Garage Welder Recommendations

9outof10mms

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I may be in the market for a garage/homeowner welder. Not looking to start a business with it--first project may be to weld a go-kart frame together. I know how to weld (TIG and MIG). When it comes to tools, I like to buy quality, but on items like a welder that can get expensive quickly, I need to keep it in check.

I'd prefer one that can run off of a standard 120v outlet, but if there's a signifcant advantage of having a 208/240v plug installed to run one, I'd consider it.

I know a little about service rating. A 30% rating means it can weld for 3 minutes but needs to rest for 7 minutes (in a 10-minute cycle). I presume a 20-30% rating is good enough for my garage workshop endeavors. I don't forsee welding thick (greater than 1/2") steel.

Given the infrequent use this unit will see, I'd rather not have gas bottles sitting around the garage, so that means flux-core MIG welding.

Price-wise, I'd like to be in the $500 ballpark.

Any suggestions?
 
What he said........the smaller amp welders are fine for welding some 3/16, and great for most anything under that. Much heavier than that, its time to move up in amps. For around the house and the garage........the 110 volt models will do most anything your average person will need.
 
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I have a Hobart Handler 140 and it does everything I ask it to do and it does it well....

Miller parts appear to be interchangeable.

I’ve been considering one of the newer machines from HF that will run on 120 or 240 to experiment with stick and tig welding.

Only having one machine - 120V Hobart 140 or a comparable Miller mig machine are my choices.
 
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You guys are serious??? Harbor Freight no name brand is worthwhile???
 
You guys are serious??? Harbor Freight no name brand is worthwhile???

im only looking at the HF option because it’s cheap and I want to play with it. I’m a serious hobbyist, so my go to machine is a Hobart...
 
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You guys are serious??? Harbor Freight no name brand is worthwhile???
Yup. I've welded up to 3/4 with the stick on mine 5/8 with mig,actually with flux core wire, 3/8 with tig. I'm not sure if both lines have it , but the Vulcan has a 1 year no questions ask return for full warranty
 
You guys are serious??? Harbor Freight no name brand is worthwhile???
The omnipro 220 has a short mig gun lead ,10 ft, I found 15ft available but decided to buy a Lincoln 20ft. Plugged right in.

A friend has the same and needed a jumper to make the his off brand tig pedal work. Yup. Lincoln part again
 
The omnipro 220 has a short mig gun lead ,10 ft, I found 15ft available but decided to buy a Lincoln 20ft. Plugged right in.

A friend has the same and needed a jumper to make the his off brand tig pedal work. Yup. Lincoln part again
So you’re implying those machines are knock-offs of Lincolns?

I’m not above taking advantage of the Chinese knock-off market when it comes to this situation of not needing the best, but not wanting pure crap.
 
So you’re implying those machines are knock-offs of Lincolns?

I’m not above taking advantage of the Chinese knock-off market when it comes to this situation of not needing the best, but not wanting pure crap.

In searching for a welder that's what I came up with. The screen and programming is identical to the Lincoln 210mp
You are more than welcome to come run mine. I'm in denver


ETA
I'll even put the original mig gun back on it if you want
 
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You guys are serious??? Harbor Freight no name brand is worthwhile???

I have welded 1/4 plate with my titanium 125. Worked great. Good penetration and all. It’s a good welder for the $. Plus the inverter welders aren’t as heavy as a traditional one.


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I have a Lincoln promig 175 you are welcome to borrow. I haven’t used it in a couple years. I have a couple things I need to do to the Jeep at some point but other projects keep getting in the way. I plan to work on the Jeep this fall sometime.
 
I have a variety of welding equipment, including a Lincoln 210 MP. I really like that little Lincoln welder, and it will run off of either120 or 240.

Having said that, a lot of welders that I respect have nothing but good to say about the Horror Freight Vulcan line. It seems that a few years ago the kids forced out their father and brought a new quality focus to the company. They have been steadily improving the quality of their better brands of equipment.
 
I have a variety of welding equipment, including a Lincoln 210 MP. I really like that little Lincoln welder, and it will run off of either120 or 240.

Having said that, a lot of welders that I respect have nothing but good to say about the Horror Freight Vulcan line. It seems that a few years ago the kids forced out their father and brought a new quality focus to the company. They have been steadily improving the quality of their better brands of equipment.
I had noticed that HF seems to be upping their game recently.
 
I have the omnipro 220 and absolutely love it.

I may go this route, been wanting to pick up a 120/220 mig that I can toss in the truck if I need to do something away from the shop. Adding tig would be a plus. I'm assuming these are either scratch or lift start on the tig side, if they were HF start I imagine that would have been listed on the web page.

Looks like a nice machine, curious to see what kind of repair/parts support they have.
 
I've 3 Millers, I trust Miller & Lincoln. I've a Millermattic 211, it runs better on 220V.
Horror Freight is one of our customers in SC, and they spend a lot of $ with us.. I still will do my damnest to not send my $ to support the Chicom govt. Consider their don't give a damn about people, safety, lies, and how they've damaged the world's economy and way of life.
Save the world and find a used Miller/Lincoln if you want to save $.
 
For the 110v welders, what size breaker is needed to power it? I see a variable moderate output that ranges to well over 100 on most. Surely I don’t need. 100A 110V outlet! Is a 110v 30 OK? I’d likely put it on its own breaker.
 
For the 110v welders, what size breaker is needed to power it? I see a variable moderate output that ranges to well over 100 on most. Surely I don’t need. 100A 110V outlet! Is a 110v 30 OK? I’d likely put it on its own breaker.
Good question, my 120v Lincoln specs a 20 amp circuit. The transformer or inverter in the welder drops the voltage at the output and the current goes up. Output voltage varies from 35-80 volts depending on the welder model and the process.

Edit: I got my Lincoln from IOC, refurbished from trade shows, Lincoln puts the main board inside an all new housing with all new accessories, three year warranty.
 
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For the 110v welders, what size breaker is needed to power it? I see a variable moderate output that ranges to well over 100 on most. Surely I don’t need. 100A 110V outlet! Is a 110v 30 OK? I’d likely put it on its own breaker.

Most of the 120vac welding machines require a 20a circuit.
 
For the 110v welders, what size breaker is needed to power it? I see a variable moderate output that ranges to well over 100 on most. Surely I don’t need. 100A 110V outlet! Is a 110v 30 OK? I’d likely put it on its own breaker.
20 is fine. If you get one that runs over about 125 amps I'd go with a 30 because it may trip the 20.
 
For the 110v welders, what size breaker is needed to power it? I see a variable moderate output that ranges to well over 100 on most. Surely I don’t need. 100A 110V outlet! Is a 110v 30 OK? I’d likely put it on its own breaker.
30 works fine for me, and I am on a subpanel 100 feet from the main breaker.
 
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