbo oil drains, etc), intake/intercooler pipes, radiator end tanks, etc. As for steel, I intend to do some seam welding on my car, misc small brackets, and if I ever get around to doing suspension on my truck that would involve welding new spring hangers to the frame, new shock mounts, things like that.I believe the aluminum requirement, and my need to stay on a budget (not a pro, just a budding hobbyist) means I should be looking at MIG welders in the 180A range? This will be used inside my home garage so no worries about wind blowing away shielding gas. Garage is not yet wired for 230V but will be within the next year or so. In the mean time I intend to build a ~25 foot extension cord to power the welder from my electric range outlet (on a 50 amp breaker) since the kitchen is right next to the garage. 10/3 should be sufficient for this, yes? Portability is not much of an issue since I doubt it will leave the garage. I do not anticipate needing anything that will run off 110V.I have seen the box store Lincoln 180s (180HD and Pro Mig 180) on fleabay and new ones usually close at around $500-550 delivered. Add a spool gun and I’m looking at $700-750.My LWS plays for the “red team” and has the Power Mig 180C for $699 after rebate. Would still have to buy the spool gun so that puts it up at $900. I guess my question is, is this machine worth the ~$150 upgrade for the metal wire feed mechanism (as opposed to plastic) and continuous output (as opposed to tapped) versus the box store versions? Keep in mind that I am a hobbyist noob. I see that Northern Tool has decent prices on the Hobart machines:HH190 with spool gun included for $849, or HH210 with spool gun for $899. I don’t see why anybody spending the money on the 190 wouldn’t drop the extra $50 for the 210. Free shipping on these but I would have to pay VA sales tax. Basically for equivalent money as the Power Mig 180C from my LWS, I’d be getting 30A more rated output.I guess I can boil it down to:Box store version Lincoln 180 and spool gun for $700-750 off fleabay, or HH210 with the spool gun for $900 at NT. I’m not sure if I anticipate needing the extra output of the 210. I can understand the thought process of buying more than you think you need, OTOH the price difference could pay for a gas bottle.FWIW, I have been searching the regional craigslists off and on for a long while and not coming up with much. Most MIGs that come up are 110V units, or HF stuff. The few good quality used 230V Millers & Lincolns that pop up seem to be listed at damn near the price of a brand new one. Good deals don't seem to be raining from the sky.If you guys have any feedback on the quality of these machines or their suitability for my needs that would be great. Or if I’m looking at the wrong class of welders altogether, by all means, let me know that too!
Reply:I have a feeling you will want 2 machines to do what you want. The alum stuff you look like you want to do would probably be better done with an AC capable tig machine rather than mig. I'm sure some here can do some of that with a spoolgun, but mig alum is usually better on thicker alum rather than thinner alum. Alum mig is usually done hot and fast. That makes it a PITA with small round items like bungs and so on, especially on thin material under say 1/8" thick. I don't think you will be happy with the results using mig on these items. Note that a good name brand AC capable tig will probably set you back about $2K new. less expensive units usually don't give you the extra options that you want when doing alum, or their quality control is poor when you start looking at the  less expensive import units. Also alum tig usually takes a bit more skill than doing steel tig. It's usually best to learn to tig steel 1st to get down basic heat control before moving on to alum. You may want to put the alum option on the back burner for now. A plus side to this is that tig is also usually the best choice for doing stainless projects like exhaust headers and so on.The body work is probably better done with mig using .023 wire and gas. Doing it with DC tig is possible, but it's no where near as easy as with mig, because tig doesn't handle rust and paint left from poor prep as well  as mig and takes more skill in general.Small brackets and such could be done with either process. Regardless of the process, you will want a 230v capable machine.I'd strongly suggest you find a local tech school and take some night classes in welding. You will get the most for your buck that way at the start. When you figure out what materials, gas, wire, rod, electric and so on would cost you, not to mention instruction, a class is usually stupid cheap. Most instructors I've dealt with encourage students with projects once they have the basics down. You may be able to do some of your projects there. Also you usually have access to more equipment and better machines than your buget might other wise allow. Having your own machine to practice on at home would help you move forward faster, but it's not esential. Also you may be able to try ( or have the instructor demonstrate) the different processes out on similar materials to your planned projects, and get a better understanding of why you want to use one over another..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:continuous versus tapped, continuous will sometimes be very important(maybe on real light metal...)bigger is always better, and somehow you'll find the money for the gas bottle..and you are a hobbyist newb.. but it seems like you want to do this right..when you're learning is not the time to be wondering if the machine is the problem...
Reply:My 2 centsFirst of all I have a Miller 180 and a spool gun for aluminum.So you know you will use argon/CO2 for Mig and 100% argon for spool gun aluminum.  So no matter what you will need 2 bottles of gas. One first then the other one latter on.  Also with aluminum you push the gun, steel you can go either way.Make sure the Mig torch cable assembly is well built and that you can get replacement parts easy.  The internal wire guide will wear out after some time and you will need contact tips. Do buy a 220-volt only machine and with the most amps you can afford (180 to 210 ect.).  For your extension use #8 wire to be safe.Buy new so if anything goes bad you can return it.  You will pay more for the better name brands.  See if you can find a local with the ones you are looking at to talk to them about pros and cons for that machine Car clubs, repair shops.Have funTom
Reply:You are in for a rude awakening.  unless you plan on taking some welding classes and doing lots of practice, your results are going to be substandard and even worse with cheap HF or other Chinese welders.   TIG is what you need for doing the kind of things you ask about with aluminum.  Spend some time reading as much as you can about aluminum automotive repairs here.    contamination of the base metal from oil and other fluids is a huge challenge if you are welding oil pans etc.  Best to pay a pro to do it...Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawYou are in for a rude awakening.  unless you plan on taking some welding classes and doing lots of practice, your results are going to be substandard and even worse with cheap HF or other Chinese welders.   TIG is what you need for doing the kind of things you ask about with aluminum.  Spend some time reading as much as you can about aluminum automotive repairs here.    contamination of the base metal from oil and other fluids is a huge challenge if you are welding oil pans etc.  Best to pay a pro to do it...
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpaw... your results are going to be substandard and even worse with cheap HF or other Chinese welders.
Reply:Originally Posted by ScottFW............ if I had that done by a local shop instead then I could delay (perhaps indefinitely) the aluminum need and focus on learning MIG on mild steel. That keeps it more simple and reduces the amount of stuff I have to buy, for now..
Reply:miller 211 -------hobart 187 ----new or  usedand welding tips & tricks  videos go wire feed then look for a used tig machinehave buddys help ---NOW if one or 2 can bring his machine go for itidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:so if you are not going to wirefeed the aluminum, why are you getting a mig?if you got a dc only tig which is good for mild steel, you could learn to tig steel with it and also stick weld ...you'd be better off when you do trade machines for one that has ac and  do aluminum..you'll have learned to tig steel which is the best prep for learning to  tig aluminum...i think for the money you are talking about you can get a nice  dc inverter ...