I sure am tired of the sporge or whatever on this group so I dreamt up an on topic question.
I hate the questions about "which welder is the best?" , but find myself asking it.
This all just for background: I have a Century 110V welder at work. It only has 4 heat settings and a variable feed dial. It has been heavily used for over 6 years and has performed quite well on many tasks. We tried gas for a while, but I decided that .030 flux core was just more simple and even better. This Century has the "always hot" tip which had a distinct learning curve. I like the size, the mobility, and being able to use it as 110V on project sites. I have full time access to a Ranger 8, SA200, Lincoln 250 AC/DC, and a 220V Lincoln mig. These are all great welders, but the little 110 is just easier to use for stuff. It still has the original drive rollers and plastic Bowden sleeve in a no-name gun.
I know we are probably getting close to needing to replace this unit or at least the gun portion. Our existing accounts tend toward Lincoln products, but Miller and Hobart and Grainger are available, I'm not sure about other brands. Once the purchase is made, I expect it to last another 5-10 years.
What units meet my overall requirements? Can I replace just the cable and gun on what I have and would that make any sense? I am looking for actual reasons to favor one choice over another, rather than the subjective preference type answers.