Buying a welder on a budget

My biggest concern when buying something used is... Wtf is wrong with it?

When buying a used welder what should I be looking for?

32Bowtie_Rat said:

My biggest concern when buying something used is... Wtf is wrong with it?

When buying a used welder what should I be looking for?

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A warranty, they aint cheap to repair.

Found this online... First of all is it a good welder? If I got it for $800 would I be doing well?

What do I need to look for when buying a used welder????


http://brockville.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tools-other-Miller-250-Welder-W0QQAdIdZ488138663

Lastly... I have to make sure something of this size will run in my garage. In one of the pictures the welder has a plug in that's similar to my wife dryer... Yes... Its hers hahaha... Thank god she doesn't read my posts... Anyway... I have no sockets set up to take that & from what I've been reading this unit is a 230v.

When I checked the my fuse panel the only info I got was from the fuses themselves & it said 120/240. Am I reading this right?

How do I know what my garage will accept without blowing it up & having to get it rewired?

That's an older machine but it's a good one. (I've had one of those and the model before it, couldn't kill either one.)

I'd test the machine and make sure it works on both ranges and thru the full dial settings. I'd also remove the panels and inspect its innards. (It looks pretty well used and the marks on the panel face are suspect of production work.) The tank is useless if he doesn't OWN it. Proceed with caution.

$800 is a good price if it works properly. You'll need a proper 50 amp receptacle in you garage. (Not a dryer plug) Good Luck!

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You know... I've taken it all into consideration & thinks it's probably best to buy new. I'm a big fan of having warrenty on stuff like this. Doing it right the first time.

I'm still confused on why the miller 211 costs more, produces more amps but will weld less (thickness) compared to the Lincoln 180 mig.

My moment of "ah ha!" Has arrived!!!

Lincoln 180 mig claims they can weld 1/4" steel & Miller 211 mig only 3/8" steel.

So I contacted Lincoln direct & didn't realize that Lincoln bevels their metal before they weld... That's why they claim the thickness of 1/4".

Another caper solved... [P

Always bevel the edges![P

OK........the Miller would be fine. You'd need to open it up and look it over real good. Is it filthy dirty inside? Has it been taken care of? You should be able to tell. Run a couple of beads to make sure everything works. If you're not proficient at welding, tell the owner that and ask him to run some beads and watch carefully. As with buying anything used you can usually tell if it's been abused or if the owner is a jerk. If either of those prove to be true......walk!

Check the tank to see how much is in there. About 1200 psi should be full. Not sure about Canada but I was told in California all 150 cu ft tanks are sold outright - i.e. owner-owned.

The wifes dryer should be 220v. Simply go purchase a 50a outlet and piggyback it to the dryer outlet. Just make sure you don't run the welder and dryer at the same time! Install a 50a breaker in your electrical panel. There's probably a 30a in there now for the dryer.

However.......if you're dead set on buying new, I see nothing wrong with that Lincoln 180. It'll weld more than 1/4". The sales info says up to 1/2" but in reality it's probably more like 3/8". You can always make multiple passes for 1/2" but really..........how often are you gonna be welding 1/2" steel? Another expense for the Lincoln is you're gonna have to rent or buy a tank of gas. I think the big ones run about $200 to purchase or you can rent a smaller one. You're also gonna need gear. Welding helmet, gloves, etc. The only expensive part is the helmet. High end helmets run $400 however, I've been using a $40 HF for years without issue. The Miller looks to be fairly complete with tank, helmet, etc. In the end it's your call but after writing all this I'm sorta inclined to the new Lincoln. I'll bet you'll be quite happy with it!

2.3Turbo - it's not a good idea to just replace a 30A breaker with a 50A. If the wiring isn't rated for a 50A load, you could start a fire.

The Miller 211, and probably the Lincoln 180 too, will run safely on a 30A circuit unless maybe you really push it at max.

It took me quite a while to decide which welder to buy about this time 4 years ago. I finally went with the Miller 211. Deciding factors for me at the time, consumables interchange with Hobart and can be purchased 8 miles from my house at Tractor Supply, and it was dual voltage. I rarely run mine on 220v, it is mostly plugged into 120 while I am welding sheet metal. I love it, it was and is heads and tails above the Hobart 135 I replaced.

I do not think you can go wrong with either machine actually. I would go with whichever has the best local support aside from a big box store. Warranty, consumables, etc.

Thanks everyone for your help... I've decided to go with a new Miller 211. I contacted both Miller & Lincoln direct & was much more satisfied with the response got from Miller & didn't realize that Lincoln was made in Mexico.

