So I've decided to buy a welder. Some help for a newbie please.

[TulTrak]

I've fancied getting a mig for a while but after several welding bills for my car I don't think that day can come soon enough.

I've only used a mig once before when I was offered a go by a friend. It was dark, his helmet was the most basic kind, handheld even, and I really shouldn't have been trying to use it. I will be learning from scratch, and I would like your advice on selecting the equipment to make this difficult process as painless as possible.

I don't want to compromise on price, but equally I don't need pro equipment. My budget is £350, for everything to get me welding. If there's some left, great.

This list so far:

Mig welder
Mask (nice auto darkening I assume)
Gauntlets
Overalls (need some garage overalls anyway, I'd like something fire retardant)
Wire and gas to get me started

My intended use is for car repairs and related fabrication. Low current for thin sheet is a must but I'd also like to be able to experiment with some box and tube for rock sliders/bumpers.

I'm looking for the most versatile, easy to use and reliable unit I can get for my money. I'm guessing I won't be left with more than £250 for the actual welder. If I don't need to spend this much to get what I need, then I don't want to.

I'm open to buying second hand, but in this case as I don't have much experience with welders I'm not sure what problems I could end up with.

That should be enough info to go off for now, so I welcome any suggestions

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Rig Pig]

Avoid cheap Chinese stuff, a decent second hand MIG is far superior in all respects, make sure you see it working, avoid 3 ph machines (unless you have 3 phase at home?) if you search for any machine make on the forum you will find lots of useful info from people who have actually used them, very helpful stuff on machines to avoid!

 

[cumbriasteve]

I guess the Clarke 150 would be my suggestion, about as good as you will get reflecting your budget, if your box section or tube work is at 3mm wall thickness then even the Clarke 135 will manage well.

New is nice, second hand can also be very good, there are some excellent bargains around but you MUST have a demo of the machine producing nice welds before handing over the cash.

Also Clarke machines are in two ranges the old and the new, the old are still available to buy, the newer range tend to be cheaper, with a higher lower setting (not great for car work) and made in China, this may be ok though, not heard any strong negatives about the newer models.

 

[TulTrak]

Thanks for your replies.

I'd really rather get something that wasn't made in China.

Two more questions:

I notice a lot welders go down to 30A, but how useful is it to have one that goes below 30A, do you guys often go below 30? For example could I weld exhaust with 30A?

If I could increase my budget within reason, what would you then recommend and what would I get out of spending a little more?

Thanks again

 

[Rig Pig]

Low amps and 0.6 wire are ideal for thin metal for car body repairs, I can't offer much advice on new welders as my kit is all 20+ years old! But as I said earlier have a look at the posts on here before you buy anything, there are some rubbish machines out there from what people have posted on here. My MIG is a Snapon ( rebadged Cebora ) 130A that has served me very well, they come up on eBay quite cheaply now.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I'd really rather get something that wasn't made in China.

You will struggle then:

I doubt you will find much that is not made in China or has components made in China and assembled perhaps in Germany, Italy or the UK etc.

It's not where it's made, it's how it's made that's important, there are a lot of very satisfied R-Tech owners here including myself, want to have a guess where the machines are made.

 

[ukracer]

Check this out. The best part is the 6 months interest free credit in my opinion , plus the 2 year collect and repair warranty. You get what you pay for I have found and paying less will mean its not as easy to get decent welds.

 

[Dicky-Art]

excellent vid!

 

[jackjosh]

Second hand Clarke 150 will do you, ask to see it working or better still take someone with a bit of knowledge with you for a look, even when I got my Portamig I did not let my 150 go!

 

[TulTrak]

I doubt you will find much that is not made in China or has components made in China and assembled perhaps in Germany, Italy or the UK etc.

OK fair enough.

I must say a Clarke 150 or 151 does seem to fit my requirements very well. Dose anyone know the difference between the 150 and 151?

