"Best" welder for heavy hobby use?

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

Its the other end of the welding spectrum but a handy feature is the ability to switch the polarity, this is better for gasless welding which is ideal for quick/rough/dirtier/occasional welding or outside or if you run out if gas. I got stung with my cheap MIG, which is a fiddle to switch over. 

Normally done by swapping the earth and gun leads

[difflock]

I am tickled that an inverter MIG like the r-tech 181 can also weld stainless and aluminium, with the appropriate wire/ gas and a spool at the gun for the aluminium. Wow.

btw, the son in law, who lent me his mig also supplied a cutting of .6mm thick shiney bright non rusting looks like SS but it is mild steel. Well confused I am. I can mostly weld this .6mm stuff without blowing holes.

But if I am keeping the Black Bollix, she will defo need replacement cills.

cheers

[Drifter2406]

I've used Lincoln for years, a multi process 200c welder, the best welder by far I have ever used and I've been welding for the best part of 40 years.

[Muddy42]

13 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Normally done by swapping the earth and gun leads

Yes the best have the same socket so its a case of switching them over externally. I have to take the cover off and swap wires over internally which is a pain. Or I plan to make new leads.

[Peasgood]

I used to do a lot of turning this sort of shite

 

 

 

Into this kind of stuff.

 

 

Clarke 205TE is what I used. Still have it and still use it but for much more agricultural type of welding these days.

.6 wire and Argoshield Lite gas from BOC. 

I think if I was doing much these days I would be looking at R-tech welders but a good used 205TE would not be a bad choice.

[doobin]

9 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

Yes the best have the same socket so its a case of switching them over externally. I have to take the cover off and swap wires over internally which is a pain. Or I plan to make new leads.

 

14 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

Its the other end of the welding spectrum but a handy feature is the ability to switch the polarity, this is better for gasless welding which is ideal for quick/rough/dirtier/occasional welding or outside or if you run out if gas. I got stung with my cheap MIG, which is a fiddle to switch over. 

 

IMHO if you want to use a gasless mig then just get an arc welder and learn that instead. Going hassles removes all the benefits of mig over arc. 
 

I’d have thought with a euro torch you’d always need to change the wires over internally?

[Muddy42]

14 hours ago, doobin said:

 

 

IMHO if you want to use a gasless mig then just get an arc welder and learn that instead. Going hassles removes all the benefits of mig over arc. 
 

I’d have thought with a euro torch you’d always need to change the wires over internally?

 

I have used arc in the past but dont own one anymore. Currently its either MIG with argon mix or gassless. I am a rookie and only get marginally better welds with gas but I quite like the simplicity of gassless with the same setup.