Wire feed welder recommendations?

EricB

Member
I have been thinking of buying a new wire feed welder and I wonder where my money is best spent. Interested in hearing which ones to stay away from and what makes and models are more fool proof. I have had a 220V Clark for the last 19 years but I can't seem to locate parts any more. Thanks for your input!!
 
Miller and Lincoln are the front runners. HTP and ESAB are quality machines but far less popular (in America, at least). If the Clark gave you good service, you're probably not as opposed to second tier (and lower) welders as many people on this site are. That gives you a large field to choose from, but not a lot of information to distinguish the good from the not so good. Personally, I'd advise staying away from Harbor Freight wire feed welders. Harbor Freight sells a couple of decent welders, but the wire feed models aren't among them.

If you've got about $1100 to spend, the Millermatic 211 is a hard machine to beat. It's enormously popular, and it seems to just keep getting better. It's an inverter welder which runs on 110V or 220V---very handy. I've got a Miller Maxstar 150 (stick and lift start TIG) that has that dual voltage system and it's just the cat's nnalert. I'm a strong believer in used transformer type stick welders from craigslist, but I've got reservations about used wire feed welders. I might take a chance on an old transformer type one, but I'd never buy a used inverter type wire welder---too many reasons a seller might be getting rid of it besides just not needing it anymore.

Stan
 
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I'm thinking about getting one of these. I'm a little partial, though, I worked there for 41 years.
I'm going to call a guy I worked with to see if he has used one and get his opinion.
 
I am also partial to Lincoln. I have three, a small 100 amp 110v powered machine does great for my field work repairing fences, gates and such. The other two are 220v machines, one a wire feed and the other a stick. Both work great. I use all three as much as anybody probably. I am a one man ornamental ironworks shop.
 
You need to say what you want the welder to be capiable of and decide on a budget if you want serious advice. I have been pleased with my present Lincoln Pro-Mig 180 and liked the Hobart 190 until someone thought they needed it more than me and stole it. I wouldn't buy a 120 volt for anything other than sheet metal work. Miller has the widest selection and noone I know has ever complained about Miller. I don't think paying extra for dual voltage give's that much bang for the buck. There are very few places that don't have 240 volts at the breaker box if not at an outlet. I carry a 30 amp male x 50 amp female pigtail and a fused pig tail with clamps that get's me hooked up pretty much anywhere.
 

I have a Lincoln 110. I don't know anything about welding, but I have had it for about fifteen years and it has a lot of capability for more than just sheet metal. I use my 225 for most heavier work, but recently I had to stick something together that was too far away from the outlet that my 225 plugs into, so I had to use the 110. It was about 5/16 and it heated it up just fine.
 
I've got a miller Vintage which is both a great welder and no longer available. If I were to replace it I would go with a Lincoln. When I had my shop I tried several different millers, 250, 251, 250x etc to run my spool gun on aluminum and none worked as good as my Vintage or the Lincolns. All those millers worked good on steel with the regular gun tho, but now I have a negative opinion of them.
 
Look at Victor/Tweco. Their 3 in 1 welders are great,they will weld MIG and Stick on 110&220 right out of the box. You can also buy the TIG torch if needed. they make as small or as big as you need. BTW, you will not find one at your local Box store.
 
Thanks everyone for taking the time to share knowledge and experience on here...because you're not in it for the money I consider your input more trustworthy than coming from a commission sales man that is hard up to make his next sale. Some sales people are first class but not found everywhere.
 
I weld everything from tin to farm implement type of stuff. I have a couple of stick welders for heavier stuff. Regarding budget - I put quality and dependability ahead of settling for "cheap"...I'll pay for what I like and trust.
 
I am an admitted tool nut but own the entire gamut from HF to Snap On. Welders are something that I personally haven't had good luck with when too cheap.
My wire feed is a 3 year old Miller 252, I have forgotten about the purchase price but sure enjoy using it,,
 
I'd say look at Lincoln. Not only are they good welders for the money this company is one of the BEST in the USA ! They are employee owned ! At the end of a good year it's not uncommon for the workers to get a bonus about equal to their yearly pay !
 
Lincoln is not employee owned. The stock offering is traded on NASDAQ using the symbol LECO. They are just reallly good to work for.
 
I just did some googling and yes I was wrong they are not employee owned. Now I wonder where I heard that or why I believed that ?
 
I retired from Lincoln in 2014 after 41 years there. Lincoln was not exactly "employee owned" but stock was restricted to employees and 3/4 of the employees were shareholders. About 10% was open stock but very hard to acquire. They went public in 1995. Very good company to work for but very competitive.
 
Needless to say you obviously believe in the quality of their product and own one or more of their welders?
 

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