I like Millers but don't discount Hobart either.

 

All sounds good people! After knowing what to look for I think I found a winner! again... I didn't want to shell out a whole lot of cash for something I may not use a lot, and I'm pretty rusty welding so I want something that's forgiving to a novice and won't have me cursing at myself more than I do already in the garage. I won't be doing my frame or any really thick stuff. I hope. I'm on a extremely tight budget since I'm in school and bills and kids and stuff. Somehow I'll thread all this into my rat budget truck build to show an outcome as time goes by and a new camera is bought. Thank You for some great answers, and some that made me wonder why pay as much as I paid for my truck or more for it!!! (Don't worry I already know the ANSWER- because you'll need it at some point) Man these things get pricey but that ESAB Rebel is a killer!!! Right now it's between Lincoln, Hobart and Eastwood... hmm decisions and sales, sales and decisions... I do have a coupon book for a HF one tho...darnit here we go again...

WhichDoc

 

True. I have a Hobart Airforce plasma cutter.

FYI... Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) is the parent company of both Miller and Hobart. ITW has about a $30 billion market cap and the stock yields a 2.62% dividend. Of the 10 analysts covering ITW, six are buys and four are holds. The stock is up four points off its 52-week low of $78.79. Its 52-week high of about $100 back in March 2015. Since 2009, it's up about 270%.

TMI? LOL.

 

Some one mentioned about avoiding flux core welders. Flux core welding requires a good clean weld area and a lot of wire brushing as you weld. It's not for bodywork although I have used mine for bodywork due to being half inside and half outside the shop. Fluxcore produces more heat and gives you better penetration in thicker metals and your not constantly getting your bottle refilled. If theres a breeze or a badly located fan in your shop you'll come to appreciate fluxcore. Gas wire with no gas equals a hard brittle weld. Get a welder that does both, all you have to do is reverse your polarities on your welding tip to switch back n forth.

 

Stay away from flux core if you're doing body work, well anything really, but especially bodywork. Flux core has only one application, welding in strong wind. I do not consider price to be a legitimate reason to go flux core, because you'll only wish you spent more.

You can take a look at my build thread, I do a LOT of fab work, and I swear by my Eastwood MIG 175. I use the hell out of it and it's a workhorse. Good luck!

 

I also do a lot of fab work and I work in a 10 x 20 and a 10 x 10 portable shelters. If I stuck with gas only I would be refilling my bottle on a daily basis, on body work I don't mind refilling my bottle. When the .125 to .250 plate of steel comes out, I switch over to flux core as it doesn't bother me to put in the little bit of extra work into cleaning my welds and the surface I'm working with. Yes I deal with a breeze at times but no strong winds, I use the fluxcore as a economic convenience. If you have some patience, a wire brush and a welding hammer, I actually use a rock hammer, flux core will work quite well. It's not sliced bread or cap'n crunch but then again it's not meant to be. I use a lincoln T160

 

I have an old white face Miller 200 (I think the current replacement is the 212) that has never let me down. Very simple machine to work on and maintain, and it can weld just about anything you'd ever need to. According to the guys at my local supply house, they have damn near 100% duty cycle as well. They actually talked me out of upgrading to the 212. Down side (maybe) is I had to have a 220 outlet in the garage, but I use it for the compressor too, so...


I have seen them on my local craigslist for way less than new units. Parts are cheap and easily available.

 

I have a miller 180 autoset, really easy to use.I run 75/25 mix with both solid and dual shield wire.I also have a miller thunderbolt 225 for heavier stuff.
Marc

 

miller 211 with esab 023 easysand is hard to beat

 

I've put about 200 lb. of wire through my Lincoln 180C. Everything from .035 flux core for heavy stuff to .023 with 75/25 argon/c02 for bodywork. It's never skipped a beat and I love the way it works. Best $600 I've ever spent. It's more than paid for itself just by doing little odd welding jobs for friends/family etc..

 

There have been lots of good suggestions but I couldn't find if you said you have 220v avalible. If you do I would limit your search to 220v machines or dual voltage machines (ones that can run 110v and 220v). The cost difference isn't all that much between them and a 110v machine but the usability of the machine is greatly increased due to being able to weld much thicker material in single pass (not having to run multiple weld beads for even 1/4" material)

Have you considered buying a used machine? That might be a good way to save some $ and get used to welding. You should always be able to sell it again and buy a new welder later on if that what you decide you need.

Another concern is your avalible space for storing the welder when not in use? Do you have any garage room for a welder on a cart and the bottle? I would vote for a gas setup over a flux core one unless you only have shelf space to store your welder.

