help choosing stick welder

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looking for a stick welder that can be used on 110 and 220 volts I cant go over $600.Mullets&Pullets
Reply:This one gives you AC / DC Attached ImagesThe main thing is not to panic or get excited Bobcat 250, X-Treme 12VS,  MM211Meltabo, Milwaukee,Porter Cable,Dewalt,MakitaVictor O/A, Ingersoll-RandEvolution Rage2, 40 amp PlasmaLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:Check tweco fabricators and ESAB 161Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Forget that inverter crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Buy a transformer machine if you want it to last.You can run the transformer machine into the ground, get it so hot that you can't hardly hang onto the stinger, and it will still weld the next day..........and many years into the future.  Try that with an inverter."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammForget that inverter crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Buy a transformer machine if you want it to last.You can run the transformer machine into the ground, get it so hot that you can't hardly hang onto the stinger, and it will still weld the next day..........and many years into the future.  Try that with an inverter.
Reply:Can't go wrong with the esab mini arc
Reply:Sorry pal but I have welded lots with Inverters, Lincoln and Miller both.  Welding flux core at very high amperages for WEEKS straight.  Machines that were moved all over site to different areas to weld.  Machines were dropped, kicked, dragged.  Last job I was on was all pipe.  Miller Maxstar 200 machines.  They would be dropped off scaffold, kicked, dragged by the carry strap, dragged by the leads.  Some of the machines were so beat up the front of the machines were smashed in and the lead connectors would be pointing inward towards each other.  I have even seen them left outside in the rain and still work.  Nothing but pure torture. Originally Posted by farmersammForget that inverter crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Buy a transformer machine if you want it to last.You can run the transformer machine into the ground, get it so hot that you can't hardly hang onto the stinger, and it will still weld the next day..........and many years into the future.  Try that with an inverter.
Reply:Chances are.......you weren't responsible for maintaining the stuff you were working with, or maybe even owning the stuff you were welding with.  And it probably wasn't the stuff that's available for the average home hobbyist.  Expensive stuff.  So it ain't apples n' apples.............I can go out and plunk down the change it takes for a good, and I mean good, inverter..........but can the average doood?Inverter is here to stay, can't argue.  But is it a good thing??  It's like an M-1, as opposed to an M-16............which would you choose to defend your loved ones??"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Nope wasn't responsible for maintaining it but I did weld and use the equipment, along with take it out of service for repairs or calibration.  Out of both of those jobs I think we had one Miller Maxstar 200 that busted.  As for talking about what is and isn't available for a home hobbiest.  Well not everyone has a 100 amp breaker in their garage to run a welder.  Hell im a professional welder and all I have is a 50 amp.  Transformer machines cannot easily be moved from location to location, and use a lot more power, along with take up a lot more room.  Sure a hobbiest can buy and old transformer machine that will need 50 plus amps to run at max output and then still not be able to move it anywhere and not have near the adjustment an inverter has.  Inverters offer a lot over transformers.  And to say they are junk is an out and out lie !  I believe the word you used was "crap".As to your m1- M16 comparison.  I own 2 AR 15s  Stag Arms to be exact !  ;-) Originally Posted by farmersammChances are.......you weren't responsible for maintaining the stuff you were working with, or maybe even owning the stuff you were welding with.  And it probably wasn't the stuff that's available for the average home hobbyist.  Expensive stuff.  So it ain't apples n' apples.............Inverter is here to stay, can't argue.  But is it a good thing??  It's like an M-1, as opposed to an M-16............which would you choose to defend your loved ones??
Reply:For the money you are looking at spending id take a look at Everlasts Powerarc 200ST.  Its a stick/ lift arc tig machine.  I had one of the earlier versions the PA 200 No tig.  It welded great.  According to a member here (CEP) his Powerarc 200ST welds better than his old Powerarc 200.  The PA 200st will run on 110v or 220V.  Its in your price range, and they do weld good.  Do I think it will last as long as a new Miller ?  Probably not but you cant beat them for the price. A new Maxstar 150 will be probably double the price and wont stick weld near as good.PM member Lugweld here and see what kind of price he can get you.Last edited by Newfie_1986; 02-15-2016 at 11:06 PM.Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:How often and in what circumstances will you only have 110 volts?  There are few places with 110 that do not also have 220. I carry long lead extensions and made up adapters with 6-15/6-20/6-30/14-30 and 14-50 plug to 6-50 recptical which most 230 amp or less machines need.  My experience has been that many locations only have 15amp 110 and seldom have outlets with more than 20 amp 110volts.  That won't do much.  Even if you have access to a 30 amp 110volt outlet (which are rare),you would be far better off useing a standard 30amp 220 volt dryer outlet that are common where power is available. If you're lucky they will have a 50 amp range.  In a pinch I have a 6-50R with 6' of stranded #8 I can lug into main or hvac disconnect.  Some of that fail's code so I don't reccomend everyone do it. Given a choice,I use flux core if power is limited.
