Buying a new mig ?? opinions please

[pongo]

Im in the market for a mig to do thin welding jobs such as exhaust, I/C , and panel work and light fabrication, I have my old Stick welder which i love to use for heavy work as i know i get the full penetration and havent had a weld fail on me yet.

I only have and will always only have 240 volt, not interested in 3 phase at all.

Is gasless welding really as good when used for the work i intend to do ?

Are the cheap ebay brands ok or am i better off buying something like a CIG as it will serve me for years ?

Is it worth buying second hand ? and what to look for if it is ?

[Adam GQ]

be carefull with second hand ones as they might cost you heaps unless they are near new cause rollers and liners and feeder might need replacing

cheers Adam

[bazooked]

get ya self a lincon sp170-t, ive had it for a few years now and will comfortably do 6 to 8mm, will last you for ever, runs gasless wire aswell, expect to pay around 1k.

[lump_a_charcoal]

Try and go for a known name, as spares can be hard to find for cheapo import jobbies...

[sloshy]

I got a UNI MIG 240, use it for home and work occasionally, its about 4 years old and never had a problem with it, I think it was around $1200 from memory.

[zagan]

ByWise places have a 250amp Uni-Mig kit going for $1750

Gas/Gasless
Spool size 5kg to 15kg
Euro gun connection

Free Auto-darking helmet
Free 15kg Mild spool

Well more than enough.

[bogged]

general tech section - i asked the same thing few weeks ago.

[toaddog]

And what did you end up getting

[bogged]

And what did you end up getting

nuthin yet... what i wanted was double what I was willing to pay for how often I would use it..
for my use, i maybe better with an arc.

[bimbo]

I bought a cigweld mig, i think it is a 165 but not sure. i bought the biggest 10amp one i could as i couln't gaurentee i would always have access to 15amp supply.

I once tacked 2 pieces of 6mm plate together and then had a bugger of a time to seperate the 2 again so i am getting plenty of penetration.

I think i paid just over the 1000 mark for it plus all accessories like decent mask, reg and extra wire/tips etc.

It also has a really good duty cycle and i have never had it cut out on me,even when welding and cutting 3mm plate for a full day - ie cutting a sheet then welding it to a frame - probably 15-20mins of farily continous welding.

[Slunnie]

Speaking of MIG's, we just picked up another 2. We got an Air Liquide (SAF) and an ESAB. The prices at the moment are excellent as the companies try to offload the older style MIGs so they can bring out the newer transformer/inverter or whatever they are technology. I'm a huge fan of ESAB, though the boys really like the Air Liquide over the ESAB, Unimigs and BOCs (Kempi).

[bru21]

I got a UNI MIG 240, use it for home and work occasionally, its about 4 years old and never had a problem with it, I think it was around $1200 from memory.

BUY THIS WELDER

I have one UNIMIG 240 (work) and a migomag 260(home). Often I find myself using the unimig in preference to the migomag. It welds gal better, and has pregas which I value highly. I have just put another 2x15kg rolls through the unimig (Total now about 15x15kg rolls) and It is still sweet. I have replaced the sleeve once, and the handle on the front of the welder was knocked off.

I would buy another one without hesitation if this one lets go.
I also have a unitig that I love more with each job, and is the welder I am building my 4130 buggy with.

cheers bru

[Wooders]

Another 240 Unimig....although I;d probably buy the 255 in hindsight.....

[Emo]

get ya self a lincon sp170-t, ive had it for a few years now and will comfortably do 6 to 8mm, will last you for ever, runs gasless wire aswell, expect to pay around 1k.

I'll second the Lincolnm SP170t. I haven't used mine much at all yet but very happy with it. I managed to snap mine up in eBay for $500 (it was a just listed Buy It Now). I asked the same question a while ago and most of the advise was to spend the coin on something decent which I did.

[03turbo]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig. It is simple to use, hasnt broken down. I am by no means a welder but manage to stick metal together pretty decent when needed.

[balzackracing]

I would buy some thing that you plan on keeping for a long time!!
WIA or Millar would be my first choice but they can be hexy. I have a CIGWELD 200 and it has been great, I paid about $1250 four years ago.
I have root welded 12mm plate before, I have welded all day and never had it cycle out on me.
I think gas is better than gasless. Expect to pay about $120 pa for bottle hire and about $85 for a refill.

[A1]

Ive just ordered a 250 amp Cigweld .....have used many over the years ...cigweld have there good and bad issues now and then ...but as this wont get abused I'm sure it will last me ....$1699+ Gst ...just before the price (start of Nov) .....

[xr393]

I'll put one in for WIA. Mine is the 150 one and i use .8 wire for nearly everything from panel work up to 8mm plate. It's got a good solid hand piece that doesn't break the first time you lean on it and parts are everywhere for them. It was about $1100 i think.

[-Scott-]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig.

OK, I need some help here. Can somebody please define "MIG" and "Gasless MIG"?

[bogged]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig.

OK, I need some help here. Can somebody please define "MIG" and "Gasless MIG"?

one uses gas, and one doesnt..

[-Scott-]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig.

OK, I need some help here. Can somebody please define "MIG" and "Gasless MIG"?

one uses gas, and one doesnt..

Thanks for explaining the difference Bruce - I couldn't have figured that out for myself. Can you define "MIG"?

[bogged]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig.

OK, I need some help here. Can somebody please define "MIG" and "Gasless MIG"?

one uses gas, and one doesnt..

Thanks for explaining the difference Bruce - I couldn't have figured that out for myself. Can you define "MIG"?

