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If it can pulse weld then they will be damn close to a tig... My Linde can do pulse but I doubt I could still find a spool setup for that...

I second the idea of Hobart welders, i went to a technical school for 3 years for welding,I have done every weld you can think of including overhead MIG/STICK/TIG, we had Miller and Lincoln MIG, Stick And TIG welders there, i agree that if you had a shop or planned on doing welding for a living that an expensive welder would be worth it, but personally i never planned on welding as a career, so i have a cheep lincoln tombstone stick welder and a Hobart mig welder.
IMHO it may be easier to learn to weld on a more expensive user friendly machine such as Miller or Lincoln, but honestly if you are good at welding than you can produce the same quality weld from a $400 Tig vs a $2500 Tig.. I in fact can produce the same quality weld on an Eastwood $600 Tig that i used to produce at the technical school with a $3000 liquid cooled Miller TIG welder.. Its all about muscle memory and tons of practice, its the person doing the welding not the welder itself.

As i said before buy a Hobart MIG and aluminum spool gun, you will be happy with it

So after reading the reviews on the Lincoln 180, I think that's the route I'm leaning towards. Looks like I can get it at Lowes or HD. Normally I try to avoid HD/Lowes for purchases like these because the mfgr usually builds a lesser product for distribution at the box stores... BUT - Based on the reviews, I think I'll be ok. Any other opinions here? The price point and performance potential both look pretty good.

If shopping at Lowes - look for a 10% off coupon at the Post Office moving forms...

And if you shop at HD and have the HD card, ask for the 5% discount. They don't outwardly say they do it, but they will to compete with Lowe's

...been doing a little more research on the HD/Lowes "retail" welders. Apparently, they are a little different than the 180C. The "C" has an infinite power adjustment, whereas the box store units have 5 tap settings. The wire feeder body is apparently plastic whereas the 180C is cast aluminum. The 180C is a bit more expensive, but I'm OK with spending a bit more to get a better overall unit. I don't plan on buying another welder until my kids are in college... lol.

Looks like the best price I can find is $849!@#!

You identified the issue right off the bat.
Manufacturers make products in huge quantities for "Box Stores" that are a compromise to get a "Gotcha" price.
Keeps the assembly line busy, and allows them to by parts in larger quantities, at better pricing.
No Bad! That is merchandising to the masses.
More often than not it's fine, but not the best you can find.

Asylum wrote:You identified the issue right off the bat.
Manufacturers make products in huge quantities for "Box Stores" that are a compromise to get a "Gotcha" price.
Keeps the assembly line busy, and allows them to by parts in larger quantities, at better pricing.
No Bad! That is merchandising to the masses.
More often than not it's fine, but not the best you can find.

Yeah, chances are good that a "box" unit would be fine for my needs, but the possibility of it being even slightly inferior or of less quality makes me really want to spring for the unit direct from Lincoln.

We went through the same thing when looking at chainsaws. Hours and hours of research later, we wound up buying a Stihl from the local co-op and have since been back to buy a pole trimmer, backpack blower, and trimmer. I really like the idea of buying quality the first time around...

we got one of these at work and it works pretty good. COBRA DHC 2000 WELDING AND CUTTING TORCH SYSTEM...i did some inconel welding the other day on some racks we use for heat treating.. like any welder it takes some getting use to but after that it's a pretty nice setup.

miller 211 with auto set feature (W gas)......... will make your life so easy...... literally set it and forget it. ........it takes all the guess work out of MIG welding ....might be a lil more than u want to pay but i know it is worth it (IMO)

I've used the auto set feature... I mean it's nice but any experienced welder will tell you that you it only gets you close if you don't know how to set the machine, dialing it in manually will net a better quality weld.

The AutoSet feature can be bypassed and the welder can be dialed like normal, as far as I can tell. At this point, I'm torn between two units:

Lincoln ProMig 180 Dual ($959 - $100 rebate)
Miller Millermatic 211 ($1088)

Honestly, I think if I could really afford the 211 that's the route I'd go, but will I ever use/need the extra power? Aside from power output, both units are quite similar. If Miller would offer the rebate, it'd be a no brainer, but they won't offer a rebate ($100) unless I buy $100 in accessories. How retarded - at least for the guy who needs the machine price as low as possible.

Argh...

I know it can be bypassed I'm just stating that it's not a deal breaker for someone like me... I prefer to use the manual adjustment.

And if you want the extra power the Lincoln 210 is a dual power that is only $999

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Eq ... ct=K3963-1

Why on earth didn't I see that unit before!!?!!

Oh well - I ordered a 180 dual this morning... soo..... we'll see...

*edit - After checking on it, it isn't spool gun ready for aluminum. I think I'm still better off with the 180 Dual.

Ah I didn't see that, that would be a deal breaker for me.