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110 or 220 Volt MIG welder

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BritCarFan

BritCarFan

Jedi Hopeful
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I've been looking into buying a Lincoln MIG welder at the Home Depot. The search is narrowed down to a 110V or a 220V unit.

I'm leaning towards the 110V because I don't have to install a seperate circuit to the garage.

Any thoughts?
 
There have been occasions when I wished I had a 220v MIG, but for the most part, mine does what I need it to do, which is ¼” and thinner. It is amazing that I got by for so many years without a welder. Seems like I use it and my torch for all sorts of projects now that I never thought of before.
 
I bought a Millermatic 135 (I believe this unit was superceeded by a 140) before I started my Spridget Project (www.raysmg.com). I couldn't get by without it.

I've done a lot of fabrication and welding in of new panels and the 110V unit has performed well. Unless you are routinely welding structural shapes of 1/4" or more, I believe the 110V (130-140 amp) unit will do the job admirably. The variable output pots for wire feed and amperage let you really fine tune the machine for the work you'll be doing.

Thus far I have not had a job that required full power out of my welder.

Ray
 
I have a 110V MIG and have found I have never actually needed a 220v. 110V is plenty good for what I do.
I've found it's also a bit more portable and practical than a 220VAC welder as not all the places I have taken my welder have the required 220 available....most cases 110V is though...all of a sudden I have many more friends and much more beer!
One thing I would recommend is that you make sure you get one than can handle shielding gas....The difference between welding with and without gas (shielding that is) is night and day!!
Mikey
 
Hello all,

as I live in a country where the standard domestic voltage is 240v, I am interested in what size fuse\breaker you need to run a welder on 110v? My little 140amp TIG set is on 16amp circuit so I am guessing you will need about 35amps so the cable will have to be about 4mm. I don't know how that equates to your AWG though.

Alec
 
BritCarFan said:
I've been looking into buying a Lincoln MIG welder at the Home Depot. The search is narrowed down to a 110V or a 220V unit.

I'm leaning towards the 110V because I don't have to install a seperate circuit to the garage.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

A couple of things to consider here.
What type of welding are you going to endulge in?
I.E. light guage material, small {short}welds?
Material 1/4 in. or smaller?
The 110 welder will work just fine for this scenerio, as suggested you will want the gas capable model welder. {you can always add the gas bottle later if desired.}
If you plan to do heavy fabricating 1/4 in. material and above, long welds frequently. You will want the 220 machine.
The difference bieng, with the 220 machine you will have a longer duty cycle {the ability to weld for long periods of time with out stopping.} Plus a higher volt/amp range capability. {for welding thicker materials} For more information on Welding processes and welding machine types and uses see threads posted by me in this {tools} forum or the articles in the wiki. Hopefuly these articles will answer all of your questions, if not feel free to P.M. me for any further information you may desire.

For MOST hobbyists the 110 v welders are quite sufficient.
 
To jump in, rather than start another very similar thread...

I just came into a bunch of Home Depot gift cards (thanks to membership rewards and amex). I want a welder - I feel like less of a man not being able to weld properly /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

I was looking at the Lincoln ones at HD. It comes down to two models - the 230V 175A one and the 110V 135A one.

I know Lincoln aren't the best out there, but I don't think that they are the worst either, and those cards make them a very viable proposition.

I want it for light stuff - mainly fixing cars and the ilk. Or so I think right now.

The price difference is $150 and I have 220 in the garage already, so I was leaning towards the 175. Are you saying then that I'd do as well to get the 135 and put the $150 to supplies, or have I misunderstood?
 
Ok here is the deal:
You get a M.I G. Welder, {the 135} you begin to repair things, fenders and the like.
Then all of a sudden you think to yourself geeze i`m pretty good at welding {you will be after a little practice and trial and error}.
Then you think to yourself Hmmmmmmmmm I could make this and that {Anything from a BBQ to a rotisserie for rotating car bodys.}
But there will be occasions where you will be welding 3/8 Steel. The 135 would be fine for the BBQ {Even if you made it {god forbid} out of 3/8 plate.
Then there is the question of the rotisserie {it`s going to hold your PRESSIOUS car body while you work on it.} Besides there is a lot of welding to manufacture a large item. This is where the duty cycle comes in to play. With the 230 V machine you can run longer welds {weld continus for long periods of time} with no harm to your home wireing or the welding machine. You can also SAFELY weld thicker materials. One other factor is ..... a 230 V anything is cheaper to operate {electrical consumption} than 110 V is.
It ALL boils down to BUDGET and desire, {personal choice}
I say IF budget allows, get the 230 V machine you`ll never regret it.
You have to condiser that consumables will cost you some unforseen $ Initialy a sizeable amount, {the gas bottle}
{cart} {Hose and regullator{May be included} {Spools of different types and diameters of wire.} {Extra contact tips
Believe me when i say, just learning you will neeed a few of these}
All in All, MY CHOICE would be the 230 V 175 A machine.
The 110 V 135 A machine will do you a fine job also the only things to consider here are the limitations and budget.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Then all of a sudden you think to yourself geeze i`m pretty good at welding {you will be after a little practice and trial and error}.[/QUOTE]

LMAO - I can't see that day ever happening. If I can get two bits of metal to stick together consistently I'll be happy.

