Please help me select a welder

[Jimmyjangles]

Hello everyone, looks to be a great forum here, i've been hanging around for a while and just decided to register.

I've decided to treat myself to a cheapish mig welder. I need something that is reliable, fairly cheap but decent quality...if such a thing exists?

There seems to be a lot of things written about Chinese welders - both good and bad - what is the latest thoughts with Chinese stuff?

I'll be using it for repairs to cars and for repairs on gates and similar DIY things. I have a budget of around £200, and think i would be better to go for refillable gas bottles.

Hope someone can help me please!

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum

Reliable and decent quality don't come cheap, about the best you can get if you need to weld anything other than car work, on the lower end budgets is the Clarke 160, have a read of the MIG welder sections and you will see similar advice.

Chinese machines are still not highly thought of, especially the very cheap ones of a certain auction site.

 

[Jimmyjangles]

Thanks very much Cumbriasteve. I've also been thinking about buying a used industrial welder. i don't have three phase electrics at my house so it would need to be 240V.

I'm not sure if a used industrial welder will have been abused or not? The chinese machines are quite tempting though, even if they do not always perform too well.

 

[madkayaker]

a working used industrial machine would be my recommendation or as steve says a Clarke. i got my MIG for £30 mainly for the torch assembly but with a bit of work and a control circuit i built my self it has served me well for 4 years now and gets used almost daily. but i do have a good electrical knowledge! if you go used check it is 230V some things listed as 3ph might be convertible as its really 400V single so jumpers can be changed on transformers. Really though you need a bit more that £200 by the time you have gas and helmet etc

 

[cumbriasteve]

Thanks very much Cumbriasteve. I've also been thinking about buying a used industrial welder. i don't have three phase electrics at my house so it would need to be 240V.

I'm not sure if a used industrial welder will have been abused or not? The chinese machines are quite tempting though, even if they do not always perform too well.

Your stumbling block is your budget of £200 and you are trying to work around it..that's fair enough, we all have budgets we have to stick to at times, unfortunately this time it could see you throwing good money away.

You will be very lucky to get a decent ex industrial for that money, if you have the skills to repair as madkayaker mentions then its maybe worth a gamble, without those skills it's very risky.

Don't be taken in by the sellers write up on the Chinese one's, there are some sold by the likes of R-Tech which are of better quality and guaranteed, some of the others have a high bottom amp setting and a high fail rate in the first few weeks, costing you a fair amount to send for repair, if that option is offered and you don't get fobbed off.

I still say your safest bet is a Clarke but its your money.. you pay and take the chance.

 

[Jimmyjangles]

Hi everyone, i've had to hold off buying a welder because of a few things going on but i'm now back on the lookout.
I've just seen this welder advertised, do you think it is worth spending my hard earned cash on? http://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.uk/product_view.php?id=15150
I've had a look at machine mart and Halfords and seen the welders that they have on offer but i'm getting confused - there are so many different ones to choose from all which seem to have different pros and cons.
I do really want to spend as little as possible but want to get the best machine i can. Can't help but look at the 'chinese' welders

Thanks folks.

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Hi the 'gasless' welders likt that are next to useless for beginners, i got my clarke 100e for £100 and tis a cracking little thing

 

[keith19]

"I'll be using it for repairs to cars and for repairs on gates and similar DIY things. I have a budget of around £200, and think i would be better to go for refillable gas bottles."

Be careful, don't jump on something that might not be suitable

The welder in your link is gasless only, so is going to be more difficult to use on thin metal, particularly car bodywork. It cannot use gas, so you will be stuck with gasless only.

It has very few settings, apart from wire speed, so making it even worse for thin metal. It might do for a few rough gate and fence repairs on metal only 2 - 2.5 mm thick, but maybe not much more. On the top end, note that the duty cycle is only 20% at 90Amps. That means 2 minutes welding of 2 - 2.5 mm steel in every 10 minutes, so not that good at the top end, either.

If you buy something wrong you will kick yourself when something good comes along, as you won't then be able to afford it. Have patience, continue to look around. Something a lot better than that thing will come along.

 

[Norm]

Jimmy I know its tempting to rush out and purchase, but please take the advice given to you so far and hold on for a quality machine, lots come up on the items for sale board here and you will have the reassurance that they are well looked after good spec machines.
Buy cheap and you will end up buying twice, that's if your frustration with the cheap machine does not put you off welding altogether.
Regards Norm