"Jamie Calder" <jcalder3@cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> I'm looking for a 120v welder. Can someone please tell me the pros and cons
> of a gasless flux-cored welder (e.g. Lincoln Easy-Core 125) and a Mig
> welder (e.g. Lincoln Easy-Mig 140)
I'm not familiar with those particular welders, but I can chime in
on flux core vs MIG.
Flux core is handy in that you don't need to worry about keeping
the welding gas full or lugging around a tank, using non-flux wire
with a gas shield will produce better looking results (less spatter
and slag). If this is something you are just using around the home
and you don't really care about the appearance or you are willing to
spend the time to clean up the spatter, then the flux core may be
fine. Flux core tends to have deeper penetration at a given setting,
so it can be good if you need the extra penetration, but this same
characteristic can be a drawback if you are welding thin materials.
A plus for flux core is that you can weld in windy conditions
whereas with MIG the wind can blow the shielding gas away from the
weld.
A downside to flux core is that the core kinda turns into "slag" as
you are welding; it covers the weld pool to protect the weld, this can
make it difficult to see what the weld pool is doing and adjust your
speed or technique as necessary. So you've either got to practice a
lot on the material size you will be using so you can figure out the
best technique or stop often to check the bead.
Personally, I'd lean towards the gas shielded MIG myself for shop
use. (I have a Hobart Ironman 250 which is a 220/240v MIG welder. I
use it for my own stuff, but also use it in a professional capacity,
so clean welds are important to me, plus for production work, I'd
rather not spend the extra time on cleanup if it isn't necssary. The
extra time required to clean up a weld isn't a big deal on a one-off
project, but when you are working on dozens of units at a time, a few
seconds here and there can quickly add up to a major loss of time and
productivity.) If I needed something to go out and weld with in
remote locations, I'd probably consider flux core for the convenience
of not needing to drag a tank along, but this isn't a big deal in the
shop, and the cleaner, easier welds made MIG a no-brainer for my
situation.
Another thought is that I think most MIG welders can use flux core
wire, so if you went that route, you could simply switch out the wire
(you might also need to change the rollers and nozzle tip) and you'd
be welding with flux core. You may want to double check to make sure
the MIG you are considering can do that, but if so, that would seem to
be the way to go in my book, rather than getting a flux-core only
machine which isn't set up to run shielding gas through the gun.
IMHO, better to get a MIG that is also capable of flux core than to
get a flux core and then decide down the road that you want to go MIG
but need to buy a new machine to do so.
As far as brands go, I've only got experience with Hobart/Miller,
but have nothing but good things to say about them. I've had no
trouble with my machine and their customer service has been
outstanding. Other companies may be just as good, but like I said, I
haven't had any experience with anyone else, so can't comment there.
Anyhoo, I don't know if that helps or not, just figured I'd throw
in my $.02 just in case. Good luck in your search!
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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