I will get the 175 though.
Thx.
 
Exactly Stuart:
Heat ranges and duty cycle are the main considerstions when it comes to ANY welding machine.
For welding light guage material you need a machine that will accomodate low settings {Heat range}. The duty cycle here isn`t as important as it is for heavier duty welders never the less higher duty cycles equals longer weldment time {continious welding}.
For heavy fabrication {frequent welds and long weldments {Long continious welds} duty cycle is ALL important.
Duty cycle has to do with how long the welding machine can continiously produce a weldment without over heating the machine and or wireing.
Any welding machine that can accomodate low as well as high settings with stability usually equals $
AGAIN:
The type of machine one should purchase depends on the uses one intends.
A light duty machine and heavy fab work equals trouble sooner or later. Sooner rather than later in most cases.
THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE:
Duty cycles are rated in %, so a 20% duty cycle machine would be capable of safely welding for 20 minutes out of 100 minutes {thats not to say 20 minutes continuously but more like 20 one minutes welds within 100 minutes.} One minute welding time, three or four minutes idle. {One could push these time frames within reason}
Idealy not to overheat your equipment or home wireing.
I hope this shed some light on what duty cycle is and how it works.
 
Thanks Aweman, I can see that I need to really think on this for a while before deciding what to purchase.
Don't suppose you fancy moving to Louisiana with all your gear?? That way I wouldn't need one of my own. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Stuart. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
 
Hahahaha Stuart:
That actually got a smile {Thoughts of moving to Louisiana} as I love cajun food as well as the Zydeco music. { Cajun type of music thats kind of like Bluegrass for those that don`t know what Zydeco is.}
I actually was stationed at Ft. Polk {Where I E.T.S.`ed from back in 1970.}
I really liked what little I got to see of the area around there.
Get you a good welder and jump in, the water is fine *SMILE*
you will love what you can do with it once you become proficient at welding.
The only thing I hate about starting a welding project is accumulating material. Not only the cost but the actual going to the metal yards to pick it up too. I usualy end up buying more than I need {you know just because}.
Kerry
 
AweMan said:
The only thing I hate about starting a welding project is accumulating material. Not only the cost but the actual going to the metal yards to pick it up too.
Click to expand...
Mmmmmm, going to a metal yard is like going to a candy store for me.
 
I've got the 135 and have done all types of thickness' and I took on some 1/4" Stainless. I have the 75/25 Argon CO2 attached to it as well. Some days I' m a great welder and some days I can't weld to save my life. I like it and enjoy it though.
 
ecurie_ecosse said:
Thanks Aweman, I can see that I need to really think on this for a while before deciding what to purchase.
Don't suppose you fancy moving to Louisiana with all your gear?? That way I wouldn't need one of my own. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Stuart. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
Click to expand...
Too bad you didn't know me when I lived in Breaux Bridge...

What I wouldn't give to go to a crawfish boil tomorrow night /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
In reply to the original post, fewer people will ask to borrow your welder if it's 240VAC.

My first MIG was one of the Italian units that broke onto the market in the mid 80s. It handled sheetmetal okay, but was severely limited for anything beyond that (though I'd cheat and pre-heat the metal if I HAD to weld something a little thicker).

Currently, I have a Miller 175 MIG (240VAC) and it's done everything I've asked of it.
 
I've built a dozen race cars with a 110 Lincoln, when it was at the house, had to use a 30 amp breaker. It's been a great welder, had it about 17 years now, all I ever replaced were the liner and the mig gun with Tweco parts. The only drawback to a 110 welding is duty cycle, and since most of us are not welding for long periods of time, it works out fine for us.
 
GregW said:
AweMan said:
The only thing I hate about starting a welding project is accumulating material. Not only the cost but the actual going to the metal yards to pick it up too.
Click to expand...
Mmmmmm, going to a metal yard is like going to a candy store for me.
Click to expand...
And therein lays the problem for me. I tend to buy more than I actually need or have a place to store in out of the weather. I too, am like a kid in a candy store!
 
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