Advice on buying my first MIG welder

ok here is my .02
gas shielding is great when you have no wind ie in a shop of some sort
flux core burns hotter you can use it out side wind will not harm the weld process
but remember you have to reverse the weld polarity on the welder to run flux core

mike in pa said:

Hobart and Miller are the same units (unless they split recently), Hobart is US made and Miller is Canadian and the Hobart usually comes with a Miller nozzle/gun.

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Not exactly the same miller owns both companys or did and the millers have better parts in them where the hobarts have plastic the millers are steel.
Either one will work good the miller will just hold up longer.

Look on CL for, Miller, Hobart or Lincoln any of the will run circles around HF china crap.

I found my Lincoln weldpack 3200 HD on CL for $100 bucks and it was almost brand new he hadnt even burned up the lil 1lb spool they give you with it. This unit will run gas if you want to. Simple machine to use as I have taught my sons how to weld with it at the ages of 11 and 13. It will work for most things I want to weld at home till I can get my millermatic 252. If it wont weld it, its off to work to use my 440 esab machine now thats a welder

fistfull of hurt said:

ok here is my .02
gas shielding is great when you have no wind ie in a shop of some sort
flux core burns hotter you can use it out side wind will not harm the weld process
but remember you have to reverse the weld polarity on the welder to run flux core

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Reverse what?

Themaxman727 said:

Reverse what?

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The polarity (like the poles of a battery) of the tip. On a MIG the tip is positive and with flux-cored its negative.

fistfull of hurt said:

the choice is yours i can understand budget being tight but you will kick your self for getting junk
The welder is gonna be used on cars and little around the house jobs and for building mini bikes and go karts. Not too expensive also. I want one that will deliver nice strong welds.
600$ is not much for a quietly welder

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There is much wisdom here.

If you can't afford spending a bit more and getting a decent one, then just wait until you can. The cheapo ones can be tough to learn on and are pretty limited in functionality.

I like Hobart and Miller Mig Welders. Before you buy any open up the side panel on a few and examine the quality, material, and size of the feed mechanism. This is a pretty good test and the machine you want will become apparent. In my book a Hobart Handler 150 will do everything from car bodies to frames and heavier, all on house current too. Good luck.