Welding Advice...

[PaulPerger]

I am going to purchase a welder and take some welding classes.

Looking for advice on a good unit to purchase. I have never welded before and don't plan on doing a lot of welding, so I don't need a fancy unit, but I don't want to get such a basic unit that I severely limit what I can do either.

Advice on a reasonably priced welder is much appreciated.

 

[Brian74]

I am going to purchase a welder and take some welding classes.

Looking for advice on a good unit to purchase. I have never welded before and don't plan on doing a lot of welding, so I don't need a fancy unit, but I don't want to get such a basic unit that I severely limit what I can do either.

Advice on a reasonably priced welder is much appreciated.

Probably best to start with MIG. You could start with flux core just to learn, although you’ll eventually want to go MIG. A cheap used Lincoln or similar is good to learn on and they’re everywhere; thats what I started with. I didn’t tale any classes; you tube and internet is all you really need to learn the basics.

You need to consider the amperage/size unit you’ll need based on how thick of material you plan to weld. You may want to get a 220 outlet installed if you don’t already have one.

You’ll need gas once you get set up; so keep an eye out for used tanks in the meantime.

I eventually bought a Hobart 190 after hours of research, which is very well reviewed, runs on 220, comes with a spool gun for aluminum, and easily can do up to 1/4” plate. I would highly recommend this welder for its versatility.

I’ve read hit or miss reviews on the HF stuff, but they do come with warranties.

I still use my Lincoln 100 with .023 wire for sheet metal.

Also consider in price of gloves, welding shirt, welding bench (HF has a decent cheap one), good lighting, clamps, squares ect., and a good quality auto-darkening mask.

 

[Brian74]

PS. If you’re really out to save money, there are some Chinese brands on Amazon. A person I know bought a Yes welder and said great things about it.

I personally just refuse to buy Chinese whenever possible.

 

[CaptFrank2001]

I am self taught and from my limited experience MIG is the way to go. I have a Hobart 210 and am very happy with it. Works on 120 volts but I run it on 220. Watch a lot of YouTube video's and practice. If you can, take a class.

 

[ccannx]

I bought one of those cheap Amazon units. Think it was called a Foray or something along those lines. Eventually realized how useful it was then bought the Hobart handler 210 and quickly realized why my welds were garbage. In hindsight i would have bought a decent Hobart or Lincoln in the first place. The Hobart will lay a fine bead down with flux core and you can graduate to gas later with the same unit. Different gasses have different properties and classes will go through that.

 

[CaptFrank2001]

I bought one of those cheap Amazon units. Think it was called a Foray or something along those lines. Eventually realized how useful it was then bought the Hobart handler 210 and quickly realized why my welds were garbage. In hindsight i would have bought a decent Hobart or Lincoln in the first place. The Hobart will lay a fine bead down with flux core and you can graduate to gas later with the same unit. Different gasses have different properties and classes will go through that.

I picked up my Hobart 210 2nd hand and it welded like crap. The previous owner had the polarity reversed. Now if the welds are bad it's my fault.

 

[Brian74]

I picked up my Hobart 210 2nd hand and it welded like crap. The previous owner had the polarity reversed.

I believe you’re supposed to reverse the polarity when going from MIG to flux core? I know that’s the case with my Lincoln.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Flux core should have the gun on the negative, MIG - with gas - should be positive on the gun.

 

[CaptFrank2001]

This is for the Hobart 210.

 

[pisco]

An old man fabricator gave me a piece of advice on this subject once.
“If you want to be a good welder, start with stick, buy a cheap old used machine and practice practice practice. If you can make a bead with a stick welder you can use any other welder. If you want to glue to pieces of something together get a wire feeder.”


As far as affordable I’d go down to the local welding shop, they often have trade ins and used machines from the repair side where someone decided to upgrade. If you can get a package deal (you will need to buy gas and consumables from them either way) it is sometimes worth it.

 

[Classy]

I have an everlast 140, it is gas fed and performs amazingly. It is a great welding machine without the name brand mark up. I probably have 100+ hours on mine and has never gave me any issue

 

[Torchandregdoc]

Jody with weldmonger. Com is awesome. Take an hour and watch some videos from his YouTube channel before buying He focuses a bunch on tig, but has plenty of Mig videos as well, including "how to pick a machine".

My two cents: you need to have immediate success or discouragement will take the fun away. It sounds like you are most likely buying the welder to build stuff, not to become the world's best welder. You can learn to build something in one evening with a good welder. You could spend a week of evenings trying to figure out how to make a crappy machine work right. And, when you do, you will outgrow the machine by months end. You need to spend in the $700 range to do that. $400 crappy machine price plus skipped dinners out for a month and you are there.

Again, watch some of Jody's vids. I

 

[PaulPerger]

Jody with weldmonger. Com is awesome. Take an hour and watch some videos from his YouTube channel before buying He focuses a bunch on tig, but has plenty of Mig videos as well, including "how to pick a machine".

