miamiKnights Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 hey guys im going to start body work soon and in the process of purchasing a welder. what it is a good welder to buy thats under 200$ reliable, user friendly, speed, and could also handle z gauge sheet metal. any prior experiences good or bad? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 hey guys im going to start body work soon and in the process of purchasing a welder. what it is a good welder to buy thats under 200$ reliable, user friendly, speed, and could also handle z gauge sheet metal. any prior experiences good or bad? thanks check out www.harborfreight.com they have some really cheap welders (talking $100). Some people really like them, and for $100 it might be worth it if your just using it for this. Because anything else is gonna run you $500 minimum, plus gas bottle/gas etc. So if you want a name brand welder, your gonna spend $700 to be welding with shielding gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 well, under $200 and reliable don't go together. I have friends who have bought inexpensive MIG welders from places like Harbor Freight and have had good service with average sheet metal. Only setback is if you begin to have a problem you cant find parts to fix it. So consider it a machine to learn on and as long as you dont try to burn long beads without a break to cool and keep it clean You can do alot. Just make sure if you buy the units from H Freight you buy the extra warranty. I love to burn/break their stuff up and get it replaced with no hassle at all...LOL I wont go into "tips" for good welding but take a little night class or spend some time messing with scrap before you start welding on your car. you can gey a good stick welder for that price but they arent sheet metal friendly.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Oh and BTW I use flux core wire for sheetmetal work since I'm gonna grind and smoothcoat repairs anyway and you don't have to buy the gas.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 this is the best welder your gonna get for $159 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=55250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 240z is right I have a bud who wanted to learn and bought that one. I taught him how to weld with it and he makes go carts, aquarium stands and keeps his tractor and lawn equipment going with it. He has put on a few mufflers too and it still works well... I guess its been 2-3 yrs now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 so you can weld exhaust with it? good deal for $159 if your not gonna be welding alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 this is the best welder your gonna get for $159 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=55250 I have that one. The only thing I hate is the line speed is difficult to get just right. It's always either too fast or too slow. Then again, I'm use to Arc welding not MIG. It's new to me so I'm still working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Do you think you could put a better rheostat on this HF welder to get better control on the line speed? I'm really wanting it based on that price!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aguyandaredhead Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hey Bill, don't buy one. You can borrow my Lincoln as long as you like. Unless you just want to own one for down the road projects. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderllama Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 OMG that HF MIG is perfect, looks like I'm going to have to call an electrician to get a new 220V breaker put in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Thanks Jeff! If i need something to look pretty, i'll borrow yours BTW you have a PM! I think it would be nice to have around just for whatever, plus since it has a gas hook up I think it would be good to practice w/. Shipping to me was 11.99 so the grand total shipped is 171.98, that's nuts. I'm just wondering how many they have at that price... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Bill for HF thats really not a special price, they have those deals all the time so no worry on running out. HF also gives rainchecks on anything they sell.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I bought a Hobart for 300 dollars from a guy at a body shop while I shadowed there. It was almost new with shielding gas and regulator. Ive found even on the lowest setting and pretty high wire speed its hard to not blow through the Z's metal. I've only had a year or so of welding experience so I might be doing something wrong. So try to get something with a power dial thats adjustable not just 4 or 5 levels. Ive also found that you should buy what you want the first time and not buy cheap stuff thats gonna break. Hope you find something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I bought a Hobart for 300 dollars from a guy at a body shop while I shadowed there. It was almost new with shielding gas and regulator. Ive found even on the lowest setting and pretty high wire speed its hard to not blow through the Z's metal. I've only had a year or so of welding experience so I might be doing something wrong. So try to get something with a power dial thats adjustable not just 4 or 5 levels. Ive also found that you should buy what you want the first time and not buy cheap stuff thats gonna break. Hope you find something. Well my neighboor had a 60cf cylinder that he's gonna give me, so right there that saves me $160. So i'm gonna buy the HF welder just to see what it can do. I'm still gonna get a mm175 though. But theres a big difference between $150, and $750, so for the occasional hobbiest, that hf 151 might be a good deal, that way you can spend hundreds more on other tools... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 My advice? Look around for a deal on a GOOD used welder. I paid $300 (yes, canadian $) for my Lincoln 'weld pack 100' and it's a great little unit. I run flux core wire, but you can get a gas conversion/hook up for it for under $100. I havn't need it yet though... I learned to weld with it, stuck most of my Z back together, a few rockers and floors in various cars, welded a few skidoo things, a few pieces on farm tractors/equipment, some lawn furniture, LOTS of exhast pipes/mufflers, 1/4" plates to frames on machines (light curtain guards on factory machinery) my custom motor/tranny mounts in a V8 RX7, ect, ect. It has infinite wire speed control, and 4 heat settings. As you can see, it's quite handy and adaptable (I've done lots of stuff outside, in fields, back yards, snow...) You can turn it way down and do little touchy stuff, or blast through heavy dirty crap. Trust me, if you have it, you'll discover things to do with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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