Which Welder?

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Hey, I know this has probably been asked in general, but im looking for an answer specific to my needs. Im looking to get a mig welder to weld some steel for a rollcage and some other parts in the car. Specifically im looking to weld something like 1 1/2 DOM with a wall of 0.095 or 0.120, and some steel plates about 3mm thick. Theres tonnes of welders which I could choose from, but im looking for something within my budget which is about $1500. Also this would be used at home.Thanks for suggestions.
Reply:I would go with Hobart/Miller/Lincoln in no particular order.  220v machine.  Are you looking for new or used?  Is the $1500 budget including gauges/regulator/argon or just the machine itself?  There's a ton of info on here- search around on the site.
Reply:IMO, the Hobart Ironman @ $1500 is your best bet.
Reply:175/180 class 240V MIG at very least.  A 200/210 class machine is not unreasonable and only slightly more $$.  Hobart/Miller/Lincoln/Thermal Arc/ESAB if you're in the U.S.A. The slightly bigger welders will generally give you a better duty cycle so you don't have to worry as much about overheating the machine."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I would like to keep the argon and regulator within the 1500. I was looking around on 4x4pirate and a few of them use the Millermatic 180 at home to weld the same mild steel and have no problem with it.And i dont mind if I buy used if it helps me get a better welder at a good priceEDIT: Also I can look into purchasing some of those through my college, might get a better price, who knows. Thanks guysLast edited by jdmkid; 09-11-2014 at 04:19 PM.
Reply:An older Millermatic 200 would be a good choice, I've seen them from about $500-$1300 on craigslist. We have had one in our shop for a long time and never had any trouble from it.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by jdmkid...  EDIT: Also I can look into purchasing some of those through my college, might get a better price, who knows. Thanks guys
Reply:Im in Toronto Ontario, my program which im in is Mechanical Engineering Technology Industrial Design. We had a guy come in from TryHard Industrial but i havnt yet looked into discounts and if they even carry any welders.
Reply:Not an answer to your question., but if you are going to build roll cages, here is a thread that may be very useful to you if you have not already seen it. http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...-Cages-Chassis
Reply:Jdmkid,All the welding and machining equipment I got for my younger kid (not that I don't like it) because one needs tools.  He's about finished with his machining and welding curriculum and should get an associates degree soon."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I'm a pretty big fan of my Tweco/Thermal Arc Fabricator 211i. Less than $1500 even after I bought PPE and a C25 tank.Tweco Fabricator 211i
Reply:If thinking MILLER 180, I would go to the 211. Not much more but a higher output. It is in the current Miller rebate program. http://www.millerwelds.com/products/special-offers.html
Reply:The Hobart Handler 190 will do all you need and much more and still be well within your budget .
Reply:Hobart 190 is a good choice."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I would go with the Miller 211 with Autoset. It comes with the regulators right out of the box. It also has the MVP plug set-up. You can run lower amps off of 110 volt circuits. At 75 pounds it is easy to transport. I have one and it works great! I manually dial it in to suit my needs. The auto-set feature is alright-but doesn't fit my welding style. With the Miller rebates, you should be able to walk out the door with the welder, and a tank of 75/25 within your budget. You can also add the spool gun if you later want to mig aluminum. All you need is the gun and a tank of argon.Last edited by 'Stang; 09-13-2014 at 12:54 AM.
Reply:A Lincoln PM 180C, Hobart handler 190, or Millermatic 211 will all work fine for you application.For roll cage work, I'd add one of these guns to the unit.  http://www.usaweld.com/Flexible-Neck-MIG-Gun-s/533.htmI have the Miller gun to use on my Hobart Ironman 230 when needed. The contact tip is recessed about an 1/8" into the nozzle on these guns. I chucked the nozzle up in my lathe and removed enough material off the back end of the nozzle to get the contact tip flush with the end of the nozzle.ESAB Migmaster 250 Hobart Ironman 230Multimatic 215TWECO Fabricator 181i & 211iHH125EZ - nice little fluxcore only unitMaxstar 150 STH - very nice
Reply:X2 on the Miller 211. Very nice machine.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:Hey I am new to this site looking at buying a mig  used found two millermatic 200 and a idealark so 250 which is the better choice.
