Im sure this has been discussed before and ive done some research.

Im very new to welding but have done it before andoved every minute of it. It is something i want to learn and get good at.

Im going to be buying my first welder and am stuck. Should i go the cheaper route and down the road upgrade or get a good unit and grow into it? This would be used almost only for auto purposes or light fabrication.

There are two units im looking at.

Vulcan protig 200. $550
Dual voltage
Ac/Dc tig
Duty cycle 20%
Comes with everything but tank
If it breaks probably buying a new welder

Miller syncrowave 210 $2000
Dual voltage
Ac/dc tig, mig, stick
Duty cycle 60%
Comes with everything to start welding both tig and mig but tank including cart
1yr warranty
If it breaks easier to get parts

Miller is what i want but a lot more money obviously. Its a machine i doubt id out grow atleast anytime soon. What do you think of these? What would you pick or whats another unit youd choose?

 

the Vulcan is probably cheap due to the Lawsuits against them... they are on Clearance all over the place so I would say you can forget about any support.

I avoid Lincoln as they have Crap switches and PCB Failures nowadays, Miller actually makes a better product and the SW 210 should have a 3 year True Blue Warranty and the main power rectifier parts are covered for 5 years

I was Warranty certified for many welders and Plasma units when I had my shop but I retired in about 2005 after a 17 year run, so I have been out of the Loop for a while now, but I can say I had more Oddball, Hobart, and Lincoln machines in the shop next was ESAB/LTEC then Miller....

EDIT: head on over to WeldingWeb or Millerwelds forums and browse around

 

I had a cheap wire feed welder for a long time and I think it crippled me from becoming a decent welder. When I finally upgraded to a Miller, my welds were better and I quit cussing....wondering why I waited so long. You will weld better with better equipment, even if you are a novice, which I still am. I would suggest not to throw money away. A good welder will open doors for you to fabricate and repair things that you never thought of...and with much less frustration.

 

X2 ... I've seen it many times with others too.....
I used to instruct a few Classes in Equipment repair and maintenance.....

Most Community Colleges offer short courses in welding and you can even get Certified, Reasonable prices in most cases, but then again I've been out of the loop...
VA benefits can help here too.

 

i agree. do it once and be done. .
BUT don't rule out used machines. searching craigs list i picked up a lincoln 215 powermig with dual head ability and a spool gun for $600. it was an older machine about 9 years old, but had only been used for two months before the owner sold his shop and moved back to portugal after his wife got sick and wanted to go home. his son never used it because he did not save 220 power outlet at his house.
i also picked up a miller 225 bobcat for $1300 with 400 hours on it a few months later.
both these machines replaced a small 110 mig, and a old miller bluestar that the ignition went out on . since parts are no longer available for the Tecumseh engine, the bluestar was pretty much useless.
i eventually found an alternative for the ignition, but the bobcat is a much better machine.
i like having a gas powered stick welder because it is portable, unlike a mig which is pretty much limited to the length of the power cord.

 

I loved the old OH-120 on the Bluestar... the other engine was the HH-120 but yes kinda hard to find some parts for them BUT as you say there are alternatives

the Bobcat with the ONAN twin is a hard working machine ... Idler control boards are getting hard to find but there are a few upgrades for em .. I used to just repair the bad boards.

the smaller Miller Gas Driven welders are way better than the Junk Lincoln put out BUT them old SA200's with the red seal continental 4 cylinder engine still Rock

 

nothing beats a continental powered SA200. the bobcat has the onan performer 20. it now has about 680 hours on it and needs a valve adjustment because it will not run without the choke at 1/4 until the engine is hot. if it was a kohler i would have passed on it.

the bluestar is an ac/dc reverse polarity model and has the OH-160 engine in it.
i left it sitting in the back corner of the garage because i figured someday someone would come out with an alternative to the lack of Tecumseh parts.
i found a guy in texas about 5 years ago that sold solid state replacement for $300 with a 5 year guarantee. welders parts warehouse or something like that.
it worked twice and then died. and he disconnected his phone because the unit was junk, and he could not fill replacement demand and did not want to return the money.
then about four years ago i found an article by a small engine tinkerer named Ed Stoller i think, that used a custom flywheel pickup, and an older chrysler electronic ignition module and a regular 12 volt coil.
$15 for the pickup and $20 for the module and it fired rite up, and has been rock steady since.
his pickup is a 1/4 20 bolt wound with coated copper wire about 2000 times, a few flat washers, and a bracket to replace the old solid state unit.

 

old 12 V coil ford ABS sensor and a GM HEI module will make any of em Run

I wonder if that guy you speak of was with Welding House ... I had to clean up a huge mess of come backs from them ... I was Livid ;(

And ya the OH-160 look same as the OH-120 ... Bluestar was around for so many many years, and had a multitude of engines on it, and the AEAD-200LE was like between the Bluestar and the newer Bobcat, Miller made welders for several other companies too AIRCO sold Miller under it's Orange Name

 

WELDING HOUSE!!!! that be the rectal orifice!!!

 

I agree with that 100% ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I think either Air Gas or Praxair owns them now. or I would offer to go kick him in the Nutz for you