Best 120V MIG Welder?

[Dale M.]

I use the 240 V. outlet (dryer) in my garage.... I'm lucky because we have a gas dryer, so I have a dedicated welder outlet....

And yes for high end 120volt machines a 20 amp dedicated outlet would be desirable....

Dale

[DWP]

I upgraded from the hobart flux core to the new Eastwood mig welder with gas. Love it. If my 15 year old son can weld sheetmetal on his baja any body can. The nice thing about the eastwood is the variable speed and heat controls.
DWP

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Bugfuel, I have never used a 220 VAC MIG welder before but asking a lot of questions before I bought mine (one of them was from a friend who repaired welders for a living), there are some things to point out.

Unlike a 240 VAC welder, you cannot just go out and move from the max 3/16 material (usually considered the limit to a one pass weld with a 120VAC MIG Welder) to heavier materials; gas shielded welding does not allow you that extra bit the shielded wire does. Gas does not let you weld in heavy winds (outside hopefully) like shielded wire does but shielded wire welding is messy like ARC welding is. Going from shielded wire to gas, in most of the small machines, requires a different liner and (maybe) changing the polarity of the electrical connection (its been too long since I did my setup).

Some things to consider:
• can you get parts for the welder,
• can it be repaired locally, can it be converted to work with gas or must it be limited to using shielded wire welding (advantages… maybe).
• Remember, 120 welders are light weight welders and not really that comparable to a 220 unit. They do a good job within their limitations but also have a service limit (I forget the proper word) that is lower than what a 220 unit would have.

Of the welders that usually would meet the conditions above, there are three I would recommend:
1. the Miller that has adjustable power settings along with adjustable wire setting,
2. The Miller is closely followed by the Lincoln unit which has similar features.
3. The Hobart would be the third because it still has preset power settings and its welding tips use a different thread count so they could be harder to find.
Each of these machines is usually available, and can be serviced, most anywhere you go. (I didn't know that Eastwood had gone the additional variable switch that DWP has talked about)

That being said, I have two Hobart welders and like them very well. The Hobart 120 is the unit that had the technology that Miller was after when it bought out Hobart. I also have a Hobart 135 which is a good welder but in my opinion just not as good as the 120. I have not had any problems with the 135, but it does feel different.

If you happened to catch it, this last weekend Extreme 4X4 had a show (rerun) on MIG welding and how to set them up and in a couple of places gas was discussed and so was wire choice.

One other thing that has been said; an extension cord or a long power cord is not always the best thing to use. The voltage drop can be very noticeable, especially if you do not use a cord with a gage of wire that is compatible with the voltage needed over the length of the power cord. Commercial extension cords have a tendency to be too light of weight to satisfactorily be used with a welder.

I hope this helps.

Lee

[DWP]

There was an show about welding on Gears. Showing the different ways to weld. Butt, lap ect.
The only problem I had with my Hobart was that it would not go low enough to weld replacement Panels.
Something to consider is what you are going to weld.
DWP

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Yeah, they are a little hot for the really thin stuff, that is why I like what Miller and Lincoln have done. I have a piece of copper that I use as a doubler/heat sink.

Lee

[Bugfuel]

on power cords, yes they make a hige difference, get the heaviest gauge you can afford. You may have to build it yourself like I did.

[Dale M.]

Miller units (upper end) and maybe some others have infinite voltage setting rather than 4-5 presets (A-B-C-D-E) which makes it really desirable because you can dial in any heat for any weld scenario (no more to hot, to cold)....

Any body have any experience with the new "auto set" (I believe its called) where unit is supposedly intelligent and automatically adjusts heat for any welding application from really thin to thick?

Dale

[Dale M.]

on power cords, yes they make a hige difference, get the heaviest gauge you can afford. You may have to build it yourself like I did.

IF you use anything smaller than a 12 gauge 20AMP rated cord, its probably going to self destruct, hurt welder and give poor welds..... Cord should also be as short as practical....

Dale

[DWP]

The infinite voltage setting is what sold my on the eastwood unit. As for the copper backing plate we just took a hammer to a piece of copper water pipe and pound flat to shape.
DWP

[bugdust69]

For 480v 3-phase I like the Lincoln Idealarc DC-600 or even better, the 455M pulse welder.

For 230v I like the Lincoln 255c...I had one for 10+ years and just recently sold it.

For 120v I have a Hobart Handler 140 but the Miller or Lincoln are good, too.

[Dale M.]

Just recently purchased Hobart Handler 140 pretty happy with it.... IF you Go Hobart 140 be sure to get latest version with aluminum wire tensioner assembly and 5 heat settings (model number is 500559)... I believe... Older model has plastic tensioner and 4 heat ranges....

Dale

[Piledriver]

I went 220 and am very happy with my 181i.

