Bit of advice please

[mike220]

Afternoon all. Well having been without a welder for a bit now (my long term loan from a friend has now gone unfortunately) I thought I should jump in and get myself sorted.

I've been asking Weldequip for some prices of different machines (Clarke 160TE) and he's been really helpful - Thanks Steve

Been having a think now though and unsure as to whether that's gonna have enough power to do what I need. So, in order to stop bothering Steve by the minutes I thought I'd open the floor to everyone to put their 2P's worth in.

I need to do general stuff at home, which will be anything from sheet upto say 1/4" when doing the odd set of gates etc. I know this is a big range - but hey, it's my money and I want everything !!

Have a budget of say £280 - £300 ish to spend (stop laughing at the back !! hehe), so what do you think ? Will the 160TE cut it or do I need to step up ?

Been to my local suppliers this afternoon and he's tried to steer me away from all the hobby stuff and reccommended a 180amp machine he had there for £400. It was nice, and seemed very good quality (British built too) but it's just above my budget if I'm honest.

Should I look at 2nd hand stuff ? Has anyone got a suitable machine on here for sale ?

Look forward to your responses and feedback,

Mike

PS - Thanks again Steve, just didn't wanna bother you all the time asking for prices etc. but feel free to post some a reply below with some suggestions if you like ?

 

[weldequip]

I don't mind all your questions Mike (so long as you buy it from me! ).
The 160TE would struggle with the 6mm yes; you want to be looking at the 175TE or maybe something like the Butters 170C new, or a larger S/H machine (they are like rocking horse S***t for a decent one though!).
weldequip

 

[mike220]

Have read the review on the butters, and wasn't that enamoured with the fact its a portable - mine's pretty much gonna stay in the garage/workshop so would like it to hold it's own bottle etc.

What's the absolute best you can do on the 175te (can pay in cash through the back door if it helps ??? )

 

[mike220]

So how much would that work out total delivered to WA11 postcode ?

Do you have any spec details for it - the website is very scarce on details.

Mike

 

[dafydd]

check out www.silverlinetool.com there 195 gas turbo mig not a bad little machine i have sold 3 of these and had no complaints ideal for the small to medium welding jobs and it also take the tiny bottles and can be converted to take small bottle

i,ve got one for £243.00 + vat + carrage 07740-822105

Do you have any spec details for it - the website is very scarce on details.

Just looked in their catalogue. It only goes down to 40 amps, so not to good on thin sheets. Also looks like it has only 2 power select switches on it which means it goes from 40A to 180A in just 4 steps - not very versatile/user friendly I don't think. Duty Cycle is 70A @ 60%

 

[mike220]

Thanks Dafydd - that's exactly the kinda input I need. OK, so that's one off the list then !! haha

On to the next - come on guys keep the info flowing.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[weldequip]

the website is very scarce on details.

You will also find the same with spare parts & technical back up!
weldequip

 

[mike220]

Thought that would be the case Steve. What's the best you can do with the 175 ?

Have read the review on the butters, and wasn't that enamoured with the fact its a portable - mine's pretty much gonna stay in the garage/workshop so would like it to hold it's own bottle etc.

What's the absolute best you can do on the 175te (can pay in cash through the back door if it helps ??? )

Cheers,

Mike

 

[PyroDan]

Don't forget, even portable welders are good with full bottles....

Welding carts are great projects!

Danny

 

[mike220]

true I guess

Let's see where the money leaves me ! haha

Mike

 

[Rusty]

With your budget you can buy a second hand industrial quality MIG (probably ebay) if your prepared to wait ! it took three months to find my Migatronic and it is a gamble buying second hand I was lucky to find this site at the time to help with my decision.

 

[daf45]

I've had a clarke 160 and a portamig.
If welding at home really includes "the odd set of gates" buy something like a portamig.
If you will only ever do occasional light stuff the clarke will be fine.
It's worth stretching your budget and buying the best machine you can.
I also found the longer I spent researching the less likely I was to buy - it's a minefield but you're on the right track - you never know what's round the corner just steer clear of the cheapest rubbish.

 

[mike220]

How much is a portamig ? I've heard a lot of good things about them on here - but can't seem to find any info or any stockists ?

Thanks,

Mike

PS - May have stretched the budget to something like a Clarke 175TE now, so around £340 ish :~

 

[Drains]

mike, pm Weldequip. He stocks Portamigs. They're also sold by/as MTA (Mig Tig Arc), which you can find on the interweb.


BTW, I have a Clarke 190A - ish set I bought 10 years ago, still going strong, and I have built some BIG jobs on it. I only went 3 phase when I had some serious duty cycles to deal with.

 

[Murray61]

Mig welders and the meaning of life, please.

I also found the longer I spent researching the less likely I was to buy - it's a minefield but you're on the right track - you never know what's round the corner just steer clear of the cheapest rubbish.[/QUOTE]

Hi (short for Hi - jacking the thread!) It seems to me that a lot of the questions asked here (by 'newbees') are about which welder to buy, or soliciting opinions on this one/that one. How about you clued-in blokes get together a definitive article on just what constitutes a good welder? E.g. I have figured out that a decent wire drive is very important, but how can I tell a good one from a ****** one before I buy? How about some pictures and explanation? Why is a 2 plate rectifier better than a 4 plate? Are diodes better still? If weight means anything, why is a Lincoln 170 (25kg) still better than a re-badged Italian model @ 44kg? Are copper wound transformers better? Does this matter? And where the hell DOES belly-button fluff come from?

The site Buyers Guide is great as far as it goes, but you guys must get sick of answering the same q's all the time. OTOH, I am eternally grateful that there are still people in the world who will share their knowledge (for free!) So thank you, one and all. And how much to send a Portamig to NZ, weldequip?

And ARE these guys migs 'better'? (below)

 

[weldequip]

That's a mighty fine spec. machine, looks similar to the early Murex Tradesmigs. Not many manufacturers use stud diode rectifiers now. Murex, Butters, Portamig all used to do but don't any longer cause of the cost (those fellas are around £40 each x 4 to replace by the way!).
weldequip

 

[Murray61]

I thought it probably was, considering the price! However, I can only afford the base model (below), which misses out on some of the features. Still, NZ$1,800 is only about 7 pounds 35p in your money, so probably a real bargain.

I still like the portability of the Lincoln 170 (over 20kg lighter), but I have yet to see the insides of one - not that I really know what I am looking at anyway! - and it is also about $400 'lighter' (about 75p)

Thanks for your input.

 

[marknotgeorge]

$1650 is about £615. I like the power control, a single knob rather than the fiddly switches on my SIP.

 

[Murray61]

It's $1860 including GST (VAT), which is a fair chunk in anyone's money and the Lincoln 170 is $1460 inc. Wish I could get them all together and try them out for a weekend before laying out the cash, but this forum has been very helpful in at least narrowing down the field. The local hire company uses the small Lincoln, so I think I'll rent one first - I can have a look inside it too. Mostly comparing wire-drives, as the transformers, rectifiers, etc are a bit of a mystery to me.