Welder question and recommendations

[Kevin Mac]

I bought an Everlast multifucntion welder about 10 years ago and has been a good welder. this is the later version of what I bought. It doesn't have mig though.https://www.everlastgenerators.com/p...powerpro-256si

[slammed57]

Originally Posted by dsraven

check this fella's videos out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqq...j4-UApS_m_6mPw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KrwmK7df-s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZbCTg8otRc

google for more like this, there is a series.

love this guy , been watching for couple of years now

[Myclassic68]

Is the ARCCAPTAIN MIG Welder, 200Amp a good welder?

[mongocanfly]

Never heard of that brand..just watched a couple of YouTube reviews that spoke favorable of it..for home use it would probably be just fine

[dsraven]

my old air liquide 170 mig was giving me trouble with the wire speed fluctuating all the time so I bought an everlast multi process welder. power MTS 225 lightning and the water cooler along with it for keeping the tig torch cool. a small water cooled tig torch and a few other odds and sods like the small tig cups and gas lenses. it is great but it comes with a large mig gun that I needed to replace with a smaller gun. they do that because the welder is rated for higher current than the smaller mig torch will handle. it is awesome but not having much practice with tig it is a steep learning curve.
I think itt's best if you buy the best welder you can afford.

[dsraven]

things to look for when buying a welder is first, know what kind of welding you want to use it for the most and what kind of conditions you will use it for. a welder that gets used for long periods of time needs to have a good duty cycle so it doesn't burn itself out. duty cycle is how much time it can be used for continuously. if you are doing assembly line work where the parts are already fit up so the welder gets actally used almost constantly then that would be a far better duty cycle than the home shop guy that has the welder on but spends a lot of time fitting up parts and less actual time running a bead.
here is a decent blurb on welders from bakers gas
https://bakersgas.com/blogs/buying-g...r&gad_source=1
you should also look at the little things like how long the cables are, what the ground clamp is like, if the consumables are easily sourced like gas cups, contact tips etc. I'm sure everybody would like to buy a new miller, lincoln or a big brand name when looking at new stuff but not everybody has the budget for that.
I bought my everlast because I was talking to a owner of a shop that had previously been using a big brand name welder. it was old an he finally broke down and bought a new one of the same brand name. it didn't last a day so they warranteed it. the next new one burned up due to an electrical power surge in the area from the utility company, they warranteed it but it took some time to work through the system and actually show up so he bought an everlast unit. power mts 275. when the new brand name welder showed up he put it in storage because he fell in love with the everlast one and has used it day in and day out for several years with no problems. that spoke volumes for me so I bought the everlast over the big name one I was looking at. quite a bit cheaper as well.

[dennislbrooks]

Some of these guys/gals on here are certified welders then some like me just weld. Yes they are better than me and know more than me. If you have a sawzall and a 220v MIG you can do a lot. I have 3 welders and with exception of stick I use shielding gas. Around 2003 I bought a Miller SD180 TIG/Stick to tig aluminum sledges. Took a class on TIG . I do not TIG much anymore.

My first MIG was a 110v Campbell Hausfeld which I used a lot on thin steel but I was thrilled when I went to a 220V MIG around 2008. This is a Maxus PRO-180. A smooth welder with a more controllable arc. I bought it used for $120. Has only 2 knobs - 1-5 heat setting and 1-8 on wire speed. Uses .023 up to .035 wire. I mostly use it for thin metal - including body panels with .023 but run .030 and .035 for heavier stuff. 2 knobs and I still use it.

I also have a Titanium multi welder with all kinds of knobs and buttons on it - MIG, TIG, and Stick attachments. I had a 30% off is why I bought it. It is a smooth welder but takes me longer to get the heat and wire speed right. The TIG on it is a lift arc unlike the Miller SD180 which is a frequency arc - just different.

Most of the MIG welding I do is not over one minute in duration before a stop. I may spot many times - off /on for 5 minutes. I weld 20 gauge to 1/4". Anything heavier I use the stick. I have a cart and a 12 foot 220v extension cord which allows me to roll the Maxus with 023 and the Titanium with 035 all around my shop/lift.

If I had to choose only one to keep I would choose to keep the 2 knob Maxus. There are other brands out there also as simple as this Maxus. Whatever get a 220v. And I like CO2 for a shield - steel. Cheaper