MIG welder, hobby use

[URY914]

I ordered the Hobart 140 from Northern Tool on Wednesday and was delivered this morning by FedEx. Shipping was free. Very nice piece. Haven't used it yet but will next weekend.

[rfuerst911sc]

Good deal ! Now get a cart and all the fixins 😁

[URY914]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Good deal ! Now get a cart and all the fixins 😁

I already have a cart.

Thanks, Rick.

[aigel]

I have the Lincoln weld pack 100 from yes, 20+ years ago. I bought the gas shield kit for it, which was a total game-changer. I think this does a very nice job for hobby use and a similar 110V machine in the market today would be what I'd buy again. I just used it again after a hiatus on extending some metal gate posts by a foot adding angle iron and rebar. It did quite well even on the thicker stuff. Try this first before going bigger and see if you really run out of welder or not. As far as taking classes go, there is a lot of good instruction online, and I watched that before starting up again this year. Another thing that is a must is an auto-darkening helmet. That's made a big difference for my welding as well.

[Bill Douglas]

Very nice. I think you'll enjoy the quality.

[berettafan]

Harbor freight a good source for the auto dark helmet.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by URY914

I already have a cart.

Thanks, Rick.

Looks nice! Let us know how you like it!

[Dan J]

Grinder and paint will make you the welder you ain't
Somebody had to say it

[Tim Hancock]

I have an older miller Econotig that I use for precise welding. About 6 years ago I bought this cheap 240 Mig welder that I use with gas for occasional welding repairs. It works good enough for me, but is pretty basic. I think I paid under $200 for it at the time.

https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welders/170-amp-dc-240-volt-migflux-cored-welder-68885.html

Recently built this motorcycle carrier with the Mig and previously used it for weekly repairs on my old dirt track race car.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Harbor freight a good source for the auto dark helmet.

The auto dark feature was slow in comparison to say a Speedglas. It's fraction of a second but over time....

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Zeke

The auto dark feature was slow in comparison to say a Speedglas. It's fraction of a second but over time....

I think I am on my 2nd auto dark helmet from HF in about 20 years. When I first bought one i was welding a couple hours per week. Nowadays I might use it an hour per month average. If I welded every day for a living, I would likely buy something better, but so I far at 55 my vision is still good.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I think I am on my 2nd auto dark helmet from HF in about 20 years. When I first bought one i was welding a couple hours per week. Nowadays I might use it an hour per month average. If I welded every day for a living, I would likely buy something better, but so I far at 55 my vision is still good.

It's what you don't know what is happening that will catch up to you. Ever ask yourself why career welders and instructors don't use cheap lenses? On the longevity you got lucky IMO because mine broke inside of 2 years.

I'm a light user just like you. I had a Speedglas but I sold it because you have to manually turn it on. I'd forget. So you'd pick it up after a break and get flashed. A few of those and I went with Jackson.

I would immediately go back the Speedglas but they haven't changed the manual ADF "On" requirement in any literature that I can find.

In my mind those are the only 2 I'd consider as ones by Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, etc. are only accessories to their line of equipment. They don't make them that I can determine.

[1990C4S]

I worked in a weld shop for a long time. Anyone who started with a cheap mask ended up with arc flash after a long day of welding.

Hobby use? Probably okay, but the HF visors turn on too slowly to be used all day long.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I worked in a weld shop for a long time. Anyone who started with a cheap mask ended up with arc flash after a long day of welding.

Hobby use? Probably okay, but the HF visors turn on too slowly to be used all day long.

+1

You should check the darkening times for sure. I bought a Lincoln brand auto helmet and it wasn't super expensive. The really cheap helmets have very small windows, which isn't ideal either.

I don't get the fascination with cheap HF stuff on a Porsche message board.

[Zeke]

Big view lenses have no appeal to me when all I need to see is something the size of a pencil eraser. You're not looking at the front of the weld puddle, you're not welding, just sticking things together.

I use cheater lenses too and they only come in one size.

[Bill Douglas]

I have a very bright light (theatre stage light) that I put on the area to be welded. That way it reduces the variation between a bright welding glow, and not quite able to see it because it's too dark.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by aigel

I don't get the fascination with cheap HF stuff on a Porsche message board.

I have built and restored more projects than most here over the years and I probably own more tools than most here. (I have built or restored multiple airplanes, cars, boats, motorcycles, musical instruments etc etc) I have done it all using a wide variety of both expensive, cheap and handmade tools (MAC, Snapon, Craftsman and quite a few lowly HF power and hand tools) I have collected over the years. As a mechanical engineer, I have a pretty good understanding of what items I can use that are cheap and what items I need to spend a bit more on.

If every tool I owned was the top notch most expensive brand, I would not have been able to have bought and completed so many projects over the years. I will put my quality of workmanship up against anyone's whether I completed the job with one of my homemade, HF or SnapOn tools.

With that said.... if it makes you "feel" better to buy the most expensive tool for every job then by all means knock yourself out.

[sammyg2]

I like miller AND Lincoln, but will never mess around with 120v welding equipment again. Nothing but bad luck with the 120v stuff.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I have built and restored more projects than most here over the years and I probably own more tools than most here. (I have built or restored multiple airplanes, cars, boats, motorcycles, musical instruments etc etc) I have done it all using a wide variety of both expensive, cheap and handmade tools (MAC, Snapon, Craftsman and quite a few lowly HF power and hand tools) I have collected over the years. As a mechanical engineer, I have a pretty good understanding of what items I can use that are cheap and what items I need to spend a bit more on.

If every tool I owned was the top notch most expensive brand, I would not have been able to have bought and completed so many projects over the years. I will put my quality of workmanship up against anyone's whether I completed the job with one of my homemade, HF or SnapOn tools.

With that said.... if it makes you "feel" better to buy the most expensive tool for every job then by all means knock yourself out.

And I would agree with you on almost every point. However, when you buy a wire wheel for a bench grinder or angle grinder from HF, expect wires to fly off. DeWalts don't do that so much. I'm not even gonna take a chance or discuss cheap cutoff wheels. That's anyone's call to make.

But when you can't see the problem while it is happening, then some statistics are in order. IDK if Project Farm has done a welding helmet comparison, but that cat has outed some real siht on the market like shop vacs. Why would I want a crappy vac in my shop because it was cheap?

And so on.

OTOH, I have had Milwaukee, Makita and Porter Cable power tools explode in blue flames in my hands. If something is gonna go off like a brick in a washing machine, it might as well be a POS.

Funny thing, I have never had a HF tool explode like that. They either don't last that long or don't work well enough out of the box. I know of a few HF tools I have used once and turned around and tossed them right into the trash can. Sometimes I will clip off the power cord, but if an air tool, I just take my quick connect back off and sayonara.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Funny thing, I have never had a HF tool explode like that. They either don't last that long or don't work well enough out of the box. I know of a few HF tools I have used once and turned around and tossed them right into the trash can. Sometimes I will clip off the power cord, but if an air tool, I just take my quick connect back off and sayonara.

Don't mix drywall compound with the HF 1/2" hand drill....smoke was created.