Is this a good welder?

[Nima]

Hello everybody:
I hope everbody have a good holidays. I don't know anything about welding but I plan to learn some day. I came cross this ad and I thought this is a good piece of tool with very good price. If you agree I'll buy it, if you don't I'll pass especially considering the fact that it is gona take me a while to use it. I hate my money sit there for long time without usage unless it is a very good deal. It is Century brand. It is 80 Amp, Mig/Flux welder, single phase, 60HZ frequency, output is 18V 80 Amp and max 31 V. The price is 199.99 plus tax.
I appreciate your input. Thanks.

[c-1072]

dont buy it . If you plan on doing some welding on your truck get a mig that uses argon mixed gas forget the flux core welder . you can get a decent welder at harbor frieght for 400.00 to 500.00 . If i was going to spend the money it would be for a welder i was going to keep for a long time . Hope this helps you .

[cableguy0]

thats a very weak welder wont weld much more than thin sheet metal probably nothing more than an 1/8 inch tops and struggle to do that not to mention a mig without gas doesnt generally produce good welds even with a good welder

[>X<]

yeah, what they said, save up for the good stuff. i'm pretty sure if it says "mig" then its ready for gas, right?? if you save for a good brand you'll have it forever. i have this one and i use it daily for body work and light fabrication. its probably a little small for serious frame stuff, even though its rated for that.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...llermatic_175/

i dont know what brand they sell at harbor freight, but if you plan on spending 4-500 on harbor freight junk, just spend a little more and get a good brand.

[Nima]

Thanks guys.I'll forget about it. As I said, I don't need it at this point since I don't know how to use. I just thought it was a great deal. Thanks again.

[doc_rock]

I've got one of the top of the line (for Century, anyways) migs, and it's not really worth pushing out to the curb on trash day. I can weld with it, I can make strong welds with it, but I have to have a long conversation with it first, and make sure we are in the same mood before it'll work.

Internals are weak as well. It's basically a lincoln design inside, but they used extremely cheap internal parts, (the winding coils are weak, the rheostats arc themselves together, and the wire spool lays on it's side, so it NEVER really pulls smoothly.

That being said, I've turned quite a bit of crap out of my little shop of horrors with it....The welding machine is really only as good as the hand using it. If you want to learn, spend a few bucks and take a votech class or two on how to weld. They'll have proper equipment, teach you a lot of theory and practical use, and better prepare you to weld than you'll probably ever do on your own. It's usually pretty inexpensive, and the knowledge you'll gain is irreplaceable!

(p.s. I paid 100 bux for mine. AC/DC, gas inlet, reversable polarity, whole bit)

[1971 Cheyenne]

save a little more and get a miller or a lincoln. I love my millermatic 175

[busterwivell]

I love my Miller, too

[Blue Beard]

try http://www.cyberweld.com

I've bought things thru them including my auto darkening hood with good prices.

[Tx Firefighter]

Blue welders are tops. I love them so much I have a 600 pound Miller welder bolted to the bed of my truck at all times. I won't leave home without it.

[Jimbotronics]

My boss bought two of these generator/welders during the huricanes at Home Depot for $500 each and sold me one of 'em. They're not even generators that Home Depot generally carries. Long story short, after seeing the generators that other people where getting for $500 I started doing some research, retail is over $1500. From what I understand this isn't a very powerful welder? Did a good job of keeping the beer, food, and house cool during the huricanes tho...

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...et.asp?p=16782

[arkracing]

TX-
you say blue welders are "tops"

what makes them better over a Lincoln???
I thought both brands were pretty much on equal levels. and lincoln stuff is usually more available

[Tx Firefighter]

Around here, Miller is tops over Lincoln because of 2 things....1) dealer service 2) re-sale value.

Neither one makes it a better machine, just a better buy in this area. I make money with mine and I need a welding supplier that will take care of my issues real quick. In this area, the Miller dealers are better than the Lincoln ones are.

80 percent of the welding trucks around here use Millers. The Lincoln guys are usually pipeline welders. Miller doesn't even make a pipeline welder worth considering compared to Lincoln machines. For fence work and building erection, Miller owns the market here.

A used Bobcat engine drive welder like mine sells for about 75% of it's new cost even with 2000 hours on it. That's resale value!

[mrein3]

I was always tempted by the warehouse store $200 models too. However I waited, saved up some money, and bought a blue one from a local supplier. I don't use it very often but when I do it is worth it to have the right tool for the job.

[Staceydude]

Originally Posted by arkracing

TX-
you say blue welders are "tops"

what makes them better over a Lincoln???
I thought both brands were pretty much on equal levels. and lincoln stuff is usually more available

This just comes from my research.

I have looked at all the Lincoln, MIller and Hobart welders close-up and just even on a quality feel of the switches etc the MIller feels like a better machine.

I have used most all the older model top shelf machines for TIG, in one of the shops I worked in we had 4 welders all about the same age range and same output. Some of them never ever got turned on.... Which one did.... The Miller machine. It was used constantly.

The lincolns are more available at the home repair centers etc... but they do not fix them there.

All in all it more than likely comes down to preference. Of course the welding machine is only half as good as the welder.

I have not picked up anythign to weld with for quite a few years and I am just about to get back into it. I am picking up a small Miller machine this weekend.

Regards,

Stacey

[arkracing]

just curious for my future purchase...

right now i am using a buddy's 100amp Lincoln Mig (with gas)
and i don't really like it. on medium thick steel (i.e. 1/16 or 1/8) it welds halfway decent.
on thin tin work (body panels and such..no matter how much i adjust the settings, grind/clean the steel it still welds like S***)
as soon as i move upto about 16 guage steel it weld pretty nice....till about 3/16" and can't handle anything after that.

i think eventually within a year or so i want on of the roll around 210-250 amp models...probably a Miller i guess since they seem to be a little more popular. and when i worked in a body shop that is what they had.

