Selecting a Mig welder.

If I had a couple grand burning a hole in my pocket no doubt my next welder would be a Miller Multimatic 200. Plus the Tig add on.

Definitely pricey but if you are at all interested in learning 3 different processes this is a no brainier and a bargain. Im guilty of wasting tons of money on 3 different machines that still can't hold a candle to this one unit. And get 220 installed in your garage.

So after all that. lol

If you are interested in mig welders. Look up a few brands and see the difference in duty cycles and at what output the duty cycle is rated for. The duty cycle is the number of minutes out of 10 that you can weld without overheating the machine. Example 60% duty cycle allows 6 minutes of welding out of 10.
 
Big Bad Wolf said:
I will take a look!

Did everyone learn them selves ? I see there is a ton of videos online that can teach you. Anyone have any favorites ? I unfortunately don't have a welder that can show me. I did basic welding in Automotive school but that was basic.

I guess tube bending and metal cutting is a whole other subject. I feel like I'm opening a can of worms haha.. I want to build a cage etc but there is a lot to learn and unless im wrong the equipment is pricy.
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I did. Just bought the welder and got some scrap and started melting metal together. 8 years and a ton of projects later I consider myself a decent welder. One thing to save for that will make life easy. Get yourself a good self darkening helmet. I say good because you only get one set of eyes. Hard to put a price on your sight. Then there is the self darkening feature. Makes learning solo much easier.
 
HighwayTrout said:
If I had a couple grand burning a hole in my pocket no doubt my next welder would be a Miller Multimatic 200. Plus the Tig add on.

Definitely pricey but if you are at all interested in learning 3 different processes this is a no brainier and a bargain. Im guilty of wasting tons of money on 3 different machines that still can't hold a candle to this one unit. And get 220 installed in your garage.

So after all that. lol

If you are interested in mig welders. Look up a few brands and see the difference in duty cycles and at what output the duty cycle is rated for. The duty cycle is the number of minutes out of 10 that you can weld without overheating the machine. Example 60% duty cycle allows 6 minutes of welding out of 10.
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You have to love the case on the Multimatic 200. Have you looked at the newer 215? Some people seem to be raving about it (on welding forums).

The 215 is only a couple hundred $ more than the 211. I'm new to welding, would anything other than MIG be any good to me ? Or would I just confuse myself ?

Can the 200 be used out on a trail ? If so It must take a lot of juice. You are right, it's pricy but that rugged case is nice!
 
sandfrog said:
I did. Just bought the welder and got some scrap and started melting metal together. 8 years and a ton of projects later I consider myself a decent welder. One thing to save for that will make life easy. Get yourself a good self darkening helmet. I say good because you only get one set of eyes. Hard to put a price on your sight. Then there is the self darkening feature. Makes learning solo much easier.
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Absolutely. Do not skimp on the welding hood. When I started I used a $50 HF auto darkening hood. Worked fine for probably a year, then one day middle of a bead it just shut off. Like staring directly at the weld through sunglasses. Hurt like hell, and in lucky it didn't do permanent damage. After I got a good hood I was amazed at how much better my view of the puddle was, the whole time I had been (welding in the dark) for lack of a better term.
 
Oh ? Makes sense. I don't like to skimp on safety gear.. Some may laugh but I don't care. I will be using a respirator also.

I will do some research on a good hood to get.. Perhaps I'll post my findings here.


Cheers.
 
QuicksilverJK said:
Absolutely. Do not skimp on the welding hood. When I started I used a $50 HF auto darkening hood. Worked fine for probably a year, then one day middle of a bead it just shut off. Like staring directly at the weld through sunglasses. Hurt like hell, and in lucky it didn't do permanent damage. After I got a good hood I was amazed at how much better my view of the puddle was, the whole time I had been (welding in the dark) for lack of a better term.
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If you don't mind me asking, what hood did you end up getting?
 
Big Bad Wolf said:
Oh ? Makes sense. I don't like to skimp on safety gear.. Some may laugh but I don't care. I will be using a respirator also.

