Lincoln, miller ? I've been shopping around and was just looking for some general input for an all round good restoration welder

ESAB.
The best there is.

I have a millermatic 175, love it. It runs on 220 though. You can get a 110v welder and that should take care of any welding you will do on your car, I would strongly suggest a gas setup rather than running flux core.

Lincoln, miller, hobart.. There all good. A nice 110 true gas MIG is all you really need. .23 wire if you do mainly bodywork / rust repair. .30 wire if you see thicker stuff (1/8"+) occasionally.

I have a 220 outlet built in my garage so thats not an issue ....the miller looks like a good setup

I'm not a welder (yet) - but I was looking at this for price, 110v, infinite heat & infinite wire speed, and comes with the gas regulator

Eastwood MIG135

220 is unnecessary for most welding. A 110 box is just convenient and works great. I ran a Lincoln 135 for years, Did everything.

That eastwood welder is a bargain for what you get!!

I just bought a lincoln 'handy mig' to do the teener sheet metal repairs ............ it is rated to 1/8" metal thickness .............. but for around the same price ..... the eastwood mig you mentioned goes to 1/4" .............

I also have a Lincoln TIG 175 that has served me well for a couple decades of hobby welding, however this one is designated to the work shop, is 220V and bulky to move around ........... thus the aquisition of the 'handy mig' ........

Miller's are easy to set up, and give a good weld no matter how you set the heat and speed [within reason] . . My experience with Lincolns are they are more difficult to set the dials to get a good consistent weld. .

I have 3 millers. . an old Miller 35 mig from the 1980's that has been bullet proof, and Miller 180 tig and a Miller 675 Plasma cutter. . . None have ever given me any problems with reasonable care and use. . I've used other Lincolns and they ALL have been 'touchy' to get a good weld. . Stick with a 220 volt unit . . use only solid core wire and CO2 for shielding gas is fine. . 110 volt units are for people who don't have 220 and only want to do sheet metal. . they are a compromise between 'convenience and performance'. . never know when you'll want to make a deeper weld. . . 110 units won't penetrate.

There is a guy on EBay that sells Millers dirt cheap with free shipping and no tax. . . I'd rather buy locally so I took those prices to my local Miller dealer and he matched the price. .

Been looking at this one myself
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/pro...32691_200332691

If not, ill get this one..
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/pro...06073_200306073

^^ either of those will work fine !!! but from what I can tell both of them have 4 fixed heat/amp settings. The Eastwood 135 has infinite amp control which gives one a tad more versatility.

Looks like they have a sale on them too!!

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Check out the buyer reviews and if you are planning on heavy long term use ........... also factor in any warranties and product support.

The infinite amperage control is a must have IMHO, it allows you to dial in the best setting for the two metals you are welding. If you have lots of experience, then your skills can help, but if you are new to welding then you need all the adjustments you can get.

Don't buy a welder without the shielding gas regulator/hookup.

I have an Eastwood 175, and am a beginner at welding, after figuring out how not to loosen the wire tension while wire is fed, it is very easy to operate. It came with a spool gun to do aluminum work. Been very happy so far with it. Must get an auto dark helmet as well, it will do wonders for your welds...

Millermatic 140 with auto-set. I don't use the auto-set much at all but LOVE the welder. SOOOO much easier than the flux-core Century I had been using for years.

i bought a century(lincoln) 180amp mig that came with gas regulator, cart, and wire for $350.00. plugs into 110 and is more than ample for anything on 914 sheetmetal. very versatile machine at what i thought was a great price. fwiw.

I have heard of great results from people who brought scotty b home.

Make sure your wife is out of town though.

I have a little Lincoln with the MIG pack.

I got a Millermatic 211. Works great. It works with either 230 or 115. I use mostly just the 115 for bodywork but if I need to do anything heavy duty I have the option. I found the Auto-set feature works fine with heavier stuff but when you are doing thin bodywork the settings were too much. Kept blowing holes. I'm not the best at welding so it might have been my lack of skill but I had to use custom settings. Once I got it dialed in it work awesome. The welding class I took used all Miller equipment and the instructor said it was the best and I have been to many professional shops and Miller seams to be the preferred brand.

After researching welders for my 914, I ended up buying the Hobart Handler 140:
http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/handler140/

It is basically a Miller, just a budget version.

Plugs into a conventional outlet (110) and can weld almost anything on the 914 body. It comes ready for gas also, all you need is to provide the tank.

Millermatic 135. Runs on 110V which is very handy around the garage or wheeled to a friend's house. The heaviest metal I've welded on my 914 is 14Ga and this thing works just fine.

Agree with the continuous feed and power adjustment for us novices.

I have the same and did all repairs on my teener with it and would never part.
Great machine!

Good luck!

Steph

I never welded before also. I bought the Millermatic 140 with autoset. I also had to take it off the autoset for sheet as I was burning through. I think I have itdialed in now and my welds are improving. It only took me one day to do the hell hole! Great welder and I am glad I made the extra investment. Got the gas rig and cart too. My new best friend.

I bought a Hobart 140 to do the flares, Engman kit and various other chassis stiffening items on my 914 it worked great. Miller/Hobart are sister divisions and good quality. I suggest you go to a local weld shop and see what they sell. Never hurts to buy local just in case you need service. Plus buying parts local is great if you run out of an item in mid project. But to be honest most of the wear items like tips are universal and can be purchased anywhere.