My two cents: you need to have immediate success or discouragement will take the fun away. It sounds like you are most likely buying the welder to build stuff, not to become the world's best welder. You can learn to build something in one evening with a good welder. You could spend a week of evenings trying to figure out how to make a crappy machine work right. And, when you do, you will outgrow the machine by months end. You need to spend in the $700 range to do that. $400 crappy machine price plus skipped dinners out for a month and you are there.

Again, watch some of Jody's vids. I

I'm at work, so I looked it up to mark it for later... Thanks for the 45 minute break from work! I need to get back to work, but I'll be watching a lot of his stuff later. I will definitely buy a good machine because I have learned over the years, it is better to spend a little more than you want to and buy good equipment than to go cheap and have to upgrade later on.

 

[Mayor West]

This is mine, it's been fantastic. TIG/Stick. There's also a MIG/Stick version and one with all three. I really like it.

HITBOX TIG Welders Pulse 110V/220V Dual Voltage ARC Stick TIG Welding Machine $284.99

I really like that it's dual voltage and has pulse settings for TIG. I have not used the TIG function yet because I haven't splurged on argon yet, though.

 

[PaulPerger]

This is mine, it's been fantastic. TIG/Stick. There's also a MIG/Stick version and one with all three. I really like it.

HITBOX TIG Welders Pulse 110V/220V Dual Voltage ARC Stick TIG Welding Machine $284.99

I really like that it's dual voltage and has pulse settings for TIG. I have not used the TIG function yet because I haven't splurged on argon yet, though.

How long have you had it? And how much have you used it?

 

[Mayor West]

A few months, I've only used the stick function but it's done very well. I made a baby gate, fixed a trampoline (that eventually broke again but that's because it was a garbage trampoline), and I did some welding on my manual steering shaft for my kit. I've done a few other odds and ends but I've only used the stick function with one type of rod. I tend to burn through thin metal with it so I have been careful. I've taken some welding classes but focused on TIG, so I'm more comfortable with filler rod and gas rather than a messy stick or mig... but it's done very well. For the price, I think it's fantastic. It's tiny, too. I watched a lot of reviews on youtube for the hitbox series, everyone is raving about them.

 

[Moark Willy]

Paul, have you decided which welding format you want to pursue?
Stick, mig, flux or big?
I have a stick welder, a 160 amp dual voltage unit from Amico that I paid about $140 for.
It is a DC inverter welder and I couldn't be happier with it.
I also have a 125 amp flux core welder which cost about $200 and I am equally happy with that.
If you start with a stick (arc) welder I highly recommend a DC inverter welder.
The welds are smooth, it strikes easily and you will have a positive learning experience.
If you want the flux core, those are even easier to learn on.
But making good welds with either will take a bit of time.
You wanting to take a class is a very good idea. But with the great advances in modern welders and expendables you may surprise yourself before you take the first lesson.

 

[PaulPerger]

Paul, have you decided which welding format you want to pursue?
Stick, mig, flux or big?
I have a stick welder, a 160 amp dual voltage unit from Amico that I paid about $140 for.
It is a DC inverter welder and I couldn't be happier with it.
I also have a 125 amp flux core welder which cost about $200 and I am equally happy with that.
If you start with a stick (arc) welder I highly recommend a DC inverter welder.
The welds are smooth, it strikes easily and you will have a positive learning experience.
If you want the flux core, those are even easier to learn on.
But making good welds with either will take a bit of time.
You wanting to take a class is a very good idea. But with the great advances in modern welders and expendables you may surprise yourself before you take the first lesson.

I am about 99% sure I will go with a MIG welder that can run flux wire or gas. I am looking for a unit that can convert between 110 and 220. I have found a few.

 

[Moark Willy]

A Mig is a good choice. Equally useable for sheet metal as well as heavier steel.
If I was buying a Mig I would look at Everest or Hobart.
I do like my Amico arc welder and if they make a Mig I would lean in that direction. (they didn't offer one when I bought my arc welder)
I'm just not ready to take that step yet.

 

[Goblin Graber]

I am about 99% sure I will go with a MIG welder that can run flux wire or gas. I am looking for a unit that can convert between 110 and 220. I have found a few.

MiG is definitely what you want for most things and it will be the easiest to learn. I only keep a spool of flux core around in case I run out of gas and absolutely have to weld something. Is there a price range your looking at for welders?

If you want one welder to do it all Including AC TIG and you can afford it go with an ESAB Rebel EMP 205 ic. If you want something cheap that’ll throw down go grab a Vulcan Omni Pro from Harbor Freight. I picked this one up from a buddy of mine for $700 cuz I needed a welder to weld some 3/8” plate. I’ve been welding over 15 years and this is a great MIG machine. Just set what shielding gas, wire thickness, and material thickness your working with and go to town.

Make sure you buy a good welding helmet. I use a Save Phace Gen X and can’t say enough good things about it. They fit a lot tighter around your face than most and have a HUGE viewing area to make it easy to see where you’re going.

I also prefer to wear a pair of TIG gloves over MIG gloves unless I’m burning in 1/4” or better. As a beginner you might find that helpful since TIG gloves aren’t as bulky. They will give you a much better feel for the torch.

You’ll always find a tub of nozzle gel on my machines too. It’s a cheap way to increase your consumable life.