hey does anyone know where to start looking for a good reliable welder that is not to expensive....i have looked at miller and lincoln but they are pretty expensive at the time for me so if you know where i could find a good one let me know...Thanks in advance
Welding Machine?
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Hi Gunner, welcome to the board. I have a Lincoln Weld Pak 100 that I got at my local Farm & Fleet store. I love it ( I also bought a tank for using gas, in addition to being able to use flux core wire), but it was ~$350-400 (without the tank), so that might be a bit higher than what you're looking for.
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I have used the lincoln 220v mig pak/weld pak, decent operation, basic controls, get the gas assembly,
There are plans on several of the do-it-yourself sites for machines you can build for yourself for around a hundred dollars. These are stick welders, or resistance welders for spot welding, but they will work pretty well, and they will do good work. I have also done some welding using a truck battery, and if your needs aren't too big, it will work.
I wound the transformer for my resistance welder because that was the only way I could get the precise voltages I wanted to do the welding I needed the machine to do. That transformer weighs a little more than sixty pounds; the machine will handle welds through a quarter inch of metal, bonding a piece of plate precisely to the outside of the thicker part. (In case you are wondering, those are turbine blades I am welding to a shaft....)
The home-built route is a good one if you are a careful and meticulous workman.
I wound the transformer for my resistance welder because that was the only way I could get the precise voltages I wanted to do the welding I needed the machine to do. That transformer weighs a little more than sixty pounds; the machine will handle welds through a quarter inch of metal, bonding a piece of plate precisely to the outside of the thicker part. (In case you are wondering, those are turbine blades I am welding to a shaft....)
The home-built route is a good one if you are a careful and meticulous workman.
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All depends on what you intend on welding, if your just going to be doing light sheet metal or such get a 110 unit, if your planning of doing heavier material look into a 220 unit or more. Home Depo/lowes have basic lincoln dunits that are fairly cheap, this is what i'd look into.
DS
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I am as cheap as they come, I always go for the lowest price on most everything....
But with a welder, you really get what you pay for, if you get lucky maybe you will find real quality "used" welder being let go for really cheap, but I wouldn't count on it.
When it comes to a welder save up if need be and spend the money, otherwise you will regret it down the road.
But with a welder, you really get what you pay for, if you get lucky maybe you will find real quality "used" welder being let go for really cheap, but I wouldn't count on it.
When it comes to a welder save up if need be and spend the money, otherwise you will regret it down the road.
Miller makes good stuff; they are built right down the road from me.
That said, I have a 220V Harbor Freight wire feed, set up for flux core now but I have the parts for MIG welding to make nicer welds. I am not a welder by trade but have the vocational training, and I think the HF is a decent unit, for my needs.
If you need a wire feed, get a large enough unit to do the job.
That said, I have a 220V Harbor Freight wire feed, set up for flux core now but I have the parts for MIG welding to make nicer welds. I am not a welder by trade but have the vocational training, and I think the HF is a decent unit, for my needs.
If you need a wire feed, get a large enough unit to do the job.
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The big problem with the ones sold at HD or Lowes is that people overwork them. Yeah, I repair welders for a living and get a couple of those a week. Even had a Chinese rip-off Lincoln in my shop. What is the intended use? Better to buy a little more welder than a little less.
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like stated, it depends on what you weld
if you do any reasonable size steel after a while the cheap machines will shut off due to heat.
doing a little light stuff and a cheaper one should hold up ok, but you start to weld a good project and you could run into some problems.
get a good one that will last
if you do any reasonable size steel after a while the cheap machines will shut off due to heat.
doing a little light stuff and a cheaper one should hold up ok, but you start to weld a good project and you could run into some problems.
get a good one that will last
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16,845 Posts
Lincoln Electric Pro MIG 140-Amp Welder - with fluxcore wire, and you should be good to go. For home usage, I do not care for stick welders, wire feeders are so much easier to use.
For several years I used a small Sears welding machine with 2 heat settings. With a simple $200 welding machine, I was able to build a bar-b-q pit on a trailer.
Sorry for the poor video quality, this was before I got the video editing software figured out.
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For several years I used a small Sears welding machine with 2 heat settings. With a simple $200 welding machine, I was able to build a bar-b-q pit on a trailer.
Sorry for the poor video quality, this was before I got the video editing software figured out.
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535 Posts
The 110 lincolns that the hardware stores have will do fine for most home and hobby type welding. For the big stuff I use my 440 esab at work. You never stated what type of machine your looking for if your wanting a stick you can usaully find a good old buzz box for under 150 on craigslist or farm auctions.
Thank you all for the help but I decided to go with a company named longevity, they were more in my price range for what I could afford at the time and plus lincoln was pretty expensive and this company backs there product with a 5 year warranty so even if it does mess up on me I will be covered for some time....here are some pics of what i have done with it already let e know what you think
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I would stay away or at least shy away from pawn shops for a welder... go to a few locations in your town that actually sell welding products and if they are to expensive...ask them if they know of any personal sales.... most of the time they will say so if they know, because they also know they might have not gotten a sale from you on the wleder, but they also know you'll be back for materials you'll need..
you can also ask around and see what companies are going out of business in your area that are places like machine shops and such... a lot of those older companies took care of their tools and your chances are better at getting one that has been taken care of than a private sale..
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