Reply:Dave, tough to answer that question with out more information. Many feel the old Millermatic 200's are one of the nicest mig machines ever produced as far as arc quality. They do lack a lot of the fancy bells and whistles newer machine have, not that those matter to the vast majority of people. Lincoln made a ton of machines with the "Idealarc" name. It's important to know exactly which one you are talking about. They made CC versions as well as CV versions. If the machine you are looking at is a Idealarc CV 250, the machine has a much higher output than the Miller. However it's also 3 phase only I believe. If it's an Idealarc 250, then it's a completely different machine and is for stick/tig rather than mig..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:If it is a DC-250 buy it cv/cc250 amp single phase and can run any feeder LN 7/8/9!
Reply:Originally Posted by DAVE56Hey I am new to this site looking at buying a mig  used found two millermatic 200 and a idealark so 250 which is the better choice.
Reply:Originally Posted by DanThe Millermatic 200 and my ESAB Migmaster 250 roughly cover the same output power range. My Migmaster 250 offers 22 voltage tap selections to choice from; whereas, the Millermatic 200 only gives you 11 voltage tap selections. I see the MM 200 taking a fairly large jump in voltage between taps, resulting in there being definite holes in the output. By this I mean, there are more than likely going to be times were you'd have to settle with running a hotter output then you'd like, because the next tap selection down produces to cold of an output.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawThe migmaster 250 puts out 280amps. Significantly more than the Miller and much better duty cycle
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawThe migmaster 250 puts out 280amps. Significantly more than the Miller and much better duty cycle
Reply:Thanks for all the replies, im going to check out the hobart 190 and the millermatic 211. Also i spoke to my college, and they said as students we get no discount, in fact we may have to pay more for equipment such as a welder. So I guess ill be buying from an online site.Another question I had - this cage is going to be for a drift car/track car. Ive mig welded steel tubing before so im fine with mig welding the cage. But ive been reading online that tig is preferred over mig for a roll cage. I know for chromoly you must tig, but what about for DOM? Ive never tig'd in my life, so i would be learning from the basics. Specifically what ive heard is that the control over the temperature with tig is greater than with mig, and so penetration is much greater. If anyone can pitch in on whether mig would be fine for something like this.Last edited by jdmkid; 09-16-2014 at 04:07 PM.Another question, i didnt want to make a new thread for it.If i was to look for a tig machine (220v) for the same application (roll cage, 1 1/2 dom, .120 wall) which would again fit my budget? Something in the range of like the millermatic 211 is perfect. Also where would I be able to get information of what filler rods to use? And what cups for when im welding into a tight corner. Im all for learning to tig as it seems very neat and clean, even though it is very time consuming and labour intensive. Im going to ask one of the welding teachers at school the same thing also, but have more than one input is always good. Thanks again guys
Reply:I won't even get into the fact that I wouldn't trust my developing TIG skills to safety equipment like a roll cage. As I'm biased for no good reason towards Miller, the Diversion 180 or 200 would do the job. So would a Maxstar 150 though a 200 would give you a much better duty cycle. The Diversions you'd have to find used. The Maxstar 150 is in your budget currently. And the 200 would be a used item.
Reply:Im not going to be making the cage for a while, but id like to invest in a welder which id be using for making the cage in advance. And ill look into those, thanks.
Reply:Actually im going to go through with getting a mig. Im now just choosing between the 211 and the hobart 190. Ive mig'd for much longer and are much more comfortable. And mig can look nice and clean too, anyways.
Reply:Between those two units, I'd opt for the MM211. The higher output and duty cycle as well as the ability to do lighter stuff on 110v power would be a no brainer in my book for the small difference in price..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:Originally Posted by KavallI won't even get into the fact that I wouldn't trust my developing TIG skills to safety equipment like a roll cage. As I'm biased for no good reason towards Miller, the Diversion 180 or 200 would do the job. So would a Maxstar 150 though a 200 would give you a much better duty cycle. The Diversions you'd have to find used. The Maxstar 150 is in your budget currently. And the 200 would be a used item.
Reply:Originally Posted by jdmkidThe diversion 180 is actually on Miller's rebate program right now, and would be something I could get. Im going to do more research on both mig and tig and make a decision on what ill need and what fits into what I can afford to get. Thanks all
Reply:Originally Posted by Drf255Keep in mind, it's a very limited, low duty cycle machine.  There's no provision to stick weld with it, and the torch is built-in.It has fixed Hz and balance on AC as well.
Reply:It's great.  No aluminum because no AC output.  No HF either.  Price isn't all that great either.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Nice machines, but I agree that price is high. It's not all that much off of new..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:Thanks for all the help. Im ordering the 211 autoset.