looking for a cheap mig

grumpyvette

grumpyvette

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"GRUMPYVETTE?
I'm a novice welder at best and have been borrowing the use of a Millermatic 135 for my floor panel replacement projects. It works wonderfully, but it's probably of a higher quality than I really need.
Eastwood has come out with a very affordable unit which I'm tempted to buy. Anyone have any experience with these? If not, what would be a decent MIG welder for panel replacement and occasional non-critical projects?"





the miller mig your currently using is a good value if your MIG WELDING
are you using a tank of shield gas?

or are you looking for a cheap flux core wire welder? NOT THE SAME THING!

read this thread
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=9745&p=36661#p36661

HERE IS the EASTWOOD MIG, it comes with a 3 year warranty so its unlikely to be junk, as eastwood normally has stood behind most products, but Ive yet to see one
http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110v ... utput.html

http://www.eastwood.com/pro-welders

http://www.eastwood.com/175-amp-mig-wel ... l-gun.html
watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXenK6UZwFY
$340

home depot sells cheaper flux core welders but that's hardly the same type of welder

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... reNum=6320

$420


heres a decent miller MIG

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2 ... ode=907335

$713 plus tank rental


but your comparing two totally different types of welding and true MIGS stronger, cleaner looking and easier to used....... Id suggest the MIG because if you find you need to upgrade from the flux core it had less trade in value and its less flexible in what it can do, the mig should serve you well for years I doubt you'll still be happy with flux core in under 3 years max, Id suspect the eastwood is a reasonable value or they would not give a 3 year warranty, but I have a hard time thinking that a $340 machine will duplicate a $700 class miller mig welder, why not, call eastwood ask for a brochure and info, then go down to the local miller dealer and see if he can point out the differences, and see it the difference in features warranty and price are worth the price to you.[/color]



BTW I FOUND THIS POSTED ABOUT EASTWOOD WELDERS

: Eastwood Mig Welders?
Hi guys,

I wanted to clear up a few of the concerns on our new Eastwood welders that I've seen mentioned her and on a handful of other forums.

1.These are NOT rebadged or rebranded welders made by another large company for us with our name on it.
-These welders we designed and tested in house here at Eastwood. They were designed to be EQUIVALENT to the Lincoln Mig Pak 10 (our 135) and the Mig Pak 15 (our 175). We oversaw every step of the production process to make sure these were designed to our specs and expectations. Our main concern is to give you a welder that is built to the same specs and quality as a industrial welder, but priced towards a serious hobbyist.
-We go so far as to back our welders with a 3 year warranty. That is backed by Eastwood Company, not by a 3rd party company, like people seemed to be confused about. We didn't begin offering these for a "quick buck", in fact we are working on designing further products to add to our welding product line (can you say affordable TIG and Plasma cutters?)

2. Consumables- Our welders are made with a Tweco style gun (the same as most major companies including Lincoln use). Therefore all consumable parts (nozzle, tips, etc) are available at any local welding supply store. We are enthusiasts here ourselves, and we know the frustration of needing a part or supplies halfway through the job and not being able to get it! (for me this past weekend it was running out of mig wire at 5:30PM on a Sunday and realizing the only local "Farm" store that would have wire closed at 5 )

3.These welders were not the ones you may have seen on Ebay a year ago for sale. Those were simply another company's welder we were retailing under their name. These welders are brand new welders that we designed from step 1. Any other welders you may have seen previously were before we began manufacturing our welders.

If you guys have any other questions or concerns feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to answer them!

***In fact I can offer anyone that is on the fence about one of our welders the chance to try it for 30 days with a hassle free return policy. Buy it, use it to weld your rusty project car, patch a frame on the same project, your sons go-kart, your fence in your yard, your neighbor's shed doors, whatever... If you don't like it or it doesn't meet your expectations (which I highly doubt!), than give us a call and we will be gladly take it back and refund your money.***

Hope that cleared up a few questions and concerns.

-Matt/EW
"
 
a 110 volt MIG is a bit like watching strippers at a totally nude bar,
you have everything you need and it all looks good, but you just can,t do everything you would like to do, once you realize the restrictions

yes theres no doubt that you'll pay more but you'll also have a great deal more versatility if you buy something like this welder below that works on EITHER 110volt or 230 volt feed, and its sure going to do a great deal better welds on stuff that thicker than body and exhaust sheet metal, like suspension brackets, and frame repairs

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2 ... ode=907422

HERES THE MIG I PURCHASED , its not cheap but I got very tired of having tools that would not do the job so I spent a good deal more than I really needed too, but I don,t regret it for a second!
MILLER 252
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... gory_Code=
FOR MY SHOP, (IT COST $2200) IT HAS AN OPTIONAL KIT THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO MIG ALUMINUM< BUT ITS RATHER EXPENSIVE
(about $1100)
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... ode=130831
but its a TOP QUALITY MIG THAT WILL HANDLE 95% OF AUTOMOTIVE WELDING IF YOU GET THE OPTIONAL KIT
millermatic252.jpg
 