 

Wow guys now my head is spinning with idea's... I need to pull up my E-trade account now too!!! (thanks for the tip☺). To answer your question, no 220v in the garage but I have enough space once I get my ex-fishing store stock and appliances out the way. I've got the ok from my boss to bring my truck to work and work on it after hours. All the fun tools my wife won't let me buy are in the work garages anyway. I have been looking on CL but I'm a little leery at doing that. If I find one of the suggested MIGs on there for a great price I might "suck it up and drive on" like we said in the Army.. So I guess now would be suggestions for a portable 110 MIG that's affordable and durable...i should started this stupid question from beginning. The reasons behind this is only TWO bolts on the whole bed are not completely surrounded by rustholes and that curious rabid raccoon hole under my passenger floor. I will eventually get something for heavier metals later. THANK YOU ALL FOR GIVING ME MORE TO CONSIDER THAN I THOUGHT!!! You guys are great

 

My recommendation would be to be sure to get a welder with "stepless" controls for both voltage and wire speed. Many of the welders now come with stepped voltage, which can be really limiting when you are dialing in settings. I've used both, and as you get better at welding the difference will be obvious.

Another thing is to go to a welding store and handle the torches of a couple different brands. They feel different and if you are going to pony up the funds for a nice welder, you should be sure it feels good to use. In my opinion, that's the only major difference between Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, etc. They all function similarly, but the ergonomics of the torch is quite different. The Miller feels like it has a much greater bend to the torch tip, while the Lincoln is not as articulated. Personally, I have a Lincoln SP135 Plus and really like the feel of the Lincoln. My father in law has a Miller of about the same size/same features, and while it performs just as well, I don't care for how it feels as much as the Lincoln. My hand just feels like its at an uncomfortable angle most of the time with the Miller torch, but others may prefer it. Part of that is from growing accustomed to my own tools, but even when I first started I preferred the Lincoln.

If I were on a budget, I would probably first look for a good used Miller or Lincoln, but if they aren't really around; I'd suggest looking at the AHP Mig welder. I've had the AHP AlphaTIG welder for over a year and after pretty extensive use (I've been through half a dozen large bottles of Argon), it continues to be an excellent welder to this day. I've heard pretty good things about the Alph Mig welder and the fact that it has a continuous voltage adjustment would make me choose it over a Lincoln or Miller of similar price which would probably be stepped voltage (if you can find one for similar price). The drive system of the AHP is plastic, but unless you are running the welder more on a professional level, I don't think that will be an issue. If you are looking at Harbor Freight, and looking at Lincoln/Miller/Hobart, this could be something in between that offers the value and quality level you are hoping for. The torch appears to be more similar to a Lincoln shape than a Miller shape, but the trigger looks like it would feel different. They state that the consumables are interchangeable with others like Lincoln or Miller, but don't say specifically which.

For what it's worth, I bought one of the Harbor Freight welders for my first welder, but a year later I simply couldn't take it anymore and got the Lincoln. These midrange welders like the AHP really didn't exist yet, or I may have gone that route. I use about a single 10 lb spool of wire per year and the Lincoln is probably overkill for that. I would stay away from the Harbor Freight welders, but I do have their new roll around welder stand with drawers, and it is excellent (bought one for each my MIG and one for my TIG). Their helmets are also OK, but hard to put "cheater" lenses into, which if you have aging eyes like I do, is a necessity (these are small magnifying lenses that clip into the nicer helmets like Miller, etc. For helmets, I like the Miller Digital Elite, but good helmets do cost almost as much as some of the cheaper welders! Don't forget to figure in the cost of the helmet and the cost of the gas bottle when budgeting for your welder.

Just keep in mind that while you may think you only need to do sheet metal for now, you're needs may change enough that having a smaller 80amp 120v welder may seem like a mistake. It will handle up to a little over 1/16" thick material fine, but for a small extra amount the ability to weld 3/16" material may someday pay off big time. I've been feeling that I may have been better off buying the 220v Lincoln 180 lately, when I thought I'd never be welding anything thicker than sheet metal originally. Thank goodness I at least went with a 135 amp welder so that I can do a lot more than I originally planned. Just welded up a 1/4" wall engine cradle with 6" casters last week to roll around my son's Dodge 383 big block in the garage. I can't say how many projects like that I've been able to do because I bought a little bigger welder than I originally though I needed.

 

I got a Clark from jc witney a few years back. It's a 220 mig, have beat the hell out of it works great. For sure run a shield gas. CO2 works well and it's good for pushing keg beer too.

 

If yer gonna get one welder, opt for a dual voltage or 220v that is able to work on 20g to 3/16ths.

Why? Because if you just get a little one, over time you will find more uses and projects that requires heavier stock.

A welder can last a lifetime. Choose wisely.