Mig Welder Review

Old not bold Soldier · Oct 4, 2015

Hi all

I wonder if someone can help me. I am about to buy a new mig welder to restore my old MGB and I was just about to commit to buying one when I found out that LR Monthly had done a review of mig welders in Sep. Needless to say that issue is no longer in the shops. I live in France so cannot get info quickly so I have tried to get a back issue by email but that is not possible. I also asked my folks in UK to try to get hold of a copy so it can be scanned in and sent to me but those issues have all been sent back.

As it will take too long to order a copy by post could someone please tell me what machines were tested, were there any other 'recommended' machines other than the BlueMig machines, were they given a decent testing, and any other useful info? Buying a new mig welder is a minefield so I am hoping that that review might help!

Many thanks

jamesmartin · Oct 4, 2015

Old not bold Soldier said:
Hi all

I wonder if someone can help me. I am about to buy a new mig welder to restore my old MGB and I was just about to commit to buying one when I found out that LR Monthly had done a review of mig welders in Sep. Needless to say that issue is no longer in the shops. I live in France so cannot get info quickly so I have tried to get a back issue by email but that is not possible. I also asked my folks in UK to try to get hold of a copy so it can be scanned in and sent to me but those issues have all been sent back.

As it will take too long to order a copy by post could someone please tell me what machines were tested, were there any other 'recommended' machines other than the BlueMig machines, were they given a decent testing, and any other useless info? Buying a new mig welder is a minefield so I am hoping that that review might help!

Many thanks

you will probably find most are made in the same factory bar the real quality ones , the bigger the better as a rule of thumb

Old not bold Soldier · Oct 4, 2015

jamesmartin said:
you will probably find most are made in the same factory bar the real quality ones , the bigger the better as a rule of thumb

That's my problem exactly! Does fear make me spend £600 on an Oxford welder or with a bit of guidance from the review can I buy a suitable machine for my requirements for much less!

MARK II · Oct 4, 2015

To be honest for car work you don't need a expensive one as you are only welding thin metal just practice plenty it's just a balance between power and wire speed you will find plenty of video's on youtube

blue beasty · Oct 4, 2015

The issue with a lot of the cheaper ones is how much control you have to turn the amps down for thin stuff.

Youre unlikely to run into duty cycle issues on a resto project

payydg · Oct 4, 2015

I think I've got that copy kicking around somewhere. I'll have a look.

I got a Clarke 160, it does the job.

Old not bold Soldier · Oct 5, 2015

payydg said:
I think I've got that copy kicking around somewhere. I'll have a look.

I got a Clarke 160, it does the job.

If you can help it would be really appreciated as I need to make the jump and order one. I know the BlueMig 150 came out as best buy but until I know what it was compared with it is not a lot of value as it may have been best of a very bad bunch or best of a very good bunch!

Old not bold Soldier · Oct 5, 2015

blue beasty said:
The issue with a lot of the cheaper ones is how much control you have to turn the amps down for thin stuff.

Youre unlikely to run into duty cycle issues on a resto project

Thanks for that. Agreed, duty cycles are not the issue. Giving consistently good welds, weld control, wire feed etc are much more important. My old Sip100 Mig will weld absolutely beautifully one minute then the next time you press the trigger, literally a few seconds later, it makes a complete hash of it and that is no good whatsoever.

Mig Welder Review

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jamesmartin

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MARK II

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blue beasty

Leaks an prone to bits dropping off

payydg

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