 NEWLY REFURBISHED LINDE UNION CARBIDE MIG WELDER VI-253 US $1,299.00 
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 Campbell Hausfeld 180A Mig/Flux Welder 230V RBMXW41300 US $351.99
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 MIG WELDER, LINDE 450 US $850.00
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 MIG WELDER, L-TEC VI-450 w/ ESAB MIG 35 FEEDER US $1,500.00
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 MIG WELDER - CRAFTSMAN US $350.00
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 LINCOLN SP-180T MIG WELDER K2689-1 US $705.00
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 LINCOLN HANDY MIG 115/1/160 MIG WELDER K2185-1 US $320.00
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 Miller Roughneck C4015 400 amp mig gun 15ft 194756 w/ Lincoln welder adapter US $259.99
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my husband wants the best welder for the money. his interest is refurbishing cars. He learned to tig and mig?
he wants one that he can do fine delicate welding and perhaps more. There are so many brands out there and he does not want a toy one. He needs input from people who do body work on cars and what they have learned about the different types of welders they have use. This is for personal use, but he wants one that will do the job.
Everyone has their preferences but there are 5 brands to stick with: Miller, Lincoln, ESAB, Thermal Arc, and Hobart. Miller and Lincoln are the two big ones here in the US. Both are dependable and great to use. The competition between them really boils down to a few features that differ between the competing models, but I have used dozens of machines from both without any problems. ESAB is good but much more popular in Europe. They make amazing stuff for automated welding and industrial settings. Thermal Arc is another good brand that is just not as popular. Hobart tends to be overshadowed by Miller and Lincoln but are just as good for slightly less money.
For most steel bodywork, a 220V wirefeed welder is what you want. It is fast, easy, and gets the job done. If you use solid wire and a 25/75 CO2/Argon shielding gas, you will only need to grind down the welds slightly without having to worry about porosity or clean up. For stainless steel and aluminum, a 220V TIG welder with AC output is required. Using a spoolgun with aluminum is not a detail oriented activity and doing aluminum with only a DC TIG machine is a pain. For thick steel like frame welding, I would go for a stick welder (which any TIG machine will be setup to do as well) or dual shield wire which can be used with higher current MIG welders. I have a Lincoln Precision TIG that could do frame jobs, but they cost upwards of $3k to $4k each.
Duty cycle is something that is important but 100% is just overkill for most people. Not many people are going to be welding continuously to need it. The only time I have ever beaten the duty cycle on a machine was welding a theatrical set that consisted of a grid of 1x1 box tube where I had to weld all the faces and corner joints. Literally, each piece consisted of hundreds of 1 inch welds with no more than a few seconds between each weld for about 30 minutes to an hour for each frame. It was with a Millermatic 252 which started sputtering and spitting as it approached its limit, but the 60% duty cycle didn't really limit me that much. Unless your husband is doing some serious frame work (which I would never use MIG for to begin with, the penetration is just not there), a 60% duty cycle should be more than enough for bodywork.
If I was shopping for a welder, I would find a good, used Miller or Lincoln then research it online. If you want to go for a new one, the local welding shop should be able to assist you in buying a welder, and you can usually strike a good deal if you don't just accept the sticker price. Figure that buying a welder from a local place is building a relationship that lasts until either the company goes out of businss or you move away. If you are good and honest then usually they will reciprocate.
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