Now that I have adequate power to my new shop, I'm thinking of adding an
AC/DC stick welder. The ones I'm looking at are (and the prices from
various local dealers):

Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 ($541)

Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 ($449)

Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC

Has anyone had experiences, good or bad, with any of these?

Thanks.

Jerry

On Sep 5, 11:58 pm, "Jerry Foster"
wrote:
Now that I have adequate power to my new shop, I'm thinking of adding an
AC/DC stick welder. The ones I'm looking at are (and the prices from
various local dealers):

Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 ($541)
Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 ($449)
Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC

Has anyone had experiences, good or bad, with any of these?

Thanks.

Jerry

I bought the Lincoln AC/DC from a guy locally using Craigslist.
Near new condition, and think I paid around $150 for it. Bargains are
out there if you have patience.

Sam

Jerry Foster wrote:

Now that I have adequate power to my new shop, I'm thinking of adding an
AC/DC stick welder. The ones I'm looking at are (and the prices from
various local dealers):

Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 ($541)
Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 ($449)
Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC

Suggest you look at your local used market via craigslist.

I like the Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC machines from far enough back so the leads
are detachable. Makes for far cleaner storage. I have one, my second one, love
it. Not a large duty cycle, if you need to run a whole lot of stick you might
want to get 2 and switch back/forth.

GWE

Miller Thunderbolt has a mild edge because it has shunt rather than
taps. As Grant mentioned, detachable cables are very nice, I've
retrofitted my welders with them. No big deal, standard jacks and plugs
are $8 each at my local supplier. Check the cable lengths that come with
the machines. Lincoln, in particular, has very short stock leads.

As mentioned, www.craigslist.com tends to have some good deals. I bought
a decent Craftsman 225 amp unit for $50 (a buddy needed one so off it
went), Lincoln's go for $75 to $100 and up. The cheap units go VERY fast
so you have to watch the lists closely. The Craftsman seller had 3 calls
in 45 minutes, I picked it up within an hour of the posting time.

If you are buying new, the DC option is not that much more money so I'd
certainly consider going for it. Used machines will rarely have DC, no
one wants to spend the extra money for it.

IMHO, DC option is nice but no where near mandatory for a hobbist
welder. My two buzzbox welders are both AC only, run 6011 and 6013 with
ease, I've built plenty of things like Jeep bumpers, trailer hitches,
etc. Of course, I have access to a prototype shop with MIG, TIG, high
end stick welder, etc. for specialty things.

Jerry Foster wrote:
Now that I have adequate power to my new shop, I'm thinking of adding an
AC/DC stick welder. The ones I'm looking at are (and the prices from
various local dealers):

Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 ($541)

Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 ($449)

Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC

Has anyone had experiences, good or bad, with any of these?

Thanks.

Jerry

On Sep 6, 7:18?am, RoyJ wrote:
Miller Thunderbolt has a mild edge because it has shunt rather than
taps. As Grant mentioned, detachable cables are very nice, I've
retrofitted my welders with them. No big deal, standard jacks and plugs
are $8 each at my local supplier. Check the cable lengths that come with
the machines. Lincoln, in particular, has very short stock leads.

As mentioned,www.craigslist.comtends to have some good deals. I bought
a decent Craftsman 225 amp unit for $50 (a buddy needed one so off it
went), Lincoln's go for $75 to $100 and up. The cheap units go VERY fast
so you have to watch the lists closely. The Craftsman seller had 3 calls
in 45 minutes, I picked it up within an hour of the posting time.

If you are buying new, the DC option is not that much more money so I'd
certainly consider going for it. Used machines will rarely have DC, no
one wants to spend the extra money for it.

IMHO, DC option is nice but no where near mandatory for a hobbist
welder. My two buzzbox welders are both AC only, run 6011 and 6013 with
ease, I've built plenty of things like Jeep bumpers, trailer hitches,
etc. Of course, I have access to a prototype shop with MIG, TIG, high
end stick welder, etc. for specialty things.



Jerry Foster wrote:
Now that I have adequate power to my new shop, I'm thinking of adding an
AC/DC stick welder. The ones I'm looking at are (and the prices from
various local dealers):

Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 ($541)

Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 ($449)

Hobart Stickmate LX 235 AC/160 DC

Has anyone had experiences, good or bad, with any of these?

Thanks.

Jerry- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

As for the ubiquitous Lincoln 225A "tombstone")
Some people swear by this machine and some at it.
I'm one of the latter.
I've used these lincolns where the multiple contact switch did not
make a good connection and had to be clicked back and forth several
times to get maximum output for that range.
My preference is the 225A Miller. The output is regulated by moving
the core in or out of the transformer.Not only does this give
stepless
output control but provides a higher open circuit voltage for easier
weld starting.

These are my welders...been using them for 10 years or
more....

Lincoln SP-85 Mig

Lincoln AC-225C Arc

had a tombstone, but sold it years back, to heavy to
move around...

xman

On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:18:45 -0500, RoyJ
wrote:


If you are buying new, the DC option is not that much more money so I'd
certainly consider going for it. Used machines will rarely have DC, no
one wants to spend the extra money for it.

IMHO, DC option is nice but no where near mandatory for a hobbist
welder. My two buzzbox welders are both AC only, run 6011 and 6013 with
ease, I've built plenty of things like Jeep bumpers, trailer hitches,
etc. Of course, I have access to a prototype shop with MIG, TIG, high
end stick welder, etc. for specialty things.

I agree.

Gunner