Best Mig / Tig For Under 1k-$2k

Grumpy

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
Hi,We are looking to purchase a mig welder for general work in our workshop.. can anyone recommend a good quality mig welder that will last.. have a budget of maximum 1600 pounds to spend..
will be used for welding mild steel only..
will mostly be used for light box and flat plate.. but rarely heavier jobs will be done on heavy plate of 10/12 mm
Click to expand...


this a constantly recurring question,
and resulting from the experience voiced by lots of guys having experience here,
Id suggest that you can be much more likely to an error in selecting a low quality or too low amp rated welder,
but you'll rarely regret buying a quality welder with a bit more amp and having decent dwell time capacity than you assume you need.
for most guys a name brand like miller or lincoln, hobart,
or even marginally known - off brands like eastwood
are not a bad deal.
ID strongly suggest you get a 220 volt MIG or a TIG welder with at least a rating of 160-210 amps,
anything lower than about 160-180 amps in a tig welder lacks some versatility in my opinion.
Id suggest you select from a well known brand so that parts availability will be less likely to be a big issue in a few years time
a 110 volt mig like a lincoln or miller 140 amp,
will certainly work for most auto sheet metal,
but once you get up near a 1/4" they lack the required run time(duty cycle)
if youve never owned a welder it will take you some time and effort to master the skills,but once youve done so you'll wonder why you did not do so far earlier.
and yes youll need a tank of shield gas to tig or mig weld, flux core or stick welding are crude by comparison

Welders, Plasma Cutters, Welding Products - Everlast

Welding products for the professional or hobbyist. Everlast Power Equipments full line of welders, welding products and generators will help you complete any welding project.
www.everlastgenerators.com www.everlastgenerators.com

this looks like an amazing value

PowerTIG 255EXT - TIG Welders | Everlast Generators

If you are looking to take your shop or business to the next level in TIG welding capability, the digital inverter-based PowerTIG 255EXT delivers exceptional power and performance at a budget friendly price. In fact, the PowerTIG 255EXT not only has a long list of competitive features but also...
www.everlastgenerators.com www.everlastgenerators.com

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-m...MI6pm19rO46AIVEGKGCh3gVQxAEAQYBSABEgIF1vD_BwE

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-mp250i-multi-process-250-amp-welder.html

https://store.cyberweld.com/mil251witmet.html

https://store.cyberweld.com/hoir230migwe.html

https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc....MI0ur95e266AIVFmKGCh3ulg9yEAQYASABEgItVPD_BwE

when I was looking for a shop mig I purchased a MILLER 252,
but thats certainly more expensive and over kill for most shops
its a darn nice welder but its expensive


read these reviews
https://machinetoolcentre.com/best-mig-welder-reviews/

https://www.guidesmag.com/mig-welders/

https://weldingchamps.com/best-tig-welders-under-2000/

https://bestofmachinery.com/best-mig-welders/

https://www.kingsofwelding.com/buyers-guides/best-mig-welder-reviews/

https://cartbig.com/best-tig-welder-under-2000/

https://www.ratemywelder.com/best-multi-process-reviews/

https://www.toolots.com/welding-sol...MIh-KB1-LC6AIVTj0MCh1jhwdaEAAYASAAEgJoz_D_BwE

related threads

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tips-on-mig-welding.14225/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bits-of-tig-welding-info.295/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/looking-for-a-dirt-cheap-mig-tig.10697/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/most-versital-shop-welder.1594/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ese-eastwood-multi-process-welders-yet.14349/
 
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I will be selling my Lincoln square wave 175 soon and getting one of these:

https://primeweld.com/products/tig-225x-ac-dc-tig-welder

Home / TIG Welders/ TIG225X AC/DC TIG Welder With Pulse
primeweld-tig225x-ac-dc-tig-welder-with-pulse_300x300.jpg
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TIG225X AC/DC TIG Welder With Pulse
PrimeWeld


218 Reviews
The TIG225X IGBT AC/DC TIG Welder features the versatility to suit the needs of hobbyists and professional welders alike. Order yours online at PrimeWeld.

$799.00

Starting at $71/mo with Affirm. hobby and professional welders with an array of uses.


The welding machine also includes power width modulation as well as an IGBT technology design that provides it with the much-needed reliability. Between 110v and 220v, this machine produces a high performance with an array of pulse features. All these options provide TIG welders with the best versatility in their price range that is currently available on the market.


The PrimeWeld TIG225X IGBT AC/DC TIG welder unit comes with CK17 flex torch as well as CK flex tubing and the CK Dinse connector. It features a high-quality foot pedal control that is easy to use. The machine's main features include a start AMP 10 to 225 with a pulse end AMP 10 to 225.


The TIG includes a pulse frequency of 0.5 to 10 Hz and a pulse time on 90per cent post flow. Other features include Ac balance between 30 and 70 percent, upslope 0 to 10s, pre-flow 0.1 to 1s, AC frequency 40 to 200Hz, down slope 0 to 25s. The machine's certification includes CE, CSA CCC, and the ISO-9000 certification.


TIG welding is an ideal process to have quality welds on metals and used widely in arc welding processes. This standard AC/DC TIG welding machine comprises elements like CK17 TIG torch, CK flex head TIG torch, TIG/Stick Welder, is quite simple and consists mainly of a power supply source, TIG welding accessories, and connecting cables and hoses for water and gas supplies. The TIG225X is a 225A welder that requires accessories like electrode positioning system, arc voltage control, oscillator, seam tracking device, feed wire mechanism, etc. This welding machine is used in both semi-automatic and automatic versions of welding. The materials used in the tungsten rod are argon and filler wire. Argon is used as the shielding gas. The 225X IGBT inverter 200 AC/DC welding machine is the most recent innovation in the welding field and it contains earth cables, TIG torch, and regulator.

TIG225X AC/DC TIG Welder Features:
Operates on DC pulse, DC TIG, and DC MMA


Operates on AC TIG and AC MMA


Helps create arc spot welding


Provides single/crater off, repeat selection


Gives a high-frequency start to the welding process


Process proceeds with pulse width/frequency


Has an after-flow time control


Comes with up/down slope time control option


Has crater/start/pulse current control


Works best on nickel alloy, stainless steel, titanium, mild steel, copper, etc.


My buddy purchased one and the performance has been excellent. The company has been excellent to work with, too.
 
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when shopping, do your research carefully, there are significant differences
and check out the warranty and duty cycle
and both the low and upper amp ranges,
does the machine have ac, and dc, ... pulse what hertz?
keep in mind you can get better TIG torches and use of a coolant-cooled torch helps
if you can, ask for a demonstration ask about classes and training,
and the cost of consumables, ask if you can weld 18-16 ga aluminum sheet and up to 1/4" aluminum.






this guy in the video below is rather obviously limited in skill and experience.
I would not suggest you take his advice too seriously, but hes probably average.

keep in mind, in most cases a LINCOLN OR MILLER welder,
will have parts available in a few years,
many cheaper imported brands ,
or relabeled welders will NOT have that option.
get to know your local welding supply ,
and your lincoln and miller dealers

https://www.centralwelding.com/

https://weldingdirect.com/

https://www.weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/browsecatalogs.pl

https://store.cyberweld.com/

https://www.eastwood.com/welders.html

https://store.cyberweld.com/tharcwe.html

https://store.cyberweld.com/tigwelders1.html

 
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