Need a good stick welder.. What to buy?

[dale7637]

I am in the market to purchase a decent welder for some light fab work and general acreage repairs.
I currently have a Canadian tire special wire feed. It works well for the little projects, but it's time to graduate to a bigger unit.

Needs- stick welder capable of tackling up to 3/8" ish plate.
Portable, I will need to be able to move this thing around a bunch and use it in different shops. Gas powered could be an option if the price is right.
Simple- I'm not a trained welder by any means, I need something that is point and shoot.

I am open to options. I have used 220v buzz boxes in the past, but have not used anything else.
Can you guys point me in the right direction?
Thanks

[Rancid Crabtree]

If your just interested in stick welding portable I think the Hobart Champion 10,000 that Peavey Mart carries is a good value.
I've put hundreds of hours on one as well as ran the other major brands. It's as good as any others in the under $5000 price range.
Hope that helps, I'm wanting to upgrade to a multi process machine so I can run flux core wire on my portable unit. So do consider your future uses but for basic stick welding the major brands all have entry level engine drive models.

[liar]

I bought a miller Maxstar 150 S about four years ago and have not used my big Lincoln buzz box since . like you , I am not a welder but use it around the acreage . built a shed with 4" pipe and 2 3/8 tubing and ran all the beads with it .

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

It is somewhat of a lost art but have you considered an oxy acetylene set up ? Unless your going to be using exotics it's probably the most cost effective set up and the only thing to break down is your ability. If stick is your choice the best place to look is kijiji there should be plenty of different varieties to choose from. For portable, Lincoln or Miller would be my choice.

[Blastoff]

It is somewhat of a lost art but have you considered an oxy acetylene set up ? Unless your going to be using exotics it's probably the most cost effective set up and the only thing to break down is your ability. If stick is your choice the best place to look is kijiji there should be plenty of different varieties to choose from. For portable, Lincoln or Miller would be my choice.

Hey try oxy acetylene on 3/8 metal, don't think so. that's the question here. go with a 220 mig set up

[Nubuun]

I picked up a Lincoln 210mp for 1500 bucks, stick mig and tig, 120v and 240, 210 amp output and it only wieghts 40 lbs

[Gammaboy]

I got a miller maxistar inverter a couple years ago and run it with my gen set if I need something more portable. It runs on 110 or 220v and is a bit smaller and lighter than a 12 pack of beer.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Hey try oxy acetylene on 3/8 metal, don't think so. that's the question here. go with a 220 mig set up

As a matter of fact I have, it's not as fast but with the proper tip it works just fine. For information purposes, I'm a red seal pressure welder and I know my trade well. Mig set up for outdoor use might be fine if you were making aero chocolate bars.

[Icehole]

find a cheap old lincoln sa200 or a lincoln 305g

[DLMfab]

I am in the market to purchase a decent welder for some light fab work and general acreage repairs.
I currently have a Canadian tire special wire feed. It works well for the little projects, but it's time to graduate to a bigger unit.

Needs- stick welder capable of tackling up to 3/8" ish plate.
Portable, I will need to be able to move this thing around a bunch and use it in different shops. Gas powered could be an option if the price is right.
Simple- I'm not a trained welder by any means, I need something that is point and shoot.

I am open to options. I have used 220v buzz boxes in the past, but have not used anything else.
Can you guys point me in the right direction?
Thanks


Anything made by lincoln, the ranger is ok for what you want, but the diesel drives are the sweetest if you plan to be burning lots of rod.......go joint the alberta rig welder buy and sell on Facebook lots for sale for cheap.
also the trailblazer 325, has some cool features like idle up to 1/8 rod, only revs up when it needs to...kind f cool.

[Baconman]

hey my opinion is that a stick welder is the best all around welder there is I run a dynasty 200 dx at home but it was expensive the maxstars are good machines for the price I use one of them for years doing work in food plants I have also used the miller thunderbolt xl and it was a good little welder for the price I will only buy miller products myself or high end lincon gas powered portables

[-JR-]

If you got the coin ,look into the lunch box size welder. I have herd they can weld the biggest rod you can find. Only needs a 110 plug in .
Its all electronic, I have never seen one .
I thought it was just a myth when a pipe line welder told me about it .
The miller rep told me they are a special order.

[dale7637]

Awesome, thanks for all the advice guys.

As far as Mig versus stick when it comes to the thicker steels, what are the pros and cons of each?
Thanks.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Stick will penetrate deeper and it is easier to get into tight spots, downside would be more user control is required for under cut and slag inclusion if thats a concern and duty cycle, wear on your machine must be calculated. Stick has a tendancy for more harmful chemicals released in the plume and generally harder on the lungs, especially if you brush your welds for appearance. Mig on the other hand requires far less skill and user control, 100% duty cycle which means you can weld continuously with out stopping to allow your machine to cool down. Negatives include, inert gas is required unless you run flux core wire and although it can still penetrate deep enough, especially in multi pass welds and vertical up procedure. One cannot obtain higher pressure yields on pressure work and penetration is not as deep as stick. If you don't plan on using your welder outdoors on your acreage and want a quality machine that is capable of almost every welding method at the flick of a switch and proper add on features of coarse I would recomend a miller inverter, I've ran this particular machine long enough to burn a weld from Edmonton to Calgary and at times at full voltage for 20 minutes at a time. Only down fall is price which averages about $3500 to $4000 for the machine excluding attachments. Due to the times I'm sure you can pick one up for a lot less I'm sure. Burn on !