I have been looking at all sorts of mig welders and have only ever done a little in the past. When i recall back im sure there was a gas bottle attached yet someof the ones i hve been looking at havent. Whats the difference and which is best?

I'm not an expert on welding (been teaching myself over the last few months).

General advice seem to be buy the highest amps output welder you can & get a botle of BOC's argoshield light gas (about £37/year rental on the bottle and £30 per fill), as it works out much much cheaper than the small disposable bottles.

I've never used a no-gas mig, but i understand that the welds from them are not as clean as gas mig welds.

HTH

John

I have had quite a bit of experience on welding and you really do need a decent high ampage set. Somewhere around 140 amps is good. Remember, your life is at risk so if you're not sure, ask a welder!! The results seen from a no gas welder leave a little to be desired as opposed to a 3 phase set! Don't think that a cheap welder will build a chassis. It may be OK for fixing the garden gate but we're talking about protecting you! Don't skimp on a welding set, If you're not sure, seek professional advice!

You don't need a 3-phase set. A 150A set will run happily off a 16A mains supply - it'll even run off a 13A plug unless you want to do any really heavy work - and you don't want that much current for 3mm tube...

Mine's a Sealey 185 running off a 13amp plug, but I only need power level 3 (it goes up to 6 or 8 or something). The important point about the bigger welders is that they do light work (like 16g Locost stuff) much better than the smaller welders.

John

I wasn't implying that you need a 3 phase set, purely pointing out that it is worth spending good money on a good set. As my father drummed into me as a kid, "don't buy cheap tools because in the long run you will spend more replacing them when they don't do the job!"

Totally agree with the above, I've got a 135amp Sealey, use 1/2 power or less, never cuts out or overheats, and when I get it set up right produces lovely welds. I use Argo shield light too.

Shop around, cos I got mine, a little used ex-demo, with a huge real of wire for 1/2 price (£100). Gas will set u back another £100 time you've rented the bottle, filled it and bought the gauges.

I've got a gassless 150amp jobbie - it's done the job for me, even if my welds are a little untidy. I was a little worried at first about how strong they were - that was until I tried (and failed) to break one! No messing around with gas is the advantage but the wire is quite expensive.

BTW apparently you can convert it to use gas (it has a flexible tube hanging out the back) if you buy a regulator.

Chris