Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post it here, if it doesn't fit any of the above.

Moderators: User administrators, Moderators

User avatar
chewbacca
Registered user
Posts: 578
Joined: 10 Jan 2015, 03:30
80-90 Mem No: 16186
Location: Chesterfield (ish)

Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by chewbacca »

So for about 20 years I've been toying with the idea of learning to weld.
I've decided it's time. I've had a go with few borrowed MIG welders, but want to purchase my own. Let's be honest, I own a T25 so I'm going to need to weld in the near future.
I'd don't mind spending a few quid, but don't want to waste money either. I also don't want to buy a cheap unit and find it's not up to the job 6 months down the line.
There's lots of experience on here, so any recommendations on a suitable welder?
There's an huge auto factors just down the road so gas, wire, nozzels, etc wont be a problem I'm hoping.

Thanks for the advice.
B plate 1.9 petrol bus

fazzer
Registered user
Posts: 671
Joined: 01 Feb 2010, 10:23
80-90 Mem No: 7803
Location: birmingham

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by fazzer »

I use a Clarke 151amp ,nice welder ,had it for nearly 10 years and as a mobile welder I use it a lot and never had any trouble with it .One thing I will say do not buy a gasless welder total rubbish.

User avatar
clift_d
Registered user
Posts: 3290
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 23:51
80-90 Mem No: 11695
Location: Hackney innit

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by clift_d »

Get yourself over to the mig-welding.co.uk forum.

It's a really great forum with plenty of great info, guidance, recommendations, etc, on there, plus of course some of the usual tittle-tattle on the side.

Personally I would say you want to look for a nice little inverter mig welder with an amp range from about 30A up to 150A.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro

User avatar
chewbacca
Registered user
Posts: 578
Joined: 10 Jan 2015, 03:30
80-90 Mem No: 16186
Location: Chesterfield (ish)

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by chewbacca »

Thanks guys, I'll go look at that forum.
B plate 1.9 petrol bus

Highroller
Registered user
Posts: 219
Joined: 06 Sep 2013, 18:58
80-90 Mem No: 12833
Location: East Lothian

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by Highroller »

An good all rounder would be the Clarke 135TE. It welds up to 130A which is more than enough for the jobs required on a van. Look at Hobbyweld for gas, you will get a bottle for circa £90 which includes a £40 refundable deposit, this should last you ages, costs £36 for a refill and is far more economical than the throw away bottles. If you do go down this route you will need to buy gauges and a 1/4" reducer for the bottle to the mig welder, shouldn't cost more than £30 from a popular auction site.
1991 2.1 WBX Devon microbus twinslider hightop

User avatar
chewbacca
Registered user
Posts: 578
Joined: 10 Jan 2015, 03:30
80-90 Mem No: 16186
Location: Chesterfield (ish)

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by chewbacca »

I've been looking at the Clarke range, oddly enough both the 135 and 151 as mentioned above.
I think some of it will come down to money though.
The 135 looks a very popular unit with spares everywhere. I need to pop into the local auto factors and see what they have in spares. I think it'll all be sealey stuff though.
B plate 1.9 petrol bus

User avatar
clift_d
Registered user
Posts: 3290
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 23:51
80-90 Mem No: 11695
Location: Hackney innit

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by clift_d »

The Clarke 151en seems to get good reviews on that mig-welding forum.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro

User avatar
Mr Bean
R.I.P.
Posts: 3532
Joined: 11 Jun 2008, 06:49
80-90 Mem No: 5485
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by Mr Bean »

I got my mate to buy me one of these: http://www.stamos-welding.com/s-wigma-250p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for some work I did for him.
I have a MIG welder but fancied the idea of being able to weld thick on mild steel plus Stainless as well as brazing. The pulse facility enables much better control over the power and the ability to add filler manually gives much better results for me anyway as I learned on Oxyacetylene on thin material. At about £250 I found it a good deal but still had to lob out for a bottle deposit at I think £80 and £40 for a refill.

Bad news is that the no contact strike start facility failed after a couple of weeks and it had to be collected and for repair which luckily went well. A UK manufactured machine will be more expensive - this was German but made in Poland I believe.

These machines are so cheap now as they use PWM technology (pulse wave modulation) although sadly the AC facility for aluminium machines are in the £thousands rather than £hundreds.

I would love to have Oxyacetylene but not in a domestic house plus there is much less collateral heat damage with MIG or TIG.

