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Thread: MIG Welders

  1. #1
    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    MIG Welders

    Hey guys,

    I'm looking at getting a MIG welder, and pretty much have it narrowed down to the Lincoln Power MIG 180C, Hobart Handler 187 or the new Miller Millermatic 180

    These are all pretty new models (the MM180 is on eBay but not on the Miller website yet), have any of you used these or the previous version (Handler 180, MM 175)?

    Lincoln Power MIG 180C

    Hobart Handler 187

    Miller MM180 (eBay)
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    SLi nOOb
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    I have a small gasless mig welder...

    Yeah don’t recommend it..

    These three look pretty decent though…
    Time to stick with what the badge says...

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    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    hehe, yeah most of the smaller welders are junk.

    I've used an MM135 and an older hobart handler, both were quite nice but if I'm going to sink some money into a welder I want something with a little more punch for heavier work.

    I was leaning towards the Miller as they seem to have a very good reputation, but then I saw this:

    http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs ... /e7242.pdf

    So right now it looks like I'll be getting the Lincoln, just have to get the 240V run out to the garage before I pull the trigger on it.

    Unless anyone points out a reason to get the Miller or Hobart that I missed of course
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    t3h ub3r m3mber deadlydave's Avatar
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    and what would dan be doing with said welder?
    1996 Impreza WRX STI V2 wagon

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    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    welding things

    for right now the first project will most likely be a turbo kit, I have a stock wrx turbo and an sti intercooler in the garage that came with a parts car, just need some piping,BOV, fuel (walbro & injectors) and EM (most likely emanage ultimate).

    After that, who knows. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve.
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    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    Well I took the plunge, my new Lincoln 180C and auto-dark helmet are on their way

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    t3h ch33se Wiscon_Mark's Avatar
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    you lucky bastard.
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    t3h ub3r m3mber deadlydave's Avatar
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    congrats dan! Enjoy!
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    My advice. Don't even bother trying to weld with flux core. It is much more difficult to get a good clean weld with one. And the time you spend beating the slag off you could be enjoying a beer looking at your marvolous new weld.

    Step on up to argon/CO2

    Unfortunatly. The price of steel has sent the price of a tank through the roof. So expect to pay another 100$ish for a filled tank. Luckily the price of the actuall gas is pretty cheap. I was around 12$ for the last fill of my 80 CF tank.

    Dan
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    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    Yeah, I have a bit of experience welding with various rigs. Gas-shielded is the only way to go unless you need the extra penetration you can get with self-shielding wire, and at that point you should really be thinking about tacking it and taking it to someone with a bigger machine.

    That said with 180 amps at my disposal I doubt I'll run into that problem on any of the projects I have in mind

    I'm planning on picking up a 40cf tank locally, should be fine for my needs.

    If all goes well I'm hoping to get myself the spoolgun & another tank for straight argon for welding aluminum, the availability of a cheap spoolgun was a big factor in choosing the lincoln over a miller or hobart.
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    if u havent already usually u can get used tanks and just buy them. also uve already bought ur mig but ive found that its better to get a 220 weldoer than the standard 110 it burns better and can handle smaller jobs with ease. Uve got a nice welder on ur hands though in the right hands it a very useful or distructive tool lol. when i got mine for christmas my dad told me all the stuff i wasent allowed to do with it lie weld in the basement and all i responded with thats ok ill start with welding ur truck doors shut. he wasent to fond of that idea.

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    Millermatic all, the way. I love my 180.
    1998 Legacy 2.5GT: Stock to turbo to stock, and given to my Dad, then to my sister that blew it up. Now I've repo'd it and it will once again rise to former glory!

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    SLi Lurker AussieDan's Avatar
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    I've been very happy with the Lincoln, it hasn't given me any trouble at all and has handled everything I could throw at it.

    To be honest I was leaning towards the Miller when I first started shopping for welders, but in my opinion the drive system on the Lincoln is superior.

    For those who aren't familiar with MIG welding, the wire is fed through the cable to the gun by 2 small rollers.

    If the wire doesn't feed smoothly there is a tendency for it to bunch up between the rollers and the end of the cable, which means you have to cut off the 'birds nest' of bunched up wire, pull the wire out of the gun and re-feed it.

    The Lincoln system supports the wire all the way from the spool to the gun so that it cannot bunch up. In addition, the drive system is all alloy, with no plastic parts like I saw on some of the comparable Millers.

    I don't have any links to hand, but I am glad that I did the research before buying.
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Are the $200 gasless units really useless? Shame I'll have to multiply my welder fund by 5. I need a bigger piggy bank; AussieDan, can I have yours, or did you smash it with a devastating excitement? I've had a friend weld me a couple parts with the gasless MIG in his school's machine shop, not bad, but I don't know anything about welding and he knows very little.
    -Nick
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    Re: MIG Welders

    MillerMatic 180FTW!!!

    i've had mine for almost 3 years now and never had an issue.

