Now this question has been asked a bunch of times. There are so many answers
your head is gonna spin with confusion. But here's my opinion anyway. I have
used a few of the mig welders that use 110v household current and found that
the cheapies actually work well but lack adjustability (high-low power
switch, poor duty cycle...) but for occational flux core work, they're
really not too bad. I would buy a Millermatic 135, Hobart Handler 135, or a
Lincoln SP135 (or sp135+) The Miller and the Lincoln 135 Plus model both
have infinite voltage controls (nice feature, but not needed if you are a
casual user) the others have a 4 or five position switch for voltage (tap)
The Miller has a cast aluminum wire drive and the others are plastic (again,
no one complains about the plastic, they work fine) And Miller makes Hobart
so getting parts are not a big problem (Lincoln has been around forever and
you can get parts and service as well) So in closing, all machines mentioned
will work great. Flux core works good but is a little messy (spatter city)
most users use them as a mig welder (with sheilding gas, usually argon/co2
"C25") your welds will look better, no slag and limited spatter. So there
you have it, I hope confusion has set in, it's your first step! Like any
other machine, you will need practice to get good looking welds (instead of
the "gob it on heavy and it'll hold" method) So good luck with your
purchase. One warning though, be prepared to buy a million more tools, the
bug will bite ya pretty hard once you get started, just ask my wife!

walt

"Gene T" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
For the past coupla year I have been contmplating getting a small MIG
welder
for doing repairs and small metal projects. I need one that will work
with
household current. Seems that most of these can weld up to 3/16 in-
probaly
more than enough for my needs. I am leaning towards using flux core wire
instead of gas. In my area I can get Lincoln, Century, Miller or Hobart.
This is only for occasional use so I don't need the top-of-the-line but
don't want to be stuck with a junker either. I would appreciate input on
any of these brands as to their pro/cons.
Thanks,
Gene


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