Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I'm going to be purchasing a stick welder here in the next few weeks and I'm scouring the local CL ads for used AC/DC stick welders. I figure I would gather a list of what I think are some "good deals" and have you gents/ladies point me in the correct direction. I'd rather have your experience and input, because this is relatively new territory for me. Isaac is going to lull the economic trafic, so I'm almost positive that the ads I post will be here for at least another week. My budget is $500, with a little wiggle room. Things I'm looking for prioritized; 1. Quality (bullet proof) I want something that lasts... Archaic technology always seems to pay off if repairs are needed... 2. Good solid range of welding, from welding thick plate (forklift tine anvil) to something that could accomplish ornate and pretty. 3. easily adjustable (retard proof as they called it in the army) 3. Smooth and steady arc (more of a machines reputation than anything) 3. + capabilities for other types of welding (tig) *** I'm not located in an area that has 3 phase infrastructure *** don't really know which welders are 3 phase though $250 http://orlando.craig...3171504838.html - Craftsman/Sears 230 Amp stick welder with a high frequency box for Tig Welding. $300 http://sarasota.crai...3180613916.html - Miller 180 P $500 http://sarasota.crai...3163493050.html - Miller Dialarc 250 $300 http://sarasota.crai...3174457498.html -Sureweld AC/DC 300amp $100 http://tampa.craigsl...3199466590.html -Sears Craftsman AC/DC 230/140 There are Lincoln AC/dc tombstones all over the place, They exist as an option, and they fall in the $300 range... Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Dave Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I haven't done a study on the best welders, but I would stay with one of the brand names like Lincoln, Miller, Thermal Arc, etc. You might have difficulty finding replacement parts if needed in some of the not well known brands. I would want to run it to see how it performs. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Out of that list, the Miller is by far the best. Stay away from the little inverter welders, they are light wieght and are becoming more common. The problem is, they have on average a 5 year life expectancy (doesn't matter if they are used or not). The offbrand stuff can be an adventure to get parts. Now that doesn't mean that that particular machine is in good shape, always check it out and weld with it before you buy any used machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 I haven't done a study on the best welders, but I would stay with one of the brand names like Lincoln, Miller, Thermal Arc, etc. You might have difficulty finding replacement parts if needed in some of the not well known brands. I would want to run it to see how it performs. Good luck. Good point Dave. The only one on the fritz as far as being name non-named brand would be those sears welders... lol, but then the two of them have those other elements that the named brand ones don't like HF tig box, and the other with the $100 asking price... I just don't know enough about them... Sureweld, from what I understand was just a miller painted yellow with a new name... Can anyone verify this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 Out of that list, the Miller is by far the best. Stay away from the little inverter welders, they are light wieght and are becoming more common. The problem is, they have on average a 5 year life expectancy (doesn't matter if they are used or not). The offbrand stuff can be an adventure to get parts. Now that doesn't mean that that particular machine is in good shape, always check it out and weld with it before you buy any used machine. When it comes to testing them out, I've never struck an arc in my life... I understand the process, but as far as understanding whether or not it's running right would be beyond me... Any hints? Dead giveaways to whether it's behaving as a stick welder should? I'm looking for a transformer type welder, not an inverter... Are those sears/craftsmen ones inverter welders??? I just assumed they were not...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The Miller Dialarc 250 you listed is a bullet proof machine your looking for. Also a good choice would be a Lincoln 250 if you can find one. Make sure if you are in a home shop with limited power you find one that will operate on 60 amp 1phase 210/220/230 power. The two machines listed above should be. Try to stay away from the Lincoln Tombstone or any other machine that has rough tap settings. What I mean by this is, a machine that you plug or turns and locks in to rough setting like 100 amps to 130 amps. You will be happiest with a machine with infinate amperage control. This will allow you to fine tune your machine to what ever you need to do. It might have a tap like 100 amp to 130 amps in it but will have a reostat which will allow you to fine tune your amperages with in the tap setting. It will also give the capabilites to TIG weld with a tap or scratch start and a air cooled torch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 That old