Welder question

[jaak]

I've been researching welders the last few days. I just want a good machine for my projects and occasional stuff around the house, so it's not for business or to make me money. How are the Lincoln "Handy Mig" welders. Looking at the specs, it looks like what I need, says it welds 24 gauge to 1/8" thick steel (18 gauge to 1/8" using flux core wire), can be used with shielding gas (hoses/gauges included with welder), which is what I want. I have read reviews on it too, and they are all good. Like I said, I just want a good welder around the shop and don't want to invest more into it then I have to, I have tried those cheap HF welders, and they suck, you get what you pay for. These sell for $363 at Lowes. Do any of you guys use this welder and if so, what do you think of it?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_366784-1703-K2185-1_0__?productId=3499662&Ntt=welder&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dwelder&facetInfo=

Thanks,
Jason

[Musicman]

I have two of those "Cheap HF Welders"... a 110 flux/mig that has been in service for more than 20 years, and a 2 year old 220 VAC flux/mig unit that has been through several pounds of wire. I have no complaints with either one... they've been good to me so far.

[jaak]

I have two of those "Cheap HF Welders"... a 110 flux/mig that has been in service for more than 20 years, and a 2 year old 220 VAC flux/mig unit that has been through several pounds of wire. I have no complaints with either one... they've been good to me so far.

When I said, "Cheap HF Welders" I was referring to the cheapest wire welder they sell.

With that being said, this thread was not intended to knock HF welders, it was to be a discussion/review on the welder I was referring to. Not HF welders or any other brand welder, so lets keep thread on topic please.

Jason

[b5blue]

Jason I'm torn between that one and Eastwoods 120V. I'll be getting one or the other. 

[Silver R/T]

I have Weldmark welder I bought years ago (made by Hobart) I prefer Hobart/Miller. Lincolns are not bad either.

[Wicked72]

i use a hobart at work and hate it. my father inlaw bought a flux core mig from HF and it welds surprisingly well. i love the lincoln i used to use at my last job and my personal welder is from eastwood. ive got the big 240 volt and love it!! i did some research on the eastwoods and its said that lincoln makes them and they have the same 3yr warrenty. i will be getting the 120v to transport around from eastwood.

[Hard Charger]

like any tool get the best one you can afford.

i got a Hobart 140 110v. $475 from Northern tool. Tractor Supply has the same price. I bought a 20lb tank of argon gas for $120 years ago.

[67tbird]

Anybody tried the Northern tool MIG 140I? Just got their spring sale catalog 359.99999

[Musicman]

I don't want to invest more into it then I have to, I have tried those cheap HF welders, and they suck, you get what you pay for.

Sorry... didn't mean to start a debate, just pointing out that not all of the HF welders suck... A lot of folks here use them. I bought the cheapest little one they made over 20 years ago and it still doesn't suck.

Everyone knows that names like Lincoln, Hobart, Miller, etc are synonymous with quality welders. It's really hard to go wrong there... 

[Brightyellow69rtse]

hobart 140 here. ive been welding for 17 years and ive used alot of machines. for the money its a real nice machine.  the problem with the real cheap machines ive used is the wire is hot all the time. it will spark when you just touch the metal. you dont even have to touch the trigger. it gets annoying real fast.

[areibel]

I've got one of those little Lincolns, it's probably 10 years old and still works great!  I had to buy the gas regulator  and liner separately and add it on, but I still use it flux core a lot anyways. 
My first one was a Cenury, that one was a POS.  If you tried to weld very long it seemed like the duty cycle would drop to about 5 seconds, it finally burned up a transformer and wasn't worth fixing.  The Lincoln has been great!

[Chatt69chgr]

Parts, both consumables and repair, are of the utmost importance when buying a welder.  I bought my Miller off the net.  Don't recall the company but they were in Louisville, KY.  They had it drop shipped from Atlanta to Chattanooga.  No tax this way.  I had it in, I think, two days. 

[Cooter]

hobart 140 here. ive been welding for 17 years and ive used alot of machines. for the money its a real nice machine.  the problem with the real cheap machines ive used is the wire is hot all the time. it will spark when you just touch the metal. you dont even have to touch the trigger. it gets annoying real fast.

Usede to have a Bottle fed Hobart 140...Loved it.

[lexxman]

I have a lincoln 140 mig. it works pretty good.

[Mike DC]

I use a 240v Miller MIG.  Great machine.  It has everything going for it except a long duty cycle, which is no problem when it's just for home use. 


People do a lot with the 120v welders with 4-notch adjustable voltages but I would never go back to them.  The infinite-adjustable voltage control alone is worth the extra cost of 240v to me.  Let alone the improved fabrication capabilities of the higher power.  And when you have voltage to spare you can err on the small side for the wire thickness, which gives better control over the weld.  



IMHO don't even mess with flux-core wire.  Go directly to gas shielding for auto bodywork.  

[b5blue]

The Eastwood 120V is the only 120 with infinite adjustable I have found and comes with hose and gauge for MIG. (That's why I was considering it.)