It's inverter based, and I actually can run it from 10-185A on a 100' 10 ga extension cord.

All metal wire drive for MIG, I modded mine to take a Euro connector, and changed the pot in the Firepower spoolgun I run to provide remote wire speed control.(~all factory parts from Europe, 100% revertible to US config)
Have yet to use the actual std MIG wire feed/gun, just the spoolgun and TIG.
(both with 25' cables, need a longer ground though)

Used my hot tub circuit (220v-50A), outlet essentially in the middle of my lot.
I can hit any point of my 100x120' lot with ease. (ignoring the 25' torch and spoolgun)

They are selling a 200A 110/220 version now, but it's kinda pricey.
The 181i will run fine off a 10KW generator, or even a 5-8KW but not at full wail.

You tend to get what you pay for, regardless, just remember the HD/Lowes "Lincolns" are not anywhere near built like the real thing. It's hard to lose on red, blue, yellow or maroon welders.
(Lincoln/Miller/ESAB or Thermal Arc, HTP is very nice too, almost went there after using Helos)

[EternalFabrication]

Miller units (upper end) and maybe some others have infinite voltage setting rather than 4-5 presets (A-B-C-D-E) which makes it really desirable because you can dial in any heat for any weld scenario (no more to hot, to cold)....

Any body have any experience with the new "auto set" (I believe its called) where unit is supposedly intelligent and automatically adjusts heat for any welding application from really thin to thick?

Dale

I have used the auto set and it works well for the average welder. I have found that a seasoned user can and will fine tune. I have a Miller 211 and rarely ever use the auto-set feature.

I do love having the 110 or 220 option. Mostly use 110 and is great for on the go. I only use the 220 option when I need to burn some thicker material OR I want to leverage the higher duty cycle. I believe its 20% when on 110 and 30% when on 220.

The prices vary, but I have seen the Miller 211 with Autoset for as low as $1060 with free shipping.

Blaine

[Wissha]

I know it's an old thread, but maybe it will be a timely resurrection for someone

Don't even worry about TIG until you meed to weld stainless or aluminum. It will also be much further from your price range than any of the above.

You're pretty much looking at wirefeed (MIG and flux-core) or stick welders for your criteria.
MIG is vulnerable to shield gas getting blown away, so don't try to use it outside on a windy day. You'll also need to buy a tank for the gas (~$150-200 for the tank, and ~$40 per fill up). MIG generally produces faster and cleaner welds than FC or SMAW (you'll have to chip off slag and spatter from the latter). The only difference between MIG and FC machines is gas and polarity. Fitted with the right wire and polarity setting, a MIG machine can do FC, but a FC machine may or may not be adaptable to MIG with the addition of a gas solenoid. Both MIG and FC will limit you to working within ~6' of the machine (there's a limit to how far the machine can push wire through the torch umbilical), but a SMAW machine would allow you to work much further from the machine just be adding longer clamp/electrode wires (ever seen service vehicles with gas-powered welders on the back and ~100' of cable hanging from them? yeah.). Skill-wise, MIG and FC are the same, stick is much harder--in any case it's very easy to learn how to weld, but takes a good deal of practice to learn how to do it well.

A helmet and gloves are critical. You will suffer instant and serious injury without either. $50 for a helmet/$15 for gloves will suffice. If you're not doing a huge amount of welding then there's no need to buy higher end helmet and gloves. You might want to spring for an auto-darkening helmet since it makes things much easier, but that's about it. Other than that, PPE depends on your application. If you're doing all your work on top of a table at a comfortable height, you'll probably be fine with natural fiber long sleeve shirt and pants. Once you start welding at chest or head level or overhead or in other positions you'll want to invest in a jacket and/or hood.

Last time I looked, the cheapest new 120V MIG machine I found was a Hobart for $420 shipped (so around $700 once you gt a tank and safety gear). Harbor Freight sells Chicago Electric machines much cheaper, but you absolutely get what you pay for and personally I wouldn't even consider them. I've personally only used Miller and Lincoln machines, and of the two I'd go for Miller. They'll start around $600 retail. Not sure about buying used equipment other than craigslist/ebay.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Good post Wissha but, depending on the size of the shielding tank you get, your "fill" price is a bit low (for around here anyway). The tanks can also be "rented" which means you don't buy it; that can be either good or bad.

I have an old Hobart 120: the Hobart brand was bought sometime back by the makers of Miller. They bought the company for the "advanced" technology with the timeline being just after I bought mine.

There are 2 other things to consider with a Hobart: the threads on the tip are/were of a different thread count compared to the run-of-the-mill tips you can buy. I have been told that the old gun has been deleted so now parts are not available now; I would have to buy a new gun if mine died. If you bought a welder "used" this is why I posted it.

I have to admit that it can weld better than I can (snort).

Lee