OA + 110volt mig vs. 220 mig

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i've been posting questions about OA welding and am learning a lot from the generous advices that the experienced folks are giving.  As it turns out, a friend of a friend has a mig welder and let me played with it for few minutes.  now i'm hooked...  I WANT A MIG MACHINE!!!!this brings me to my next dilemma.  110 or 220. this IS the same 110 vs. 220 thread you've read before but with a twist.  I know most of the 110 volt MIG machines out there are about the same (millermatic 140, hobart handler 140...etc) and their ceiling seem to be 3/16 in one pass (prepped, beveled and preheated).  The thickest stuff i've played on so far are under 3/16, so 110 will definitely work for me... and if i need to weld anything over 3/16, i can just use my OA outfit.  Do you guys think 110v plus OA (i have quite a few torch tips) is enough to avoid NEEDING a 220?note: I'm a hobbyist and garage welder, I dont build submarines, i just fix stuff around the house.  the heaviest duty things i can imagine building is engine stand for a motorcycle engine, which isn't all that heavy.  the 220v I'm lookng at are millermatic 180 and Hobart handler 187, which are $100 to $150 more then their 110volt counter parts, i'd imagine Lincoln is probably similar as far as price is concerned.
Reply:Originally Posted by oxy moroni've been posting questions about OA welding and am learning a lot from the generous advices that the experienced folks are giving.  As it turns out, a friend of a friend has a mig welder and let me played with it for few minutes.  now i'm hooked...  I WANT A MIG MACHINE!!!!this brings me to my next dilemma.  110 or 220. this IS the same 110 vs. 220 thread you've read before but with a twist.  I know most of the 110 volt MIG machines out there are about the same (millermatic 140, hobart handler 140...etc) and their ceiling seem to be 3/16 in one pass (prepped, beveled and preheated).  The thickest stuff i've played on so far are under 3/16, so 110 will definitely work for me... and if i need to weld anything over 3/16, i can just use my OA outfit.  Do you guys think 110v plus OA (i have quite a few torch tips) is enough to avoid NEEDING a 220?note: I'm a hobbyist and garage welder, I dont build submarines, i just fix stuff around the house.  the heaviest duty things i can imagine building is engine stand for a motorcycle engine, which isn't all that heavy.  the 220v I'm lookng at are millermatic 180 and Hobart handler 187, which are $100 to $150 more then their 110volt counter parts, i'd imagine Lincoln is probably similar as far as price is concerned.
Reply:rather than buy a new machine you can find a nice used one for 1/2 the price and try it for awhile i would definatly go bigger than what you need and grow into it
Reply:Well, you could buy a dual-voltage mig and have both 110v and 220v in the same machine.   Check out the Millermatic 211 or DVI-2 or Passport Plus from MILLER.   I imagine Lincoln and others have something similar too.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Some motorcycle engines weigh alot, I would go with a 220 volt machine for sure.
Reply:Depending on the rated horsepower and torque of the motorcycle I would strongly recommend a 220vac gas capable MIG. That way the power will be there should  you need it. I have motorcycles snap a cold weld like it was nothing. The poor guy ended up eating a lot of gravel on that break.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Originally Posted by oxy moronthe 220v I'm lookng at are millermatic 180 and Hobart handler 187, which are $100 to $150 more then their 110volt counter parts,.
Reply:Plus, your friends are a lot less likely to borrow a machine that they can't plug in.
Reply:Lets say you buy a brand name 220v machine. If you own it for 25 yrs and give it to your kids when you get decrepid its only like $9 a year extra. Lincoln PowerMig 180cVictor O/ABandaids and aspirinI don't know what I don't know!?
Reply:Maybe his reason for wanting a 110v machine is he doesn't have 220v power available ???   When I lived in my apartment many years ago, my mig welder served as my end table next to the couch in the living room cause I had no 220v power and no hopes of ever getting any wired in.  My roll away tool box was the TV stand too.  My girlfriend just loved the furnishings... lol, not.I lived in a house when I bought the mig and had 220 so bought the 220 machine.  Not being able to use the welder or compressor and not being able to work on my trucks in the parking lot was reason enough to move out of the apartment soon as the lease was up.  If I'd had a dual-voltage welder and compressor, I could have at least made some use of them on the back porch, and probly hear alot of bi*ching about noise by the management too...Last edited by DesertRider33; 03-22-2009 at 07:31 PM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Well he did mention that he is looking at 220v machines like the MM180 and HH187 so I imagine 220v is not a problemo.Ed 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:I only had O/A for 16 years. It served me well. My thought is that I can do almost anything with O/A that a 120v MIG will do. So you end up with duplicate tools, you only need one OR the other. Go with the 220v, it opens unknown doors in the future. 9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Originally Posted by smyrna5It sounds to me like you don't NEED more than a 120v MIG, but people's needs tend to grow over time.........I have a 120v MIG (Hobart 140), a Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC stick, and an O/A outfit. If I had it all to do over I would buy the 220v MIG, even though I don't usually NEED it.
