Anything welding

Hair over 1k for one of these with a wirefeeder is still a steal

 

X2 the wire feeder alone is that much...

 

Yes! I love that, I want to try and make something like that. Good job.

 

Anyone know if there is a difference between the Lincoln Pro Mig 140 and the Lincoln 140 HD? Besides the fact that one is sold in Lowe's and one is sold in Home Depot? The HD for whatever reason seems to be more expensive but they have the same specs and seem to be the exact same thing

Pro-mig
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=k2480-1(LincolnElectric)

HD
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K2514-1(LincolnElectric)

 

I'm pretty sure Lincoln makes the same machine with different names for each of the big box stores to have their own model to sell.

 

From what I understood from the sales guy at the welding store, he said that Lincoln will make the machines a little different that they sell at home depot, etc. They put a couple cheaper parts in them, like more plastic in the wire feeder instead of metal to increase margins.

 

Nah. It's like TV's. You see one brand 55" LCD at three different places. They all look the same, and are, but the part numbers are different. PITA but all it is is marketing. And all it does makes is price shopping harder.

I'd be willing to bet the HD vs Pro just means it's harder to price match. There are sometimes different accessories included just to make it harder

 

This^ is what the general consensus seems to be from scanning the interweb

So quality-wise, I know Lincolns are good for the price but obviously don't compare to ones that are more expensive... That's ok for me I just need an entry level welder. Is it safe to assume that either the Pro mig or the HD will be fine? I just wasn't sure if there was any advantage to getting the HD over the Pro

 

He showed me one Lincoln mig welder that had metal parts in it and pointed to a couple piece that he knew of that were plastic if you bought it from Home Depot. He said Hobart does the same thing. Although I've never seen it in person

 

I think so.

The way to tell would be to look for the replacement part for each item. More than likely, your friend is referring to the wire feed mechanism?

 

Not a friend just some guy working at the welding store. And yes he was referring to the wire feeder parts.

 

Also on the Lincoln mig welders at home depot and Lowes the voltage setting only has like 5 different positions. The versions at the welding stores should have infitie control where you can fine tune.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?54012-Lincoln-Weld-Pak-180-HD-at-Home-Depot

 

Welding gurus,

I am in the market for a MIG, this will be my first welder and I have zero experience, and have thoroughly read this thread and appreciate all of the advice give. I will be building bumpers, sliders, spindle gussets etc. with it.

I have been browsing Craigslist for the past several months and have not found anything that I think is going to suit my needs, so based on recommendations here have settled on the Miller 180, Cyberweld has the best price I have found. http://store.cyberweld.com/millermatic175.html

Now for the questions, there is a 10% rebate on the machine when purchased with $150 worth of Miller/Hobart accessories, and given that I do not have any of these, I this as a good opportunity to get myself setup. So, help me spend my monies on at least $150 worth of Miller/Hobart stuff to get me started, I can go over the $150 if needed, but would like to not go crazy. I plan to get gas for it, but was thinking of getting a roll of flux to learn with as to not waste gas, does that seem reasonable? Below is what I was thinking so far, ~$120 total:

Hobart Welding Helmet - Discovery VS Mystic 770766 - http://store.cyberweld.com/howehedivsmy.html

Miller Welding Gloves - MIG Gloves 249175 - http://store.cyberweld.com/miweglmiggl21.html

Hobart E71T-11 Gasless Welding Wire - 2# Spool H222106-R19 - http://store.cyberweld.com/hob21bgaswir.html

For the flux, should I get .030 or .035? The welder comes with a roll of .030 solid.

What else (regardless of the discount/brand) should I be getting, I know pliers, magnets and clamps are needed, which ones would you recommend? Maybe some more tips?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

So here is what I came up with:

Millermatic 180 Auto-Set MIG Welder 907312
[remove]
$888.00 $888.00
Hobart Welding Helmet - Discovery VS Mystic 770766
[remove]
$84.50 $84.50
Pearson MIG Welper YS-50
[remove]
$30.00 $30.00
Strong Hand Welding Magnet - Standard Magnet MS45
[remove]
$15.30 $15.30
Strong Hand Welding Magnet - Standard Magnet MS60
[remove]
$15.30 $15.30
Miller Welding Gloves - MIG Gloves (Unlined) 263335
[remove]
Size : XL (263337)
$26.25 $26.25
Hobart E70S-6 MIG Welding Wire - 2# Spool H305401-R19
[remove]
Diameter : .030 (+$.80)
$23.80 $23.80
Jackson Earmuff - Vibe 26 20774
[remove]
$15.08 $15.08
Hobart E71T-11 Gasless Welding Wire - 2# Spool H222106-R19
[remove]
Diameter : .030 (+$1.03)
$21.73 $21.73
Update
Subtotal: $1,119.96
Total: $1,119.96

 

Get the gas. You will have much better luck learning to weld. It last a long time. Forget flux core unless you plan on welding in windy areas.

Don't forget the welding plyers, the are called welpers.

 

Oops, I see them now.

 

Gonna get the gas locally, maybe I will drop the flux. How much will I get out of a 2 lb roll of wire? Enough for a bumper?

 

That machine can hold an 8" spool (11 LB.), dunno - I guess I look at consumables kind of the way I look at putting gas in a truck.

-- If you're fuel tank is empty, why only fill your tank half full when you're going to burn the gas eventually, anyways.. -- Have a few friends that do that, and I never understand it.

Also, see how many spare contact tips that machine comes with. You'll likely burn quite a few up as you're learning the basics.


Same with your gas.

Whatever bottle you get (in the home shop size range) is going to be an owner bottle; don't go for the smallest one, you'll regret it. Factor in the time/fuel it'll take you to get to your LWS exchanging that tiny bottle.

Honestly, I would think that you can do a lot better on:

Gloves, Wire, MIG pliers and Ear Protection

You might even want to check out what they have for helmets, also. I know Miller makes a Pro-Hobby series that's pretty good.

Bear in mind that many of the lower-end autodarks won't work for low-amperage TIG.

It's more $$, but I'd look at the Viking 3350. I love mine!

If you buy them through your LWS... Build a good relationship with those guys. I got hooked up on an Autodark Helmet and some grinding wheels... It pays to make sure they know you'll be a repeat customer. Don't be intimidated to go in there just because you're starting out, and not building race cars. They might have some really good advice on what gear to buy and what to stay away from.

 

^^^^^ Agreed.

 

I wouldn't drop the flux core. You may not weld with it frequently but having the wire on hand for those times you do would be good.