andy said:
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https://weldingpros.net/best-mig-welder-reviews/
http://www.usaweld.com/TIG-WELDER-Invertig-221-Welder-p/70221-12.5-1.htm
most of us are consistently on fairly limited budgets and that's always a real P.I.T,A,
but cheaper equipment that won't do the job is totally wasted money
because the better quality welders DO make welding easier and they do have additional features.
every once in a while I get some spare cash and it usually goes into new tools.
what I'm trying to say, here is that
you'll rarely regret buying better quality tools and in many cases you'll try them,
out and wonder why you struggled so long with the old cheap crap after buying them.
IVE used a great many low cost welders and of the lower cost welders available I think this is one of the better bargains.
now that being said Id step back and think about what you intend to do, if its a single minor repair it will more than likely be cheaper and easier to buy the replacement panel and have some local body shop or local member of a muscle car club with a welder help you replace it.
Duty cycle on that HF flux core welder and the lincoln is listed at 20% @ 90 AC amps the difference is the LINCOLN IS A TRUE MIG WITH A GAS SHIELD AND REGULATOR, which will allow far nicer weld quality and less splatter, less porous welds that require far less grinding to clean up.
the listed DUTY CYCLE is 20% that means that in any 10 minute time period you can weld for TWO minutes and MUST LET IT COOL 8 Minutes or RISK BURNING IT UP, you won,t be using a full 90 amps on sheet metal but you must be aware that the machine can be damaged if over heated thru constant or near continual use
ID advise getting a cheap face shield that works, these HF are a decent low cost value
http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable ... 46092.html
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... -_-Welding>Wirefeed%20Welding-_-29999
a good quality 130-140 amp MIG is almost ideal for body sheet metal welding jobs,its a darn good choice if your unlikely to use it on much more than auto sheet steel, and rarely over about 3/16" thick metal
much superior to the cheap flux core wire welders I see a few guys using.
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/m...t_Code=THA-W1003141&Attributes=Yes&Quantity=1
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/m...e_Code=WD&Product_Code=907612&Category_Code=M
https://www.weldingmart.com/lincoln-power-mig-140c-k2471-2
https://www.bestreviewslist.com/best-mig-welder/
Ive used a friends lincoln mig several times on body sheet metal at his shop with good results, but remember as you turn the amps up the duty cycle goes down and the cool down time between welding sessions increases
http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/m..._Code=WD&Product_Code=K2471-2&Category_Code=L
https://www.bestreviewslist.com/best-mig-welder/
keep in mind shield gas and wire selection,
surface prep, plus experience,
all effect the weld quality,
and the larger amp migs can generally do the jobs that the lower amp rated migs can do, while the larger amp migs can also do the thicker stuff that out of the lower amp migs effective range, one other difference is DUTY CYCLE, the larger amp rated migs can be used almost constantly at the lower amp settings without over-heating or needing cool down time, something not generally true in the lower amp range migs
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/shield-gas-selection-for-welding.1108/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/mig-wire-selection.1283/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/mig-or-tig.72/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/most-versital-shop-welder.1594/
now if you want a decent welder that can do a good deal more than sheet metal repairs the price naturally goes up, but so does the capability's, and a bit of research helps as will taking a welding class or two to gain some skills.
you can certainly shop for a good used welder at a significant discount, but obviously you need to know what your looking at and how to test its function.
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