mig welder entry level

[hardcak]

Hi
Can anybody point me in the right direction for buying a cheap MIG welder. Mainly welding 2mm thk Stainless steel panels. I have no experience in welding but have always wanted to learn. I appreciate I won’t do this overnight!.. but will be buying one anyway. I have up to £350..
Any buying advice is appreciated. Ps Im in the uk.
thanks

 

[ukracer]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIG-MMA-W...495?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c8ca0fbd7

take a look at that it comes with 2 years collect and return warranty for peace of mind. You can also get 6 months interest free so you can save the extra.

 

[hardcak]

Thanks..think I have a better idea now..

 

[Alister]

I'm in the same boat and have a thread going here too. I have been looking around and think I will go with the Clarke 151EN but will buy a small regulator and a bottle of gas. The welder mentioned in the previous post is probably brilliant but is way over your budget and don't forget you will need a bottle of gas to go with it at over £100 + regulator at £50 ish for the bigger bottles which will be more suitable for such a welder.

 

[ukracer]

Gas is a killer on price but BOC have a couple of deals if you do a search on here. One thing to bear in mind the R-tech comes with a regulator. One reason I flag up r-tech machines apart from the 2 year collect and return warranty is the fact you can get interest free credit. I can say for a fact I would not even have a welder if it were not for the interest free option.

I am sure other machines weld as well as the r-tech (taking aside i prefer inverter technology because it welds smooth and its easy to store because of size.) but I dont have one of the "other" machines of my own to use so I cant really comment on those. The clarke machines etc etc are actually one reason i never took to welding earlier as everytime I used them my welding looked like pigeon crap. Its not going to win any awards but its passable most of the time. lol

I really can only comment on my own circumstances and just like to give newcomers the benefit of my limited experience.

One thing that rarely gets mentioned is the most important part the helmet. A crap one will put you of welding for life. You wont be able to see what you are doing. It wont stay up when you need to look etc etc. Your eyes are so important you really need protection but all of this does not help your budget so as always we can only give you the info to work with. Its your money your decision so good luck