What welder to buy- under $1000

[Mar10OR]

Looking at welders........
My head is going to spin off. So many choices......

I want to learn to weld, have a machine grow with my capabilities, not need to buy another one to move into bigger tasks.

The main goal is to fab bumpers. Possibly aluminum.

Help me out. I’m drowning in this. Want to get started but have NO IDEA what machine to buy. So, I humbly ask for guidance. THANKS!!!!!!

 

[TerryD]

Fab bumpers for yourself and your buddies or as a business?

 

[Mar10OR]

Myself.

But I also want to make cool sh!t too.

 

[TerryD]

Hobart 210. It'll run a spool gun for aluminum and has plenty of spunk for most other work. Hobart is Miller's cheap brand. I've had the 185 for several years now and its always done all I've asked of it.

 

[jsexton]

I have a hobart 190 - happy with it.

Definitely get a 220V welder. Makes a huge difference. Also set up to run shielding gas, also makes a huge difference. Running straight co2 shielding gas makes the most sense for home hobby welding. Its a lot cheaper to get set up (bottle is 1/3 the price), its cheaper to get a fill, and lasts like 10x longer. Better penetration than c25 but a little more spatter. I'm set up to run c25 or co2 - almost exclusively run co2.

edit:
I also bought the spool gun because I wanted to be able to weld aluminum also.... It has never been taken out of the box. I'd start with just the welder and add a spool gun later if you end up needing it. my .02

 

[IM1RU]

The best shielding gas for mild steel is Argon Co2 mix, and buy yourself some anti spatter spray.... makes a massive difference Set your gas regulator to read 20 CFH when the trigger is pulled.... and as was suggested to the OP on the other site with the same thread, go a take a class at the local community college.

 

[jsexton]

The best shielding gas for mild steel is Argon Co2 mix, and buy yourself some anti spatter spray.... makes a massive difference Set your gas regulator to read 20 CFM when the trigger is pulled.... and as was suggested to the OP on the other site with the same thread, go a take a class at the local community college.

yes, that's the best, but it's just not practical for a dude in his garage. 100% co2 is almost as good - most people would never be able to tell the difference.

 

[IM1RU]

I've never bought anything but, so the price is what it is to me... $100 for the 150 CF cylinder refill just doesn't seem like that much. But then I weld a lot at work so....

 

[jsexton]

its over $300 to buy the cylinder if a shop will even sell it/refill customer owned bottles. otherwise you have to rent it. you can buy a 20lb co2 cylinder for less than $100 and get it filled for $20. That's 175 CF. So you can set up co2 for 1/3 the cost and refill for less than 1/5 the cost of c25. The setup cost is the main reason why I say someone who has 2 welding projects a year should just go with co2. Plus you can use it to fill tires with a $40 regulator.

 

[IM1RU]

Sounds like reasonable advice then.