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110v welders

rick88blaze

rick88blaze

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I am wanting to get a welder this winter. I would like to get a 220V welder, but I live in base housing I don't really feel like spending the time and money to run 220 up to my garage on a house I don't own. So I have been looking at 110V welders at harbor freight. I will be buying this on a budget and I do understand that 110v welders don't weld as well as a 220V welder. This welder is more so I can teach myself how to weld more than anything. If I have a big welding job, I have a friend who will do it for some beer. :thumb:

Anyways, which would work better for a 110v welder, a flux core wire mig welder or an arc welder. Here are 2 examples of what I am looking at. wire feed arc welder

Thanks in advance as always, :bow:
Rick
 
I use a 110V Mig here in base housing. Trips the breaker about once a day but i just reset it. Easy to learn to weld with it too. I did have a little stick exp. though.
 
I haven't touched a welder in about 17 years. My dad was going to teach me then our barn burnt up with the welder in it, and he didn't buy a new one until after I joined the service. When I started high school, my school cut those classes out.

How do you like it so far? I plan on doing some work on my K5 with it, like moving my rear shock mounts up, making a front tube bumper, maybe replacing some body panels and just messing around too. I'm going to get some scrap metal to play with first.
 
A 110 mig will work for all of that. We had a nice TIG/MIG/ARC on the ship that ran off of 440 or 220. However it weighed in at around eleventy-billion pounds. It was fun to play with though. Nicer beads than my little 110.

I would love to have a TIG but everytime i have tried to use one, I sucked at it.
 
a 110v will work fine. i would just reccomend that you use a gas one though. much cleaner and stronger welds. c'mon, TIG welding is a piece of cake...actually i just know how to TIG weld mild steel and aluminum. but just make sure if you get one of those 110v or 115v wirefeed welders, spend a little money on some good wire and a bottle of your favorite gas.
 
That's some good advice. About two years ago, I bout a $200 Craftsman el-cheapo non-gas wire welder on e-bay. Got it for $100 which wasn't a bad deal. It does the job, but I wish I would have sprang for something a little nicer, at least a gas welder. I just PCSed and bought a house and I'm getting 220 put in the garage, so I'm going to get something really nice. I just don't know what yet.
 
I would say that if you are on a tight budget look for one that can have gas added to it later if you want. That's what I've got and it works pretty well for what I'm doing. Doesn't weld as smoothly as a 220 would but for most purposes it will suffice.

Unless you are planning on welding heavy duty/thick steel then I wouldn't get an ARC/Stick welder. They are easy to use but for most purposes they will just burn through the steel. Go for a MiG with a gas option and you'll be happy. :o
 
gas and 110V welders arnt much good unless your welding sheetmetal.
I have a Lincoln pro-mig 135 and I like it. 1/4" is about its max. I use flux core wire, sure it is pretty dirty but it welds very nice and is was stronger then a gas weld using this welder.
I have tried using the flux with sheetmetal and even on its lower setting it will still burn through, so thats when I switch to gas which welds VERY nice there.
 
A few years ago, I bought the exact same Harbor Freight wire feed welder that you are looking at. It's a piece of garbage, don't waste your money on it. Don't expect to lay a decent bead with those machines because you don't get much more than a booger weld. I'm running a Lincoln 100 MIG, which doesn't cost much more than that unit.
 
K10bolts said:
A few years ago, I bought the exact same Harbor Freight wire feed welder that you are looking at. It's a piece of garbage, don't waste your money on it. Don't expect to lay a decent bead with those machines because you don't get much more than a booger weld. I'm running a Lincoln 100 MIG, which doesn't cost much more than that unit.
Click to expand...

I started out with a lincoln weld-pak 100, which I later converted to gas. Anything that can run on 120 but can't run on 220 is probably crap. For that matter, anything that doesn't have infinitely variable voltage (as opposed to 4 heat settings like most have) is probably crap.