-Infinite adjustment is a must.
-Gas regulator/gauges is a must.
-Auto helmet it a must.
-If you don't get a 220v, you'll be kicking yourself later, I did.
-Shielding gas tanks are expensive, buy online and get refilled locally.
-Harbor Freight cart is dirt cheap but buy better casters before you put it together.
-I had a lincoln 110v that I got on clearance. Outgrew it quickly. Sold it for more than I paid for it. Bought an Eastwood 175 for $75 more than the little Lincoln and love the thing. I now build Jeep body armor with it and it has plenty of nuts for the job.

For sheet metal, I use a Miller 140, 110VAC, MIG, with and without shielding gas. .023 MIG wire is a good size for joining 20G. steel. For structural steel I use my homemade arc welder.

One more thing: I'm a CSOB, but I put my heavy coin in the most local establishment Can find. Eastwood, Home Depot and Lowes DO NOT sell gas. You will need gas to make those tidy butt welds you see in pictures.

Millermatic 135 is the undisputed king of value vs options and ease of operation. in addition to the features mentioned before, it has tip sensing which saves the tip from shorting out if you get too close. they are abundant on teh used market and available cheap. 110 VAC is everywhere, 220 is not. the main difference is duty cycle. you need a 220 machine if your going to weld all day

I think I'm going to get one of these welders too. It seems as though everyone likes the Hobart Handler 140.

http://strongpowertools.com/hobart-handler...-welder-review/

some say easy grind wire is the HOT LICK

C" target="_blank">https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/einstein....::6:UNDEF:::C

3/4 down page >> ESAB SpoolArc & All-State Easy Grind

I use a millermatic 150, Older than dirt, 220v

Works great for everything from sheet metal to 3/8"

A auto helmet is a must

Had a 110v Dayton and hated it, no duty cycle (10%)

I used Easy-Grind at a buddy's place. Great stuff but really hard to find here in Canada.

I'm buying a factory reconditioned Hobart 140 for $405 after tax & shipping. Best deal I've found in the past few years. Here's a link

http://www.hobartweldshop.com/servlet/the-...-welders/Detail

Just bought the Eastwood 135 for $330 shipped to my house. I've been watching it since this thread got bumped and the price has been going back and forth between $350 and $300, just saw it back down to $300 so I jumped on it. Fixing rust on my rabbit in hopes that it will finally get it sold!

Where are you guys getting tanks of gas from? Is there a place to get it all, or should I get it separately? Typical price for the tank, and the gas fill up

I have a Canox firefly 135, which is just a re-badged Miller 135 it's served me well for over 20 years now.
Gas is a must, buy your tank if you can, leasing is a money grab scam. I got mine at Tractor Supply (here called TSC Stores) they just exchange the tank and if you ever give it up they buy the tank back.

I got mine by calling a bunch of welding repair places, to see if they had anything refurbished, or that someone didn't pick up.

I think I paid $200 for my Miller 135...and the guy spent a lot of time with me that day, teaching me how to weld with it. THAT was worth more than the cash I spent on the welder!

Great little welder. Did everything I needed. Never-used Craigslist purchase included cart, helmet, crag hammer, regulator and two sets of gloves for $400.

I bought my Lincoln at Home Depot. It came with the gas kit. Its 220 and there is no need to bring it anywhere since the closest 914 is 75 miles away

Millermatic 211 with autoset. Can run on either 220 or 120. It's amazing. My old Lincoln 100 crapped the bed. Can weld 24 gauge or 3/8" fixing my trailer.

I got a Lincoln 110 HD Mig at Home Depot and I'm happy with it. follow the gauge guide for proper settings for power and feed and its great.

Just wanted to say thanks! I almost have everything I need and I havent spent $500 yet. Just need a cart and a helmet and Im done!! Tell me more about the HF cart and the caster mod you guys were mentioning earlier

Get a good auto darkening helmet.

Makes it much easier.

You can't make good welds if you can't see what you are doing.

I used a 50 dollar northern tool one for a year befoe getting a 450 dollar speed glass.

The difference is like night and day.

Get it, night and day?

John

The HF cart will work for about 3 weeks and the front casters fall apart!

I bought some high quality casters and and bolted them in, now it will last years!

I always thought that one of those laws like "you can't turbo a type 4", dictates that the first thing you do with your new welder is "build" a cart.

I would agree with that except, when you figure in the discount coupons at HF you can purchase the cart and new casters for way less than $40! It would cost you more than $40 to purchase the material, gas & wire to complete the cart and it won't be powder coated!

But building the cart is a great way to learn how your welder works.

My cart looks like crap (one of my first projects), but it has worked for me for years.
Zach

Just saw the Eastwood 135 with a auto darkening helmet on Ebay for $349.
Seems hard to beat
http://www.ebay.com/itm/360866929719?_trks...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Read the customer comments.
They seem to have a high rate of Dead On Arrival units.

I was looking at the Eastwood plasma cutter / MIG 135 combo. But the reviews on the plasma cutter scared me off.

The Lincoln 110v HD MIG unit is fantastic.
Does it all.

I use straight CO2 for everything.

Hmm...
Eastwood 135 DOES have infinite controls. I hadn't heard anything about dead on arrival reports
Addedum-I read through the ebay negative reports (rated 99.8 with 121801 products sold of various items). Of the some 60 negative reports over the last year I saw a handful in reference to the welders.
Have there been reports within our community about this company that I don't know about?

Quite a bit more expensive though

What is?

Actually I stand corrected. About the same price (on Ebay at least). I like the Eastwood over the Lincoln as the Eastwood has infinite adjustment while the Lincoln has 4 settings only. Matter of preference I reckon.