Outer Limits 4x4 Board

All you fabricators out there, which (toy) mig welder would you buy?
Esab 185 Smashweld $1390
Migomag 205 $1340
WIA 175s $1430
BOC 175 $1250
BOC 200 $1650
CIG Transmig 180se $1400
Unimig Portamig 200 $1100

I'm leaning towards the Esab or WIA. These prices were matesrates compared to the others which were retail. I quite like the WIA being Australian made and easier to get parts etc but it is a lot lighter than the Esab (45kg vs 65kg). Does wieght equal quality?

Peter

Most ppl i know have all got the uni mig procraft 240 i think they are around $1200

i have a 195 and i find it perfect for the work i do.grab a copy of 4wd monthly it has a good write up on welders.

The amp rating depends on the thickness of the materials being welded,
as a general rule of thumb a mig welder requires more amps than an arc
(electrode) welder. 175 amps would be the minimun but I think you will find 200 amps more flexable. The things to look for is how many amps the welder needs ie, 240 volt 10 amp or 15 amp supply, and the duty cycle of the machine. Meaning how many minutes out of 5 or 10 can you weld without overheating the machine.

Well i use a 205 amp Esab mig at work we also have a 330 CIGweld for heavier stuff and alloy work

The 205 is a great little welder 15 amp has high and low current settings (although i always leave it on high ,though i have never ran this mig flatout ,(havent had the need ) gives a nice hot weld ...........

Although i realise this is a bit higher in the price range that u stated ................but 1 thing with any ESAB gear (we also have an ESAB plasma0 consumables are expensive so unless u paid a bit extra up front u could get a binzel brand torch/trigger nice units and better priced tips gas defusers nozzles and so forth

My 0.02c worth

Cheers DAN

U need to consider all of the consumables these things use and as others have said the ITALIAN made units are good but the parts are red hot and not always avaible were as say BOC or CIG have intercangable tips and some gun features but u really have to call the manufactors and get them to tell u why their product is better than another and u will soon work out which is best for your wallet and needs.

My uncle is a steel fabricator and I asked his recomendations the other day and he recons dont bother with anything lower than 200 amp. He says if you get a small one you will just want a bigger one later and will regret buying it.
Also on the smaller units they often only have a high/low switch where the larger units have a fully adjustable knob which he reckons is essential!
He also swears by WIA welders (I think he has about 3 or 4!).

I missed out on a good bargain last week :( a WIA 230 amp MIG second hand for $600. It was at an auction that I couldnt get to caus I was working.

I would get the Esab because it's easily convereted to a tig welder.

My suggestion.

tis what i got at home 250se mig from cigweld ....
but we do alot of welding on big plates for the old mans earth moving machinery

We have 2 MIGO MAG welders at work and i also have one at home. the two at work are a #240 and a #315 and the #315 will work flat out all day for 3 days out of the 5 and it has never had a problem. The #240 is used for welding around the shed as its easy to move around. Both of these will also weld cold enough to weld panel steel.
The one i have at home is around 15years old and is a #175. It has had a couple of little problems over the years but at the most i would have spent $200 on it in repairs.

A1MAV wrote:Well i use a 205 amp Esab mig at work we also have a 330 CIGweld for heavier stuff and alloy work

The 205 is a great little welder 15 amp has high and low current settings (although i always leave it on high ,though i have never ran this mig flatout ,(havent had the need ) gives a nice hot weld ...........

Although i realise this is a bit higher in the price range that u stated ................but 1 thing with any ESAB gear (we also have an ESAB plasma0 consumables are expensive so unless u paid a bit extra up front u could get a binzel brand torch/trigger nice units and better priced tips gas defusers nozzles and so forth

My 0.02c worth

Cheers DAN

i have access to all Dan's gear and all i can say is that the ESAB THUMPS and fark it gives good ray burn wen u r tacking stuff up without a mask, hey dan

:arrow: :arrow:

we use the esabs at work not a prob thats in a panel shop.

