The cheap MIGs on eBay Australia

[MechaFurby]

Hello,

I have been thinking of getting a MIG for many, many years but have never really had the budget to do so.
I noticed in recent history they have been dropping a lot in price.

If you haven't guessed I'm looking for the cheapest viable means to get myself set up, because an arc just doesn't cut it for thin metal.

The cheapest setups I have found around the place are in the $400 range. However there are eBay import wonders which look a lot like the cheap ones in store, but at a fraction of the price (and probably quality).

My point is that I only need something for fairly light duty work, and am quite confused by the terminology used in the world of MIG.

I keep seeing things like this on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BRAND-NEW-13...oryZ3247QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The terminology and photos have me a little uneasy. Are they saying it's a gasless that you can somehow use solid wire with instead of flux core, or is there a gas fitting I am not seeing there?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.

 

[malcolm]

It's described as gas or gasless, so there's probably a line for the gas bottle (though no mention of any regulator being included).

Couple of things I'd watch:

Current Range(A): 60-130

Virtually no adjustment in output voltage - you might weld anything between 2mm and 3mm with that. Look for a minimum of 30 or less for 1mm sheet.

Rated Load Cycle Rate(%): 10

Presumably duty cycle - means it'll keep cutting out with temperature. Look for one with a cooling fan instead.

Probably some real cost down there. Another way to make welders cheaply is to leave out the contactor and have the torch live even when the trigger isn't being pressed. Nightmare to use and easy arc eye. It's unlilely to be easy to use either.

In summary - completely useless apart from the most occasional hobby use where a bad job is acceptable.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I'll secone Malcolm's comments, I wouldn't even use one of those as a doorstop! I know they're not a lot of money but you're much better off spending a bit more and getting a useable machine.

 

[rtbcomp]

It has got a single phase DC output though

 

[MechaFurby]

Cheers for that. I thought it was a case of getting what I pay for. Thanks for explaining some of what to look for.
There is another common one that comes up regularly. It's a more expensive one, but it apparently is 200A, ranges from 35 - 200A, and.. ah, here's the link. You'd all understand it a bit better than me:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=250207059703&Category=3247

The model is a MARS 200, which I was earlier too stupid to fully comprehend.
I'm starting to get towards the money of shop-bought, but not so sure of features/$ ratio.

You can see my concerns with price.
http://www.justtools.com.au/category136_1.htm
http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--172_Tools_Hardware_Welders__fs_11914_e__
Sorry about the lousy examples. not many stores seem to have a real online presence. Next time I go into town I'll try to grab the details of some.

 

[malcolm]

The minimum open circuit voltage of 21V strikes me as a little high still for thin steel. That one looks more of a fabrication machine, most of which start at about 40 amps minimum.

The little SIP welders seem to start at 18V which equates to a minimum current of about 25A.

Some other options for welders available in Australia, but the poster KAT looks like he's considering a slightly higher price range: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3775

 

[weldequip]

Just been trawling the Aussie eBay & there's very little on there that isn't Chinese, did notice though that you have available the same BOC machines that we get in the UK. These are made by Kemppi (Finland) & are nice kit. They will be above your budget brand new but I did notice one or two used one's, might be worth keeping your eye on
weldequip

 

[snowcat]

There was always alot of the thermadine "thermal arc" stuff when I was out in aus, I know it malaysian made these days, but would have thought its a brand still much used....

 

[greyshirtguy]

Regarding chinese MIG's on ebay, there's another similar thread: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3775

Regarding any confusion with terminology/etc, I highly recommend reading everything (twice ) in these sections of this website:
Tutorials: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tutorial.htm
Welder Guide: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/equipment.htm

 

[youngm]

Cheers for that. I thought it was a case of getting what I pay for. Thanks for explaining some of what to look for.
There is another common one that comes up regularly. It's a more expensive one, but it apparently is 200A, ranges from 35 - 200A, and.. ah, here's the link. You'd all understand it a bit better than me:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=250207059703&Category=3247

The model is a MARS 200, which I was earlier too stupid to fully comprehend.
I'm starting to get towards the money of shop-bought, but not so sure of features/$ ratio.

You can see my concerns with price.
http://www.justtools.com.au/category136_1.htm
http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--172_Tools_Hardware_Welders__fs_11914_e__
Sorry about the lousy examples. not many stores seem to have a real online presence. Next time I go into town I'll try to grab the details of some.

MechaFurby, I just bought a MIG of EBay Australia. It's one of those Krieger 180A units. I'm just setting it up now. For the specs it has, it "seems" suitable for what I want to do with 16 gauge exhaust tubing. I just hope it's reliable and has no surprises I'd hate to have to ship this back to the supplier in NSW (who probably imported it from China anyway).

I, like you, didn't want to spend too much because I'm just learning and looking to experiment with exhaust tubing. Nothing more. When I get more experienced, I'll sell it and get myself something like a CIGWeld, but for now, I think it'll suffice.