What welder are you using?

#2
are you looking for 110 or 220? I picked up a Millermatic 175 from a guy florence who buys them at auction from schools within your price range.
 
#4
I had a northern 130 mig, but I didn't like it. I sold that and went with a lincolin weld PAC 180. It's a gass or gassless, and capable of 1/2" steel. I already had 240v in my shop so it was perfect. The duty cycle is high, so it can handle welding for hrs on end. It was well worth it. Home depot puts them on sale a few times a year!
 
#5
I'm buying a small MIG unit for the garage. Any suggestions for an under $500 unit?
Just a additional note to this. You say mig and under 500$ but I dont think that will happen due to the cost of the mixed gas and regulator, that alone is a few hundred dollars but well worth it. Just an additional cost that many people dont think of.
 
#6
Lincoln or hobart are the only ones to really go with around that price. $500 is probably going to limit you to a 110V unit, but if you can pinch a few pennies and get something 220. They pop up used all the time for that money. At my house the garage doesn't have 220 so I run an extension cord from the house to the detached garage. It is easy to use a drier outlet.
 
#9
Keep an eye on Craigslist, you can find deals every other day around the area. I have a hobart 140 i got from northern tool with a cart and gas regulator for about 500 i believe. I like miller gloves for the most part, they are thin enough to be able to move around but still protect your hand, make sure and get mig or tig gloves though, the thicker stick gloves are built more sturdy and are more bulky. Also use tillman gloves. Wrangler shirts are cheap and have survived hours of welding everyday of the week enough for me.

I like Speedglas hoods, ordering a 9100xx in the next couple of days. Theyre bad *** but your gonna pay for it too. Miller/jackson both make nice helmets for a decent price.

www.cyberweld.com
www.weldfabulous.com
 
#11
If your looking for a 110 Ive only ever used a Miller and a Hobart 140. Id recommend the Hobart 140, you can find them on craigslist for around 300 maybe cheaper. I picked up mine with a cart and bottle for $300.
 
#13
I started with a Lincoln 135t which was great for a first welder and does great for small fab without preheating. I then got ahold of a buddies miller 251 and fell in love with it. So a couple of months ago I sold the 135 and bought a miller 211, which is the best of both worlds as it works off of 110 or 220v and can weld 3/8ths in a single pass on 220v. Don't skimp on your welder if you have plans to do more than just little fab projects. As many on here have already said check craiglist here and in charlotte, the miller 140s pop up every few weeks. Or if you decide to get a new 140 (or a newer model used one) it has the autoset option which is great for people just beginning to get into migging.
 
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