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Quote: Originally Posted by AnimalChin i hear stick welders produce shitty ugly welds and are generally worthless these days since you can easily get a mig.

That's not entirely true.

Little wire feeds that don't have enough current can fuck your shit up real quick.

A stick welder run by somebody who knows how to use it can weld anything. A $250 stick rig can weld 1/2" plate if it's chamfered and pre-heated (well maybe not half inch but fucking thick)

And "easily get a MIG" means big buxxors.

Maybe I get the $150 cheapo wire feed and the $99 MIG kit for it.

Quote: for your applications, you shouldn't ever need a 220v welder unless you're taco and you're building rock crawler trucks or repairing cranes.

I rented a cheap wire feed one time and it didn't have enough current to do anything but make little blobs of weld. I have 220, why not get a 220 rig?

Quote: have you ever weldered?

Yes. My pa has a stick welder and a ox-acetylene setup. He weldered big boats for teh Navy in Brooklyn Naval yard.

$10 he can make better beads on 1/4" plate with a cheap stick welder than you will ever make w/ a MIG.

Of course years of practicing all fucking day might have something to do with that.