New shop startup - non retail

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A little background on me:Been in the fab buisness as an employee all of my employed life.  From running the band saw, to being a department lead.  Fit.  Weld.  Press brake.  Engineer.  MIG.  TIG.  Stick.  Ferrous and non-ferrous.  In shop and out in the field.  Structural to ornamental.  Even done some time as a manual machinist.  Currently have a FT day job as a "mechanic".Now that that's out of the way...I recently did a little side-job welding up a couple 1/8" thick aluminum pans for a guy.  Made a pretty shiny penny on that one job.  Really cool thing is...now the same customer wants volume pricing on 100, 500, 1000, and 2000 pans.I've already been crunching numbers, and if I get the bid, it will be a full-time job for the next year or two, with a healthy payout at the end.  Like...OMG.  This job is purely a fit, weld, sand type of a job.  All the shearing and forming is being done by the steel yard.I'd be the dumbest man walking this rock to NOT give this my 1,000% college try.My question for the WW:I would like feedback on what welder to buy.  I ask because, well, over the years, I've used just about every brand, be it duct taped together or brand new, but never used anything long enough to get a real good idea as to its longevity.What I'm looking for:A setup that I can run MIG and TIG from, as well as a Miller Spool gun.  THAT, I have used enough...compared to a Lincoln spool gun...that I don't want anything else.  This welder will be in service 8hrs a day, 5 days a week, for two years.  I don't want something that I will have to keep effing with (besides settings, obviously).  I want something DEPENDABLE.  The majority of the welding will be using the spool, and a little TIG.  Reason I want the MIG in there too is, well, why not?  I'm gonna have to build a workbench, fixtures, and the like, so that will all be MS.I'm not looking to lease or rent.  I will be buying everything outright, even my bottles.My future plans for the shop I'm looking at leasing go beyond the scope of this post, but the fab shop will still be "available" should the right opportunity present itself.So, what have you guys, especially those of you that have your own businesses, been using?  What have you liked?  Don't like?  Have you had to have the machine(s) repaired?  Did the warranty cover the repairs?  What is the availability of replacement parts/consumables?  I do have an Oxarc and a Norco close by, so it would be nice to go in there armed with some info and opinions so the salesman doesn't see me coming.For real.  I really don't have a problem spending the money now, so I'm not losing it later.Thanks in advance,-DaddyBender
Reply:

Originally Posted by DaddyBender

A little background on me:Been in the fab buisness as an employee all of my employed life.  From running the band saw, to being a department lead.  Fit.  Weld.  Press brake.  Engineer.  MIG.  TIG.  Stick.  Ferrous and non-ferrous.  In shop and out in the field.  Structural to ornamental.  Even done some time as a manual machinist.  Currently have a FT day job as a "mechanic".Now that that's out of the way...I recently did a little side-job welding up a couple 1/8" thick aluminum pans for a guy.  Made a pretty shiny penny on that one job.  Really cool thing is...now the same customer wants volume pricing on 100, 500, 1000, and 2000 pans.I've already been crunching numbers, and if I get the bid, it will be a full-time job for the next year or two, with a healthy payout at the end.  Like...OMG.  This job is purely a fit, weld, sand type of a job.  All the shearing and forming is being done by the steel yard.I'd be the dumbest man walking this rock to NOT give this my 1,000% college try.My question for the WW:I would like feedback on what welder to buy.  I ask because, well, over the years, I've used just about every brand, be it duct taped together or brand new, but never used anything long enough to get a real good idea as to its longevity.What I'm looking for:A setup that I can run MIG and TIG from, as well as a Miller Spool gun.  THAT, I have used enough...compared to a Lincoln spool gun...that I don't want anything else.  This welder will be in service 8hrs a day, 5 days a week, for two years.  I don't want something that I will have to keep effing with (besides settings, obviously).  I want something DEPENDABLE.  The majority of the welding will be using the spool, and a little TIG.  Reason I want the MIG in there too is, well, why not?  I'm gonna have to build a workbench, fixtures, and the like, so that will all be MS.I'm not looking to lease or rent.  I will be buying everything outright, even my bottles.My future plans for the shop I'm looking at leasing go beyond the scope of this post, but the fab shop will still be "available" should the right opportunity present itself.So, what have you guys, especially those of you that have your own businesses, been using?  What have you liked?  Don't like?  Have you had to have the machine(s) repaired?  Did the warranty cover the repairs?  What is the availability of replacement parts/consumables?  I do have an Oxarc and a Norco close by, so it would be nice to go in there armed with some info and opinions so the salesman doesn't see me coming.For real.  I really don't have a problem spending the money now, so I'm not losing it later.Thanks in advance,-DaddyBender
Reply:For the parts that I am looking at doing, only the inside of the four corners will be TIG welded (for sanitary reasons).  Everything on the outside can be done with MIG which will leave a more-than-adequate weld quality.  At least, this is what I learned from the first two pans.  It took me forEVER to TIG the first two, and I don't want to charge a customer for me to learn.  Same end product, faster for me.Probably just my limited TIG experience, but I can lay down a nice bead with the spool WAY faster than the TIG.Now....all things equal....my story may change after 100 pans.Up in PacNW.
Reply:I'd use two dedicated machines as Shovelon recommended.You'll need AC for the TIG, and DC for the MIG.  Rather than constantly changing between the two on the same machine, it would be much faster to have dedicated setups that were already dialed in for your material.Miller Trailblazer Pro 350DMiller Suitcase MIGMiller Spectrum 2050Miller Syncrowave 250DXLincoln 210MP
Reply:Two machines if one machine dies then you can still weld too.Dave

Originally Posted by scsmith42

I'd use two dedicated machines as Shovelon recommended.You'll need AC for the TIG, and DC for the MIG.  Rather than constantly changing between the two on the same machine, it would be much faster to have dedicated setups that were already dialed in for your material.