Which Arc welder of these 2

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Im looking to buy and arc welder. These are my two choices.1) http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053or2) http://www.tractorsupply.com/welding...welder-3837294Where have all the good times gone?
Reply:it won't matter really which one you get.  they weld the same.  the little extra you get at the top on the one is mute in the great picture.  most of what you will be welding is with 1/8 electrodes and that will be in the middle of the road on these two machines.
Reply:Of the 2, I'd give the nod to the Hobart because you have a bit more control of the amps since it's infanitely adjustable vs tapped. That said, I doubt most would  probably notice the difference much in actual use.Take a look at CL. For Dallas/Ft Worth, I see 2 of the Lincoln AC machines listed at $200 yesterday (28th) (one says Lincoln arc welder, and the other says Lincoln AC225 welder) and one at $150 listed for the 25th as "Lincoln AC-225 Tombstone Welder " For some reason he listed the one on the 25th in Farm & Garden instead of tools.http://www.searchtempest.com/results...min&maxAsk=maxUsually used I see the AC Lincolns for $75-150 in good shape. These machines are tanks and are almost bullet proof. You can save yourself some money and get a used one thats probably as good as a new one and put the extra cash towards a hood, rods or some steel to practice on. I bet the guy who wants $150 might go lower since I doubt he's had many calls on it since it's not listed in "tools" Offer $100 and see if he bites. I'd have no issues getting that machine used, especially if he can show it works first (and I'd bet money it does since they are so hard to kill)..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:Shop around for a used AC/DC machine. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:If I were going to get a straight AC machine it would be the Hobart. I'm not a big fan of tapped power settings. It make you adapt your weld speed to the machine rather than the machine be adaptable to you, which is how it should be. But, with that said, I too would look for a good used DC stick machine or put off the purchase until I had enough saved for the DC machine. I had a Hobart Stichmate LX AC/DC machine and it was a really nice stick welder.You would never regret it.StephenMillermatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200Miller 30A SpoolgunHypertherm Powermax 30Etc., etc., etc.............Cancer Sucks!
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverShop around for a used AC/DC machine.
Reply:My preference between the two you are choosing between would be the Lincoln.  Hard to kill, have been around a long, long, time and the tapped voltage puts you close enough to the ideal amps that you will not notice anway.  I learned to weld on one of these some forty plus years ago and  the same machine is still here kicking and burning rods.  So yeah, I am biased.  Ideally, I agree with the others and suggest if you can, find a unit with ac/dc output.  Good luck which ever route you choose!A few of my toys !LinuxMintManjaroMiller Roughneck 2E Lincoln WeldPak 100HTP MTS 160 Chicago Electric 80amp Inverter   Victor O/A
Reply:And don't rule out one of these. A Lincoln Idealarc 250. I found this one for my buddy on ebay for about $105.00. It's quite larger than the tombstone you were looking at, but it's AC/DC, 50% duty cycle @ 200A, and will handle most anything you'll want to do with a stick welder."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:i myself am more a fan of lincoln but i do like the better control of your amperage from the hobart...
Reply:Glad I asked. I did not realize the machine only did AC. My welding classes dont start until January so Im sort of jumping the gun as far as buying a 2nd welder. I own a MIG welder, but want to stick weld also.Does being able to weld AC or DC have to do with the amount of heat generated and the type of metals your trying to weld?Where have all the good times gone?
Reply:Some rods will only run on DC of a particular polarity. Say DC+ or DC -. Cast iron rods, alum rods, and some hard facing rods are good examples. Many rods just run nicer on DC than they do AC and it's easier to keep the rods lit as the arc isn't switching back and forth from + to - 60 times a second. Also with a DC machine you can do basic scratch start tig if you add an aircooled tig torch with valve and reg/cyl, in the future. Given a choice between a staight AC machine, and an AC/DC or straight DC one, I'd opt for the machine with DC as it's a bit more versitile.All that aside, there have been a ton of projects built over the years with basic AC stick machines. If you weld basic plain steel, you can run any number of rods on AC and get results similar to that of a DC machine. They are nice machines to learn on and very inexpensive. If you keep your eyes open for a good deal used ($100-150), you can probably sell the machine again for about what you paid if you choose to upgrade later.If you plan to take a class, you might want to hold off and save your money. Talk to your instructor and see what he thinks. I was impressed with the quantity of used machines I saw listed on CL in your area. There were some nice tig/stick machines in the $700-1000 range IIRC. There was a nice Miller 330 A/BP stick/tig for $800 listed. 400+ amps of DC stick, 300+ amps of AC/DC tig. It's big, heavy and will require a 100 amp 220v breaker, but you'll probably never out grow it unless you need advanced tig functions..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:Id go for the hobart, but spend the little extra money to get the AC/DC version of it. It looks like a sweet welder with the infinite control, and thats actually what im saving my money for right now. Im a student too, in high school, so i kind of get where youre coming from.[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:hobart i own one and it is great but mine is ac/dc and i it is awsome and smooth to work withLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:I would highly reccommend the Ideal arc 250 AC/DC if you can find one used. They last forever, weld nice and I think you can adapt to run tig from them later on down the line if you wanted. should be able to find them from $100-500  300 all day long will buy a decent one, just make sure it is AC/DC and not just DC. If you absoluetly don't have the budget go with a used AC machine, also last forever due to being made pretty simple and should be had for $100 on CL."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400