[HOTROD]

Eastwood mig 135 is what I got a couple years ago works great ,but have yet to use the gas on it !!
I still have my old Sip welder and my first small arc welder from montgomery ward (old) 1/16-3/32 in rods !

[Troy]

Lincoln makes 2 different 110 volt welders - one with "tapped" voltage and one with continuous. The model number ends with a 'C' (and the other may be a 'T' or nothing).

The Home Depot and Lowes Lincoln welders aren't the same as the actual Lincoln welders with similar names. That's why they are cheaper. I haven't heard too many complaints about them from hobbyists though because not many people really beat on them.

Northern Tool generally has good prices. Indiana Oxygen Company (weldingsuppliesatioc on eBay) sells Miller, Hobart, and Lincoln for great prices with free shipping. I live close to when of their physical stores so it's faster to drive over. Many times you can get a higher quality welder for the same price (or cheaper) than a lower quality welder at a chain store. Plus, they are and actual welding store and can answer all sorts of dumb newbie questions (I tested this!).

I am currently using an ancient 110 volt Hobart Mig. It was falling apart and I was able to pick up all the pieces I needed to make it work. So far it does pretty well but, if you have to use it all the time the shortcomings get pretty obvious. A bigger welder with a longer duty cycle would come in handy about 10% of the time. One with a better wire feed would be appreciated about 80% of the time. Finer settings would definitely cut down on on lot of the clean up and rework that I have to do. I will eventually upgrade to a Lincoln/Miller/Hobart 180 or larger but that takes money that I'd rather spend on other things right now (like a rotisserie!).

Troy

[67tbird]

Just purchased Eastwood's 135 for 299 with free shipping. The only thing I wish it included was 10' leads instead of 8'.

[b5blue]

Let us know what you think of it. 

[69fourspd]

I have a lincoln Weld Pak with the Mig setup using C25 gas.  It does great for welding in panels.  The welds are full and no pitting.  I go slow and make small dots the length of the panel to allow for cooling and doesnt warp the metal.  When I weld thicker metal, I just switch back to flux cores.  For the price I am happy with the setup and parts are always available at most bog box stores like HD.

My dad got a cheaper flux cored and doesnt run as smooth of an arch as the lincoln.  I am a novice for sure and the lincoln is pretty forgiving. 

[garner7555]

I do welding/fabrication work for factories as a side job. I have a Hobart 140 from years ago, had problems with it blowing up the circuit board inside the machine. I now have a miller 252 for my mig jobs.

From my experience Miller makes the best mig welders hands down. Lincoln has some good stick welders, but for mig or tig I only care for miller. But also keep in mind I use my stuff rather hard (materials thicker than 1/2").

Keep in mind that miller owns Hobart and calls it their "cheaper" line. Having said that, I don't mean that Hobart is junk by any means. The Hobart small mig I had welded great before I most likely overworked it.

I have welded all my life and others I know in the business agree with my ranking for mig welders.

Best - Miller
2nd - Lincoln
3rd - Hobart (very close to being tied for 2nd with Lincoln)

Keep in mind this is my opinion, others may disagree. Also keep in mind that you typically don't need the best for body work. ( mainly spot welds ). I did bodywork in the past as well and great welder is nice but not required. The small 110 welders do a good job on the thin auto material
Sorry for the long post. Just hope you can make an educated decision before you purchase.

[green69rt]

  I have a Hobart 140 and have used it to weld everything on my car and it worked great for four years.   Almost as important is to get good wire and set the welder up correctly and prep your welds right.

[Nickrc3]

I have a Hobart 140 and have used it to weld everything on my car and it worked great for four years.   Almost as important is to get good wire and set the welder up correctly and prep your welds right.

I recently purchased this unit from Northern Tools. Great price w/ the cart and a $20.00 off coupon.

Green69RT - what wire size do you use and settings? Got about 20 hours of practice, and still occasionally burning holes through 22 AWG. Using the 75%/25% gas mix.

[green69rt]

I have a Hobart 140 and have used it to weld everything on my car and it worked great for four years.   Almost as important is to get good wire and set the welder up correctly and prep your welds right.

I recently purchased this unit from Northern Tools. Great price w/ the cart and a $20.00 off coupon.

Green69RT - what wire size do you use and settings? Got about 20 hours of practice, and still occasionally burning holes through 22 AWG. Using the 75%/25% gas mix.

22 guage is pretty thin.  For thin metal I use the #1 setting and a wire speed of about 35 with 20 CFM gas.  Just take a little dab at a time, then come back and do another dab.  The wire speed is really important, slower speeds make you spend more time in one spot and tend to cause burn thru.  The thin metal will burn through really fast.  I have used the .025 wire ( I think it is actually .023) for everything.  You need to find out what works for you.

Oh, and I have a Hobart 140. ANd I only buy wire that comes from Miller or a recognized vendor.
No cheap crap.

[jaak]

Thanks for all the replies...still looking around, shopping.....need to get one soon, I about got my floor pans ready to weld in!

Jason

[b5blue]

Keep us posted Jason!