Looking to buy a compact MIG

[petrolhead]

Hi

Looking to buy a general purpose mig to weld up to 3-4mm thick steel and stainless.

I am very tight for space so looking at Compact Mig Welders.

To give you an idea of size somit like this https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-mig102ng-90amp-no-gas-mig-welder but nessessarily that model

Has anyone herd of Stanley Mig Welders, Screwfix sell them - http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sw58905-130a-mig-welder-240v/2288f although starting to push my budget

So looking for suggestions please

 

[daleyd]

Screwfix don't have a great reputation selling welding equipment, and it doesn't come with a euro torch so I personally would stay away. The machine mart one is gasless only, so as long as you are happy with the limitations that gives you then fine, though with 90 amps you may struggle on heavier stuff.

If you don't think the ability to easily change torches is important, and don't mind screwfix then maybe these aren't important points. For my money I would rather go with something like this, from a proper welding equipment manufacturer which can also do stick welding/basic tig if the desire took you.

http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/welding_equipment/Mig_Welder/Mig_Welder_R-Tech_IMIG180 retch ebay shop often has shop soiled deals which shave a bit of money off for a minor scratch on the case or something. (You still get the warranty)


or perhaps http://www.spawelding.co.uk/online-...st-mig/1532-ifl-i-tech-mig150-mig-welder.html
or if you could stretch your budget a bit its bigger brother, which will also do stick/basic tig
http://www.weldequip.com/ifl-170-mig.htm

Regards your budget, don't forget you will also need to factor in regulators, gas bottle rental/purchase, headshield, gloves. None of these are necessarily massively expensive, but need to be considered.

 

[J.F]

I would agree with daleyd a 90A mig is going to struggle, it won't weld 4mm as a butt weld and if you V it out the duty cycle will not be good enough unless the weld is less than an inch long. Page 22 of the manual says it has a 10% duty cylcle at 90A.

I would get the most powerful welder you can afford with the widest amperage range and lots of power settings, you might not end up using the highest settings but the duty cycle will be far better. 130A might be all you need but that's the max for that machine and it might only run for a very very short time at max. But a 200A machine might run continuously at the settings you need

I personally had the 130TE and it struggled on 4mm after a couple of minutes welding, I now have the R-tech 180 and am happy with it, have not used the other 2 suggested above.

 

[Kent]

Hi

Looking to buy a general purpose mig to weld up to 3-4mm thick steel and stainless.

I am very tight for space so looking at Compact Mig Welders.

To give you an idea of size somit like this https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-mig102ng-90amp-no-gas-mig-welder but nessessarily that model

Has anyone herd of Stanley Mig Welders, Screwfix sell them - http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-sw58905-130a-mig-welder-240v/2288f although starting to push my budget

So looking for suggestions please

3-4mm and a requirement for stainless, not a vast budget to spend? I should look at a DC inverter giving scratch TIG and MMA over a little MIG set personally. Lot better on stainless without spending your savings on a big reel of stainless mig wire, factor in the TIG torch an reg / argon gas 10 ltr and you should keep it below say £500 all in? Inverters are very small to boot about as big as a briefcase and you should be looking at 160-180 amp output at max (remember welding plants don't work so good at their stated maximums, bit like a car you don't buy a car capable of 100 mph and expect it to sit comfortable cruising at that speed "were legal")
Cheap MIG and stainless with flux core? Not going to cut it! 90 amp full duty MIG on 4mm m/s underpowered IMO!

 

[daleyd]

This one could also be worth a look (thanks to chunkolini for the link),

http://www.cheltenhamweldingsupplies.co.uk/cws-best-mig-160i-9211-p.asp

 

[sardine]

I know 3 people who have the r tech 180, and won't shut up about how good it is.

 

[Richard.]

Prob way over budget but there is 2 I would recommend that would more than for fill your needs.
Kemppi minarcmig Evo 200
Esab caddy mig 200

 

[Luc]

You should try Citomig 200 MP from Oerlikon. It is similiar to Speedtec 200C and Caddy 200i, but has got two functions that Lincoln and Esab doesn't have it.

 

[daleyd]

Bit of a stretch on a £400 budget, possibly secondhand though?

 

[Luc]

Here in Poland you can buy Citomig 200 MP with MB15 torch, TIG torch with valve, gas regulator and MMA cables for 950£

Bit of a stretch on a £400 budget, possibly secondhand though?

Didn't notice he has 400£ to spend. Anyway, the welders he has found are rubbish in my opinion. Stanley is a total misunderstanding if it is about welders. Company famous for producing hand tools is TRYING to produce welders.

 

[daleyd]

Here in Poland you can buy Citomig 200 MP with MB15 torch, TIG torch with valve, gas regulator and MMA cables for 950£



Didn't notice he has 400£ to spend. Anyway, the welders he has found are rubbish in my opinion. Stanley is a total misunderstanding if it is about welders. Company famous for producing hand tools is TRYING to produce welders.

Agreed about the welders mentioned in the original post - they look poor, hence I came up with a few other suggestions.

I would love a citomig or similar but I was in the same position, and didn't have the budget. I went for an rtech machine and have been pleased with it so far. Had the ifl machine been available at the time I my have been tempted by that though.

 

[Luc]

Agreed about the welders mentioned in the original post - they look poor, hence I came up with a few other suggestions.

