A little off the subject but i figured some guys have them. I am wanting to buy a wire feed welder. They seem to start around 250 and go up from there. Does using a gas cyclinder make it a lot better? I am just going to do general stuff in the garage. I do not really want to over buy but then again i would like it to work when i need it with little or no trouble. Any ideas? I was looking at a few lincoln models at Home Depot in the 350-500 dollar range. Thanks,

 

Yes I have a mig and the gas creates a stronger weld - you can weld w/o it but the gas helps to shield the arc & metal from the air while you do.

 

My nephew just bought a nice lincoln, it was a little over $800 I think. You need to use gas or flux core wire to protect the weld from air hitting it while your welding. I would spend the extra money and get a quality one from a welding supply shop, they are different then the ones at home depot. I would get the lincoln over a miller, the spool feed is better, the bottle holder is mounted low so you don't need to lift a heavy bottle and if you need parts or accessories they're much cheaper for the lincoln.

 

my school just got 6 new lincoln wire welders [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] FOR FREE!!!! so guess what we're gonna be doing this semester in manufacturing??

 

We have about three of the small 120V Lincoln wire feeds (IIRC SP100, SP125 and/or SP135) at work. We run flux core so we don't have to use gas bottles. Gas is good if you are in a controlled environment. But out in the field (work for an electrical contractor) any wind will blow away the gas from the arc which in case you are SOL so a flux core works better. Plus it's less to deal with. We have guys that can break an anvil.

We buy all of our welding equipment and supplies through a local welding supply shop.

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get a lincoln or miller and get a 220 not a 110, if you ever plan on doing any thing over 1/8". the gas makes a much better and cleaner weld. with welders you get what you pay for.look at my pix and you will see i did all the work on the trucks XO cage and the tower.
search around prices very i payed $500 for my lincoln 175 new off the net.and get a good auto helmit it dose not have to cost a lot to be good. harber frate has a good one. thay have 3 but 1 is better then the others i can get the stock # if needed.

 

I just bought a new MIG, a Lincoln 135. I gave my Dad my Cambell Hausfeld "Serious Duty". Both are 115v machines but there is no comparison between the two, the Lincoln has more horsepower and better controls. Welding with gas will give you a cleaner weld but welding with flux core wire will allow you to weld thicker material and/or in windy conditions. The Lincoln 135 will weld up to 1/2" with flux core and 1/4" with gas. The Lincoln 135 was on sale for $450 at Harbor Freight.

 

Ive had a lincoln SP100(110 volt) since 1989 . I use it daily at work and have built many quad parts like a arms ,swingarms,frames. It has handled any job thrown at it and has never let me down. I prefer the 110 volt for portabilty but but if you are planning on big jobs with thick metal or aluminum I would suggest a 220 volt machine.

 

yeah the gas is to keep impurities such as dirt away from the weld, and yeah you can weld without it cause i did, but you get a much nicer looking and better weld with the gas.

 

Thanks for the info so far. Those were the ideas i was hoping for. I was wondering about the 110 vs. 220 volt. When i built my house i put 2 220 plugs in the garage. I assume the 220 volt rigs will have a higher duty cycle?