I am not lookig to do any heavy duty welding, just the basics and the small stuff...i.e attach a bracket here of there, joinng a couple pieces of pipe...etc..

From all of the posts, clearly Miller and Lincoln get allot of votes. What about 120 versus 230 - the 135 versus 1745 models. Especially for the appox $150 - 200 extra for the 230v...is it worth it?

correction....that would be the 135 versus 175 models (been a long week).

I have the lincoln SP135 120v model, it has welded everything I wanted so far. I have an arc welder for heavy stuff but rarely need it. The 120v unit can be plugged in anywhere in case you have to bring it to a buddys house to do some work, not always possible with the larger unit. I would go with the smaller unit.

While building my 68 Chevelle, I use a Lincoln 125-120volt. It has done everything I have ask it to. Sheet metal, bracket repair and alot more. If I need to weld something heavy I use my old stick welder. I now want a TIG welder.

If you have 220 in your garage, I say go for the 175. The reasons are as follows:

#1 It does load down your regular circuits you may be using for lights, small portable heater, radio, electric power tools, etc. Having a circuit breaker go off time after time is no fun, and having things rewired would be more expensive than the difference in cost of the welders. On the other hand, if you don't already have 220 in the garage ....

#2 If you do a lot of welding..I won't swear this to be true in this case, but in general most 220V appliances use less current than 120V. It MAY make a difference in your electric bill.

#3. True that you won't normally NEED more power..but in case you need to weld the frame, or something to the frame .... or some other heavy welding job (non car related) comes up ... you won't NEED to have an arc welder around smile.gif

The 175 is the same size as the 135, so it's just as portable...except for 220v outlet consideration. I have the 155 which they no longer make I don't think. It only has switch positions and not a smooth rotary dial.

Whatever you get, I'd make sure it was one of the big 3 so you can easily get parts if you need them. I had to get mine repaired under waranty shortly after I purchased it. I took it to the local welding supply place...although I didn't buy it there.

Buying one at your local welding supply house has it's advantages.

Steve

I have a Millermatic 175 and it's simply a great welder. You can weld almost anything with it. The 135 won't have the same power for heavier jobs. The 135 needs a dedicated 20A circuit to get full power out of it and I'd recommend, at the least, a 15A circuit without anything else running on it for most uses. I would easily blow a 15A time delay fuse with the cheap 90A welder I had before just with a radio and about 250 watts of lights on the same circuit.

Peter

My Lincoln promig 135 does everything I need it too. It is awsome, and I highly recommend it.

I have a mm175. I spent days wiring a subpanel and 2 220v outlets. Please note that you now need to use the 4 prong outlets due to new regulations. On the plus side I did wire fresh circuits for my garage. 20a for lighting, 20 gfi for plugs, 20 220v for the 175, 30a 220v for compressor. It seems either way you will need to add a circuit. I would recommend the 110v so you could move it around. While on the topic shielding gas is cheaper by the big bottle but the bottle costs more. I got a larger bottle but now it won't fit under my bench w/o removing the tank first and bolting to the wall. As far as amperage mentioned earlier power = volts times amps. So you are using the same power with either (40a@110v) or (20a@220v) = 4400 watts.
One more note my fluorescent lights stopped that annoying flashing with the 110v compressor running after the rewire smile.gif They were on the only garage circuit and shared about 40' of common wire.

I have been able to weld anything i needed to with my Hobart(Miller) 135. I can plug it into any old outlet in my house and it has never tripped a breaker,even running it on a long extension cord. If you have 220 already you might want to go with a 220 model,if not the 110 should work fine. I have welded 1/4 inch steel with mine without a problem.

Thanks guys for all the replys...I am going to do a bit more research, but the 120vac - 135 models might do the trick. I can wire 220vac if need be off of my sub-panel, but if I don't need the heavy duty functionality as with the 175's, I can save in the costs and wiring up the panel.

If you already have 220v out in the garage, I'd go with a MM175. If you don't, MM135. MM135 will do all of the bodywork you'd need to do on your 'velle... MM175 would be nice if you plan on doing any welding to your frame. All that said, the MM175 at low current still has a better arc than the 135 at the same settings... the difference in the two welders is more than just 40 Amps.

So, again, I'd say if you have 220v available, go with the 175.... 135 otherwise. Both are great units. If you like "top of the line" tools, take a look at the MM210. That's one sweet unit... and you can add a spoolgun at a later date to do aluminum.

And just confuse you some more... Miller recently released the MM175DVI - dual 110/220v input operation - use whatever power source you have available.

Lastly, my experience in welders is you get what you pay for. If you have 220v available and the extra cash for the 175 won't break the bank, go with the MM175 and don't look back. Same story for the MM210. :D