welder advice
Turbo Mini Forums

Think im going to buy a mig welder but tbh i have no idea what im looking at. I want to teach myself the basics over winter, the plan being that I will then be able to do some on the car at some point.

Done a bit of reading on the net, is some thing like this a good place to start?

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/...-gas-mig-welder

What would you recommend? dont really want to spend much more than £200

cheers, Mark

For that money you should be able to get a Snap On 130 Turbo second hand in good condition. Great welder, my dad has had one for years and I have one now too.

i paid 150 for a clark 140 ... top job excellent for body work .. and making the odd trailer here n there .. or garden gates .. do not get GASLESS ... the welds are porous ... and anything over 180 amps requires a 16amp plug .. any help ya need .. id be happy to assist ...

Ive got the Clarke 160EN Turbo, its nice and easy to use, producing great welds. very happy with it

1972 998 TURBO SLEEPER

Produces great welds ..if ya can weld .. but like any machine if ya cant use it... then the welds will not be so great ... u may fuse the materials together but astetically looks babb

Edited by Spooner on 10th Nov, 2009.

This topic has come up many time. as with any tool you get what you pay for. I have a clarke 150TE and it is fine for most uses i have come across.

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http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/...diy-mig-welders

i got one of these last year only problem we have had with it was the swan neck was cheap shite
all in all it seems to do the job.

i would get one on the VAT free day though if i were you

Clark And Sip are very good for body for .. snapon is no better just paying for name . miller are also very good .. if its just car bodywork then 120 to 150amp turbo is fine turbo just means its got a cooling fan

I'm sorry but I will disagree with you there. My mate bought a cheapo Clarke welder brand new a few years ago. The torch and neck were shit quality. Then we tried it, well yes it would weld, but my fathers 12 year old Snap On (Cebora) machine was far far better than a brand new Clarke.


So personally I would rather (and DID) buy a second hand Cebora (Snap On) in good condition than buy a brand new Clarke.

well snapon are cebora .. and are a very good welder .. but ill put my clark against that anytime .. its ok haveing the best equipment in the world ..but if ya cant manipulate it properly ur gonna get a horrid weld bead .. i have owned most welders on the market inc snapon .. and the clark i got now i would not exchange unless it died..

I've got a clarke 120. It does the job most of the time, but I think I'm going to get one with a bit more adjustment at some point (dial rather than flick switches). I'd echo other peoples thoughts on gassless too....

i agree with Tom

I dont believe that just because you can weld that you can weld with a shit welder! If you buy something shit or gasless you will get fed up with it and give up, welding with shit torches shit wires feeds and welder where amps dont go low enough is hard for a good welder let alone a novice

Sip are the shittiest welders going, the wire feed is simply crap

Clark are prob the best budget welder but you dont get a decent wire feed motor until the 165 iirc

If you doing body stuff then a min of 30 amps is a must, stay away from gassless the wire burns hotter is hard to weld with and puts out nasty fumes

If you can afford to bump up your money you can get a Butters 150 or 170

Personally i would look at paying more and getting somthing from esab/murex migatronic or Techarc, if you have to buy clarke then put the extra £50 to its and buy the 151 on a vat free day

Edited by wolfie on 10th Nov, 2009.

if your looking at these esab/murex migatronic or Techarc then ur more onto the 415v ... end of day .. i have used just about every plant going being a contract welder .. and the clark i have now is no worse than the 400 quid snapon unit i used to own .. and yes it is alot down to person holding the torch ..

Mark if you want some good advice i would start here:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

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cheers chaps, sounds like it really is down to personal opinion. But with the general opinion that clarke are a budget welder and i 'might' be better off getting a big name second hand unit.

stay away from gassless and go for 120 to 150amp

where’s the best place to look to pick one up? eBay for second hand kit?

i have a sealy 130 xt and it's super, does every thing i ask of it and never cuts out.

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I have an sip and can confirm that out of the box it was completely shit.With a slight modification to the wire feed and fitting a steel liner it is just about usable but by no means great.

got the same welder as paul s after hearing how good it was, its absolutely spot on for what ill need it for

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

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No matter what you decide to get .. peoples opinions will vary .. theres always someone that thinks they no more ... get ur self to machine mart .. and ask questions ..

I've got a sip 150 - now works fine since i replaced the torch, liner and gas solenoid with euro trype fittings. With what is cost me to do all that i should have just bought the better one to start with.

I'd personally look out for a second hand quality machine if i was buying something now over the 'budget' range machines