My choices out of your list would be Esab,MigoMag,WIA. Any of these in any order would be a good machine.
Personally I use an Esab compact 200 amp machine at home which would be about 10 - 12 years old. On most of these machines the makers usually grab you by the short and curlies by supplying a torch assembly which basically compells you buy their own consumables.
If you can get a machine with a screw on "Euro" fitting torch assembly, you can fit basically any quality torch you wish. I converted my Esab and am now using a very basic and tough Tweco No 4 torch and in doing this I can nearly buy consumables at my local milk bar.
If welding Aluminium, you'll need to learn things about teflon liners, oversize contact tips and adjusting "burnback" (if your machine has this facility)
Get yourself on some of the reputable welding message boards available on the web and ask questions.
My 2 favourites are the American Welding Society forum
http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl?markRead=1
Also, the Hobart Welders messageboard.
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/
The Hobart board also has very good info on welding projects, processes and products.
Both these boards are USA based, but GOOD welding info is a universal language.
Regards Andrew.

If youve seen the intercoolers AWILL makes you will know he knows his shat. magic welding

awill4x4 wrote:My choices out of your list would be Esab,MigoMag,WIA. Any of these in any order would be a good machine.
Personally I use an Esab compact 200 amp machine at home which would be about 10 - 12 years old. On most of these machines the makers usually grab you by the short and curlies by supplying a torch assembly which basically compells you buy their own consumables.
If you can get a machine with a screw on "Euro" fitting torch assembly, you can fit basically any quality torch you wish. I converted my Esab and am now using a very basic and tough Tweco No 4 torch and in doing this I can nearly buy consumables at my local milk bar.
If welding Aluminium, you'll need to learn things about teflon liners, oversize contact tips and adjusting "burnback" (if your machine has this facility)
Get yourself on some of the reputable welding message boards available on the web and ask questions.
My 2 favourites are the American Welding Society forum
http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl?markRead=1
Also, the Hobart Welders messageboard.
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/
The Hobart board also has very good info on welding projects, processes and products.
Both these boards are USA based, but GOOD welding info is a universal language.
Regards Andrew.

Awill4x4

I have not forgotten about you. From overlander forun few months ago. I will be in in the future when funds are there. Simex tyres ate the intercoler fund.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Bruce, but just in case any in the group think that I Mig weld my intercoolers, I don't.
My 10K Tig machine does a muuuuuuuuuch nicer job than Mig welding ever will
Regards Andrew.

my 2 choices would either be the esab or wia maybe a bigger size maybe like a 240amp?
i would also recomend gettin the tweco interchangable torch mainly because of the readilly available parts and the cheaper price's........
At work we have around 30 welders most off them are cigweld 330's or 500's and they work pretty much all day with hardly any trouble

What do you think about $100 arc welders? Would they be sufficient if you just want to weld small things around the house could they handle 5mm plate?

arc is good stronger just old st and cheap but most people go mig cause we are all lazzy

I also have the Esab Compact 200. Sweet little unit.

awill4x4 wrote:My choices out of your list would be Esab,MigoMag,WIA. Any of these in any order would be a good machine.
Personally I use an Esab compact 200 amp machine at home which would be about 10 - 12 years old. On most of these machines the makers usually grab you by the short and curlies by supplying a torch assembly which basically compells you buy their own consumables.
If you can get a machine with a screw on "Euro" fitting torch assembly, you can fit basically any quality torch you wish. I converted my Esab and am now using a very basic and tough Tweco No 4 torch and in doing this I can nearly buy consumables at my local milk bar.
If welding Aluminium, you'll need to learn things about teflon liners, oversize contact tips and adjusting "burnback" (if your machine has this facility)
Get yourself on some of the reputable welding message boards available on the web and ask questions.
My 2 favourites are the American Welding Society forum
http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl?markRead=1
Also, the Hobart Welders messageboard.
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/
The Hobart board also has very good info on welding projects, processes and products.
Both these boards are USA based, but GOOD welding info is a universal language.
Regards Andrew.

anyone tried the BOC range??, example MIG 250C

any other brands than esab that can also be used as tig

also is it better to get a welder with a higher voltage range eg BOC Mig 250c (17-41.4v) or a lower eg 15.5-27.5v ?? suppose it depends on whhat you are doing with it?