My opinion - get an engine drive. Alternatively, get a generator that puts out 220 and a bigger welder. Here's a pic of my baby, a lincoln Ranger 10-LX with a 23 horse kubota diesel. does 250A mig tig or stick depending on whats attached:

rangerpic.jpg
 
I picked up a little Hobart 135 when I was stationed at Altus. It worked great for base housing use and was small enough that it wasn't a problem when we moved around. I added a gas bottle and the welder has worked great for everything I've used it on.
 
I've got an old Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 that runs on 110 volts. It works fine for about 99% of the stuff that I want to do. If you're planning to build your own 3/8's inch bumpers, just use the small one to tack things into place and then have someone with a big welder finish it up for you.

You need gas and thin wire to do sheet metal work though. As stated above, flux core burns through sheet metal very easily. :(
 
I have a Lincoln ProMig 135 and love it. Someday I'll get a 220v welder when I have the cash. According to Linocln my 135 is good to 1/4" with Flux and single pass.

I'd spend a little more on a Lincoln, Hobart, Miller and skip the Harbor Freight unit...
 
Thanks for all of advance guys, I'll probably stay away from harbor freight now. I'll take all of this into consideration when I go to buy one. :bow: :bow:

Rick
 
look for a used miller or lincoln 135. something that will do flux and mig. infinite voltage is nice, but not absolutly nessesary if you get a lincoln. stay away from the HF junk. wire feed is the easiest to learn and the most versitle. a little junk stick welder isnt good for much. ive seen used lincoln mig w/ bottles for under 300 in the local paper. bottle alone will cost around 100.
 
Hey easy on the little welders, they have there place. I've worked maintence in a purina chow plant using the baddest mig, tig, stick and gas welders and I know the difference. But at home in my 110vt. garage my little lincoln 100 weld pack w/ the gas option rocks. It's handy for all kinds of stuff you just have to know it's limitations.It's not "crap".
 
There are good little welders out there. I bought a Hobart 130XL about 4 years ago and have welded quite a bit with it since then. Haven't used the gas option on it yet, would like it someday. Nice thing about flux core is you don't have to worry about a windy day blowing your gas cover away.

The little welder was small enough to carry into the woods and with a 5000watt generator was able to repair a small foot bridge. I've built an entire snowmobile trailer with it, welded my 3.5" exhaust together on my motorhome and even built the towbar for my 7,000lb Dodge/Cummins. All while using .030(or .035") wire, heavier stuff just needed extra passes.

That little thing has went thru some wire for sure. The last project I welded long enough to get the gas cone glowing red :eek1: . Burned up my share of tips too.
 
First of all. If you want a 110V welder get a MIG.
I have a Clark 130 turbo weld too and really like it. I have a Lincoln 130 at work and I like My Clark better. Basicly because the Clark is a no brainer welder. It just works good. Even if the voltage and wire feed isnt set right. I have had my Clarke for over 10 years. Only thing i have replaced is tips and a liner. The Lincoln is more touchy but will give a little cleaner welds when set right. Both have about the same duty cycle. But Lincoln also cost a lot more than a Clarke. I also have some VREY nice Miller Migs Tigs and Plasma cutters, and can do most anything i want to do with them.. They cost $$$
But were talking economy in this post..............
Jees i hate it when someone asks what a good 110V welder is. And someone always just has to come in and say what crap 110v welders are..... Well maby if you think 110 is crap you should try honeing up your welding skills and learn how to use a welder.
With Gas i can weld sheet metal up to 3/8" no problem and even thicker with proper prep and gringing, with my Clark 130, lay smooth beads on steel or stainless and weld aluiminum (altho not very pretty.)
I will agree that the HF welder you posted is garbage.Spend some more money and get a better welder.
This will serve your basic needs.http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingdepot/WE6523.html?id=pvnv7hCD
Also check at Home Depo they have good deals on Migs.
 
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