Reply:Watch Craigslist or local for sale adds in your area and watch for Lincoln Idealarc 250 or Miller Dialarc 250 AC/DC machines.  You should be able to get one of those in your budget and they are very bullet proofSteveLincoln SA200 (1966 Redface)Lincoln IdealArc 250Steve1990 Miller Dialarc 2501993 Miller Maxstar 140 STR2015 Lincoln MP2101966 Lincoln SA200 Redface
Reply:M1 Garand or M1 Abrams?  Kinda makes a difference . . . :-) :-)- Tim
Reply:if power is a concern look for a used maxstar 150. they run on both 110 and 220v. i think they go for 800. brandy new but you can do much better if you keep your eye's open. i find it to be a handy little machine. Attached ImagesLast edited by docwelder; 02-16-2016 at 03:14 AM.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I have an Everlast 140ST which is sweeeeeeet for the price...under $275!  If I were to do it again though, I would buy a tombstone that has both AC and DC.  The inverter Everlast is only DC which is OK but you aren't gonna be able to do Aluminum tig like you could with AC.  Remember that your stick can later be converted to tig if you wanted and that should be something to keep in the back of your mind.
Reply:Originally Posted by 1AgKidlooking for a stick welder that can be used on 110 and 220 volts I cant go over $600.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammForget that inverter crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Buy a transformer machine if you want it to last.You can run the transformer machine into the ground, get it so hot that you can't hardly hang onto the stinger, and it will still weld the next day..........and many years into the future.  Try that with an inverter.
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Sorry pal but I have welded lots with Inverters, Lincoln and Miller both.  Welding flux core at very high amperages for WEEKS straight.  Machines that were moved all over site to different areas to weld.  Machines were dropped, kicked, dragged.  Last job I was on was all pipe.  Miller Maxstar 200 machines.  They would be dropped off scaffold, kicked, dragged by the carry strap, dragged by the leads.  Some of the machines were so beat up the front of the machines were smashed in and the lead connectors would be pointing inward towards each other.  I have even seen them left outside in the rain and still work.  Nothing but pure torture.
Reply:I've been wrong before BUT!1AgKid sounds exactly like that! A young man on Dads farm with a budget! Go ahead and peruse CL to find a transformer machine that will take day to day abuse of Farm life. Lots of transformer machines were marketed towards farmers after rural electrification in the 30's. Start out with this, practice, show Dad what you can do. Let him justify paying for the next new machine you want!
Reply:Originally Posted by 1AgKidlooking for a stick welder that can be used on 110 and 220 volts I cant go over $600.
Reply:Sorry don't recall saying anyone knew nothing maybe you should learn to read !  Unlike a lot of people on this forum im an actual welder, I don't do this for a hobby or to weld up farm equipment now and again as it breaks. BTW if you had even read the first post you would have noticed he wants a machine that will do 110v or 220v where is he getting a big transformer machine to do that ? Originally Posted by BrianCI guess us old guys just don't know anything, come to think of it, I knew more when I was younger too.
Reply:in my experience welding machines on 120 volts are strictly for sheetmetal 1/8 or under. basically you can only get some much power out of a 15 or even 20 amp 120 volt circuit. 15 amps circuit you definitely will not be welding anything heavy.people get in trouble trying to do heavier thicker steel with a under powered machine and have problems that go away when they have a machine that has more power.by the way in my experience 120 volt machines when they say 80 weld amps it acts like 60 amps. i had a 100 amp 120 volt AC transformer machine and it never acted like it was putting out even 70 weld amps even when on a 30 amp 120 volt circuit. 120 volt machine often have such low welding arc voltage that you have to derate what weld amps they say machine does by at least 20% in my experienceLast edited by WNY_TomB; 02-16-2016 at 12:21 PM.
Reply:[QUOTE=Newfie_1986;6886961]Sorry don't recall saying anyone knew nothing maybe you should learn to read !  Unlike a lot of people on this forum im an actual welder, I don't do this for a hobby or to weld up farm equipment now and again as it breaks. BTW if you had even read the first post you would have noticed he wants a machine that will do 110v or 220v where is he getting a big transformer machine to do that ?[/QUI read your post on abuse of welders where you worked and telling all of us 'fake'  welders that inverters are as good as transformer based on abuse at your job site? Arrogant much?
