Which welder would you get or should I get?

[Dunn's]

here is the link http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=welder

This will mostly be used for welding small things like the steel mesh on the trailers and welding christmas decoration, as well as fabricating things for the equipment.

Thank in advance for any replies.

We already where given an arc welder that needed 220V so we went and made up a extension cord so it could be plugged into the generators. Which cost us $100 to make and then the damn welder doesn't work.

Will the mig for $149 be enough?

[LindblomRJ]

I think I would spend the extra and get maybe a decent welder. I have a Hobart (Miller) Handler 135, replaced by the 140. It runs on 120 and does a decent job. They had both the gas and flux core.

[mverick]

if it's harbor freight it will break. lol

Get a good Ac/Dc stick. Lincoln. Better then a mig. Go to tig and it's a different story. I know plenty that went back to stick. For cheaper welders it's better. You get around $3000 and the mig is better.

[Saltydawg]

Yea those Chicago Electric welders are garbage.

Welding equipment is one of those things where you really need to spend a bit of money to get acceptable results.
Hobart and Lincoln are easy enoguh to find and are about as cheap as I would recomend to someone.

[LindblomRJ]

if it's harbor freight it will break. lol

Get a good Ac/Dc stick. Lincoln. Better then a mig. Go to tig and it's a different story. I know plenty that went back to stick. For cheaper welders it's better. You get around $3000 and the mig is better.

I agree on the stick welders. Lincoln.

[flykelley]

I bought a Lincoln off ebay brand new. 220V and it does a nice job. I paid under $400.00 for it and it was brand new. I did need to buy a small tank of argon gas. So far I am very happy with it.

Regards Mike

[PHS]

I would stick with one of the name brands too. Worth the extra money.

I think I would go with a mig rather than stick because the learning curve is much faster and I think it will just be a lot easier to work with for your applications. Tack welds, light fabrication, etc. If you get into building heavier duty equipment, welding outdoors and that sort of stuff then I would definitely look at a stick electrode.

[mjlcare]

i have the one from habor freight for 149 or so and it is a great small welder, i have welded anything from a cage on my trailer to fixing 1/4 in heavy great metal on my uncles trailer. great welder,

buy the warranty for $29 and your welder is covered for 2 yrs no question asked. welder looks a little cheap but i have not had one prob with and i have used the hell out of mine

hope this helps.

[Dunn's]

i have the one from habor freight for 149 or so and it is a great small welder, i have welded anything from a cage on my trailer to fixing 1/4 in heavy great metal on my uncles trailer. great welder,

buy the warranty for $29 and your welder is covered for 2 yrs no question asked. welder looks a little cheap but i have not had one prob with and i have used the hell out of mine

hope this helps.

Thanks mjlcare



like I said I am only using this for samll things maybe 3 times a year so we are not about to spend four grand, it we spent that kind of money on stuff we never really used we would go out of business. So anyone else use the cheapy at harbor freight?

[mverick]

like I said I am only using this for samll things maybe 3 times a year so we are not about to spend four grand, it we spent that kind of money on stuff we never really used we would go out of business. So anyone else use the cheapy at harbor freight?


I was thinking a lincoln stick for around $400. Not $4000.

If ya want cheap get one from Wal mart. Campbell Hausfield I think it is. I boought 2 clearenced for around $40 ea. Usually around $250. More then likely the same as your looking at. I thought if I use it twice I'd get my money out of it. Got to use it twice. Piece of junk. LOL Took back to Wal Mart.

[Dunn's]

yeah i want cheap but I still would like it to work. The reason is all the welding shops are closing up in our area and the trailer place is 30 miles away so it is just not cost effective to send somebody all the wat there with a trailer then have them hang out half the day waiting for it to get done.

[mjlcare]

i would def go with the harbor frieght one and just get the warranty but like i said i have used that thing hard and it hasnt broke yet welding for a couple min straight even when it said only 60 sec or so. dont worry about it. you wont be dissapointed

[Audrey]

Northern has many Hobart welders to choose from. IIRC, they offer free shipping as well. $300 or so for a dependable small 120v mig is very reasonable.

http://www.northerntool.com/


A

[gandk06]

just bought a small 120v stick welder from menards for $99. Used it this weekend and it worked great for building some new trimmer racks. THis one is a Clark and for what I will use it for it is worth every penny.

[GravelyNut]

I have an old Sears stick welder, a Hobart/Miller MIG welder and a Hobart 10KW DC welder/AC generator. The stick welder and the MIG unit get used all the time.