sureweld is a good machine for the money. I had one for many years but got rid of it because I needed a tig with a foot control. It welded nice. Perhaps it could scratch start tig I don't know.........Oh, and they're BIG the one in the pic is probly 4' long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I have several welding machines and the infinitely variable types are nice but the fixed tap machines work just fine. I have a tombstone Lincoln AC only machine that's built several trailers and three pole barns and it's still going so they are certainly not useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Delete multi post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Delete multi post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 For the $$ I would go with the Miller Dialarc. You will only need the HF (High Frequency) when welding Alum. (you can TIG weld without the HF)and since you have never struck an arc I doubt that you will be needing that for a while. and you can add a HF box later if you really need it. You can stick weld or TIG weld with this machine and it has a large range, from light work to heavy (or at least as heavy as you will probably be doing.) As far as testing it out, there again, you having never done this before would be like trying to buy an airplane having never flown one before and going out to test fly it! Get someone that knows their stuff to go with you and help you out. Buy them lunch or pay for their time...could save you a LOT of heartache in the long run. If you have a community college in your area as the welding instuctor to go with you or just go to a welding shop in town and ask if anyone of the employees would be willing to help you out. You might even make a good friend with someone like this that would be willing to help you learn to use your new toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Thanks guys I'm really leaning toward the dialarc or the sureweld... after the comments... If a Ac/dc tombstone rears it's ugly face, and it's a steal, I would have no problem picking it up... I'm all for graduating to tig, so if I can tig on the machine with additional equipment, that's a plus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 For the money you are budgeting you could buy a brand new miller thunderbolt ac/dc welder. I have used one for 15 years in the shop. I also use it to tig weld. My first one was a miller thunderbolt that was my grandpas. He bought it in the 50's or 60's. The other nice thing is they are smaller so you can roll them around the shop or they will not take up so much room on or under the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 For the money you are budgeting you could buy a brand new miller thunderbolt ac/dc welder. I have used one for 15 years in the shop. I also use it to tig weld. My first one was a miller thunderbolt that was my grandpas. He bought it in the 50's or 60's. The other nice thing is they are smaller so you can roll them around the shop or they will not take up so much room on or under the bench. I didn't even know my budget was in the ballpark of a new Miller machine! I might have to change my last name to Jones.... Forgive me for my ignorance, but with this setup, what additional equipment would I need if I wanted to run a tig setup on this machine? Obviously I would need a tig torch, foot pedal?,etc...??? See, the fab shop I worked in, for a entire 2 months (unstable boss), had top of the line stuff at their fingertips... tig specific miller machines (as far as I knew), fluid coolers, pedals, spool guns, and other machine attachments.... I felt like a retard in a room full of bouncy balls trying to understand it all... Just pondering what it would take to upgrade the machine to being tig capable??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I didn't even know my budget was in the ballpark of a new Miller machine! I might have to change my last name to Jones.... Forgive me for my ignorance, but with this setup, what additional equipment would I need if I wanted to run a tig setup on this machine? Obviously I would need a tig torch, foot pedal?,etc...??? See, the fab shop I worked in, for a entire 2 months (unstable boss), had top of the line stuff at their fingertips... tig specific miller machines (as far as I knew), fluid coolers, pedals, spool guns, and other machine attachments.... I felt like a retard in a room full of bouncy balls trying to understand it all... Just pondering what it would take to upgrade the machine to being tig capable??? For just the basics all you need is a 150, or 200 amp air cooled torch, bottle of argon and a flow meter. This will get you started. As Thomas Dean mentioned a high frequency box and remote foot pedal or hand remote would plug into it. This you could add at a later date. As a side note the Miller Thunderbolt is a nice machine but is considered light duty or hobby use. The Miller Dial Arc is twice the machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 If you are going to upgrade a stick welder to TIG you will need to make sure that the machine is capable of DC welding. The minimum setup is known as scratch start TIG you will need a bottle of argon, flow meter, and a TIG torch with a valve in the handle. This setup will get you welding steel but not aluminum. Not many stick welders are capable of adding on a foot pedal so you will have to set the amperage at the machine. The Miller Dial Arc can have a foot peddle added to it but they are very expensive about $500 new and are seldom on Ebay. I have done quite a bit of welding on a scratch start TIG and once you get the hang of it you can do some very nice welding with it. Out of the list I would go with the Dial Arc and forget about the foot pedal. If you want something new I would also suggest looking at the Hobart Stickmate they are made in the US by Miller but cost less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 http://www.tractorsu...