I have a Solar that uses either shielding gas or flux core. It also is dual voltage. Flux wire is fine for simple light steel work that just needs to stay together and pretty isn't too important, but if it is critical or aesthetic use gas shielded wire. ;)
 
I had grumpyvette show me how to use a couple different MIG welders he owned on some metal scrap, he had in the shop, before I did a minor repair on a trailer Id done previously on a trailer, that I was fixing awhile back with two different welders,he owned. as I was in the market for a mig, he showed me both a really small 110 volt LINCOLN mig first and after using that I thought it was great, it was easy to use and seemed to weld great, he had me weld two short sections of 3/8" angle iron, end to end and a section of old exhaust pipe, then he had me use his large miller MIG and the difference was amazing, especially after he put my welded scrap I practiced on, in the shop vise and gave what I thought looked like good welds a whack with a 3 lb hammer
there was little difference on the exhaust pipe, but on the thicker angle iron welding ,the 110 volt mig joint popped off, while the larger 230 volt mig effectively had joined the two pieces of scrap into a single steel part.
Id have no problem buying and using a 110 volt Lincoln mig on exhaust systems , but like he showed me, its got its limitations ... after that little learning experience,.I purchased a USED MILLER 180 mig and I'm very glad I did.
 
I have no problem welding thick stuff(at some point, but am not working with tractors or heavy equipment so it suit my needs, weld up to 5/16 thick) with my lincoln 110 volt welder and its strong.
I use MIG for thin stuff and flux core for thick stuff.
I think, when buying a welder make sure it do MIG not just flux-core, otherwise thats a waste of time and money and buy a good brand"miller/lincoln are the bests"
 
I'm a beginner welder and I'm trying to decide between these three welders. Upcoming projects include Baddog Frame Rails, floor pans and 304 stainless mandrel bent exhaust - 3" dia, .062 wall. I don't currently have a 230 outlet wired in the garage but it's easy enough to install as the breaker box is in the same room.

Miller Millermatic 140 All-In-One Wire MIG Welder w/ Auto-Set, 115 V
http://www.bakersgas.com/MIL907335.html#3046

Miller Millermatic 180 All-In-One MIG Welder w/ Auto Set, 230 V
http://www.bakersgas.com/MIL907312.html#3029

Miller Millermatic 211 All-In-One MIG Welder w/ Auto Set and MVP Plug (120/230 V)
http://www.bakersgas.com/MIL907422.html#5291

Are the 230v welders worth the extra money for the types of jobs I am planning? Is the 211 just a combination of the 140/180 or is there more to it?

Also, do the prices linked above seem reasonable for new Miller welders?

Thanks for your help.


TIG
http://www.eastwood.com/tig200dc-and-ve ... o-kit.html

MIG
http://www.eastwood.com/versa-cut-60-an ... o-kit.html

you might want to look into this TIG or MIG and PLAZMA cutter combo, now I don,t know anyone whos got one yet but the price is very low for the 200 amp TIG, or 175 amp MIG, and eastwood has a reputation for at least functional reliability, now Im sure this is hardly top of the line quality but its probably at least functional, and while not what you might select for a welding shops professional equipment its likely to be useful in a home shop.



Its most likely just my experience, and the bad taste I got from being cheap, and trying to save cash, that rarely works out in the long term. but Ive rarely been happy with 110 volt welders.
for the extra cost Id sure get the 211 welder, I got really tired of buying mig welders only to find out that the mig welder I bought won,t quite do the job and then having to sell the darn mig welder at a loss to upgrade later, youll forget about the extra money spent long before youll regret having a better welder. 110 volt welders are great on floor pans ,body sheet steel and exhaust pipe but not so great on frames and suspension brackets etc.
buying a marginal welders a bit like buying a bullet resistant vest, a bit more capacity costs more but you don,t regret having it if you need to get involved in something unforeseen, but having less capacity can really get things screwed up fast
I can,t think of a single time I'VE regretted buying a better quality tool

http://www.bakersgas.com/MIL907422.html#5291

after trying several welders friends owned and having owed several personally , Id strongly suggest having a long talk with a local miller or Lincoln welder dealer and asking a great deal of questions, now theres zero doubt that the 180 amp welder will do most auto related welding, but the 211 has advantages if you get into heavier applications like frames and suspensions, and keep in mind you might never need its full capacity but its a total P.I.T.A. to have a welding job that you can,t do correctly with the equipment at hand, I found that to be the case with a 180 amp miller I owned. while it would do 95% of the jobs welding rear differential brackets was marginal as there was just not enough amps available for single pass welds, so I just said (#$%$%^ it) and bought the miller 252, which does a great job.


http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... Code=m-mig

heres the MIG I purchased and no your very unlikely to need something like this unless you do custom frames, shortening rear differentials and build roll cages Like I occasionally do, and you might want to ask yourself if you want a MIG at all?
the longer I work on cars the more I tend to use my 330 AMP TIG WELDER I bought USED for under $1000,, TIG is far more versatile , but slower, and you can also do aluminum
 
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