Thread: Welder Reccomendations?

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I know the difference between the red and blue and there is at least two for sure that I can tell you about. The miller has steel wire feed rollers and that red thing has plastic...... can you say wear out fast. The other is that the miller weights more and if I am buying a machine that has a transformer in it I want a huge one it means it is more powerful. So there you go I have disproved another salesmen pitch, aka bs ........... and as always IMHO ..

Originally Posted by pepi

The miller has steel wire feed rollers and that red thing has plastic...... ..

You are wrong -

I just looked at my baby Lincoln 110V - steel all the way. Plastic, even special engineering plastics would not last a single 2# roll and a 13# roll for sure would't last. Mine is identical to one of the welders that I used for a brush up course at the local welding school as well as the one at a fab shop I used to go to for job related quality audits.

Originally Posted by IC2

You are wrong -

I just looked at my baby Lincoln 110V - steel all the way. Plastic, even special engineering plastics would not last a single 2# roll and a 13# roll for sure would't last. Mine is identical to one of the welders that I used for a brush up course at the local welding school as well as the one at a fab shop I used to go to for job related quality audits.

Do not think I mentioned Lincoln by name just said RED, I do not remember the brand name. I just know what I saw and that was just one of the reasons I decided to go with the best MILLER. If that is the way your baby welder is then so be it, But I will bet you your next paycheck that the Miller weighs more and more then likely will out last your baby welder. I bought a 110 and then got another one 220 and as this thread was saying, in the beginning and I agree with from experience that having more then you think you need is a wise consideration before the purchase. That 210 is a nice unit cause it has both of the best worlds 110 tap and a 220 tap. I have found that for sheet metal the 110 is the right welder , but beyond that the 220 is more capable and easier to get the penetration needed for a secure weld I try to live by that assume thing, before I call someone out ..... again just my HO ..........

Originally Posted by pepi

Do not think I mentioned Lincoln by name just said RED,

You responded to the discussion in the post immediately prior to yours - Lincoln(red) vs. Miller(blue).
My statement still holds - no plastic rollers in a Lincoln.
Enough said

I'm A Certifyed Aircraft Welder For 17 Years Now, Mig ,tig Stick, Oxy Fuel,carbon Arc,spray Arc Etc Etc. I Don't Swim And Weld Though. And Used A Lot Of Brands, I Owned Several Red Ones For Years. At Work I Use Blue,esab,hobart Thermal Arc, And Recently I Just Purchased A Thermal Arc Inverter, Baddest 67 Lbs Tig Box Ive Ever Used! Its Plastic Too... Imho They All Have Their Goods And Bads But I Think If You Stay With The Name Brands You'll Be Better Off In The Long Run... You Aint Doin Nuthin Unless Somethins On Fire!!!!

O.K. I'm looking at the following on craigslist, what do you think?
*****BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED********

ONLY HAVE ONE OF THIS IN STOCK.

.


DESCRIPTION:

Weld-Pak 140HD

120 Volt AC Input Compact Wire Welder

Whether you have a home project, farm repairs or basic autobody welding to complete, the Weld-Pak® 140HD should be at the top of your shopping list!
Requiring common 120 volt input power, the Weld-Pak® 140HD can be used almost anywhere. With simple two knob tapped control, the machine is easy to set up for gas-less flux-cored welding for deep penetration on thicker steel or gas-shielded MIG welding on thin gauge steel, stainless or aluminum. Compare the precise drive, rugged construction and full list of standard accessories...Lincoln® Weld-Pak® is an excellent choice!


Advantage Lincoln

Superior Arc Performance:
• Forgiving arc makes dialing in your application easy.
• Smooth arc starts with minimal spatter.
• Wide 30-140 amp welding output range.
• MIG weld 24 gauge up to 10 gauge (.135") sheet metal in a single pass. Weld up to 5/16" steel using self-shielded Lincoln Innershield® wire (FCAW-S).
Professional Features:
• Precise Wire Drive features:
– Precision full adjustment drive system reduces chance of wire tangling and crushing.
– Brass-to-Brass gun connections for enhanced connectivity.
– Large industrial closed-design drive motor for improved torque and trouble-free performance.
• Spool Gun Ready – add the optional Magnum® 100SG spool gun for reliable operation at the high wire feed speeds aluminum welding demands. No expensive outboard modules required.
• No Hassle Tool-less Design – for wire spool mounting, wire drive service and polarity changes.
• Innovative contact tip, drive roll and nozzle storage – keeps all your consumables close at hand.

Superb Quality:
• Power Chassis™ channels airflow to cool power systems, structurally secures key components and traps wires and cables to avoid unnecessary abrasion.
• Toughest PC Board Protection in the industry – 'Potted' to seal sensitive components from the environment, 'trayed' in a tough plastic tray to add rigidity and shock resistance.
• Three Year Lincoln Warranty/90 Days on gun and cable assembly.


Processes
MIG, Flux-Cored

Unit Includes
Gun
• Magnum® 100L gun and 10 ft. (3.0 m) cable assembly with brass gun connection and 4-pin MS-Type connection for trigger control (K530-6)
• .025" (0.6 mm) Contact Tips (Qty. 3)
• .035" (0.9 mm) Contact Tips (Qty. 3)
• Gasless Nozzle for Innershield® welding
• Gas Nozzle for MIG welding
Drive
• Spindle Adapter for 8" (203 mm) Diameter Spools
• .025" (0.6 mm) Wire Diameter Drive Roll for MIG welding (KP2529-1)
• .035" (0.9 mm) Wire Diameter Drive Roll for MIG welding (KP2529-2)
• .030"-.045" (0.7-1.1 mm) Wire Diameter Knurled Drive Roll for Flux-Cored welding (KP2529-3)

Shielding Gas Apparatus
• Harris® 3000290 Gas Regulator and 52 in. (1.3 m) Hose for use with CO2 or argon blend gases. (For use with CO2 shielding gas, order a Lincoln® S19298 CO2 shielding gas bottle adapter.)

Welding Wire
• 2 lb. (0.90 kg) Spool of .025" (0.6 mm) diameter SuperArc® L-56® premium MIG wire (ED030583)
• 1 lb. (0.45 kg) Spool of .035" (0.9 mm) diameter Innershield® NR-211-MP flux-cored wire (ED027641)

Other
• Work Clamp and 10 ft. (3.0 m) Cable
• Handshield
• Instruction Manual (IM891)
• How to Use DVD
• Learn to Weld Manual (LTW1)

Along with a welder, get some training at a local vo-tech. The instructors typically come from industry with years of field experience, and are able to impart their knowledge and experience via hands-on instruction. Procedural knowledge is absolutely necessary, but no amount of reading will beat making arcs and sparks. Another advantage of getting into a vo-tech is that the welding shops typically also have huge shears, press brakes, and a variety of materials. When you only need a 2" length of 1/2x6 to make a bracket, this comes in very handy.

I had taken training in SMAW (shielded metal arc - aka stick welding), GMAW (gas metal arc - aka MIG), and GTAW (gas tungsten - aka TIG), and thought I was good until I worked at a fabrication shop. My welds were both mediocre and slow compared to others, but after three months welding six hours per day, I am no longer an amateur. The job folded after nine months, but welding at that level is like riding a bicyle.

I have a 15 year old 130 amp L-Tec (Linde) 110/220v GTAW. I've made qualified one-pass welds in 5/16" carbon plate with .035 solid wire with this unit and the correct procedure. If I need anything larger, I take the project back to school (where I'm still friends with the instructor) and have access to 440v industrial welders in many flavors.

After today I would strongly agree with you! I'm trying to get into an adult education welding class in the fall!