Reply:The 120V MIG machines are great on sheetmetal thickness steel or if you only have 120V power available and are aware ofthe limited thickness you can work on.The 220V machines (in the 180 amp class) still let you run on sheetmetal (generally) but they have waaay more capability on the top-end for working on 'thicker' metal.  Even then, using GMAW those machines are rated up to 3/16 inch steel single-pass, and maybe 1/4 to 5/16 multi-pass.  With FCAW, those class of machines -may- be rated up to 1/2 inch thick steel with multi-pass.Note that you are NOT going to be doing GMAW spray transfer on 1/2 inch thick steel with the 180-class machines and you will be 'limited' to wires that are on 4 inch diameter (1 or 2 lb typically, depending on if it's solid wire or a fluxcore wire) or 8 inch diameter spools (typically 10 or 12 lb, depending on if it's fluxcore or solid wire).  Those spool sizes are also what most of the small 120V GMAW/FCAW machiens are limited to as well.If you move up to the next higher level in the 240V machines (the 210 amp class), those machines might not be able to take the little 4 inch spools, but they usually can take the 8 inch or the 12 inch spools (25 or 33 or 44 lbs typically).  The bigger spools of wire usually cost much less per pound of wire, even for the same wire diameter.  Those little 4 inch spools are kind of pricey on a per-pound basis. Example: big-box store (Lowes or HomeDepot) Lincoln 4 inch spools of wire run about $10 for the 1 lb (NR211MP FCAW wire) or 2 lb (L-56 GMAW wire).  The 8 inch spools of the same wire type/size run about $40, except those are 10 lb (NR211MP FCAW wire) or 12.5 lb (L-56 GMAW wire).If you have 220V (or can get it), then I'd say to get the 180 amp class machine (Lincoln or Miller or the HH187).  The recent Miller and Lincoln 180s also have an inexpensive plug-n-play spoolgun option (about $200) for doing light-duty aluminum MIG welding.The 180 class machines are usually just a little bit more expensive than the 120V MIG machines.  Moving to the bigger machines and the price jumps a wee bit from there.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:i held off from "saving money" by buying a 110 welder.  glad i did, cuz bout 8 months later bammo!!! canuck tire put up the lincoln180 for cheap deal. buy the 220 it is definately worth the extra $$$.ya can't have too much welder.ya can't have too many wrenches.ya can't have too many hammers.......ooohh crap that list goes on an on.
Reply:It doesn'e take that much more time to create a 22ovolt circuit, but what you may want to think about is your home owners insurance and the number of fire extinguishers you have and how clean your garage is.
Reply:Originally Posted by pistolnoonIt doesn'e take that much more time to create a 22ovolt circuit, but what you may want to think about is your home owners insurance and the number of fire extinguishers you have and how clean your garage is.
Reply:actually, just OA for now, my question was 110 or 220 in addition to the OA.forget the house, i'm surprised that I only have had one burn.  thats from touching a weld that hasn't cooled yet.I think there are two kinds of n00bs as far as safety is concerned.1. the ones that are super enthusiastic about welding and just want to start melting some metal, all else are secondary.2. the kind that are so scared that they'll set something ablaze that they read every precautionary literature, even the fine prints.  and then follow all the rules to the letter.of course, for the #2 type, accidents still happen, but I'm old/mature/humble enough to understand that I'm dealing with a potential BOMB that can blow me up sky high to have respect for the equipment I'm using.Although, I have to say I'm a very lucky person, a private plane crashed in my neighborhood, 50 yards from my house.  Did major damage to 3 houses... did i mention that it was only 50 yards from my house?  I'm sure planes can fly 50 yards in one or two secondsif a plane hits my garage, and my OA set up blew them to pieces... they deserve it.
Reply:It won't take long before you're disappointed by the performance of the 110v machine.  Then again, it will be a cold day in hell before someone pries the O/A set up from your hands.
Reply:Okay forget about fires, I think your best option would be to go 220, I have always used 220 machines in the shop and when I bought mine, I checked to see what a few other people were using locally, machine shops etc, and 180 was the size everyone is using, so now I see spray transfer, and think I may have made a mistake because I now lack the ability to do it.I bought a Thermaldyne 190 w/ complementary victor torches for about $946 Can.So I don't know what that is american $750? I was watching for special from Grainger-Acklands - Grainger the last deal I saw was the next size up with aluminum gun and auto-darkening mask.Thermaldaybe always has a special.But don't expect miller type customer service-if you ever do need service that is!Oh and one thing the smaller machines have is the ability to use small rolls of wire insteas of 10 or 20 lbs rollsLast edited by pistolnoon; 03-24-2009 at 02:23 AM.
Reply:I'm trying to avoid small rolls.  larger rolls are cheaper per pound/kilogram
Reply:Originally Posted by oxy moronI'm trying to avoid small rolls.  larger rolls are cheaper per pound/kilogram
Reply:alright, now I have to look at $2000+ 240volt monsters just to save money on wires!!!  hehe, just kidding.  I'm sure, for what I do, even a "small" roll will last a long time.