Happy days..
CS
Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.
"A quiet shy boy who took little part in games or sport"
88 High top 2.1 WBX

User avatar
New Kentish Campers
Registered user
Posts: 1739
Joined: 12 Oct 2010, 06:16
80-90 Mem No: 8994
Location: Near Linton, Kent.
Contact:

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by New Kentish Campers »

Try to get one with a euro neck fitted, I. E one that can be turned around to access tight areas. And try your hand with.8 or even .6 wire for thinner metal. Still works well enough but not leaving you a pile of metal to grind off later :wink:

If you can afford it, get a gas bottle regulator that both shows content and pressure delivery. Most cheapo ones don't give that facility so you could be wasting gas. And make sure you are using decent quality gas hose and clips as some supplied are too hard and won't give a gas tight seal, thus wasting your gas.

And hire an Argon/co2 mix gas bottle (Adams gas do those) for nice smooth welding. Oh, and treat your hands to decent welding gloves and an auto-dimming headshield too.

Personally, I would not bother brazing anything only as the flux can corrode metal. I will be proving this soon, when I post up a project (a Triumph Stag bodyshell that I've had dipped) on that winter project thread or whatever its called, where some new panels were brazed on and have rotted everything closeby. :x

:ok

User avatar
chewbacca
Registered user
Posts: 578
Joined: 10 Jan 2015, 03:30
80-90 Mem No: 16186
Location: Chesterfield (ish)

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by chewbacca »

I must admit to being lost over the 2 Clarke unit mentioned above. The 151EN seems a better machine on paper to the 135TE, but is a little cheaper. What am I missing?
B plate 1.9 petrol bus

User avatar
Ant-t
Registered user
Posts: 1954
Joined: 05 Jan 2015, 14:17
80-90 Mem No: 14390
Location: West Sussex

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by Ant-t »

I looked at the 151EN when I was about to buy a welder, a good machine, popular and recommended. I went for a welder with a euro torch and mma capability. It's a personal choice but I'd say get the best you can afford as it will be more versatile. As above join the mig welding forum, they helped me when I was looking to buy.
1983 DG Kamper 2

User avatar
clift_d
Registered user
Posts: 3290
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 23:51
80-90 Mem No: 11695
Location: Hackney innit

Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by clift_d »

I think the 135te is a diy package that comes with a regulator, mask, etc, whereas the 151en is just the welder and you need to get these things separately. On paper it does look like the 151en is the better welder.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro

Slider2
Registered user
Posts: 83
Joined: 08 Oct 2015, 10:20
80-90 Mem No: 15069
Location: West Sussex

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by Slider2 »

I've been welding for 25yrs and now do it as part of my job as others here.
Some great advice such as 'avoid gasless' and get a big bottle etc

Only thing I can add is that you really do get what you pay for....
I started on a 151en and initially went gasless. Terrible welds! Moving to gas on the same machine was like night & day!
But then work provided me with a full size 170a machine and I realised how much more difficult the clarke was making things to get right. Another 5 yrs later and work upgraded to a top end Lincoln machine and again welding has become so much better and easier.
Yes my skills have improved but (as with everything in life) get the best you can with funds at the time as a cheap machine will add extra challenges.

(I inhereted the old SIP 170a machine and still use it at home.... And I still know I could do better welds if I had the better machine!)

User avatar
clift_d
Registered user
Posts: 3290
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 23:51
80-90 Mem No: 11695
Location: Hackney innit

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by clift_d »

Welding with gas generally gives a neater more consistent result, but you need to be working in sheltered conditions, and you have to deal with hiring and storing cylinders. If you can only work outdoors, or don't have a suitable storage for gas, then for limited work you may need to try gasless in which case you should make sure you've got decent flux cored wire like Lincoln NR 211 MP.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro

User avatar
chewbacca
Registered user
Posts: 578
Joined: 10 Jan 2015, 03:30
80-90 Mem No: 16186
Location: Chesterfield (ish)

Re: Which MIG welder should I buy. (Home use)

Post by chewbacca »

Thanks for the replies guys.
Ill be welding inside, so intend to go for gas.
On that front, the local auto factors does a cylinder exchange type thing, so i think thats gas sorted. All sounds cheap enough. They are open until 6 so i often pop in after work for bits and bobs.

Im currently leaning towards the clarke 151EN, but not even close to getting my wallet out.
It feels like the more i read, the more options i get!
B plate 1.9 petrol bus

Post Reply