Good Cheap Welders

[findmuck]

I want to learn to weld so im looking in investing in a decent cheap welder (such as Harbor Freight) just to learn. I'm not posting as a chance to get criticized or have 700 people say; "Just buy a $900 welder, it'll be way better for welding your seat brackets firmly" lol. I just want something to learn with and do small jobs here and there. If i get into welding things myself and have to do more heavy duty jobs, i will do my research and invest in GOOD welder. If you are near Torrance CA and have a cheap welder, let me know. The welder is for all of MOONSPEED! (Car crew, friends). 

Thank you!  :thumbup:

[DanielC]

Is there a community college you could possibiy take a night class from?   You will learn far more, much faster than, just buying something cheap, and plugging it in.

More importantly, ther class will allow you to network with A LOT of people who may know of a used good quality name brand welder for sale.

 

You can also YouTube  "welding" and get a lot of advise there.

[findmuck]

Is there a community college you could possibiy take a night class from?   You will learn far more, much faster than, just buying something cheap, and plugging it in.

More importantly, ther class will allow you to network with A LOT of people who may know of a used good quality name brand welder for sale.

 

You can also YouTube  "welding" and get a lot of advise there.

The community college i go to offers welding and automotive courses at night, but between work and school (full time school + part time work) i just don't have the time. Plus my brother knows how to weld somewhat and i'm pretty sure i can find some valuable information on the web. Thanks for the advice, if i free up some time or maybe during my winter break, I might just pick up one of those classes!

[tr8er]

I had a pretty bad relationship with a Hobart that I ended abruptly.  So I recommend not Hobart.  

[Cpl620]

Funny, I was going to recommend a hobart. The 110 series all can run gas or fluxcore. Decent price too.

[Busta Nut]

Good and cheap cannot be combined when looking for a welder......

 

I've found you get what you pay for........

....I don't weld.....

.........but have people that do....with a few different welders.....

 

........cheap ones are cheap......good ones are not.........

 

 

[Cpl620]

Its true. On top of that, starting out welding.is just no cheap, shit is expensive, thats just part of it. A $400 range welder is going to be as "cheap" as you want to to because anything under that will probably blow up on you. Once you start welding however, you will, without a doubt see that a good welder is worth its weight in gold.

 

Its not like a car company trying to sell some shit for 50k their competitors are selling for half the price, because its "made in america." Welders are just plain expensive.

[findmuck]

Its true. On top of that, starting out welding.is just no cheap, shit is expensive, thats just part of it. A $400 range welder is going to be as "cheap" as you want to to because anything under that will probably blow up on you. Once you start welding however, you will, without a doubt see that a good welder is worth its weight in gold.

 

Its not like a car company trying to sell some shit for 50k their competitors are selling for half the price, because its "made in america." Welders are just plain expensive.

Ok guys, well I guess i better start saving

[bananahamuck]

I love my Hobart 120,, it's been going since i would guess 1990-91  but they moved the factory so i think the ones you get now aren't built by the same company..   And like almost everything these days,,,  they fuck you at the drive thru.

 

Don't ever buy a Harbor Fright wire feeder ,, they don't do anything but throw sparks.  As mentioned before take a community college night class in welding,,,,, i can guarantee you will have fun learning . and it is relatively cheap .

[flatcat19]

Night class is your best bet.

Cheaper than a cheap welder too.

[Duke]

I would recommend a used one.  You can find good deals on CL for used welders.  Personally I would stick to the big 2 (Lincoln and Miller), but I have heard good things about a few other brands as well.  Most "cheap" welders won't last very long, and when they do break, the costumer service is going to most likely be shitty as well.

[qwik510]

Good and cheap cannot be combined when looking for a welder......

 

 

........Good ones are not Cheap..............Cheap ones are not Good.....

 

 

 

 

 

There you go, I fixed it  :thumbup:

[datzenmike]

The stick welders are the most inexpensive but soooooo outdated. Get a wire feed welder. The 120 volt plug ins are good for body sheet metal but every time something comes up that needs welding you'll wish you had gotten something with more penetration. I have a 180 amp 220 volt and is above the minimum cheaper ones. I don't do much welding, if I did I would know to get something bigger, but for what I need it's a Cadillac.

[shacks510]

You'd be a fool to use it for more than fixing something like body panels. Booger welds won't suffice for much.

[Farmer Joe]

well i ended up with a harbor freight welder. 

 

its a chicago electric brand. uses 220v. has gas hookups. 

 

they were like $200 new and can run up to .035 wire no problem. 

 

its got manual power range switches on the front. low high, and 1 and 2 for each. 

 

works great with flux core. im gonna buy a regulator here soon ro run CO2 and regular wire. 

[wayno]

I also started with a Harbor Freight mig welder like the one Farmer mentioned above, I bought it in the 90s, I made my 521 kingcab with it, and it is still around today, but............. getting parts for it other than tips is a bitch, and you do have to buy the tips from HF, any part on the welder has to be bought from HF and you have to know the part number, as the folks that work there know nothing, wire can be bought anywhere.

I think that HF welder is great, but as I said, I bought it in the 90s.

It is kinda heavy, but has wheels, and you need them, as the lead is about 8 feet, so you have to wheel it to the work.

I now have a Miller suitcase welder that I use all the time, I like it a lot, but have had one issue with it, the liner went bad, and it goes threw tips like crazy, my HF has never went through a liner, and the tips last forever, but I went to the welding supply place and bought a liner for the miller and installed in a few hours, you have to wait for the HF parts to arrive.

[Draker]

Covered a million times. Search... There are threads that explain it all.

[Farmer]

eastwood 135

[Z-train]

Topic title is an oxymoron.

[datzenmike]

Like mechanics... pick two but the third isn't.... Good, cheap, fast

[Draker]

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

 

Good, cheap.. reviews speak for themselves. 3 year no hassle return policy.

 

Lock thread.

[Mattndew76]

I went Craftsman MIG single phase 120 with a micro tank n reg pack.  $550.00 in 2005. Has done lots of welds. Will run FLX/core and solid/Gas.. It does great for sheet metal work.

 

I also have -  http://www.eastwood.com/tig200dc-welder.html - and haven't unpacked it yet, but seen ZERO complaints about this company.

[yellowdatsun]

I assume you want a mig........

 

Welders are one of those things where the term, "you get what you pay for", applies 100%. Cheap welders are crap. I've been welding since high school, I'm 40 now, and even did it for a job for a couple years.

 

Stick with a big brand name like Lincoln and Miller. This is for a few reasons, but the main reason is this: If something does break, you can get replacement parts at your local welding supply store *today* so you can finish your project, and not wait a week for it to be delivered.

 

The newer Hobarts aren't good anymore, the older ones are very good.

 

If you want affordable, the Lincolns from Home Depot are one of the best in that price range. The Weld-Pak series is what I used up until recently.

 

A 110v welder works just fine for almost everything you'll want to do. The 220v ones are better units, but they also cost more.

 

Make sure that the unit you buy either comes with a gas kit, or at least has the ability to be converted to use gas later. Using shielding gas makes the welds look WAY prettier. Otherwise you'll be using inner-core shielded wire, which leaves slag over the weld, which you have to use a hammer to chip off. It's a pain, and ugly.