Decided on a Welder; Now, where to buy it?

I'm finally ready to buy my first welder and after much debating with myself I am down to getting either the Millermatic 175 or the 210. This will be my first machine and I'm still not sure if the 175 is enough or if I should get the 210. I plan to get a Tig one of these days but I decided to start out with a MIG. My first question is will the 175 be enough to begin with or should I get the 210?

The second question is where should I buy the welder? I live in a small town and have a local welding supplier that has everything I need but they are about 100 bucks higher on the 175 by itself. They want a couple of hundred for a CO2 cylinder w/gas and thirty bucks for a reel of wire, and I'll have to pay 7% sales tax too. With a cart added the thing should be around $1,000 or more. So, should I buy it locally or should I get it online and have it shipped to me? Can I save enough by buying online to justify it, and where can I get what I want at the best prices, or should I get it here in town? The local shop will set it up for me as well. Do I get it from the locals and pay more or get it over the internet and save some money? Oh, and is $1,000 a good deal for a 175 with small cart, gas cylinder, and some wire?

Hawke

Reply to
Hawke
Loading thread data ...

Hawke,

I got my welder from an ebay store. The name of the ebay store 'Welding Supplies from IOC'. I just checked their prices on the Millermatic 175 without cart is $668.77; with cart it is $744.77 and if you don't live in Indiana there's no tax.

Jack

Hawke wrote:

Reply to
jackK

Try these guys:

formatting link

No shipping charges.

Reply to
Rusted

These are the standard soft drink/soda fountain CO2 tanks. Talk to your local Pepsi or Coke delivery driver about getting a tank of Co2 now and then. I understand, perhaps incorrectly, that in my area, Pepsi will give you a full bottle, for a $35 one time deposit, and fill your bottle as needed (exchange off the delivery truck) for about $15. No monthly rental etc.

I got a pair of spun alum tanks at a swap meet for $25 for the pair, paid to have them hydro'd ( $25 IRRC) and the refills at the local welding house is $14 each. To have them both hydro'd, filled and one in storeage rack and one on the MIG was about a $100 bill the first time. Ive been using the first tank for about 4 months now, and I cant see more than about 24psi difference in gauge.

Splatters more ..much more though than C25. But for my kind of welding..works every bit as good as 74/25

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown

Reply to
Gunner

formatting link
seems to have the best prices, even with the added "std delivery" that gets put on as you add stuff to the shpping cart.

I havn't yet bought anything from them.

Reply to
2regburgess

Have you talked to you local store? Ask them if they can match pricing or get close. Show them the adds you found make sure whatever you find includes shipping to be fair. They might work with you especially if you tell them you want the entire setup.

Reply to
Mickey

I too bought my welder at Indiana Oxygen Supply. It was cheap and shipped very quickly.

Reply to
Peter Grey

I purchased my 175 from indiana oxygen online (ebay) as well and they were great. I also have a miller tig machine i bought through them and there was a mix up on delivery (got lost in transit) when it was no where to be found IO sent another out right away. I highly recommend them for there great service (and price). As far as the shielding gas, i "lease" my tank (99 year lease, i better leave a note in my will about it's return) and the refill is about $25. (Initial lease payment was about $100.) They just exchange the empty for a full one. (I believe it's about 80cu ft) I prefer c25 (argon + CO2 mix)as my shielding gas. The CO2 shields the weld but your welds burn hotter and you get more weld spatter. You can weld stainless with c25 (tri-mix is better though, helium,argon,CO2) c25 leaves a gray oxide coating over the weld but it cleans off. You cant use co2 on stainless. Good luck, walt

Reply to
wallster

As an aside, the CO2 tanks contain liquid so the only time you will see the gauge change is when the temperature rises or falls, until the liquid is gone (and thus the tank is almost empty). That's why they sell CO2 by weight. The tare weight (look for TW on the tank) is stamped on the cylinder and tells you how much the empty tank weighs. Pick both your tanks up and you should be able to tell which one you've been using :-).

