Well I thought these bits were rather relevant:
DrMini wrote:
Many of the el cheapo ones are just toys. Maybe OK for occasional use, but little capacity for hard work. I'd avoid the gasless only ones, they restrict what you can do. I've found gas (argon + CO2) and solid wire do a better job, particularly if there's any rust. it's a Mini? Right..... Laughing
If you can afford a good one, get the Lincoln 170A, or the WIA 150S. Both are excellent machines, but cost $1000 up. Wink
Of the cheapies I'd go for the Cigweld one.
Metalfab_101 wrote:
Another thing to take into account is price of consumables. You can get a 15KG roll of solid wire for $30 - $40. A 5kg roll of gassless wire will be in the order of $90.
Angusdog wrote:
Gasless MIG is, as far as I can tell, a waste of time unless you can't get gas.
Chris wrote:
Buy a gas MIG and don't muck around with anything less.
But I think this sums it up best:
Quote:
I use MIG at work day in and day out. You do tend to get what you pay for with these things. Those cheapies work, just.. but have rudimentary control of voltage- not enough steps. (stepless is the best but costs way more do$h).
If you are serious about MIG welding and want something that lasts, save yer money up and then spend $1000 or so on a Lincoln, WIA, Miller or other big name brand. In 5 or 10 years, you will be able to get parts for it.
lol
thanks for confirming my suspicions 
). Gas has many advantages over gasless (neater weld etc etc). The thing is the SIP etc little MIG's (below 170 roughly) are useless for gas with the disposable cannisters, low flow, gas empties very quickly etc. My suggestion to you is to buy a semi pro rig that takes the big spools, and takes a full sized bottle and comes with a decent regulator. I am v happy with the welding on my subframe but I have basically knackered my welder with use over 20 months. Your call.