The R-Tech looks very nice, but is substantially more expensive! Apart from the extra 30A, what else would I get for that extra £110 (cost new)? I can see it has a euro torch and can do MMA, is it also a nicer machine to use? And how much better is euro torch really? I've seen a lot of people on here converting to it but I don't really understand why.

Thanks again

[EDIT] I'm not sure about the euro torch on the R-Tech 180 now, but I'd still like to know why it's considered better. Thanks

 

[sardine]

Check this out. The best part is the 6 months interest free credit in my opinion , plus the 2 year collect and repair warranty. You get what you pay for I have found and paying less will mean its not as easy to get decent welds.

What kind of crazy moonman language is this ?

 

[pedrobedro]

What kind of crazy moonman language is this ?

Invertah mig weldah with .8 wyah sounds like Lincoln or Leicester to me

 

[ukracer]

I doubt you will find much that is not made in China or has components made in China and assembled perhaps in Germany, Italy or the UK etc.

Apart from the extra 30A, what else would I get for that extra £110 (cost new)?

quality IGBT http://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/inverter-welders.php

Plus the ability to pay over 6 months at no extra cost.

Plus a warranty that collects and repairs and delivers back ALL at no cost to you.

You can also extend that warranty after the two year one is up.

I find it a lot easier to weld with and the ability to set the dials at any increment rather than a switch with 4 or 5 settings is a godsend.

 

[TulTrak]

OK well if these more expensive machines will acheive better welds and be easier to learn on I'm willing to consider them.

The R-tech 180 is definitely on my list now. Another option I would like to throw in there at the same price is the i-Tech MIG150.

I cannot find a single mention of it in any forums or any reviews, but it looks very nice on paper. Has euro torch, will go down to 20A (which might be more useful than the extra 30A the R Tech 180 has at the top end??) and there is also 2 years parts and labour warranty, although no collection).

What do you guys think between these two?

Thanks

 

[PTvor]

OK well if these more expensive machines will acheive better welds and be easier to learn on I'm willing to consider them.

The R-tech 180 is definitely on my list now. Another option I would like to throw in there at the same price is the i-Tech MIG150.

I cannot find a single mention of it in any forums or any reviews, but it looks very nice on paper. Has euro torch, will go down to 20A (which might be more useful than the extra 30A the R Tech 180 has at the top end??) and there is also 2 years parts and labour warranty, although no collection).

What do you guys think between these two?

Thanks

I believe that IFL 150 machine has only just been put on the market, and that's why you won't find any reviews.

Just glancing at it, I'd say that the R-Tech was the better buy, better warranty, better duty cycles, the option to use MMA.

 

[TulTrak]

I'm leaning towards the R-Tech 180 now. I am concerned however that I'll be paying for the MMA features which I don't really need. Is this likly to have added much cost to the mig or worse, impacted on its quality?

And to clarify. I can expect to make better and easier welds with the R-Tech 180 than a Clarke 151 or 160?

Thanks

 

[Wozzaaah]

What kind of crazy moonman language is this ?

Invertah mig weldah with .8 wyah sounds like Lincoln or Leicester to me

He's a forum member.

 

[ukracer]

I'm leaning towards the R-Tech 180 now. I am concerned however that I'll be paying for the MMA features which I don't really need. Is this likly to have added much cost to the mig or worse, impacted on its quality?

And to clarify. I can expect to make better and easier welds with the R-Tech 180 than a Clarke 151 or 160?

Thanks

IMHO yes. I can anyway........... and I am not a good welder. No even without MMA it would be almost the same price,...just and extra piece of plastic and wire..

 

[TulTrak]

Well having doubled my original £350 budget I am now ready to go with an R-Tech MIG 180. Let's see how this goes. Thanks all for your advice, I may be needing more of it soon!

 

[Badbusboy]

Tultrak, not to confuse you, but have you considered a Portamig, since one of your criteria was reliability and serviceability? By the way Sardine, Doubleboost is obviously a Magpie fan (Geordie)!