-welder-3837309 Walk in and get. It is a nice machine but not an industrial machine. Hobart is now the economy line of Miller. The quality is the same, some features are different. Now that I have proper 50A 220 power in my garage for a welder I am looking and wanting. I have an ancient 30A stick welder with taps that works ok though. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Thank you gents. This collective advice of this thread has left me with a great bit of education and some clear direction... Hopefully that dial arc doesn't get horns-waggled from my grips. should be getting paid any day now... If I have some more questions I'll post up, and if not I'll post a picture of what comes home with me... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The old Lincoln machines are hard to beat and I have seen them go for as low as $150.00. They are heavy (two guys can not pick it up) They last forever 30 plus years in a college here in town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Correct, the Hobart is not considered an industrial machine. I have a friend who is a Miller sales rep and he told me the only difference in the Hobart machines is the windings are not as large and so the duty cycle is less. They do have the same warrantee as Miller so if you can live with the duty cycle it is a good machine. I have had both a Thunderbolt and a Stickmate and have been very happy with both. I don’t weld for a living and most of my shop time is not spent welding so the duty cycle has never been a problem for me. I do long for a hulking beast of a welder that sits in the corner and scares visitors to the shop. I’m keeping my eyes open for a Miller 330AB/P or other obnoxiously large machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Correct, the Hobart is not considered an industrial machine. I have a friend who is a Miller sales rep and he told me the only difference in the Hobart machines is the windings are not as large and so the duty cycle is less. They do have the same warrantee as Miller so if you can live with the duty cycle it is a good machine. I have had both a Thunderbolt and a Stickmate and have been very happy with both. I don’t weld for a living and most of my shop time is not spent welding so the duty cycle has never been a problem for me. I do long for a hulking beast of a welder that sits in the corner and scares visitors to the shop. I’m keeping my eyes open for a Miller 330AB/P or other obnoxiously large machine. Do you mean scary like these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Oh ya a 300 amp or better Syncrowave would do. Is that XMT on top how do you like stick welding with it compared to a transformer machine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Oh ya a 300 amp or better Syncrowave would do. Is that XMT on top how do you like stick welding with it compared to a transformer machine? Thats a Syncrowave 500. I have not done alot of stick welding with the 304, mostly use it for GMAW and FCAW-G. The 304 does have a great arc when stick welding. It does a great job putting a root pass in on pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I recently bought a 200 amp Thermal Arc inverter thinking I would use it for both TIG and stick and sell my old Hobart Stickmate. It seems to be a good TIG machine but I don't like the way it stick welds. I experimented with a few different rods and settings per the manual but I never could get the weld bead to look very nice. I don't weld a lot so I don't know if it is me or the machine, but I had gotten pretty happy the results on the Stickmate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I recently bought a 200 amp Thermal Arc inverter thinking I would use it for both TIG and stick and sell my old Hobart Stickmate. It seems to be a good TIG machine but I don't like the way it stick welds. I experimented with a few different rods and settings per the manual but I never could get the weld bead to look very nice. I don't weld a lot so I don't know if it is me or the machine, but I had gotten pretty happy the results on the Stickmate. Thermal Arc is a quality machine and should produce good welds. Sometimes it is the little things that are over looked. Double check your parameters, machine settings and polarity and practice with it and you will find it happy spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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