All the welders you have mentioned have +'s and -'s with them, while some are cheaper than others the spare parts are at a higher cost over other more expensive models.

They will all pretty much do what 99% of people require these days ... everything from panel sheet to 8mm plate ..... depending on your skill level.

Look closely at the "Duty Cycle" of each unit, this will tell you how much hard welding you will get nonstop before the unit decides to stop operation for a cool off period. A unit with a poor duty cycle will frustrate you to no end with its constant stopping when doing major works.... be prepared for 15 min breaks every 20 mins or so.

I used to run a SAF 320 which is a big unit compared to the list you have supplied ( about double the size) and it was an absolute dream of a welder that I worked phuckin hard, but the yearly overhaul bill was a nightmare so it was sold. I retired from the industry a while back and now run a "Uni Mig" for my own personal stuff, this little unit has been with me now for 11 years and to date has encountered bills for maintance of $130.00. !!!!

Things to look at seriously....
Repair agents locations
Replacement parts costs
Duty Cycle
Ability to weld other materials ie: alloys
Varity of wire spool sizes ( some will only allow the small reels )
The "freebies" the agent is prepared to give you aswell as the discount price! >>>>> in other words SHOP AROUND, there are great deals out there.

One thing you havent mentioned is the work you have for the proposed unit .....
1:
Is it just a w/end toy for a new b/bar or repair that broken side step ?

2:
Is it a unit that will be used 3 or 4 times a week to fix/make a range of stuff?

3:
Is it going to get used daily for everything above to a small manafacturing plant ie: 6x4 trailers ?

4:
Is it expected to go hard 8 hours a day welding up 250 UB beams for large sheds ?

5:
Is it going to re make the Sydney Harbour bridge ?

Each task listed would require a certain level of operation from the unit you eventually buy, best advise I can give you is go one task higher than you need, this way it will always do what you require from it.

Kingy

Rorza wrote:What do you think about $100 arc welders? Would they be sufficient if you just want to weld small things around the house could they handle 5mm plate?

Don't mean to go off topic about MIGS, but to answer the question, I have a small (about the size of a milk crate) 20 year old CIG stick welder, I've made bullbars, trailer repairs, panel steel for rust repairs in 4bys, engine gantrys etc, Has welded material from 1.6mm to 10mm in thickness. Like most things, you get what you pay for, but this thing has cost me $0 in maintenance and will certainly do what you want around the house (and 4by) if you get the experience. The small arc welders can be perfect for the weekend warrior, without the hefty price tag for a decent MIG.

I learned to use this stick welder when I was 11, It hasn't stopped me from making anything I've needed to, so if you can't afford a mig, get a stick and start building stuff!

Go for the ESAB because they are yellow. When you have crap everywhere you can still find it.

I have the Unimig Portamig 200 and it is a top unit.
Great Flexability...

Nick

Area54 wrote:I learned to use this stick welder when I was 11, It hasn't stopped me from making anything I've needed to, so if you can't afford a mig, get a stick and start building stuff!

Arc welding is my perfered choice too but the smoke from them these days kills me.
Any one who can weld with an arc welder will never have any trouble using a mig...... unfortunatley the same cannot be said in the other way around !

I still have and use my very first arc welder which my father bought for me on my 14th b/day..... it will be 30 years old this year and still puts out one hell of a good weld

The smaller units you mentioned have become very popular within the trade but the price tag is usually to prohibitive for the general handy man user.