Trying to clarify...

[andrea]

Help! Im trying to find an awsome gift for my fiance who I know wants a good Mig welder. Since I dont have welding experience, I need to find a good one that is also fairly inexpensive. Any ideas?

[morpheus]

Wow ... let me say first off that your fiance is very lucky to have a woman like you !

What is your idea of "inexpensive" ?

I assume he owns his own home ? (I ask this question so as to gauge what kind of power he could get access to in the garage/shop)

- jack

[andrea]

well, from what ive found so far, it looks like id be paying between 500-800. I dont think I'll go above that. He does have his own home, so that wouldnt be a problem.

[Aaron]

Tractor Supply CO (TSC) currently has a special deal where you can get a nice sized welder, a cart, an auto-darkening helmet, a pair of gloves, wire, and a bottle of shielding gas for less than $700. This is probably the best deal on the market for someone starting from scratch.

I own own of these welders, it's a Hobart Handler 175 (HH175). It will give him the ability to weld up to about 5/16" in a single pass. Pretty nice machine.

Really want to impress him? Get an extra hood, and learn to weld with him.

[Bob]

"Fairly Inexpensive" ??? relative to what ???

A good 110V machine will be in $400-500 range. They will weld up to 3/16" material well but not much thicker.

Stepping up to 220V machines opens a much bigger price range, with "good" starting around $550-600 and going up. They require 220V (duh!) which can cost extra to install or he'll be welding in the laundary room using the 220V electric dryer outlet.

Once you pick a machine: shop! You can get brand new, warrantied machines for as low as about 2/3 the "suggested retail price", and consider shipping cost.

Hope that helps a little
Bob

[Sberry]

Aaron picked you out a good one, I agree, the HH175

[bluesman2a]

I'll agree with others who have already posted on all points:

1) If he gets outta line, point him to this thread... We all know that a lady who's willing to go to these lengths to buy quality welding equipment is a keeper...

2) The HH175 is a great machine in the stated pricerange.

3) You can also find them at www.Cyberweld.com They have great customer service if you cannot easily find a local shop. Other bonuses are they charge no tax, and have free shipping.

4) When shopping, don't forget to also buy him a bottle of gas (specifically 75% Argon/25% CO2 mix), so he can get started right away.

5) Last but not least, he will need a 220V outlet in the area he intends to use the welder in. If he's not handy with electricity, then a call to an electrician may be in order, but hey you bought him all the cool stuff, make him do some work too!!!

[Aaron]

Only thing two things to add to blues...

1) The set at TSC includes a small bottle of C25, quite a deal.
2) Any welder, 115VAC or 230VAC, should have a dedicated circuit. If you're going to run a circuit, put in the 230V, and never look back. It is the best way to go.

Look at it this way: A HH175 (230V machine) can do everything a HH135 (115V machine) can do, and more. Cost difference it about $100-$150. Benefits are, it can weld thicker material and at a higher duty-cycle.

[Sberry]

This has already got me wondering,,, if she has a sister? Remember, 10# of .030 sloid wire.

[Aaron]

Beg to differ, S. Get the .035" solid wire (he did mean to type "solid") I have run tons of it through my HH175, and the stuff at TSC is the best wire I've found. It goes by the brand name "weld-it".

[morpheus]

hey andrea, it doesn't look like there is a TSC store in Minneapolis unless it's a suburb city of Minneaplolis(http://www.mytscstore.com/customer_service.asp?pageID=s)

That said, I'd likely buy a Hobart Handler 175 unit off the net from here: http://store.cyberweld.com/hobhan175.html

Like the other guys said, some nice touches would be some welding wire, an auto-darkening helmet (http://store.cyberweld.com/welhelandgog.html), a cover for the welder (39.99), some MIG pliers (http://store.cyberweld.com/migpliers.html)

Also, I'll ask the question for ROCK: How did you find this site, they always like to know


- jack

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI ANDREA.........WELCOME ABOARD..........Have you made up your mind yet.................?......... I would say that will be a nice gift........

I always like to ask how you found the site..............

Enjoy the site.......................Rock..
[email protected]

[Aaron]

Jack, if there's one nearby it's way worth the drive!

The unit at cyberweld is $580.

For about $100 more at TSC you will get an auto-hood, a cart, gloves, two spools of wire, a bottle of C25, etc. The hood by itself is worth more than the difference.

[Wyoming]

Andrea,

Hop in the car or truck and head over to So. St. Paul to your nearest Tractor Supply store. They should be able to fix you right up with one of those HH175 welding packages.

[Pat]

Andrea,

The South St. Paul Tractor Supply is located at 496 Farwell Ave South St. Paul MN 55075. Their Phone number is (651)451-1897...........Happy Shopping