I've been arc welding for 48 years. I currently own a Lincoln 225 TIG/Stick machine, a Hobart Brothers Beta-Mig 200 and a Lincoln engine driven stick welder.

For the home hobbyist I'd recommend a MIG welder. Here's why. The Metal Inert Gas process is easy to learn. If he wouldn't be afraid of the electric arc, I swear you could train a monkey to MIG weld...you just pull the trigger and you're welding. Not so with the TIG or stick process. Each of those takes practice; constant practice.

You didn't mention stick welding so I won't go into it's cons. But picture this: you need to weld 'something' under your car. You can surely wiggle that MIG gun into a very tight space, only needing to press the trigger to begin the weld. You'd never manage to fit that TIG torch there, not to mention your other hand holding the length of filler metal. Then, how do you contort a foot to press the pedal to initiate the arc and control the current flow to begin the weld puddle? How about doing a vertical, or overhead weld bead? No way! Stay away from a TIG welder until you've mastered MIG welding.

You mentioned Eastwood. I lived close to their PA store and used to buy from it to save shipping charges. One day I asked their resident welding guru about the new welders (and plasma cutters) they were inundating me with almost every week with sale flyers. I asked if they were made in Commy China as they never said in their literature. He said they came from Italy. I have no idea the quality or longevity of Italian welders. I do know about the big 2 of USA welders...Lincoln Electric, and Miller (who also make Hobart.)

Two more points...Unless you're in dire monetary straits, don't buy any brand of welder from one of the big box home improvement stores...all their welders are made to a price point set by the store, not to a quality standard. I'll give you an example. A Pella window bought at the big box store will not be the same high quality as one bought from a Pella retail store. The same with welders...lesser quality components subbed in to meet the stores low price demand.

Last point. Don't be talked into these little lightweight inverter suitcases. They are literally filled with delicate electronics that are mounted onto circuit boards. They are expensive to repair when they go bad. Just the nature of inverter welders.

Stick with a transformer machine that uses SCR's (silicone controlled rectifiers) that change your power pole AC current to the DC welding current. They are tried and true over many decades.

You didn't say how much power you'll need or how thick of steel you expect to weld. On the small side, go with a 140amp machine. Some use household current with a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Next up the power parade is a 180 amp machine. It will need 230 volts to run and will have the ability to weld just about anything on your car or in your typical garage. Both of these are reasonably portable and will sit on your workbench. The final step is a big floor model of 200-210 amps. They have enough power to do structural steel welding projects.

Once you whittle your choice down to a final few, here's the last thing to check...duty cycle. It's how many minutes out of 10 that you can weld without stopping to let the machine cool down. A welder with a 60% duty cycle lets you weld constantly for 6 minutes out of every 10. Then wait 4 minutes before you begin again. Less expensive welders typically only have 20 or 30% duty cycles. Do you have all day to finish a project? Then a low duty cycle may not matter to you.

There's gotta be something wrong about the MIG process. The big one is, like TIG welding, you must buy a shielding gas bottle to protect the weld puddle from, mostly, the nitrogen in our atmosphere until it cools. That means you really cannot weld outside where the slightest breeze will blow away that gas...usually a mix of 25% CO2 and 75% Argon. There is a way around that problem and it's called Fluxcore wire. Kinda like those pizzas with cheese in the crust, fluxcore has a powdered flux inside a tubular wire. It needs no shielding gas. Everything's got a downside and the downside of fluxcore is it doesn't produce a smooth, pretty weld bead...it's kinda harsh. The upside is it will have more penetration that a similar sized MIG wire.

Is your head swimming yet? Best of luck with whatever brand or process you choose. I didn't intent to be so long-winded.

 

First I want to thank everyone for their contribution to my question of "Which Welder". I am in the 180 to 190 range of a welder. It will be a mig. It will be a Miller or Lincoln maybe a Hobart. If any has thoughts of one over the other, please post. Thank you again.

 

You're going to need other things before you strike the first arc: a self-darkening helmet, a bottle of shielding gas, leather gauntlet gloves. Perhaps a 4 1/2" grinder to clean off rust and mill scale? Base your choice on what your LWS (local welding store) has to say. You'll need to go there sooner than later. You cannot buy a filled gas bottle online. Have a look around weldingweb.com while you're waiting for all the stuff to arrive. A great place for newbies.

 

There are two main differences between the Hobart and Miller. The Hobart uses a plastic drive housing and the Miller uses cast aluminum. Both have preformed well. More important is that the Hobart has a tap select voltage versus the rheostat voltage control on the Miller. Both weld well but the Miller will be easier to set on thin material because it gives you more control over the voltage selection. The Miller also has Autoset which presets voltage based on WFS which makes it easier to use when your not using it on a regular basis.

 

Today I feel I scored BIG. I have been researching mig welders for home hobby/car task for quite a while now. I religiously check CL and eBay as well as doing google searches. I read the same ads over and over. I really have been leaning toward the Miller 211 but was having a tough time justifying the cost. I have never migged before only oxy/acetylene and not on a regular basis. Last night I saw a new ad on CL 3 hrs old.in the NY area, I live in MA so not a far stretch. The ad was for a "Like New" Eastwood 175, Plasma 40, 40' 240v cord, extra wire, auto helmet, gloves, pro cart, spool gun, a full tank of C25 gas and a couple other odds and ends. I jumped on it and contacted the seller. As He explained it he was retired, bought a 1946 ford, replaced the front floor pan, hurt his back, sold the car and had this sitting in his heated garage for a 1.5 years. He bought everything new 2 years ago. I know Eastwood is not top of the line equipment but for my level of use it is more than I will need right now. I got the whole set up for $600.00. It looks like brand new. I know this may not seem like much to some but I am very excited with this buy. I drove 1 hr 40 mins. and met this guy and we made the deal. He was excellent and Knew he was giving me a smoking deal. Thank Jerry

 

Sounds like a deal to me.

 

Congrats man! Good deal!

 

Hi, yeah I am looking for this one machine and no matter If it would not work on aluminum. The Link you provided is deleted or page not available (404). Can you please provide the valid link?

 

Two things about your reply to this thread. I am truly attempting to be helpful but the words on the screen may not come across that way...

It's general practice to start a new topic on old conversations rather than posting in the old thread. Consider doing that and pasting a link back to the original if you're referencing information from there. I'd personally put the limit at 2 years from the last post before starting a new one but others may have different guidelines.

Secondly, you are asking a question where you can easily find the link by doing a little keyboard typing on your own. (I see all the time, folks on Facebook asking local group pages what time BillyBob's BBQ closes when looking at BBBBQ's web page or calling directly would give them a much quicker answer -- from the source no less.) Look at the link provided in the thread and type the product name into Miller's main web page search feature. Tadah, there it is, the exact same product mentioned in thread -- and you don't have to wait for someone to reply.

 

I've been in comerical - industrial welding over 40yrs. My experience, You do get what you pay for. In your case, if the money is not a issue, you better get the Cadillac and not the Chevy Spark,, You won't be disappointed you spent the money.