[shovelracer]

Im not saying anyone does or doesnt know how to weld properly, but I wouldnt personally use anything less than a hobart or lincoln for repairs of trailers, racks, etc. Ive seen a lot of poor welds fail, and the damage they can cause would easily outweigh the cost spent on a good welder up front. A stick is very versatile, but not good for tight areas or detail work unless your real good. A mig is great but it isnt mig without the gas. Most run fluxed core wire at first. A good 120V will be OK for most purposes, but your fooled if you think you can safely weld 1/4" without some skill.

So the point is that a good welder doesnt make you a good fabricator, but it does help soften the learning curve, and will allow you to do more in the future. A cheap welder will be difficult to use, have less adjustments, and will increase the chance of making a poor weld. Inexperienced welders dont know the difference between a good weld and a bad one. That is when they put their and everyone elses lives at stake. So my suggestion to anyone looking for a shop welder is buy a decent one and either take a class, or spend a bunch of time educating yourself and testing your welds before you put them to use in the real world.

[mjlcare]

i totally agree with the above post, i have spent a ton of time with that welder from hf and i went from being nothing but shotty to pretty dang good something like you cant tell my weld from the weld that were done on my trailer from the factory, but i totally agree and have tested mine again and again and would never put anything on the road that wasnt abosulotely perfect, i am completely anal about safety and tying stuff down

[GravelyNut]

Im not saying anyone does or doesnt know how to weld properly, but I wouldnt personally use anything less than a hobart or lincoln for repairs of trailers, racks, etc. Ive seen a lot of poor welds fail, and the damage they can cause would easily outweigh the cost spent on a good welder up front. A stick is very versatile, but not good for tight areas or detail work unless your real good. A mig is great but it isnt mig without the gas. Most run fluxed core wire at first. A good 120V will be OK for most purposes, but your fooled if you think you can safely weld 1/4" without some skill.

So the point is that a good welder doesnt make you a good fabricator, but it does help soften the learning curve, and will allow you to do more in the future. A cheap welder will be difficult to use, have less adjustments, and will increase the chance of making a poor weld. Inexperienced welders dont know the difference between a good weld and a bad one. That is when they put their and everyone elses lives at stake. So my suggestion to anyone looking for a shop welder is buy a decent one and either take a class, or spend a bunch of time educating yourself and testing your welds before you put them to use in the real world.

A good welder ( person ) can use a bad welder ( machine ) and still get good results. A bad welder ( person ) can't weld well even with a good welder ( machine ). It all takes practice. Welding repairs on a boiler and then operating that same boiler on a steam engine makes you think about every weld you make.

[Itsgottobegreen]

Let u know, I am a certifited structual steel welder. I would not buy anything unless it says lincoln or miller on it. If you buy a mig welder, get a 220 volt machine or it won't have the power to burn heavy metal. If you get a stick machine, make sure it can do ac/dc welding. As ac welds are not as strong and dc welds. Ac is for alumium or steel in tool/implement use, nothing structual like a trailer, etc.

[Saltydawg]

You can stick two pieces of metal together with a battery, some jumper cables, and an electrode but it's not something I would recomend.

A decent welder can be bought for less than the price many of us pay for a blower or trimmer and it opens up all kinds of possibilities with stuff you can build.

I'm not "Joe the welding pro" but I'm pretty skilled with both a stick and mig and it doesn't take long to appreciate the difference between good equipment and something from china that was bought because the price was right
It's like comparing the $999 Home depot riding mower special to a real commercial mower. There really is a difference.

[Dunn's]

we went with this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44567 did not get to use it though because it was raining.

But I did try out the new winch I bought today it will help when we get one of the trucks stuck down at the property

[Cooter]

A good welder ( person ) can use a bad welder ( machine ) and still get good results. A bad welder ( person ) can't weld well even with a good welder ( machine ). It all takes practice. Welding repairs on a boiler and then operating that same boiler on a steam engine makes you think about every weld you make.

When you are referring to welder (person), and a welder (machine) at the same time, that person is a weldor. The OP would have been much happier with at least a mig welder. That flux wire is a joke. Like others are saying if you buy a quality welder it will last you a very long time. I also have a Hobart Handler 130, Millermatic 251, Lincoln AC/DC stick and an older Miller AED 200 generator. The Millermatic and the generator get used the most.

[mjlcare]

we went with this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44567 did not get to use it though because it was raining.

But I did try out the new winch I bought today it will help when we get one of the trucks stuck down at the property

how much did you end up paying? did you get the warranty. it will serve your needs just fine just take care of it and you wont regret it.

good luck with all your new projects i know i did.

[Dunn's]

how much did you end up paying? did you get the warranty. it will serve your needs just fine just take care of it and you wont regret it.

good luck with all your new projects i know i did.

on sale $119 and we got the warranty for $16 more.