MIG Wire
Like a stick electrode, MIG wire completes the electrical circuit creating the arc, but it is continually fed through a welding gun from a spool or drum.
MIG wire is a solid, non-coated wire and receives shielding from a mixture of gases.
(Process is also known as GMAW, or Gas Metal Arc Welding.)

[bru21]

gasless used for outdoor / strong winds etc as it is like a continous stick welder, with glass flux. spatters more and needs flux chipped between welds which in my opinion defets the purpose of a mig for light (pulsed tack) welding. I personally weld very hot and pulse if needed on sections up to 3mm, so It doesn't suit me.

gas is dearer for small user with bottle rentals etc.

most gasses can be interchanged between metals / thicknesses but is best avoided as weld quality is reduced.

I always have about 4 bottles (e size) on hand,
argon - tig for all, alu for mig,

I also bought a second gun, tips and tube for alloy for $120 odd

argoshield universal (higher co2 more heat better penetration) - heavy steel and heavy s/steel (building up mixer blades)

argoshield light for sheetmetal up to 3mm,

stainshield for stainless sheet, general.

for most uses I would go light/universal.

as for the welder, the uni tig 240, I use for building up mixer blades. they are 20mm thick s/steel. I weld on max, without breaks say 60% duty (stop and turning blade 40%) and I have done this heaps (8 rolls of 316 s/steel) generally 7.5 - 15kg per session every 3 months. I have built the mezanine at work which is 5000x6000mm x 2.5 high, braced 100x100x5RHS with 3mm plate floor., built the bulk of chevy smurf, built the lotus 7 replica, camper trailer, bike trailer, and shelving, plus 100's of odd jobs. and it is still sweet.

If it was me I would buy the 240, and spend the rest on gas, and a decent auto helmet. my miler elite bettered my welds by 20-40% depending on location of weld (really good on out of position welds with 4 arc sensors).

The digital display is great if you don't use it that often as you can write down the settings, ie weld current switch 3, wire 22 3mm, switch 8 wire 44 10mm, etc

the 240 is plenty for 99% of applications (assuming good power supply as cannot get rated 240amp off 10amp outlet), and I have well over done the duty cycle and it loves it. the reason I go on about this welder is one,

I have used this $1300 welder more than anyone I know would use a machine in this bracket, and two,

a lot of guys buy a 2-2.5k welder and a cheap helmet, and run it on a 10amp outlet etc and In my opinion are in a worse position.

the only benefits of my migomag 260 ($2500 odd), is better wire feed (only noticed when welding 2m above the ground or kinks in feed tube), 1m longer tube, and more consistancy when welding for very long periods as the gun is rated higher and doesn't heat jam as much. its also 30kg heavier, and doesn't have pregas which is less than ideal for sheetmetal welding

edit:

photo unimig 240, 32 amp breaker, gu diff gusset. steel was really thick, sapped the heat, welded in 1 inch sections to avoid warping the diff. Taken in 06, in my pre migomag days!



elite helmet, tig welding ke70 drift car full cage. about 2 months ago



cheers bru

[stuee]

I needed a basic welder for home stuff and bought a cheap gasless mig.

OK, I need some help here. Can somebody please define "MIG" and "Gasless MIG"?

one uses gas, and one doesnt..

Thanks for explaining the difference Bruce - I couldn't have figured that out for myself. Can you define "MIG"?

MIG Wire
Like a stick electrode, MIG wire completes the electrical circuit creating the arc, but it is continually fed through a welding gun from a spool or drum.
MIG wire is a solid, non-coated wire and receives shielding from a mixture of gases.
(Process is also known as GMAW, or Gas Metal Arc Welding.)

He's not having a dig at the gasless metal inert gas welding is he?? I'm still not sure how you have gasless MIG welding but meh, last time I welded was year 10.

[jessie928]

UNIMIG 240 pro

beaut little welder straight from the box!


Jes

[Eff]

get ya self a lincon sp170-t, ive had it for a few years now and will comfortably do 6 to 8mm, will last you for ever, runs gasless wire aswell, expect to pay around 1k.

Yep Yep and Yep
Eff

[-Scott-]

He's not having a dig at the gasless metal inert gas welding is he?? I'm still not sure how you have gasless MIG welding but meh, last time I welded was year 10.

I was hoping somebody could explain how a gasless gas system works.

Since I have to guess, I would say that a gasless MIG is essentially an arc welder with a MIG style wire feeding system, feeding a special flux coated wire.

[redv8lux]

get ya self a lincon sp170-t, ive had it for a few years now and will comfortably do 6 to 8mm, will last you for ever, runs gasless wire aswell, expect to pay around 1k.

I also have the Lincon 170
I've had it for about 15 years built 2 trailers (1 bike trailer, 1 car trailer)rebuilt a HK ute ,G60 ,HQ tonner, 79 hilux, Built a hilux buggy all with this welder
Never given any trouble ,great on panel work an exhaust ,but building car trailer it was on the limit
Otherwise a great welder for the general home use.

[toaddog]

He's not having a dig at the gasless metal inert gas welding is he?? I'm still not sure how you have gasless MIG welding but meh, last time I welded was year 10.

I was hoping somebody could explain how a gasless gas system works.

Since I have to guess, I would say that a gasless MIG is essentially an arc welder with a MIG style wire feeding system, feeding a special flux coated wire.

Close the flux is inside the wire. Useful when you are welding in wind etc.
You still need to clean off the flux afterwards.

[SWBMQCraig]

Ok im looking at getting a mig too found a Lincoln 180c for $990 does anyone have one of these? are they better than the sp170t? whats difference..
heres the link..

http://www.weldmart.com.au/

Cheers

Craig