going round in circles

[BrokenBiker]

in looking for a bigger mig, but just keep going round in circles in my search.

i cant see myself welding any thicker than 4-5mm and i don't mind doing a bit of prep before hand such as bevels and so on.

ideally i want a portamig as it would be excellent for car panels, but they aren't cheap, so i started looking at Clarke and sealey 180 amp machines but the duty cycles are woeful, often 15%@105amp, which is worse than the 25%@100 amp im realistically getting from my little mightymig.

so now ive started looking at a Clarke 160TM, they can be got for around 330 quid on the bay.

is this a wise choice for use on the likes of a mk2 golf that my neighbour will probably ask me to weld, and also doing heavier stuff like making ring rollers and so on out of 4-5mm steel?

or should i just save my money a bit longer and buy a (not so portable) portamig with 200+ amps because it has better power selection and a brilliant reputation?

 

[blenkie1]

If it was me go for the portamig. Like you say not just the extra power but the better duty cycle that you need

 

[wheresmejumper]

There are plenty of 2nd hand quality machines out there for what the clarke would cost you new.
Its a barely noticable upgrade from what you have in the grand scheme of things

 

[BrokenBiker]

There are plenty of 2nd hand quality machines out there for what the clarke would cost you new.
Its a barely noticable upgrade from what you have in the grand scheme of things

this was my main concern with only increasing by 60 amps.

i have seen a few bigger welders for around 400 quid but all have issues, and although i can probably fix then i don't want to start off with crap.

can you give me some good names to look out for with arou d 200amps and decent duty cycles that would suit my needs. IM only really familiar with hobby machines and i think i need to be looking at second hand single phase industrial type machines for what i eventually have in mind re: building a workshop

 

[cumbriasteve]

I don't think the Clarke is the answer, you are only considering it due to the present budget and yes it will be great when you first get it, nice and shiny and a bit more power (actually only 150 amps)

But a few months down the line and you will be wishing you had saved a bit longer and got what you know you want.

The good old 'buy once and buy right' fit's your scenario perfectly.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I don't think the Clarke is the answer, you are only considering it due to the present budget and yes it will be great when you first get it, nice and shiny and a bit more power (actually only 150 amps)

But a few months down the line and you will be wishing you had saved a bit longer and got what you know you want.

The good old 'buy once and buy right' fit's your scenario perfectly.

yes i have just been thinking about what i could realistically do with a bigger machine and think i would be wasting money on anything under 200 amps.