-- Regards, Carl Ijames carl.ijames at verizon.net

Reply to
Carl Ijames

My last reply was incomplete/wrong.

formatting link
does NOT have the lowest price on MILLER MIG machines. They seem to have the lowest price I could find on the Lincoln MIGs and TIGs that I had been looking at. I had projected that they would therefore have the lowest price on Miller MIGs, not so. They carry Miller, but price best on Lincoln. Sorry for the bad steer.

Reply to
2regburgess

If you buy from the local store, and they're decent, you'll get a certain level of free help that's hard to get from an internet place. Whether it's worth $300 is a question only you can answer, of course.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

I too bought my welder at Indiana Oxygen Supply. It was cheap and shipped very quickly. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My experience was also good with Indiana Oxygen Supply. They seem to have a perpetual e-bay listing for a number of units, and the "Buy it now" price matches the prices on their website. I had several e-mail exchanges with Bill Keesling (the owner, I think), and he was always friendly and helpful. Furthermore, he steered me away from some annoying mistakes I was about to make.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Most local stores aren't much use to people who have regular jobs, since they're almost never open when you're off work. The ones around me close up BEFORE 5:00 pm. HTP probably has the best support you'll ever get from an online outfit, and good machines with some added quality features but not they're not competitive at the bottom end of the market. I haven't used their machines, but I was quite amazed to get email answers on their products within hours. I f you do a Google search on newsgroups you will find some pretty good reports.

Reply to
ATP*

Of all the online suppliers I've looked over, I'd probably go with Indiana Oxy Supply, too. They are pretty well priced given that they offer free shipping and if you are out of state you save a chunk on sales tax.

Don't be afraid to talk with your dealer, though (unless they have an arrogance/ego problem). My local dealer told me that dealers are having to DEAL these days and I should be able to get a machine for 30% off MSRP almost anywhere give or take a little. Its a balancing act, though because the dealers often have a sliding scale for pricing your consumables based on your status as a heavy commercial, light commerciall, hobby customer. And you have to establish a relationship with someone for your consumables.

And my same dealer that gave me the insight on machine prices comes up with different discounts on consumables depending on how much I'm buying on any given trip. She is constrained somewhat by what the computer will let her do to adjust prices. Seems like an interesting business - not unlike car salesmanship.

Reply to
Mark J

I have worked with my local dealers - two towns now since I just moved. And I have gone with both. I talk to them from time to time and the local one here now knows more than he did on my Plasma - he has a smaller one - and he offers me options and machines when they come on specials... When I was ordering a long cable/torch for my Plasma - and wanted the leather cover - He determined I'd have to do 2 each - or 1 nylon. We talked a bit and he then understood that I really did need the leathers and why he needed to upgrade.

So sometimes it costs more, but they are there and will order or help. Had offers to come to my site to do this or that for me - training and installation - delivery...

Martin

Reply to
lionslair at consolidated dot

I would get the 210, as it will weld a little thicker stuff in one pass. Of course if you have a stick welder for the thick stuff then go with the 170.

As for gas, a couple hundred for buying the bottle is about right. I rent a big CO2 bottle (about 5 foot tall) for $65 a year, and refills are $12 each, and they deliver for free. They drop off a full bottle and pick-up the empty, on Thur's whenever I call them and tell them I need a refill. Free delivery to my house beats the heck out of having to wrestle that big SOB into and out of my pickup. Just for welding the bottle would probably last me years, but the kids and their friends do get free refills for their paintball guns on Sat's.

I do own a smaller CO2 aluminum bottle (about the size of a SCUBA tank) that I fill from the big one. I carry the smaller one around on the cart with my MIG. I also own a small Argon bottle for using with the MIG or my TIG. But when I need the Argon refilled it they pick it up on Thur and I get it back the following Thur. I also own two sets of Oxy/Acyl bottles.

On the CO2 it is to my advantage to rent. On the others as I don't need a lot of refills, and I thing its to my advantage to own. Hydro-static testing I believe cost me $15.00 each on the bottles that required it.

Reply to
Diamond Jim

Reply to
bitternut

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.