welder ?

[kmac530]

I have a Lincoln 250/TIG250 welder that I use in my garage but TIG is just not good in every situation. I have been looking at MIG welders and I was curious if anyone here has an Eastwood MIG welder?

I wanted to know what you think of them?

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welders-175-amp-mig-welder-w-spool-gun.html

I have gotten a couple of Eastwood products and they seem pretty good overall and this welder is way less money than the Miller 180 I am looking at and it comes with the spool gun and gauges and all. It has amazing reviews and looks like a comparable unit too a Miller 180 that runs about $1068.00 and the extra spool gun runs another $268.00 where this Eastwood 175 has 4.9 stars out of 5 with 30 reviews and comes with the Spool gun for $500.00...too good to be true?

[(S)]

Central Welding in CA ? Wait for the Miller spring sale, hook up with a buddy that needs one and see your local Miller supplier. We got one and got a second one at a major discount a few years back at a shop I worked at. It was a 180 or 220, but worth every minute of the LONGER duty cylcle.( read the fine print when buying a welder)

[kmac530]

I like the Millermatic 180 MIG alot but it has the exact same duty cycle as the Eastwood at 30% at 135 amps.

[Pat Dilling]

Wow! Where was that deal when I was looking for one? Eastwood has a good reputation for their other stuff.

Pat

[woodysrods]

Buy a Lincoln 180. Or if you can find a used SP130 buy it. They are great welders for everything.
Do not buy a 110 welder! You will just be wasting your money.
Remember you will probably have this welder for the rest of your life so get the best one you can buy or you will regret it every time you use it.
Good Roads
Brian

[sweetolbob]

Kelly

Looks like a good deal to me. Just be sure the wire feed and heat are infinitely variable and not just a few stops at the numbers shown on the dial. You'll have a difficult time tuning the welder if they are not.

I have a 160 AMP Century and it welds great so the Eastwood unit should be fine. I won't argue with the pros that use Millers as they are great welders but for we some-what capable amateurs they are an expensive alternative. If you have the where-with-all to afford the Miller, non-better.

I've used mine for 25 years and the duty cycle is more than my requirements.

I'll bet Eastwood will take it back if you don't like it and the spool is a nice plus. Brian is correct buy a 220 unit.

One last note, spend some of the money you save on the best wire you can find. Cheap wire will turn a quality machine into a unit that is hard to make quality welds with.

Bob

[studeluvr]

Yep on the cheap wire. I got some at a farm supply on sale and it is junk but cheap ya get what you pay for. I have an 20 year old Lincoln 100 used for building fence it was light and did great for what I used it for but can't build trailers with it. I've got a 140 Hobart by Miller for $499. with gas or flux core, welds up to 1/4 inch and does alright. I'd stick with brand name as some rollers are aluminum or plastic that won't last long and can easily get repaired if need be.

[kmac530]

I would never buy any heavy equipment in 110V if there is a 220V option. I am fully wired for 220V at 2 places in my garage. My compressor and my TIG is all 220V.
I am leary of used electric equipment. I bought my TIG welder on Ebay for $500.00 which is a REALLY good price for a Lincoln 250/TIG 250. It is probably worth that in copper alone with the HUGE tranformer. It is a GREAT unit and for an older TIG it is one of the best from my research. The guy insisted it worked perfect, but as with anything used there are no guarantees. It has some sort of problem with it. It burns up tungstin bad. It balls up the end almost immediately like it does with aluminum even on steel. It has an odd colored flame and just wanders around and is hard to keep it focused on your work. I can not get it to weld SS or aluminum hardly at all. YES I have checked and set everything correctly for the different metals. I was a certified LA city and LA county welder and had a full course on it thru my carpenters union. Not to say I am some expert, but I understand the settings and principles.

Anyway it bummed me out to get so excited over buying my TIG and then it just not working like it should and not be able to find a good repair shop.
I would really rather buy new nowdays. This Eastwood has great reviews, I was hoping someone had one and has compared it to others. I am really torn.

[Stratohammer]

Hi kmac,

Sounds like you're not getting enough shield gas at the tungsten. I was having this problem with a machine we got from another base and found that the collet was in backwards. I turned it so the fingers were pointed toward the tip of the electrode and it works great now. This may not apply at all to your situation, but it sure did to mine!

At home i have a Lincoln 140 which is a 110v unit. I use it for sheetmetal and other light work up to about 1/8 - 3/16 and it does a great job for that sort of stuff. Anything more that that I take to work and use a TIG machine.

Mike

[kmac530]

Mike,
Thanks for the input. I am positive it is getting plenty of gas at the tip. I have tried it set to all kinds of settings. My collet is in correct. I feel like some solenoid is just not working right or something.
I will quintuple check everything though.