Kemppi Miniarc Adaptive 180 (20-180A, ~$2000)

http://www.opwelding.com.au/product.php?id=179

or

Lincoln 180 C (30-180A, ~$1000)

http://www.opwelding.com.au/product.php?id=137


Kemppi adaptive is unbelievable. Dial in sheet thickness and off you go. Kennards hire them out so they must be robust. They weight 9.8kg so easy to move about.

Lincoln is more industrial/agricultural. Very solid looking feed mechanism. 30kg beast.

If it wasn't for the cost the decision would probably be easy.

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

In my previous job (welding engineer) I bought heaps of Kemppi and Lincoln MIG machines over the years.
Rheem Australia are still using 5KHz Kemppi PS3500 inverters for production MIG welding that I bought in 1985. They are still pretty reliable and parts are no problem. They can also be used on stick electrode or scratch start TIG, the output is switchable CV/VV .

Lincoln MIGs are good too (they run 600A and 750A ones and BIG wires), have good parts backup- but you are comparing chalk and cheese.. after using an inverter MIG you will not go back to a 50Hz transformer MIG.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

So what is the advantage of the transformer mig over the inverter? Is it more stable? Duty cycle? Smoother arc? Weld thicker material?
Unfortunately the wia was just out of my price range so I went with a mig o mag.
I too looked at kemppi and Lincoln, and was leaning towards Lincoln mainly because of it's reputation. Would be good to demo them first, not sure if you can do that?

I'm a very big fan of Lincoln and there proucts, Lincoln also have another brand called Liquid Arc which is their blue brand to take on the cheeper brands, both branded machines are assembles in Australia in NSW and are quallity units. The difference between the machines is the liquid arc welders run aluminium transformers where as the Lincoln use copper transformers, alloy transformers are cheeper to manufacture....

Lincoln / Liquid Arc have on all their machines have a dial in chart located on the inside of the wire spool door, you pick the wire and the thicknes of the material and they have a base setting all worked out, Very easy to use...

I have had lincoln mig welders for a long time and have no problems, and parts are no worries, I was talking to the lincoln rep here in SA and they still stock parts for their very first arc welder they bought into Australia in the early 60's..

Lincoln all the way.........

Yeah, nothing wrong with Lincoln at all- but inverter machines are in a different realm to use.
Some advantages of inverters over good old switched 50Hz transformers-
1. Much lighter weight
2. much more stable arc (response time is hundreds of times faster)
3. stepless voltage control
4. Voltage compensation
5. Much less spatter
6. Pulse welding features often inbuilt

Advantage of transformers- Lincoln, Liquidarc, WIA, etc-
1. Cheaper.
2. Simpler- less to go wrong.

You pays your money... etc.
Buy a name brand of either type, you won't go wrong. You are not building a NASA space capsule.

FWIW I love the WIA 150S, they are bulletproof (as is the Lincoln 170)

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

If I understand drmini correctly - Kemppi is the inverter and that is the best technology to buy.

WIA 150S and Lincoln are transformers and touch as old boots.

So its cost+technology or less cost+tough...

I can't make my mind up

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

p.s. WIA 150 is about $1700 (38kg)

Kemppi $2000 (10kg)

Lincoln $1000 (30kg)

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

What the other Kevin Said ^^^

If cost is the main factor, buy the Lincoln, you cannot go wrong, it will do a fine job. If money is no object, buy the Kemppi.

cheers

Kevin

One other consideration:

Kemppi 20A min

Lincoln 30A min

WIA 35A min

Kemppi will handle thinner panels. WIA is worst for thin panels but if your a good welder you can probably manage.

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

You don't need a BIG welder for panel work, so bigger is not better.

My old Kemppi Super Kempomat 125A (transformer M/C with stepless V control) can weld Mini door skins with 0.8mm solid wire and gas, at less than 30A.

At work I run the WIA 150S off a 16A circuit breaker, and it doesn't trip too often. It runs 0.9 gasless wire (for site work and gal).

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Sorry - some confusion here...

I was putting in the MINIMUM AMPS because that is what allows you to weld thinner metal.

Some other machines I have looked at go 50-250 etc, which would be hopeless for home use. The MINIMUM is too high.

Note that it is difficult to find a (home) MIG that goes less than 30A. Some of the bigger 3 phase machines go down to 5A but that's MUCH more than I want to spend.

So...I agree with you that a big machine is not required. BUT - I think we also agree that 30A or less is good....

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

My bad, I misread. I thought you were talking the mains input current.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

No worries...all sorted.

English can be such a dual meaning language. When I read your post I thought - "god, what have I typed now?!"

Anyway...I'm still undecided

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

Not undecided anymore. Just nipped out to the welding shop and...

Bought a Lincoln with a CIGweld auto helmet (special carbon fibre effect - oooohhh ).

I was still undecided when I walked into the shop but the guy took me out the back and showed me their Lincoln ("goes forever he said") and the Kemppi handpieces being replaced ("they don't seem to like using gasless wire in the ozzy conditions "). Mind made up, sorted - I'll take the old technology and save myself $1000.

I had set my sight on a Miller Elite or Kemppi helmet as I liked the big lens. HOWEVER - CIGweld autohelmet was only 10mm less deep and for a saving of ~$400 (GIG costs ~$100) I thought - she'll be right. ALSO, CIGweld knobs are big and outside helmet, which I liked, and the screen reacts in 1/30,000 of a second, which is faster than the 1/20,000 of Miller and Kempi. So...

POST CLOSED - thanks for all the feedback.

Now I just need a loan of that invisibility cloak so I can sneak it into the shed without the wife seeing it!!

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

I am also looking at buying a mig, are there any other deals around on good quality migs suitable for sheet work?