I will do some research on a good hood to get.. Perhaps I'll post my findings here.


Cheers.
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A respirator is smart and I also wear one religiously when welding/grinding. The fumes and dust are horrible.

Like others also have said. Get a nicer auto darkening helmet. The cheapie 50 dollar hoods at harbor freight are junk and won't last long.
 
Breathing this stuff is NASTY. I only know from grinding and using a torch.

I cut out a project made out of aluminum and it was even worse.. Like it was said, coughing up black shit and having a serious swore throat.



Thanks for the responses guys.
 
Lincoln Power MiIG 256 is what I use and a Lincoln Precision 225 TIG ..... MillerMatic 252 would be my only other choice.. maybe an ESAB of comparable choice too. get more then you need because you will always need more.. and If you aren't a well seasoned welder doing chases work better to burn a bit hotter then colder for penetration. Most welding shops offer cheap day classes check one out.
 
sandfrog said:
I did. Just bought the welder and got some scrap and started melting metal together. 8 years and a ton of projects later I consider myself a decent welder. One thing to save for that will make life easy. Get yourself a good self darkening helmet. I say good because you only get one set of eyes. Hard to put a price on your sight. Then there is the self darkening feature. Makes learning solo much easier.
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I got my welder for free from a forum member as he upgraded from the Lincoln Weldpak 100 to the Millermatic 211. Went to a local weld shop got a bottle and a $75 auto darkening hood. It makes it much easier to learn.


As for instructional videos I always go to welding tips and tricks on youtube. Its a video series put out by Jody Collier who is a welder and welding instructor by trade. He teaches students and prepares them to pass welding certification tests. He takes a very humble approach in his instruction and the videos and commentary give great explanations. I have learned a lot from there and feel I can weld (MIG) pretty good having never taken a class.
 
jesse3638 said:
I got my welder for free from a forum member as he upgraded from the Lincoln Weldpak 100 to the Millermatic 211. Went to a local weld shop got a bottle and a $75 auto darkening hood. It makes it much easier to learn.


As for instructional videos I always go to welding tips and tricks on youtube. Its a video series put out by Jody Collier who is a welder and welding instructor by trade. He teaches students and prepares them to pass welding certification tests. He takes a very humble approach in his instruction and the videos and commentary give great explanations. I have learned a lot from there and feel I can weld (MIG) pretty good having never taken a class.
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Thanks for the info!
 
I have a Hobart Handler 210 mig, eastwood TIG200 AC/DC and also a eastwood plasma cutter. All can handle anything I can throw at them in my home garage, and the hobart 210 is a little overkill for what I would really ever need.
 
hinrichs said:
I have a Hobart Handler 210 mig, eastwood TIG200 AC/DC and also a eastwood plasma cutter. All can handle anything I can throw at them in my home garage, and the hobart 210 is a little overkill for what I would really ever need.
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That Hobart is one hell of a welder for the price. That is what I have in my garage as well. For work I use a 280 Miller but the Hobart is more than capable of anything you will do in a home garage. Tractor Supply seams to always have a pretty good price on hobart welders.
 
My brother taught himself to weld with a cheap stick welder. He told me I should buy a cheap Harbor freight mig welder & practice with that. I've considered that, or finding one someone is selling locally. Later, I'd like a Hobart 210. Any thoughts on that?


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notnalc68 said:
My brother taught himself to weld with a cheap stick welder. He told me I should buy a cheap Harbor freight mig welder & practice with that. I've considered that, or finding one someone is selling locally. Later, I'd like a Hobart 210. Any thoughts on that?


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I don't have any experience with HF welders, but honestly, that's not something I would buy from them personally. For 300, you can get a light duty brand name one. That's just me. Or like you said look local or even used on eBay(from a good seller). I got a great deal on a Miller Plasma cutter used on eBay from a reputable seller. I don't have experience with Hobart, but have heard good things.
 
If your committed to it, I would just get something that you can really use and learn on it. I just have a Hobart Handler 190 and it gets the job done for everything I need it to do.
 
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