Thread: Combo Welders

I've got a MIG 200 and couldn't be happier with it.

Originally Posted by zuffen

I've got a MIG 200 and couldn't be happier with it.

Great - have you been using both mig and stick functions? If mig gas or gasless?


Have you had to buy any accessories or extras that didn't come with the unit?

MIG only as I have a stick welder and I never think to use the stick function ont he 200.

I haven't got brave enough to try TIG but I will one day.

I'm on my third E sized bottle in 8 months and haven't tried gasless.

I reckon the unimig is the weakest one there (very heavy and draws quite a bit of current)
I'm haven't seen the mig 200 so for me its an unknown
The cig looks good and is light and as a mig its performs well I've heard in stick its not up to much cigweld know about this so that problem might be fixed by now but at less than a grand probably ok
this one looks interesting if its priced right
bigweld.com.au. Treo 1600 Synergic
(I don't know who big weld are and am not associated with them I came across this machine because I have no life, but I do like new gadgety things )

Treo looks interesting but I couldn't find much about the barand/quality etc so if anyone has some input that would be great.

Also a local tools supplies shop reccomended a Weldmaster Mig 182P - anyone have experience with weldmaster brand? They told me it was very good (shop also sells Lincoln and said if straigh Mig go the Lincoln 180c but for a combo unit go the weldmaster) but I would like a non-biased opinion if anyone has one?

I have a 185c. It welds very well and will easily do 6mm in a single pass. I have had to have the fan replaced under warranty but they were very easy to deal with. I chose the 185c because of its simplicity and because it was a transformer welder, being 800 cheaper also helped.

Originally Posted by two up

I have a 185c.

Two-up, not sure which make you are refereing to? Do you mean a lincoln 180c mig welder?

Sorry if I have missed the obvious.

Weldmaster 185c. I looked at the 182p very nice unit but beyond my price range and requirements.

Can I change my mind on the unimig 190 inverter
With a spool gun included for around $1100.00 it looks like good value

Originally Posted by dubman

Can I change my mind on the unimig 190 inverter
With a spool gun included for around $1100.00 it looks like good value

You can always change your mind

Originally Posted by dubman

Can I change my mind on the unimig 190 inverter
With a spool gun included for around $1100.00 it looks like good value

Having used several UNIMIGS I would put them somewhere below rubbing two pieces of wire together and trying to weld with them.
One question. Why do you want a spool gun?
That suggests Aluminium work, (they are not really necessary for this anyway). In which case I think you will be handicapping yourself with a 180-190 amp machine if more than a few short runs is envisaged. Particularly a UNIMIG.
It may seem an attractive deal with several "goodies" thrown in for not much extra, just be careful that the end result is not just a larger pile of manure to offload.
While its true that you can get a reasonable mig for not much money these days, all migs are not created equal, particularly when you broaden your horizons and talk Aluminium and Stainless.
I know migs are sold to handymen with the claim that they can weld Ally and Stainless, which is true, but it is not quite that simple if you want to get acceptable results. I am not trying to dissuade you from welding these metals, rather I am suggesting that you research this a little more and preferably get your short listed welder demonstrated on not just steel which most migs will do an acceptable job of, but ally or stainless. Every welder that I have been involved with the purchase of within industry has been demonstrated for exactly this reason, even some of the big boys produce dud models.

If it helps I nearly bought a CIG 175i machine.

But what put me off was the lift TIG, if I go DC TIG I really want HF.
Inverter ARC is handy but in reality I would never use it.

But for a general purpose machine I think the 175i would do everything you need.

Cheers

Justin

Originally Posted by Karl Robbers

Having used several UNIMIGS I would put them somewhere below rubbing two pieces of wire together and trying to weld with them.

Probably helps, when slagging off a machine, to specify what model it was and what you were doing with it.

We're talking combo machines here - I assume that's what you are referring to. Either there's been some shockingly-bad other combo models made by UniMIG and somehow nobody's ever posted about it on the Internet, or you have breathtakingly-high standards for welders.

I've used my UniMIG for the past 3 years, both on a trolley in the workshop and also pulled to bits, thrown in the back of the ute, taken on to rural sites over rough terain where the unit is bouncing around on the tray and used to weld all manner of stuff, both in stick mode and MIG with a 6Kg bottle of CO2 lying next to it in the grass.

As for how well it welds in MIG mode, to me it seems pretty damn good and does down to 1mm sheet very nicely, below that I suspect the agressive CO2 gas doesn't help, but it's certainly possible.

In stick mode, it welds as nicely as my BOC smootharc. In a previous post I provided data that showed how the 2 machines handled current regulation differently, but I couldn't say one is better than the other.

So my UniMIG has performed extremely well despite far rougher treatment than most workshop-bound welders would ever experience. Maybe my machine is the exception, maybe I've been lucky, but I don't see many (any?)people posting about problems with their UniMIG combos.

Just wondering what the OP went with ? .