Reply:inverter welders work very good better at many things. i believe newer ones they call 3rd generation design with feature like hot start and antistick.hot start is for first 1/2 second you get high amps to shorten time to warm up weld puddleanti stick is usually current shut off if it reads rod in contact with part. keeps rod from going red hot.just saying thats at least 2 features not normally found in older welders and they are nice features. there are more features as some inverters can actually do amazing things. German site i was looking at had many advanced feature machines not found in USA machines or at least i have not seen them yet. many German machines were rated to run with cellulose rods (6010) too .sure 1st generation inverters were not perfect. they are getting better though
Reply:check out German welding machine maker..... read the advanced features 3rd generation inverters have. never heard of company til a week ago still just reading catalog they got some amazing technology.https://www.ewm-group.com/en/ewmprodukte/geraete.htmlIts the truth it was a Union job believe it or not the welders were beat up pretty good.  Id call yourself pretty arrogant.   You come in here waging your finger telling me im a know it all.    How do you know what experience I have with Inverter welders or where I have worked ?  I looked up your first post here, looks like you have been a business owner welding body panels in cars and railings and such for the past 28 years as of that post in 2012.  So that gives you a pretty limited experience with Inverter welders only what you own and hear of.  Any experience with Inverters before you had your business doesn't count a lot can change in 30 years.  Myself I have worked in most of the big shops here in St. John's, all mostly Inverter welders.  Most of the shops ran flux core and did a lot of gouging.  The last welding shop I worked at before I went Union had all Inverters and we Tigged duplex pipe 200 amps 24 hours a day those machine ran for almost a year straight, no problems and they were well abused before I got there.  Once I went union and went to work At Bull Arm on Hebron we welded non stop unless we had to gouge.  I seen machines dropped dragged and all sorts of things done to them.  Same thing when I went to Long Harbour.  When I asked the electrical departments about what kind of issues they had with the machines they told me very little.  The main thing was calibration.Im truly sorry if this bothers you but it is what it is.  Just because you are older doesn't mean you know everything about everything.[QUOTE=BrianC;6887121] Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Sorry don't recall saying anyone knew nothing maybe you should learn to read !  Unlike a lot of people on this forum im an actual welder, I don't do this for a hobby or to weld up farm equipment now and again as it breaks. BTW if you had even read the first post you would have noticed he wants a machine that will do 110v or 220v where is he getting a big transformer machine to do that ?[/QUI read your post on abuse of welders where you worked and telling all of us 'fake'  welders that inverters are as good as transformer based on abuse at your job site? Arrogant much?
Reply:If you are looking at an inverter machine I have a Thermal Arc 161 that I will be putting up for sale......160 amps.110 or 220...... stick and tig......pm me if interested.
Reply:I would look at some older machines, like the Forney c5 arc welder.  They are built rugged, and if you can find one with ac/dc current you will be golden!  Side note the Forney c5 is just ac. -Jess
Reply:That big old tombstone will last forever...I have ac/dc one over 50 years old (I think) and still does the job.. 220 only though.  Inverters are nice, cheap, but too much electrickery in them for real reliability.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersamm... It's like an M-1, as opposed to an M-16............which would you choose to defend your loved ones??
Reply:inverters come with newer features like.1) hot start is a 1/2 second of higher amps to lessen cold starting problems better machines it is adjustable the starting weld amp amount2) anti stick or rod shorted out the weld current stops to help unstick it before it goes red hot3) arc force is adjustable on better machines same as on older transformer welders4) 6010 port to run cellulose rods and other port to run the majority of other rod types without getting excessively long weld arc. .i have been looking atEverlast Powerarc 300.http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everlast-...-300/205350810
Reply:TM-500 ac/dc run on 50 -200 amps will weld and gouge all year with LN-25 and a Hi Freq box will stick mig n tig, will run subarc too. Makes a 250 Tombstone look like a shoeq box!
Reply:Also check this HOBART STICKMATE LX 235AC/160DC.  Yeah it can't be run on 110, but you will be much happier with a decent AC/DC machine.  Stickmate:  http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...c-stick-welderForney C5 Arc WelderLincoln Idealarc 250-250 Ac/Dc Arc WelderMiller Bobcat 225g PlusLincoln PowerMig 200Forney O/A Rig
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Sorry pal but I have welded lots with Inverters, Lincoln and Miller both.  Welding flux core at very high amperages for WEEKS straight.  Machines that were moved all over site to different areas to weld.  Machines were dropped, kicked, dragged.  Last job I was on was all pipe.  Miller Maxstar 200 machines.  They would be dropped off scaffold, kicked, dragged by the carry strap, dragged by the leads.  Some of the machines were so beat up the front of the machines were smashed in and the lead connectors would be pointing inward towards each other.  I have even seen them left outside in the rain and still work.  Nothing but pure torture.
Reply:Originally Posted by TheBFAI just bought a Maxstar 200 STR (its ST something, can't remember) off one of my pipe fitters two days ago for $450 with a dual flow meter setup, some argon hose and a TIG torch. He needed money quick to buy a car he wanted or something. I figured I could sell it easy later on because I already have a ridiculously nice Kemppi that does anything aTIG machine can do. But the benefit of the Maxstar is it'll run on 110 and my Kemppi has to be in the 240 range. But it's a pretty good machine? I don't plan on doing much stick at all but figured I couldn't pass it up at that price.
Reply:Originally Posted by JessAlso check this HOBART STICKMATE LX 235AC/160DC.  Yeah it can't be run on 110, but you will be much happier with a decent AC/DC machine.  Stickmate:  http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...c-stick-welder
Reply:Buy whatever machine gets you 200A, and DC. This will allow you the duty cycle to run 1/8 stick all day, and you'll  lover 7018 on the DC.I'd prefer a trans machine and a 240 hookup, for a functional, durable investment you can fix yourself if ever required.Chay