whiich welder to buy

R

richrd

I need a mig, it will be used mainly for motorcycle repair and fab work. I'm thinking a 110 unit for conveinience.

I'm trying to decide between the Miller 140 auto and the 135 Eastwood. the Miller will be over $750 with tax, the Eastwood only $300. Is the Miller worth the extra 450 bucks?

Thanks
 
Yes

I think the Eastwood stuff, across the board, is intended for use by the casual user. If you want a useful and reliable tool, buy at least medium duty. It's kind on like Harbor Freight stuff. If I need a tool that I don't have and am likely to use it only once, I will consider Harbor Freight. If I know I will use it more than once, I will opt for the better tool. There is nothing worse than needing to rely on a tool and finding it fail or, not up to the challenge of continuous use.

This is, of course, is just my opinion. I don't like to buy anything twice :encouragement:
 
Made in USA or some oriental country ? Can't miss with the Miller, just be sure to set it up with 75/25 gas and forget about the flux core wire for autobody work.
 
I have a 180 chicago (harbor freight) and a 180 clark. Run Lincoln wire in both. Can't tell the difference between the two. They were both under $300. Work great from sheet metal to 3/16 steel. Haven't tried anything thicker yet.
 
i'm welder poor. 240 ironman hobart , 120 handled hobart , miller econo tig . the 120 handler is about 20 years old and has been a great machine.
 
it's a good tig . i bought it for stick welding stuff in the shop . if i were going to be doing a lot of stuff i would likely move up into the syncrowave units. but for price it is the best bang for the buck .
 
The Lincoln 180 is a bit more but capable of using 220 as well as 110, so in a pinch if you needed the amperage you could get it. A few years back my brother and I found a used Lincoln sp-255. Apart from the touch button face it has been a great machine and always capable of welding anything that has hit the bench . used I think it was about 1000 or so but it also has 250 amps and all kinds of autosets and neato gizmos.
 
I would go blue or red, i.e. Miller or Lincoln...kind of a Ford/Chevy thing here. Hobart can be good too, as well as Esab. Stay with a name brand, so if you need parts or service, they are readily available. I have a Lincoln 140c, a Lincoln 255c and a Lincoln Precision Tig. I have also used Miller and Hobart welders with great results/dependability. As far as the 110 migs, I have seen little difference in performance between the comparable Miller and Lincoln models.
 
i have a miller 135. its great and i can get any part i need for it down the street at the welding supply.
 
I spent the extra money, went for the Lincoln version of the Miller. I see a time when I will be welding alloy, but now is just mild stee.

What is the diff in use between straight c02 and argon / c02 mix?
 
The Argon helps to stabilize the arc, without it you'll get a lot of carbon in the welds which isn't good. It's expensive but if you purchase your bottle it'll last you a good while based on the amount we use it for small patches here and there. I have the Millermatic 140 and it works great. For weld wire, I use ER70S-6 in 0.023 from INEFIL made in the USA. You can get it on Amazon for about $25 a roll. I just welded up about 100 small holes on a 68 Firebird hood from the old days of when they would drill holes and use a slide hammer to remove dents. My set up worked fine.
 
I have welded with a Lincoln 180 for years, mainly flux core. It always got the job done, even if it wasnt pretty. Bit the bullet and bought a Miller 211 110/220 mig full set up. Night and day, best investment i have made in a long time. It payed for itself in one month with the quality of welds that required little work.


David
 
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