£600 budget for a new Mig welder.

[chunkytfg]

I'm not New to mig welding but havent done it for over a decade and no longer have my old Clarke hobby welder. Still would consider myself a beginner though.

I'm now looking to expand on my woodworking expertise back into the world of Metalwork and require a Mig welder for that.

I'm mostly looking at welding up to around 4-5mm at a push but probably more consistently 3mm or thinner so I'm not needing anything too heavy duty.

Also I'll be mostly running with gas but having Gasless as an option would be good.

So in terms where to purchase I see myself having 2 choices.

Online or in person.

Online I already know I'm mostly going to be told R-Tech 181 by you lot. and thats fine. Seems like a great machine, a little over budget budget though so would need to be the 180 but has superb back up.

Alternatively in person shopping. I have Barnet-Welding round the corner from me so I can visit them. They stock GYS, Parweld, Cross-arc and Jasic. Jasic is probably not an option as it looks to be a little beyond my budget however the other 3 seem to have something to fit the budget.

GYS have the Easymig 160 or Smartmig 162 both seem ideal albeit the Easymig is more compact.

Parweld seems to have a few options around the £600 point but I'm not entirely sure what the real difference between the 'automotive' versions and the others are? I get that the 161i is an inverter type over the transformer but I not sure what makes it 'automotive' and not just 'different'. If that makes sense?

Lastly Cross-arc looks to have the 160MF which I like the idea of having Stick and TIG as an option in the future but I'm dubious about the ability to TIG effectively for someone who would be a complete beginner in the future and should I choose to try it I'm more likely to buy a standalone TIG machine as I'm not one to scrimp on tools if the need arises(as my woodorking tool collection would confirm).

Any help or points to consider I might have missed would be appreciated.

Also worth noting I've got a separate budget for the PPE and Gas side of things so thats not really a consideration at this stage.

 

[chunkytfg]

Forgot to add.

My garage/workshop has a 16amp(blue plug) supply already fitted for the Table saw so I'm good to go regarding power. I've not noticed anything I've looked at in my price range needing a 32A supply.

 

[JOEPRO]

Do you have a rent free bottle of MIG gas and a quality reg? If not that's £150 approx of your budget.

R Tech or Blackline IMO. Blackline if you don't have a decent gas bottle and reg and stay in your budget.

 

[chunkytfg]

I dont have the gas yet but thats already part of the overall budget. the £600 is the projected remaining budget after PPE and Gas/reg

 

[chunkytfg]

I hadn't seen the backline machine and I see it has a 50A minimum. I dont anticipate welding any car bodywork anytime soon but it's always nice to not be too restricted if I dont have to be.

 

[eddie49]

I hadn't seen the backline machine and I see it has a 50A minimum. I dont anticipate welding any car bodywork anytime soon but it's always nice to not be too restricted if I dont have to be.

Imported inverter welders often erroneously list their minimum rating as "50 Amps", on the dataplate or in the advertising literature, but this is usually a mistake. As manually-controlled inverters, they offer fully-variable adjustment of output voltage and wirespeed, and can effectively be turned down to "zero" Amps. Note that this may not apply to the pre-programmed ratios of synergic machines.

 

[chunkytfg]

Ahh okay. Makes sense.

Like I said in my first post. It's been a while and I dont remember doing much research before getting my old Clarke machine and I'm not sure inverters machines were a thing especially at my price point at the time

 

[chip]

If your budgets firm maybe look at the lincoln besters to, I don't have hands on with them but they seem a decent little low priced machine by all accounts.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Imported inverter welders often erroneously list their minimum rating as "50 Amps", on the dataplate or in the advertising literature, but this is usually a mistake. As manually-controlled inverters, they offer fully-variable adjustment of output voltage and wirespeed, and can effectively be turned down to "zero" Amps. Note that this may not apply to the pre-programmed ratios of synergic machines.

I think there is a limit on most machines. It is a combination of the power supply and the ability of the wire feed motor to drive the wire slowly and smoothly. The result is that the arc becomes unstable at low current. Even TIG and MMA machines tend to become unstable at low current.

As the machine becomes more upmarket, the minimum current reduces. Here is a lower end MIG spec:

And here is a more upmarket machine:

I guess it would be pot luck trying to use very low current on a low end machine. 50A does seem a bit high but I have no experience with that or similar machines.

Jack

 

[dobbslc]

I have Barnet-Welding round the corner from me so I can visit them.

Go and see Ollie, he let me have a blast on a GYS machine for 10 minutes and I was impressed enough to buy one. I have the Easymig 140 and I'm pleased with it. They'll sort you out some gas and all the PPE etc.

 

[Dozzer]

Had a Parweld XTE 171 for a few years before upgrading to an Oxford/tecArc machine.
It was a really nicely made reliable unit, and the Automotive ones go to very low amps, think the old version i had went to 20 amps. but the new one looks like it only goes down to 30 amps.
They are duel roller feed, will do gas & gasless, and the Parweld torches are good quality for the money.
I blew the caps welding 8-10mm digger parts for far too long a duty cycle, but they were really good about supplying new ones at cost price when i explained. not sure what they are like to deal with, that was about 5-6 years ago.
Don't have any experience with GYS.
And everyone seems to rave about R-Tec!

 

[ajlelectronics]

And everyone seems to rave about R-Tec!

And mine is currently for sale!

 

[Dozzer]

And mine is currently for sale!

Why if they are so wonderful

 

[ajlelectronics]

Why if they are so wonderful

Because they are so wonderful that I have bought the next model up, the 181.

 

[addjunkie]

I do believe R Tec often have refurbished machines with warranty if you ring up!

 

[chunkytfg]

Never a bad day when the postman delivers the latest toy!

Thanks for everyone’s input.

Looking forward to getting a gas bottle and giving it a go!

 

[tom2207]

I hadn't seen the backline machine and I see it has a 50A minimum. I dont anticipate welding any car bodywork anytime soon but it's always nice to not be too restricted if I dont have to be.

it will weld car body work no prob ,,, its prob the generic machine thats branded as Rohr and blackline and a few other things too .. I have one and it does car bodys nicely.