Which Welder

[Ratman]

Mint! Well worth the money, can get your vat back if self employed tho remember [emoji6]
Trouble with diy welders is everything is made to a certain spec (shite) fixed lanced torches etc are a ball ache to change and are made so cheaply its just not worth the hassle. Beauty of the invertor welders are they rise and fall on power feed etc dependant on your material thickness that your welding, theyre really smooth [emoji108] the 2nd one up in the mig/mag range the 800 i think is the one all lads on here would relish. Turns down low enough for car jobs and turns up enough to do 7mm stuff!

The only diy welder i once contemplated was called “mighty mig” i think, and that would of only swung it for me cos its got the detachable euro torch. Each and too their own though again [emoji106]

[doobin]

I agree with the above, a decent welder is the way forward and worth the money. R-Tech supply welders to a similar spec and about half the price of Jasic, and have a very good reuptation for service. My Mig250 has done three years pretty hard use and makes a lovely weld.

 

I wouldn't look twice at gasless mig. Waste of time. SGS or Hobbyweld bottles are cheap enough to buy- pay a deposit for the bottle and then just pay for refils. No rent.

 

https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-pro-mig250-1/

 

They also offer interest free finance for a year.

[Ratman]

I agree with the above, a decent welder is the way forward and worth the money. R-Tech supply welders to a similar spec and about half the price of Jasic, and have a very good reuptation for service. My Mig250 has done three years pretty hard use and makes a lovely weld.
 
I wouldn't look twice at gasless mig. Waste of time. SGS or Hobbyweld bottles are cheap enough to buy- pay a deposit for the bottle and then just pay for refils. No rent.
 
https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-pro-mig250-1/
 
They also offer interest free finance for a year.

Nice spec [emoji106]

[tree-fancier123]

I used to weld and fabricate full time, but have had no need of a machine until last year - I needed a suspension bracket for my tipper Iveco and at the time completely ouf of stock in UK, ten day delivery, so I thought good excuse to get a machine (can put it on my tax return. Got a Parweld inverter stick and DC tig (I skimped and spent about 400, wish I'd doubled that and got the ACDC so I can tig ally if anything crops up.

So next on the list is a mig for bodywork (I prefer stick for thicker steel its easier to do outside where terrible fumes arent an issue. Having considered Jasic Rtech, MIller, Esab, Portamig the lot I've currently possibly nearly got to the point of making a decision (this one goes down nice and low and works fine off a long extension lead) but it is also synergic (Jasic etc do synergic too) the GYS is currently winning because of the low amps (lower than other inverters I believe, checked specs carefully) and it takes a big spool

https://www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/welding-equipment/mig-welders/gys-pearl-200-4-xl-compact-mig-welder.html

my tig inverter is kept indoors, if I get a bodywork mig that will be too. An old transformer machine may survive the damp winter air of a shed, not so sure about inverters at least not after years and years (I ve already had a mower engine in storage seize up on me) should have put that in the lounge too

 

 

[peatff]

16 hours ago, Ratman said:

Mint! Well worth the money, can get your vat back if self employed tho remember
Trouble with diy welders is everything is made to a certain spec (shite) fixed lanced torches etc are a ball ache to change and are made so cheaply its just not worth the hassle. Beauty of the invertor welders are they rise and fall on power feed etc dependant on your material thickness that your welding, theyre really smooth the 2nd one up in the mig/mag range the 800 i think is the one all lads on here would relish. Turns down low enough for car jobs and turns up enough to do 7mm stuff!

The only diy welder i once contemplated was called “mighty mig” i think, and that would of only swung it for me cos its got the detachable euro torch. Each and too their own though again

I've had a few mig welders, the one I have now is a Kemppi Minarc mig and it has a fixed torch. A Euro torch would make the unit twice as long as it sticks out like a bridegroom on a wedding night and I never had need to take the torch off any of the Euro models I had, cutting the end off the wire and rewinding it and risking a bird nest in the welder is not my idea of fun. Each to their own though.

[LeeGray]

2 hours ago, doobin said:

I agree with the above, a decent welder is the way forward and worth the money. R-Tech supply welders to a similar spec and about half the price of Jasic, and have a very good reuptation for service. My Mig250 has done three years pretty hard use and makes a lovely weld.

 

I wouldn't look twice at gasless mig. Waste of time. SGS or Hobbyweld bottles are cheap enough to buy- pay a deposit for the bottle and then just pay for refils. No rent.

 

https://www.r-techwelding.co.uk/mig-welder-r-tech-pro-mig250-1/

 

They also offer interest free finance for a year.

+1, top welder and rtech are good to deal with. Anything with a three year warranty for that sort of money is incredible value.

[gobbypunk]

Hi we have a SIP mig with an argon mix from our auto spares shop everyone who has used it says it’s one of the best welders they have used , I am not good at welding sculpture I can do , and I find it an easy machine to use , my mate has a warrior inverter mig and that’s a lot harder to get on with , if you are near Shaftesbury Dorset come and have a go see what you think 

Cheers Mark 

[Dan Maynard]

I bought a Murex Tradesmig 171, brilliant bit of kit, turns down really well for bodywork as well as being about the biggest single phase mig capacity.

Weighs as much as a small bungalow though so not for mobile use, wheel it round the workshop only.

[doobin]

1 hour ago, Dan Maynard said:

I bought a Murex Tradesmig 171, brilliant bit of kit, turns down really well for bodywork as well as being about the biggest single phase mig capacity.

Weighs as much as a small bungalow though so not for mobile use, wheel it round the workshop only.

To be fair,250 amps is about the max you get from single phase, not 170 amps. The weight is because it’s a transformer unit rather than an inverter. Some say transformer units are longer lasting, but I’d go for a computer controlled inverter set every time. Makes it much easier to lay down a decent weld. 

[Dan Maynard]

Well I wouldn't want to join in a 'rate my weld' thread after that, very tidy. Inverter is the modern way I guess, the lights do go dim when I pull the trigger which may also be because of the transformer I guess.