I'm looking to get a decent mig welder. I've got a budget of £250-£300 max, does this limit my options too much, or am I able to get something decent for my money?
Take a slow look around the site, the tutorials, the 'new welder' threads; check out what sort of specification you will need for what you intend to do.
Whatever you do, don't jump in the deep end because something seems absurdly good value for money, because it won't be.
Without going into many tech details, the Cobel 200 Amp needs an input of 6.2 kilowatts. That is about twice as much as from the average domestic socket. So before you start, you need a dedicated power supply. It would be possible to run it from a 13 Amp socket, but not advised, as it would blow fuses on all except the lower settings.
The DC output of the set only goes down to 35 Amps. On a class pro welder that doesn't matter too much. On a hobby welder you need it to go down to about 30 Amps or less. Otherwise you will blow lots of holes in thin metal, and find it very difficult to learn with.
The set is made in some far overseas country where they grow a lot of rice, and may have to be sent back there to be repaired, if it has any warranty at all. A few importers do repair the machines which pass through their hands, but many do not. A local repair shop will not want to take it on, and if they do, waiting for the boards to arrive from abroad could be a nightmare...
Look at a Clarke if you must get one quickly, all service, spares, and repairs are available. But best advice is to look around first and study the scene.
That's a good price at a good place, lmb. I got my 151 there, an ex-demo model with most of a 5kg gasless roll still on. And the wire was good stuff, too. They have plenty of variety of machines, and don't mind talking to you about what you want it for, instead of showing you the biggest and most expensive boxes.
All hobby Migs are sold with a poxy hand held mask and a chipping hammer. They come in the box with the m/c, like it or not. The plastic twiddly bits drop off the mask as you try to assemble it, so just keep the lenses. The hammer is okay for toffee
It is the sign of the hobby Mig. It may even be some obscure EC regulation, H&S, etc
Moving up a little, I don't think Portamig go in for that sort of thing....