Which mig welder?

[andre3000]

Hi all,

Im looking to buy my first welder. Ill be using it only for auto body repair and ill be using it from a generator. Im tossing up between:


CIGWELD WELDSKILL 170 INVERTER
Cigweld WeldSkill 170 Inverter Welding Machine #W1002901 (http://www.justtools.com.au/prod1269.htm)

CIGWELD TRANSMIG 175i
http://www.justtools.com.au/prod2475.htm (http://www.justtools.com.au/prod2475.htm)

CIGWELD TRANSMIG 200
Cigweld Transmig 200 MIG Welder. #710000_ (http://www.justtools.com.au/prod3488.htm)


Does anyone know what the difference is between the transmig 175i and 170 inverter? In a perfect world which one would produce the best weld for .8 to 1.6 sheet metal out of the three?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[dubman]

The 170 is just a stick/scratch tig welder
The 170i is a mig /tig/stick although not a very good stick it is a very good mig welder
I would go for the 170i and get a trolly for the gas bottle

[Garry 3]

Can I ask why you're going to be using a generator? Is this for everytime you weld or occasionally?

If you're using genset all the time it might be worth looking into a petrol or diesel powered welder. Miller Bobcat can be setup for mig, tig, smaw. Bit pricey new but could find a decent one 2nd hand. Advantage of these is they can idle back when not in use instead screaming at full noise all the time.

CIG products aren't what they used to be, quality is ordinary at best. Lincoln are nice, a few models are made in Aus, WIA are fairly good too but chinese now I think. Fronius, Miller are a few others to consider.

Garry

[andre3000]

Thanks guys.

Garry:
Im looking to repair the rust on a project car i bought. The cars stored in a shed on a farm and there isnt any power to the shed.

I was looking at a Miller Bobcat 250 for $900 second hand i noticed they retail for $5000 the only thing is the welding amperage range is 40 to 270. Id need something with a bottom end amperage of 25, 30A max for the thin car panels? Or do you think that the Bobcat 250 will be alright?

Also are there any other places i can look to buy a second hand welder other than ebay? As good ones come up few and far between and i need one within the next couple weeks.

Cheers

[andre3000]

Or do you know of anyone that has a good mig that theyd be interested in selling?

[Garry 3]

Andre
Besides ebay you have welding stores selling the old trade-ins, ask at a fabbing shop if they have one they're thinking of getting rid of and there are garage sales as well. If your in a decent sized city you should have a few options if in the country it will be a lot harder to find a 2nd hand machine.

One option for welding in isolated locations is oxy/acetylene if you have access to one and devote some time to practice you can do great work on car panels. Practice would be on another old car and not the one your restoring. If you don't own a set already or can borrow one I wouldn't bother as the cost to setup is quite prohibitive.

Now unfortunately is not a good time to be looking for an industrial machine as this country will shut down for 2-3 weeks over Christmas.

WRT the Miller Bobcat it will also need a wire feeder unit to do mig, if it has that in the $900 price buy it because that's a good deal providing everything works.

Probably upset some people but I think if it's pre85 repairs are much better done with a tig or O/A at least you can file your welds down. If it's worth restoring I wouldn't rush into it. Plan well and get the right tool for the job, it'll make the project more enjoyable and cheaper 'cause one thing is for sure restoring cars is expensive. Last thing you'll want to do is have to buy tools twice.

Garry