[doc_rock]

Originally Posted by arkracing

just curious for my future purchase...

right now i am using a buddy's 100amp Lincoln Mig (with gas)
and i don't really like it. on medium thick steel (i.e. 1/16 or 1/8) it welds halfway decent.
on thin tin work (body panels and such..no matter how much i adjust the settings, grind/clean the steel it still welds like S***)
as soon as i move upto about 16 guage steel it weld pretty nice....till about 3/16" and can't handle anything after that.

i think eventually within a year or so i want on of the roll around 210-250 amp models...probably a Miller i guess since they seem to be a little more popular. and when i worked in a body shop that is what they had.

Just an off-the-wall question, but when you go down to welding small, thin stuff, do you also go down in wire size, speed, and amperage? Are you running straight or reverse polarity?

[SuperCheyanne72]

I agree with C-1072, i would start with a mig, my dad bought one at Harbor Freight for $120.00. no problems yet.

[arkracing]

doc-rock. Wire size is always the same .030

yes i go down in speed and amperage, then from there i adjust slightly until i think it starts welding ok - but then it looks like the grapes of wrath on my sheet metal. i tack one side then move away a few inches and do another and move again..so i don't warp it or blow through..but i always end up having to grind it quite a bit afterwards...what's the deal???

am i just a bad welder? Like I said i can weld a little heavier steel with no problem...and it doesn't look like it was "stacked nickels" like some of the hotrod shops do but it looks good enough for me

[doc_rock]

Originally Posted by arkracing

doc-rock. Wire size is always the same .030

yes i go down in speed and amperage, then from there i adjust slightly until i think it starts welding ok - but then it looks like the grapes of wrath on my sheet metal. i tack one side then move away a few inches and do another and move again..so i don't warp it or blow through..but i always end up having to grind it quite a bit afterwards...what's the deal???

am i just a bad welder? Like I said i can weld a little heavier steel with no problem...and it doesn't look like it was "stacked nickels" like some of the hotrod shops do but it looks good enough for me

Try to get a smaller wire diameter. Just like with stick welding, when you start welding smaller stuff, you need smaller wire. Larger wire (or rods) require more heat to burn properly. Sometimes the heat required to properly burn the wire or rod is in excess of the heat the metal you're trying to weld together can handle. If you get down to thin metal, and you've got the heat so cold the wire won't burn right and NOT burn through what you're welding on, OR when you get the heat to where it burns the wire right, but it's disintegrating the metal you're welding to, try a smaller wire.

[customweld]

Been welding for about 23 yrs. Miller is smooth but there not what a lincoln is. You want a dependable machine weither it's 110volt or generator. Lincoln you can beat on and it just keeps going. Hobart & Miller are good but they fall apart inside. Mig is gas covered. I have a miller matic 200, that i run heavy wire with it's 220volt and then i bought a 135amp 110volt Lincoln and havent fired my 220 up. My 110 is handier than a shirt pocket. Gas covered wire has elasticity and flux core is brittle but it has it places. Doc Rock is right about the size of rod/wire on thickness of what your welding. I bought my 110 on ebay for $270.00. Good place to shop.

[BOSS]

Ok guys be easy on me ok.My son bought me a Cambell Hausfield mig welder from wally world a couple of years ago for my birthday,I am just learning also so can you give me some thought on this welder?I havent got the gas fo it yet but plan to soon.It seems to do ok with some of the metal i have tried but i havent tried body panels yet either.

[doc_rock]

Originally Posted by BOSS

Ok guys be easy on me ok.My son bought me a Cambell Hausfield mig welder from wally world a couple of years ago for my birthday,I am just learning also so can you give me some thought on this welder?I havent got the gas fo it yet but plan to soon.It seems to do ok with some of the metal i have tried but i havent tried body panels yet either.

It's all in the hands of the welder. I've heard people cuss and scream at these machines, I can use them, don't really like them, but they suit a purpose. My father absolutely loves 'em, but I think he's going crazy, he used to be very picky about his welding machines. Pulled around an old Red Seal Continental Lincoln with a hand crank start for a while, because he liked the way it welded.

With the walmart machines, the best thing you can do is be sure what you are welding on is spotless. No rust, grease, paint, moisture, etc. I found them to work better with flux core than gas, keep the tip clean, and get a book or two on how to weld, if not take a class like I reccommended earlier. It CAN be done, it just takes patience.

[wxman1]

I bought my Lincoln 135 about 9 months ago at lowes for a little over $400 dollars.
I had previously owned a Schumacher wire few welder which had no gas capability and paid about
$200 dollars for it. I had a lot of difficulty with the Schumacher getting a good weld with
enough penetration and also with slag on the weld. When I bought the Lincoln, it was like day and night. The gas capability makes all the difference in the world.

You have to be careful...sellers toss the term MIG(Metal Inert Gas) fairly carelessly. A wire flux
welder is sometimes erroneously referred to as a MIG welder. A true MIG/Gas welder will nearly always cost $350 or more.

I'm sure the Miller's are excellent welders. This is just my experience. Also with a different sleeve
for the tip/cable you can weld aluminum with it. Lincoln says the 135 will handle all mild steel
up to 5/16 inch.

Jim
Mt Juliet

[BubbaGreen]

I am considering the Hobart Mig Handler 140 for sheetmetal work.
Would like to hear from anyone with experience. It has been quite
some time since I welded anything and will need some serious practice again. Would really like to get a TIG welder, but that is down the road. Thanks.