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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default next purchase, mig welder!

    Hello fellow woodwork forum members,


    finallysigned up I've read these forums from time to time and found various helpful information from many of the knowledgeable members here


    So now I make this thread in regards to my next upcoming purchase in the following weeks. Which will be my first mig welder.. primary use will be for the welding task on my project car and fair to say through it's life will only see hobby level work. I'll have a good mate of mine doing the welding on my project car who is a skilled ex panel beater but I wish to after that learn to do some basic welding for myself so I'm looking to buy something that is capable to do other jobs later on

    I've looked into some of the various options and brands.

    Rang up BOC priced some units,

    BOC MAGMATE 180P - $933.90inc
    BOC MAGMATE 200P - $1512.50inc

    I know some guys who run these BOC welders and have nothing but good to say but for the money I just can't see the value. Also have herd parts can be hard to source for these?

    Then after talking to a local supplier I have an account with,

    Unimig Procraft 240 - $1005inc

    this seems like a good bang for buck option, Unimig I believe in general are known for making quality reliable machines at an affordable cost... but can someone tell me anything about these machines?

    I also looked at the Trade 250 Compact but it seemed overkill for my needs!


    Just some extra notes if it helps, I'll be using gas less initially then if the machine see's regular use I'll move onto hooking up a bottle.
    Happy to hear some other suggestions also,

    Thanks,
    Paul

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi Paul,
    With more and more mig welders appearing on the market, this topic can be hard to keep up to.

    My general advice on these units is to look at the wire drives.This is the heart of the machine and if that is crap so is the rest of the machine.
    Personally I avoid the plastic nylon framework as they are not are rigid and the oils or whatever the hell makes up plastic these days decomposes after time and they cab possibly get hard and break like old mower wheel.You don't even need sunlight.

    Any thing chinese should be regarded with suspicion as they short cut and cheapen everything for price .
    basically

    .Go for a good known brand, spare parts & consumables (tips nozzles and liners and warranty and check who does the warranty if it fails.

    If you new check the Token tools guy .He's been around long enough to develop a good reputation,has spares warranty and may have thr machine closest to match your needs.He is an electrician /engineerand has specced the machines tothe better than av chinese quality. have a look on ebay at his feedback rate near 100%.

    I have no affiliation to him but have seen many good comments about him on the forum

    Some one with much better product knowledge than I is Rappy whoyou will see makes a comment now and again.He sells welders and is apparently from the trade and has good current knowledge of the latest machines where I do not.

    Cheers

    Grahame

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Hello Grahame,

    Good to hear from you mate, thanks for your good advice... generally with anything I always try to go for some kind of quality within reason.. so I've been researching it seems the market has really grown!

    on a side note.. I've hit up my father to one day stand over my shoulder and teach me some basic welding on his old stick welder it's one of the older CIG units! I work in a office these days it's kinder on my back but i do miss the days of getting on the tools used to work in a few factorys.. on grinders.. lathes etc. Working in the garage on tools keeps me out of trouble and gives me extra skills to use for myself in my spare time LOVE IT

    I hope to hear some others peoples options.. don't be scared I don't bite :P

    Thanks,
    Paul

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    33

    Default

    I have a unimig 240. Had it for about 5 years now and can't say anything bad about it.

    Has a nice metal geared wire drive unit and good power for a single phase unit.
    www.methodmetal.com.au

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by method m View Post
    I have a unimig 240. Had it for about 5 years now and can't say anything bad about it.

    Has a nice metal geared wire drive unit and good power for a single phase unit.
    Hello Method,

    That's handy to know, is yours the same series the procraft yeah? if there th same I'd be interested to know what the rest of the build quality is like..

    How is yours setup also your welding with gas or gasless and last but not least whats the torch it comes with like..

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    33

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by xiLe View Post
    Hello Method,

    That's handy to know, is yours the same series the procraft yeah? if there th same I'd be interested to know what the rest of the build quality is like..

    How is yours setup also your welding with gas or gasless and last but not least whats the torch it comes with like..
    Yes it is the procraft, this is the one here. Although it seems you have been quoted a very good price.
    SYDNEY TOOLS - UniMig 240 Amp Procraft 240 Mig Welder - Pro-Craft Series

    I just use the standard 3mtr torch that came with. A 5 mtr one comes in handy sometimes when you have to work around a bench or need to weld up larger items that you just can't roll the welder up close to.

    Have used it with fluxcore wire (no gas) and with stainless and mild solid core wires (with gas). All worked fine and it performs as well as some much higher priced units out there.
    www.methodmetal.com.au

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    I'm looking into the idea of gas.. as that is true mig welding after all haha and seems to be worthwhile however I don;t know the current pricing or how the whole arrangement works? is it an upfront cost for rental or are customers sent a bill monthly ? I believe it's normally BOC or SUPAGAS that people are going with.

    as for the price, I'm lucky to have a awesome sales rep who I deal with at my local supplier I have an account with!

    Thanks for that method m

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    146

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by xiLe View Post
    I'm looking into the idea of gas.. as that is true mig welding after all haha and seems to be worthwhile however I don;t know the current pricing or how the whole arrangement works? is it an upfront cost for rental or are customers sent a bill monthly ? I believe it's normally BOC or SUPAGAS that people are going with.

    as for the price, I'm lucky to have a awesome sales rep who I deal with at my local supplier I have an account with!