    Fluxcore is a waste of time, there's no point in not getting a gas setup, you'll eventually hate yourself if you don't.
    1998 Legacy 2.5GT: Stock to turbo to stock, and given to my Dad, then to my sister that blew it up. Now I've repo'd it and it will once again rise to former glory!

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    Re: MIG Welders

    Lincoln Power MIG 180C, I would suggest, is the best one to buy for it has great properties. It features a lot of uses. Hence, such welder has been widely used.

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    Re: MIG Welders

    I bought a $300 Craftsman gassless auto feed MIG welder used for 60 bucks last night and am going to be welding mild steel exhaust. I am guessing it can be done, but will it hold strong? I am new to welding and ready to learn. I am going to buy a better setup after the holidays, but this thing was a steal! Let me know what you guys think.
    TJ

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    Re: MIG Welders

    Practice, practice, practice.
    -Nick
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    SLi O.G. httrdd's Avatar
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Yes sir I am doing that as we speak at work. Lots of steel to play with and a full roll of .30!
    TJ

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    Will I ever supercharge this Eg33???


    Quote Originally Posted by chuckthefuk
    Cheers and the Baja is not the bastard child.. The Legacy is :-D -Chuck

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    Re: MIG Welders

    I've been using Lincoln Electric welders for almost 10 years... various types and power types but they never let me down.. I've never used the competition.. never needed to..

    Just my 2 cents..
    -Chuck

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    Re: MIG Welders

    Harbor Freight's auto-dimming welding helmets are a GODSEND. http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... =&q=helmet
    -Nick
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    SLi O.G. httrdd's Avatar
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Those are neat and I have a 20% off coupon (also free flashlight)! I have gear here at work that I am taking to use since our original welder was layed off, so I guess I am the new welder.
    TJ

    99 LGT H6 Limited OBP

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    Will I ever supercharge this Eg33???


    Quote Originally Posted by chuckthefuk
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    SLi Supporter TGX4776's Avatar
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Quote Originally Posted by httrdd
    Those are neat and I have a 20% off coupon (also free flashlight)! I have gear here at work that I am taking to use since our original welder was layed off, so I guess I am the new welder.
    And i bet you dont get a raise
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Na that never happens. I am a paid hvac tech and everthing else is included I guess. Lol.
    TJ

    99 LGT H6 Limited OBP

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    Will I ever supercharge this Eg33???


    Quote Originally Posted by chuckthefuk
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    Re:

    Quote Originally Posted by backpack09
    My advice. Don't even bother trying to weld with flux core. It is much more difficult to get a good clean weld with one. And the time you spend beating the slag off you could be enjoying a beer looking at your marvolous new weld.
    Flux core is a self-cleaning wire. A while back I got an AWS cert in flux vertical up, did very little cleaning and passed the cut/bend with 1 pinhole imperfection. Granted, then and now when I weld, I use nice wire plus argon because I am damn lazy.
    '97 5mt BK - 228,xxx

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    Re: MIG Welders

    I'm wishing people would post some pictures of things they have welded!

    Soon I need to weld body panels on my car. Really not sure if I want to attempt it or not, but after this winter its going to be a 'must-do'. Either that, or I could pay a shop 3k+ or some ridiculous crap they want to charge around here. I think I will just suffer through and learn how to weld myself.
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    SLi Resident Soul Shinobi's Avatar
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    Re: MIG Welders

    I'm still not great myself, but remember one thing: welding is heat management, get that in your head and think about it all the time. Also metal prep is the most important part, it should take much longer to clean the metal than to weld it. Acetone is a great degreaser (wear gloves when handling). Establishing a very good ground connection is critical.

    Here are the MIG welding videos I have in my YouTube favorites list:

    Mig Welding tips - Boy Scout Merit Badge

    (subscribe to this guy's channel, he's awesome, search his channel for "MIG")

    That guy's channel is really all you probably need but here's some other stuff I had:

    MIG Welding Principles

    (this is made by the welder manufacturer Miller)

    Mig Welding Automotive Sheet metal from How to ASAP

    (some decent arc shots)

    Basic & Advanced MIG welding


    (these are long, it's a somewhat boring guy who teaches a class at a school, but there's still some decent info including basic machine care that the other videos don't cover)
    -Nick
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    SLi O.G. d1giPhux's Avatar
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    Re: MIG Welders

    Thanks man! I'll check that stuff out. Been watching welding videos for some time now. At some point I'm gonna pick up a mig and try some test panels for fun!
    --99 Legacy GT Limited Edt. (Silver ! )

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