Looking to upgrade to a better hobby MIG welder I'll mainly be using it for car body work and slightly thicker hobby work. Budget of £300 - 400 Just wondering if anyone has any advice on these Sherman/Polish welders? They're cheaper, got some decent reviews and come with a 2 year warranty but how safe that warranty is with an ebay seller or the manufacturer I don't know I'm leaning towards the GYS SmartMIG 162 anyone got any opinions on this machine or any other recommendations within/around my budget? Thanks in advance
Thanks I think I'll give the Sherman and similar welders a miss since I can't be bothered with any potential headache. Have you got any suggestions in my price range or opinions on the GYS SmartMIG 162 (mainly for body work/thin gauge work)?
What do you have at the moment? Do you use the full size gas bottles or disposables? Do you need portable? When I got my first welder last year, I went for a tec arc 181 compact mig. Its a big machine weighing 48kg without the bottle so isnt portable however can be pushed around on wheels. Its a transformer, so very little to go wrong. British built and decent quality. Takes 15kg reels but has adaptors for smaller reels. Max is 185 amps and min is 20 amps so suited to thin sheet and plate upto about 5 or 6mm. Ive been very happy with it and paid £460 new including delivery from Rotec.
On a machine basis (with my very limited experience), I still wouldn't be so quick to discount Sherman, though it likely comes in under your budget for a mig as specified. The mig I got was a revelation compared to the much praised Clarke (which itself very nearly put me off welding ) However, I completely understand your concern re having to deal with an out of country manufacturer if things go wrong. So, if that's your perspective (re potential headache), if I may be so bold, I'd suggest basing your choice primarily on who you might be dealing with if things go wrong. i.e. rather less on the machine, and instead focus on the retailer and/or local agent/importer/supplier for the manufacturer.
Currently running a Clarke 150TE Turbo which was my dads and is about 15+ years old? And since I wasn't using it often I've been using disposables but when I upgrade I'll be getting a full sized bottle I'd prefer something with wheels since I have to work on different areas but not too fussed about moving it about if not. That tec arc sounds ideal since the 20 - 185 amps gives a lot of flexibility, it's a bit over budget for me since I also need to buy gas, etc. even the SmartMIG is a bit over budget for me, but they're definitely strong considerations and I'm willing to splash a bit more cash for quality and peace of mind
If the clarke is working, why not fit a new liner, make a trolley and convert to a larger bottle. Save money till you can afford a better machine
I definitely would prefer that option but it isn't working properly it's feeding slightly erratically I've already changed the liner which helped a bit, gave everything a clean and a new tip and it's still feeding inconsistently which makes it a kind of unpredictable (another word for doing my head fully in). Inspected the motor and it seems fine without any wire but then feeds poorly with, I've cleaned any contacts but no difference and it seems more hassle than it's worth trying to replace the motor with a chance it might not even solve my issue
Is the wheel in good condition, and the tension on the screw too lack or too tight, is the little spring movie ssing?
The spool holder is in good condition and spins freely, the rollers are fine i've cleaned them up as well and the tensions screw seems fine I've tried messing with the tension on the wire but it's not changed much, if anything. I've tried everything I could think of and read up on that's what leads me to believe it's the motor, maybe it's the brushes? I don't know I'm just a bit sick of trying to fix it at this point when I could just buy a proper hobby mig Speaking of do you know anything about these BlueMIG's? I think these are their new models but no spec info on them https://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Welding-Supplies/mig-welder.html
