Mig Welders

[Member3768 <Member3768@domain.elided>]

Someone had asked about Mig welders.   I went through this last summer when I
started looking for one.  I've had Lincolns previously, so I was partial to
them, but I compared several big names.

The best value for the dollar turned out to be the Lincoln Weld-Pak 155 at
Home Depot.  I can't remember what I paid exactly, but it wasn't bad at all.
I also looked at a Lincoln SP-170 at my favorite professional welding supply
house.  The SP-170 was about $350.00 more than the Weld-Pak yet it is the SAME
EXACT welder as the Weld-Pak 155. I ended up buying both of them at the same
time in order to decide which one I was going to keep.  After taking them both
apart, scrutinizing the manuals and calling Lincoln directly to compare part
numbers; both the Lincoln tech and I came to the conclusion that they were the
same!

The Tech told me that they make the same welder for different retail outlets.
The Weld-Pak is for the "non-professional" and is priced accordingly.  The
SP-170 is for the "professional" and is also priced accordingly!   The
reasoning behind this is that a "professional" would expect, and get, proper
repair and warranty service from the dedicated supplier.  Hmmm...go
figure......

As you probably would have guessed by now, I kept the Weld-Pak 155.  It has
the same warranty, and I'm not shy with customer service departments, so I
couldn't justify the extra expense.  The SP-170 came already set up for gas; I
had to add the option myself on the Weld-Pak.  Even with purchasing a large
gas bottle, it was considerably cheaper.

By the way, I also compared similar Miller, Hobart, and a couple of imported
brands.  Feature for dollar, the Lincoln was the best deal!


Gary