Which is the best mig welder?

[estepona1999]

Can anyone recommend a good quality mig welder(single phase),I have a cebora 130amp but I am disappointed with the welding results.The cebora is probably 20 years old,so now should be the time to upgrade to a better machine.I don't want to spend a load of money,just buy a quality machine at a fair price.I don't have a business,just hobby
I am not interested in a gasless machine,thanks

[IslipMinor]

What gas are you using? What results are you getting?

I have a SIP 130A, bought around 20 years ago, using 0.6mm wire with Argoshield 95 gas, which gives good results on thin and thicker materials.

[andypocock]

I'd suggest a visit to http://www.mig-welding.co.uk if you have the time to do a bit of reading.

The old Clarke Units from Machine Mart take some beating at than end of the market and I've been very impressed with the R Tech welders I've used.

I like rotary knobs rather that switches as sometimes the sweet spot is right between two settings.

Make sure is goes low enough to weld thin steel with 0.6mm wire.

Be sure to sort out a good gas supply. Disposable bottles are terribly expensive but there are good deals to be had on proper bottles from the likes of Target or Adams gas.

Andy

[tysonn]

To be fair a 20 year old Cebora will have far more robust components than a lot of the present day far eastern made with a recognisable label stuff.Snap-on were always rebadged Ceboras.130A is more than powerful enough for bodywork and the odd chassis repair.What is it about it you're not happy with?
Mick

[ian.mcdougall]

you may need to change the liner to the gun , are there any kinks in the pipe to the gun ,is the wire feed wheel groove clogged with rust/dust, do you have the correct groove (if there are two .6 and .8 ) in the drive wheel pushing the wire

[rayofleamington]

I used a SIP migmate 130 tubo and recognise all the well-discussed issues you'll find on that welding forum... (definately worth a read!)
I replaced the full torch/cable assy twice and lots of torch liners as well.
For these, the 0.8mm wire together with a 1.00mm tip is a common preffered 'solution'. It has a couple of limitations, but as the roller drive for 0.8 is serrated and the wire is stronger, it can push the wire harder (less likely to stick in the tip). The wire surface is roughed up by the drive wheel which may help keep the tip bore cleaner. The roughened surface was probably a reason for needing regular torch liner changes. I used the full size wire spools to avoid needing to re-feed the wire (definately worth it if you have a lot to do). Re-feeding the wire is another way to reduce the life of a torch liner!
However, when running mine on 0.6mm wire & 0.6mm tip, I struggled to get anything close to a run and the wire was perpetually welded into the tip whenever it stopped.

After 18years & a lot of projects with the SIP I got myself a Clarke 130 tubo instead.
I really prefer it*, but wish it had more fine-tuning between settings. The MIN/MAX & 1/2 settings would be much better for me if there were 6 levels instead!
* I get better results. Also the gas valve is in the handle and switches before the electrical suply, therefore much better control of gas.

[bmcecosse]

2nd vote for the 0.8mm wire, and the 1mm tip. It WORKS!

[les]

I've heard people criticize the sip range but from personal experience I've completed Two extensive restos with mine, a turbomig 170, using 0.6 wire, and it has performed faultlessly despite hours of use over a number of years. so that's where my vote is!

[Nerlanane]

Just my two cents...sorry for bumping...

I have never used a 220 VAC MIG welder before but asking a lot of questions before I bought mine (one of them was from a friend who repaired welders for a living), there are some things to point out.

Unlike a 240 VAC welder, you cannot just go out and move from the max 3/16 material (usually considered the limit to a one pass weld with a 120VAC MIG Welder) to heavier materials; gas shielded welding does not allow you that extra bit the shielded wire does. Gas does not let you weld in heavy winds (outside hopefully) like shielded wire does but shielded wire welding is messy like ARC welding is. Going from shielded wire to gas, in most of the small machines, requires a different liner and (maybe) changing the polarity of the electrical connection (its been too long since I did my setup).