Small Mig Or Tig Welder

BlenderWizard

I am looking for a small mig or tig welder, and I mean small. I only rarely need one, and usually only for something small at that. An arc welder will not work.

Anyone have any suggestions?

bluestone

Miller, with flux cored

Scott Young

any of these three will do you well. hobart, miller, or lincoln. i have used the hobart and the lincoln. they were the little 110 units. for under a 1000 bucks you have the ability to weld most any metal.

Jerry Hill

I have a Lincoln model 100. 110 volt. Will work with gas or flux core wire. Works good for up to 1/4 in stock.

TempestV

I have a lincoln 140 amp wirefeed set up for flux core that does pretty well

I know the heat and wirespeed control on the 250 amp miller migs are variable- not five or six individual settings- do the smaller miller wirefeeds have that feature? if so, miller all the way, seeing as Lincoln and hobart don't have it. if not, any of the three are good.

Oregon_Rob

We have a small miller, and when we switched from flux core to gas, our weld improved a lot.

TempestV

is the heat control on that have five or six different heat levels, or does it have a dial so that you can choose any heat level you want?

ARCS

I have used the lincoln 110 many times with the gas setup, works great, would recommend that to anyone just trying to get a welder for small projects and repairs.

Tonkadad

I haven't used any of the 110 volt units, but I would personally go for a 220 volt. Miller should have a couple to choose from for under a $1000.00 and you might want to think about getting a longer gun typically they come with a 10' setup. I bought a 15' and it makes a huge difference.
Try welding up a truck rack with a 10' gun and you will know what I mean.

I always like to keep in mind future possible uses for tools and usually get the heavy duty model.

Diesel65

Miller Passport, I use it for kitchen hood duct final welds in the field,roof curb steel in malls and other maintenance work when I can't get my big gear to it, excellent little machine.

72chevy4x4

a 175A mig is nice, but it runs off 220v. A smaller 130/135 running off of 120v might fit the bill for your needs. If you have a tractor supply store nearby, check them out for Hobart brand welders. I'm not a frequent welder, but the only complaint has been trying to weld aluminum-w/ metal the hobart 175A works very well.

Krazy Johnni

Go with the small gas mig setup It's easer to achieve good quality welds than with the flux core wire as well as being more versatile. TIG welders are not cheap and require a fair amount of skill to use.

JasontheMason

http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/we...ot/WE6523.html
I have that one, it is really good. Easy to use and it is afforable. And it is flux. You can also go SMAW, they are eay to use and they are a little bit cheaper. I dont know if you have 240v at your ho0use or wereever but Lincoln http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...eet.asp?p=2493 It is really easy to use and you can weld preety much anything.

flamingskull

Miller Passport, or they have a new one called the suitcase. Saw it in the weld supply store a few days ago. I believe it was a Miller, and it is the size of a small suitcase.

flamingskull

The Miller passport can also run off 115v or 230v, which makes it nice

nywoodwizard

I just used my freinds craftsman gasless mig and it worked pretty well,seams it leaves more splatter than the gas versions.Can't weld to long with it though it has an overheat thermostat,after about a half hour or less on high it shuts down,For the size and cost, i give it a B .

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michael084

One more vote for the lincoln. My little 125 is over 8 years old now, no problems at all. I have ran it on everything from sheetmetal to 1/4 inch steel.

kapena

I killed a 115v Hobart by using it too hard (long welds), but I got my money's worth out of it. I have the 220v Hobart now, which works well.

This is a suggestion if you plan to only use the machine occasionally:
Take the time to remove the wire spool when done. Wrap it in a plastic bag and store it away from any moisture etc.