    Thanks for that method m
    I have the E size cylinder

    About $70 a refill and $14 month rent, rent is paid for 3 months in advance by default but this can be changed to a monthly bill if you want.

    The cost to refill and rent works out alot better on the larger units, I use the smaller bottle as its easily portable and I dont use a whole lot of gas.


    In my search for cheaper gas BOC was the most expensive but they were local which is a big plus in my books.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Hi Ch4iS,

    that's seems to be about the rate I've herd as well, Yeah well you really are paying for convenience.. so as you say that adds some value.. however are there any of these company's who will deliver ?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    146

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by xiLe View Post
    Hi Ch4iS,

    that's seems to be about the rate I've herd as well, Yeah well you really are paying for convenience.. so as you say that adds some value.. however are there any of these company's who will deliver ?
    http://www.stargas.com.au/

    They could deliver for free to my area and looks like they do the gold coast also so maybe ask them about brisbane, maybe for a fee.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Just had a quick look on BOC website before and just happens the Local welding shop I spoke to when getting a few quotes for various welding machines.. appear to be a 'BOC Gas Agent' which makes sense and works well.. at very worse all I'd have to do is get a mate to help me get the cylinder home! looking at the E size cylinder that would last me long time and is best value

    Now I belive for my welding task.. this will never see more than hobby level work, is it the BOC Argoshield Light I'd want? the info available online is very limited any one use this can tell me some more about it ?

    //Edit

    found some info on the Argoshield Light mix

    OXYGEN (O2) 3.1%
    ARGON (Ar) 91.9%
    CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) 5%

    still interested how this goes for any guys using it on there mig

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Lindenow
    Age
    50
    Posts
    869

    Default

    I have a UNIMIG 210 that I bought new about 12 years ago, It has never missed a beat exept for a new liner or 2.
    I have been using FLUXCORE for a year or two now and only just today changed back to gas and solid wire. And I have to say I WILL NEVER EVER GO BACK TO FLUXCORE AGAIN.!!!!!!!
    I have an account with COREGAS. They charge rental monthly and are around $60 cheaper than BOC with their rental. They would also be 30 to 35% cheaper per fill as well.
    Hope this helps Matt
    Warning Disclaimer

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Thanks Matt,

    This is great now we are getting some feedback.. it's great unimig are still living to there name also good to see that I have a range of options for GAS too.

    I've looked at the coregas website looks like there product 'COREGAS 07' would be best suited... I've emailed them some questions.. so hopefully they can work out something for me

    Thanks,
    Paul

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Mallacoota,VIC,Australia
    Age
    53
    Posts
    1,010

    Default

    HI xiLe,
    I Owned a Unimig 250SWF from Late 2003 to Early 2010 or was that early 2009. The only Problem I ever had with that Machine was for some Reason the Guide Tube moved back against the Feed Rollers (loose screw I think). It never played up again. It was a Nice Welder to use and had Plenty of Grunt. After 6-7 Years I felt it time to Buy a Newy so I spent about 2 months researching for something to replace the Unimig. I originally wanted a Lincoln, but the one I wanted was Discontinued. I actually nearly gave up and kept the Unimig. I ended up Buying a Boss 202A (pg 8 of the PDF) . http://www.dynaweld.com.au/pics/Machinery.pdf
    I chose the Boss, because of its Price about $1500.00 and its Wire Size capability. Just for Interest the Boss 202A is what is known as a True 200 amp Welder. The Boss 202a is a Lot Smoother Welder that the Unimig 250SWF.

    My Advice in Selecting a Mig Welder is do what You have been doing ask others what they have got. Do Plenty of Research. Have a think do You want Gas or Gasless or both. What Wire Sizes do You wnat to Run in Solid Steel, Gasless, Stainless and Aluminium Wire. Look at the Warranty Period. If Your Shopping Locally try to Pay Cash and ask for a Quote. I both asked for a Quote and Paid Cash for Both of My Migs and got a Good Deal both Times. Now it is time for Me to go to Bed, as I keep having to fix up My spelling Mistkaes.
    Good Luck in Your Hunt for a Mig Welder.
    Last edited by steran50; 5th Mar 2011 at 11:30 PM. Reason: PDF
    All The Best steran50 Stewart

    The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Seaford
    Posts
    42

    Default

    Hey Xile

    You say that you want to do some welding on your car yeah?? What is the maximum thickness you think you would want to weld?? I ask as if you not going to use it for welding in excess of 6-8mm then i think you will find better options... In my experience Unimigs make a pretty good machine for smashing out a nice bead like on 10mm but when you turn them down to weld panel steel you'll find their not as good as some of the other machines on the market.

    I've said it before but when you want to see the quality of a mig welder turn it down dont turn it up! Every sales bloke i've seen that does demos on machine say "get me a bit of 6-10mm and i'll show you what this thing can do" but i'd be saying heres a bit of 0.8mm, weld that!

    The minarcmig 170/180, the lincoln powermig 180 and the WIA are probably the 3 i would recommend for welding panel steel with the kemppi for me sitting proudly on the top of the pile.... Kemppi is synergic too so if your a bit of a novice... this thing will make ya look like a pro in no time....

    Hell for most 8mm+ steel work i do i use the arc anyway so.... but it all personal preference....

    Hope that helps

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