Thread: Mig welder advice?

From what I've been told steer clear of gasless may as well be using stick welder. How big a welder to get depends on what your going to weld but as a rule of thumb get a welder one or two sizes bigger than you think you are going to need and you wont be disappointed . If you think you need a 180 amp welder buy a 240 amp one. Go for a know brand. I'd didnt in an effort to save a few $100 and am dissappointed .

Gary

I couldnt recomend WIA highly enough...not cheap but bloody good and built for Aussie conditions...

I have a BOC branded Kemppi, but the BOC are now made in China...Kemppi single phase are now available to and these are good.

Migomag and lincon I have heard very good things about...

If I had to buy a new one today it would be WIA...

btw the difference between cheap and good is very BIG...and can been seen in your welds.

Hi I've had a WIA mig for years and run gasless, the wire isnt cheap but can be used out side if windy with out the gas blowing away, and causing porosity in your weld, it does leave a small amount of slag were as the gas doesn't, but i can longer justify the cost of argon or migshield for the amount of welding I do and Co2 can freeze up the reg on a real cold day. I have no prob with weld quality but have been welding 40 + years off and on ..Gary

I think I replied this in another thread.
I payed 1.4 ish gorillas for a 195A MIG... was never really satisfied, always hitting the duty cycle, unstable arc, no burn back control, poor quality wire feed(erratic, birdsnests etc). Sure it was a step up from the cheapo 140A cornflake box MIG I had previously, but it just, well, missed the mark. I persevered with it for a couple of years until it started playing up.

IMHO buy the biggest single phase unit you can... that equates to 250ish amps.
Buy a remote feeder, that way you can keep the expensive transformer/inverter & PCB boards in a corner away from grinder dust.

I now have a Lincoln 250s
It is truly a beast, smooth beautiful stable arc, infinite burn back, steady smooth unflinching wire feed. AND at least I now know if/when I find its limits I will be up for a $10,000 power company bill to put in three phase! Cant see that happening any time soon!

I wouldnt highly recommend a w-e-l-d-m-a-s-t-e-r unit if you know what I mean - but this lincoln just lays darn sexy beads.

I guess the moral for me is that over the past 5 or so years i have been the "poor man paying twice (or thrice even)" If I had just bought the big lincoln first up instead of the 140 cheapo then 195 dross then I would have saved money and had a better welder for 5 years instead of 5 weeks. BTW Im not some semi professional welder. In that 5 years I have only melted about 55kg of steel and 10kg of aluminium wire. I look at the jobs I fabbed before the lincoln and it they just scream BUY BIG!!!!

Steve

OK, thanks for all the comments so far. Seems eBay is out then?!

I noticed today that Glenfords has a WIA 190A on "sale" at $888. Now, while this is more than I wanted to pay for occasional use, if it's something that will last forever, just work, and I'll never outgrow it's probably a worthwhile long term investment. Is this about the right money for this kind of thing, and any comments on the unit itself?

"Now, while this is more than I wanted to pay for occasional use, if it's something that will last forever, just work, and I'll never outgrow it's probably a worthwhile long term investment."

Sounds just like me 3ish years ago. Im almost certain the WIA190 will be a better unit than the 195 I trialled BUT it is still essentially limited to 6mm (ish) single pass and thats at max output min duty cycle. If your glueing 4mm RHS etc etc youll be running hot and up against the duty cycle.

Having said that $888 seems stupid cheap? Is it a real WIA or just some relabelled special?

Steve

Originally Posted by roverrescue

Having said that $888 seems stupid cheap? Is it a real WIA or just some relabelled special?

Steve

The advert makes a point of talking about GENUINE WIA's at this price, but who knows?! Glenfords are a reputable shop, and they have a cheaper range of Migs by Ross, who I've never heard of.

fair enuff
Would it be worth calling WIA and checking? Certainly when it all boils down to it - you wont be dealing with Glenfords but some electrical rewind/ welding repairer with the WIA contract and WIA for parts. If parts are a ****** or the 190s are a lemon youll find out when something goes wrong whether or not Glenfords are reputable.

Maybe, check with Glenfords who the registered repairer is for this particular unit, give them a call and say 'should i buy...'

If only someone gave me this advice a few years ago

BTW the registered repairer for my dross suggested
'you bought a lemon - why didnt you ask me before buying - buy a lincoln or WIA'
or something like that.

Steve