Likes: 0
Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 1 to 15 of 25
Thread: Unimig mini mig kmm180 opinions
-
3rd April 2015, 03:06 PM #1Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
Unimig mini mig kmm180 opinions
Hi everyone. I'm looking at buying one of these welders and am wanting to hear from anyone who owns one. Im looking to use it for some small jobs such as making coffee tables and other small welding jobs. Won't be welding above 3-5 mm.
Id like to hear how your going with it in both gas and gasless mode and what your general opinions of the welder are. I've done a lot of research on the welder but can't find any real demonstration videos or opinions of actual owners.
I'm not interested in hearing from people who say that you need to spend $10000's to get a decent weld or that gasless welders are terrible etc etc. I've heard enough if that to last me a lifetime. I don't want to weld the Sydney harbour bridge. I'd really like to hear from people who actually own one.
Look forward to hearing from you guys and thanks.
Mozz
-
3rd April 2015 03:06 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
- Join Date
- Always
- Location
- Advertising world
- Posts
- Many
-
3rd April 2015, 04:55 PM #2I break stuff...
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
- Posts
- 539
A mate of mine has one, it welds very smoothly (this is with gas, can't comment on gasless), plenty of grunt. With a little encouragement from me, he managed to get some quite decent beads down within a hour or two, with no previous experience.
Personally I think given the price you can pick them up for, they're hands down the best small welder for the occasional home user. Transformer based, no fancy electronics, not much to go wrong at all. And I've seen them on sale in tool places for under $400 on occasion, with a few extras, so shop around.
Incidentally, there is actually a welding sub forum here, the question may get more responses there - not sure how many of the welding guys check the main area.
-
3rd April 2015, 09:55 PM #3
I have 2 Unimig units.
One is a 240. The other (cant remember exact model without going into the shed) is a small 3 combo unit, as in mig, stick and TIG.
Both have Binzal torches that I can unscrew and interchange if needed. Parts for torches are everywhere, so dont think I will be caught short in that dept anytime soon.
Have run nothing but gasless on both units, and look its fine for what you plan doing with it.
Both units had to go to the repairers whilst still under warranty. The 240 had a loose connection, no harm done and was fixed locally. The other let the smoke out, was sent away for repair and promptly shat itself again upon its return. I insisted they left the unit for more than 5 seconds, as I believed from the symptoms it showed, that it was a thermal fault.
Touch ..... both units havent misbehaved again since and are performing their duties quite well in the shop.www.lockwoodcanvas.com.au
I will never be the person who has everything, not when someone keeps inventing so much cool new stuff to buy.
From an early age my father taught me to wear welding gloves . "Its not to protect your hands son, its to put out the fire when u set yourself alight".
-
4th April 2015, 09:04 AM #4Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
Thanks for the reply. Has been really helpful. I have been looking around at prices and found they have recently give up since the dollar went down but I can still get them got around $420.
If I do get one I'll get one of those disposable bottles of gas and use that. Will have to do what your mate did with his and get one of my mates around to get me welding properly though lol.
Thanks for the feedback.
-
4th April 2015, 09:10 AM #5Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
Thanks for your feedback. Good to hear they did end up fixing the problems though. I guess that can happen with anything. Nothing worse than bad after sales service.
Glad to hear it works well with gasless as that's the first thing I will be trying. Will probably get a disposable bottle after that for the prettier work if gasless isnt neat enough.
Thanks again.
-
4th April 2015, 09:58 AM #6
-
4th April 2015, 10:07 AM #7Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
-
4th April 2015, 12:17 PM #8Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
-
4th April 2015, 02:16 PM #9
If you get 20 minutes of arc time with a disposable cylinder you will do very well.Welding time depends on the cylinder capacity in litres and the cylinder pressure that the argon is stored at.
Say $40 for a cylinder and nearly that for a small brass regulator. Thats $80 on top of the original cost of the Unimig machine. A 5kg spool ( Suits the KMMM180 ) of Cigweld fluxcore is somewhere between $75 and $90 dependent on where you buy. Also check out the the threads on swap and go cylinders of sheilding gas if you want to go gas sheilded- Seems to apply in the southern states only at the moment -so might not apply to you.
For the little you pay the small transformer based unit is a value for money unit but just won't be as versatile as higher cost machine.
For instance, if going the fluxcore route consider that fluxcore ( gasless) is very sensitive to the arc voltage setting.
On larger machines this is infinitely variable but on this model Unimig there are perhaps 5 click step voltage settings which can't be guaranteed to hit the sweet spot for that spot on weld.
Conversely I have run a 3 in 1 unit where the voltage setting was variable and on 21 volts the weld appearance was excellent but on 20 and 22 volts not so good.
Hope it helps
Grahame
-
4th April 2015, 03:29 PM #10Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
Hi Grahame
Thanks for that. I also have another restriction which is why I'm not really interested in anything larger than the kmm180 and that is that I only have a 10 amp power point on old 50 - 60 year old wiring. So I won't be able to weld above 120 - 140 amps. In going to be buying a adaptor that will only allow the machine to use 10amps. Anything above that will trip the fuse in the box. Can't afford to get an electrician in at the moment.
From what your saying though it looks like I'd be better off using gas. Even the disposable ones would be better as I only have to buy the regulator once. I have looked at the swap and go cylinders but there's no one doing it in Victoria yet but total tools are going to be starting it soon. Was talking to a guy there about it a couple of weeks back and he saying they will be charging about $300 for the bottle and then about $100 for the swap. Seemed a bit pricey to me. I think just tools will be doing it too if they haven't started already.
Thanks for the tip. If I do use gas I guess I'll probably sane money in the end and get a better weld.
-
4th April 2015, 07:19 PM #11GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jul 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
- Posts
- 7,775
Where in Vic? I've just bought a cylinder from Gasweld in Dandenong. Of course cost depends on bottle size.
http://www.gasweld.com.au/catalogue/docs/speedgas.pdf
If you think thats pricey.... dont even bother talking to BOC.
Stuart
-
4th April 2015, 07:20 PM #12SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jun 2004
- Location
- Kyabram. Vic
- Posts
- 826
Renting bottles is even pricier. 'E' size from BOC about $200 per year; plus rises every year. Total Tools in Mornington had purchase/swap bottles about 3 weeks ago.
Argon, mig mix and oxy.
Ken
-
4th April 2015, 07:29 PM #13Novice
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 13
-
4th April 2015, 07:37 PM #14I break stuff...
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
- Posts
- 539
-
4th April 2015, 07:47 PM #15GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jul 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
- Posts
- 7,775
Rub it in way dont you... a lesson in procrastination for me
Still the price works out to 2 years rent + 1 fill. At the rate I've been using gas lately I'll be $400 in front next time I need a fill, which I may very well spend on a bottle of Argon and then I can get a TIG lol
Stuart
Similar Threads
-
Unimig Craft 200 - no arc
By jex in forum WELDINGReplies: 3Last Post: 5th March 2014, 06:31 PM -
My Unimig Procraft 240
By martrix in forum WELDINGReplies: 7Last Post: 20th August 2009, 10:12 PM -
UniMig Welders
By silash77 in forum WELDINGReplies: 4Last Post: 9th August 2009, 08:01 PM -
Inverter Unimig 165-190
By patrolos in forum WELDINGReplies: 2Last Post: 27th June 2009, 07:54 PM -
unimig jasic welders
By northerncat in forum WELDINGReplies: 8Last Post: 14th May 2009, 11:39 PM