Ok, i'm looking at MIG's and thre is a few i had to choose from. Can anyone tell me the difference between a Lincoln Electric Pro Series Pro-Core 100 Welder and a Lincoln Electric Pro Series Pro Mig 135 Welder? Are you abel to use gas w/ both? are the volts the only difference? Should i get the 100 or the 135? thanks
I think the biggest thing with Migs is the wire feed system. Consistant speed is real important. Some have a single roller that pinches the wire against a free wheeling roller. The 100 has this system. (I had one for 8 years) While the 100 was an excellent welder, it definatelly had times where I just couldnt get consistant feed speed. I'm not familiar with the other Lincoln models. Buy the best welder you can afford. The Miller I bought has double feed rollers. There is night and day difference in the way it welds.
The pro core welder is not really a MIG. It is just a wire feed welder set up for use with flux-core wire so no shield gas will be needed. It's also rated at 100 amps, or thereabouts. The 135 is a true MIG, requiring shield gas, either CO2 or CO2/Argon mix (for mild steel), but can also be used with flux-core wire. They are both 110 volt input. We have an older weld-pak 100 (same as pro-core 100, only we converted it to a true MIG with the lincoln kit) and the one thing I wish I had done when buying was to get the 175 amp welder. There are times when the MIG is so much easier to use, but the little 100 isn't quite hot enough to weld thicker metals (usually thicker than 3/16"). The flux core is OK for general use, but if you plan on using it for working on your car, with sheet metal, etc you're gonna want the MIG capabilities (welds thinner metals MUCH better). Like mentioned previously, don't skimp on a welder....if you're going to get one, do your homework and get one bigger than you'll ever need. You'll thank yourself in the long run. Another thing I found was that using .024" wire, I was having problems feeding it through the gun and sleeve. Couldn't get a good bead to save my butt. I bought a .035 tip and borrowed a spool of .035 wire, and what a difference! Now....wonder if I can get some .045 in there? Also the ground clamp that lincoln isn't the greatest. Lately I've been using a pair of vise grips rather than the clamp, works tons better.
cool, thanks. I was not realy wanting to get teh 100 anyways, but was wondering the difference. Also, just so i make sure i have this straight....Lets say i buy the 135Mig, I can weld WITHOUT gas right? But I can also weld WITH gas? Right......? thanks again
Yep you can use it with or without gas. Once you use a true MIG (with gas) you'll never go back to flux-core. But for us folks that are on a budget, the flux-core without gas is just fine.