When I get this new welder should I let the electrician take a look at it & get him to instal what's best?

The MVP model will even take a 50amp outlet. Might be easier on it in the long run.

Wiring your own outlet isn't rocket surgery but your local codes/bylaws/insurance may disagree.

Seek professional help... I'm lucky because I know a few who direct me properly... if I can't do it myself, they work for cash or beer.

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Dr Crankenstein said:

Seek professional help... I'm lucky because I know a few who direct me properly... if I can't do it myself, they work for cash or beer.

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If I'm paying cash, I usually do half up front and the other half upon completion of the work. If I'm paying in beer, it's 100% upon completion. learned that the hard way...

Oh that much I understand!... Paying with beer is always kept till last otherwise things go crooked oddly enough.

Question... What's the purpose of using gas when welding?

32Bowtie_Rat said:

Oh that much I understand!... Paying with beer is always kept till last otherwise things go crooked oddly enough.

Question... What's the purpose of using gas when welding?

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Primarily to shield the weld puddle from regular air (nitrogen, oxygen, etc) making for a cleaner little to no spatter weld.

Edit - After posting I went through a few sites and found this one to be a good summary.

Gas Basics

That's what I thought... & flux core already incorporates that.

What would you rather use? Gas or flux core?

I only use shielding gas, unless I have to take the welder away from the shop and weld outside. I have only used this welder once off the bottle with flux core (had to repair my outdoor wood boiler). My first welder was a Hobart Handler 135, I used that one flux only for the first 3 years I had it. Once I finally bought a bottle for it, I never used flux core in it again! They weld so much cleaner with gas.

I have 2 tips an old guy told me, buy your solid core wire in 8lb spools, they last much longer, I was always buying the little spools in the beginning and inevitably would run out at inopportune times! I would start with smaller spools until you determine what size wire you go through the most. I primarily do 20ga sheet up to 11ga, so I have found .024 works best for me in bulk. I just keep a 2# spool of .030 and .035 around for heavier stuff. If I were welding 11ga or heavier all the time, I would keep a 8lb spool of .030 in the welder all the time. I also have a 2# spool of flux core just in case. Just make sure you store them were they will stay dry, the wire will rust and become useless.

Second, get the shielding gas in at least 80 cu ft tank. Or at least get the biggest tank you can afford to buy. Mine lasts me a year, for some it may only last a week. I have never thought, I wish I would have gotten the smallest tank.

These are of course my opinions.

I was glad I got a smaller tank the two times I left the valve open and leaked all my gas out. But not when I run out of gas in the middle of something.

Go with gas, but keep some flux wire around for when you run out of gas on a Sunday afternoon. I have trouble with the cheap wire from the discount store being sticky.


Post those pics of your breaker panel here sometime so we can figure out what you have for power.

coostv said:

I only use shielding gas, unless I have to take the welder away from the shop and weld outside. I have only used this welder once off the bottle with flux core (had to repair my outdoor wood boiler). My first welder was a Hobart Handler 135, I used that one flux only for the first 3 years I had it. Once I finally bought a bottle for it, I never used flux core in it again! They weld so much cleaner with gas.

I have 2 tips an old guy told me, buy your solid core wire in 8lb spools, they last much longer, I was always buying the little spools in the beginning and inevitably would run out at inopportune times! I would start with smaller spools until you determine what size wire you go through the most. I primarily do 20ga sheet up to 11ga, so I have found .024 works best for me in bulk. I just keep a 2# spool of .030 and .035 around for heavier stuff. If I were welding 11ga or heavier all the time, I would keep a 8lb spool of .030 in the welder all the time. I also have a 2# spool of flux core just in case. Just make sure you store them were they will stay dry, the wire will rust and become useless.

Second, get the shielding gas in at least 80 cu ft tank. Or at least get the biggest tank you can afford to buy. Mine lasts me a year, for some it may only last a week. I have never thought, I wish I would have gotten the smallest tank.

These are of course my opinions.

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Everything coostv said^^^!

The only difference for me is I use a big spool of .035 and keep a small spool of .023. I tend to weld thicker steel as opposed to sheetmetal. Also, I do very little welding outside. Most is done in the shop. IMHO, gas is the only way too go!

Thanks to the wonder father's day deals at Canadian Tire I picked up the Lincoln electric 180 mig welder for $160 off regular price.

Mig welder, helmet, gloves & 2lb of 0.035" flux core wire for a grand total of $842 taxes included.

I think it worked out really well.

Here's the thing... I have to get the electrician in to give me a set up for a 50amp plug in. That I know I don't have.