Welder?

[York Racing]

I found this welder and it might just fit my budget. Is this a reliable welder for fabbing things like bumpers and skid plates and stuff? I need one for some work on wheelers but I don't know all the fancy crap bout these things. As long as it can stick 1/8" metal to metal I'm good with it. But is it something that would hols up? JobSmart Fluxcore/MIG Welder Kit, 125 Amp - 1128762 | Tractor Supply Company

 

[2g00d4u]

I have a 90amp PowerFist MIG welder and it will do any ATV related work, and that kind is good for people that are just casually welding and not professionally. I don't know about that brand though, $129, it probably won't last.

 

[bagds101]

never heard of that brand. but yeah, usually you pay for what you get.

 

[slickerthanyou]

It will probably hold up. But for quality of weld only two heat settings , I wouldn't use that for a bumper for a truck- maybe a skid plate and, anything on the quad it would do- Look into getting a small lincoln, miller or hobart. I think Lowes sells lincoln's for $200ish and they have a great warranty and also are very reliable. Easy to find parts. In shop years back we had Hobarts that been there for over 30 years and ran with little maintenance, then switched to Miller, that is what I use now. The Miller DVI II it's 110 or 220 and does all metals.

 

[Braaaptor]

Lincoln all the way! Its wise to get a good quality welder to start out with... I tried welding with cheap welders and they do not produce good or consistent results. If I were you, get a good used Lincoln or Miller or Hobart off CL if the budget prevents you from buying one new at the moment.

I have a Lincoln PowerMiG 140 that I bought new, and it will weld anything and everything around the shop (ATV's, mower decks, custom lamps...) with 110V household current. Best $$ I ever spent on a tool.

 

[sicivicdude]

I use a Lincoln Promig 135 at the shop. While some will argue it's too small, I find it right handy to be able to put it on a standard wall outlet and weld.

While that welder will probably stick two pieces of metal together, flux core will NEVER do pretty work. It will splatter and spit and the weld pool doesn't push around like a gas mig weld pool. If I were you, I would save up a few more pennies and troll craigslist in your immediate area to try and find a lightly used 135-140 amp brand name (the names slick and braptor mentioned, hobart, lincoln, and miller) Mig welder. If you stick with flux core, you can weld thicker metals but not as pretty. If you want to buy a shield gas tank, you can make fairly deep welds on moderately thick material but do it very pretty.

I would not buy a mig welder which was not pre wired and plumbed for shielding gas even if I never had any intention of running it on gas. When I bought my welder I didn't intend to put it on gas and now I have a tank on it.