I would love a citomig or similar but I was in the same position, and didn't have the budget. I went for an rtech machine and have been pleased with it so far. Had the ifl machine been available at the time I my have been tempted by that though.

Well, yes it is half money to oerlikon. But I'm checking now this R-tech you have quoted and why all these machines have only 35% duty cycle at full amperage ? It is because of Britain's 13A plugs or why is it so ?
For example if you would buy a machine with 20A plug needed you will have a problem in England to use it ?

 

[Richard.]

You should try Citomig 200 MP from Oerlikon. It is similiar to Speedtec 200C and Caddy 200i, but has got two functions that Lincoln and Esab doesn't have it.

Do you work for Oerlikon ?
I know you like there machines, I think we all do but that's all you seem to be interested in recommending. Surely there must be another brand as good as oerlikon

 

[Luc]

Do you work for Oerlikon ?
I know you like there machines, I think we all do but that's all you seem to be interested in recommending. Surely there must be another brand as good as oerlikon

I don't work for Oerlikon and ofcourse there are other brands which as you said are also good. The reason why I recommend it is that Oerlikon has to work hard for their brand to be recognized not like Esab, Lincoln or other well-known brands who are on the market for 20 years now. Yes, they are ok and I'm not insulting it, but you will you disagree with me that they are so famous around the world so for they can easily install chinese parts in their welders and people still buy it because of the famous brand name.

 

[daleyd]

Well, yes it is half money to oerlikon. But I'm checking now this R-tech you have quoted and why all these machines have only 35% duty cycle at full amperage ? It is because of Britain's 13A plugs or why is it so ?
For example if you would buy a machine with 20A plug needed you will have a problem in England to use it ?

I think you have answered your own question - because they are 1/2 the money of a top end set.

For a light user or hobbyist this would not be a problem, I certainly don't tend to weld flat out for long periods without setting up, checking, tacking, stopping etc etc. Obviously for a heavy industrial user this would be an issue, but for those users they have the option of paying 2 x the money.............

 

[Richard.]

I don't work for Oerlikon and ofcourse there are other brands which as you said are also good. The reason why I recommend it is that Oerlikon has to work hard for their brand to be recognized not like Esab, Lincoln or other well-known brands who are on the market for 20 years now. Yes, they are ok and I'm not insulting it, but you will you disagree with me that they are so famous around the world so for they can easily install chinese parts in their welders and people still buy it because of the famous brand name.

They are famous around the world because they build high quality machines and consumables and there buyers recognise the quality and keep buying from them. If they were built to a price with duff components they would not be famous around the world for been a high end brand. I was in a large workshop the other week in Scotland and they had 28 3phase migs all murex and esab all between 10 and 15 years old all used 24 hours a day 6 days a week. These machines ARE BUILT TO LAST.

 

[Richard.]

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...riBqAQ&usg=AFQjCNEHo0yoXJxGBVUCPHfMndjtiqp6_A

FYI.

 

[Luc]

They are famous around the world because they build high quality machines and consumables and there buyers recognise the quality and keep buying from them. If they were built to a price with duff components they would not be famous around the world for been a high end brand. I was in a large workshop the other week in Scotland and they had 28 3phase migs all murex and esab all between 10 and 15 years old all used 24 hours a day 6 days a week. These machines ARE BUILT TO LAST.

Richard, I'm not talking about welders which were produced 15 or 20 years ago. This is obvious that these welders will be great and much better than these produced nowadays and will work for another 20 years. I've posted already about Lincoln and Esab which bought two big Polish companies famous for immortal welders. Even now when I meet people who own old OZAS and BESTER welders say that these are the best machines they have been using.It was produced once and in a right way.
But ofcourse if something is too good and can make a big competition for companies like Esab and Lincoln, you have to do something with it. So Esab bought OZAS and Lincoln bought BESTER. Guess what? Quality decreased as hell.

 

[Kent]

I don't work for Oerlikon and ofcourse there are other brands which as you said are also good. The reason why I recommend it is that Oerlikon has to work hard for their brand to be recognized not like Esab, Lincoln or other well-known brands who are on the market for 20 years now. Yes, they are ok and I'm not insulting it, but you will you disagree with me that they are so famous around the world so for they can easily install chinese parts in their welders and people still buy it because of the famous brand name.

You know its very hard to make anything using nothing at all from china! Ask yourself though is it the Chinese that are rubbish at making stuff (I think not as they have some of the best engineers in the world at present and a highly educated populous outside the lower classes "good old equal communism in action again" but the fact that some manufacturers / sellers outside of china ask them to make something a little worse an a little cheaper to satisfy their own short term greed. Of course the poles themselves a history of great engineering and also total cheap rubbish produced by their own home reared brand of cheap labour oh and no great strangers to that c word.

Tell you what ESAB have yet to drop their standards but they do get a fair bit made in the old Soviet controlled nations for its cheaper Labour rates

 

[Richard.]

Utter nonsense. If the quality of the equipment from the likes of lincoln miller esab kemppi etc had dropped as you say and they were filled with cheap components as you say people (other than yourself) would of got wind of this and chose not to use there equipment to make there living.
Yes granted there are things in life that are updated and not as good as the originals but there are also things in life that get better and better every update. With these big players we get both.