ironman 230 vs lincoln 256. here we go again

[Franz©]

Speaking of transistor radios, what ever became of all those foot locker sized window shaking devices young males with sagging pants used to lug around on their shoulders?
I always thought one of them would pe perfect for a shop radio strapped to the wall.

[Broccoli1]

Speaking of transistor radios, what ever became of all those foot locker sized window shaking devices young males with sagging pants used to lug around on their shoulders?
I always thought one of them would pe perfect for a shop radio strapped to the wall.

Beats headphones.

[caleb90]

a small multiprocess machine ain't the end of the world. He has a IM230 for his shop work now- and a portable machine is nice to have for field work.

I'd probably look at a 120.240v machine though- unfortunately mo' money but you wont need to hump a generator around.

'tis like a transiiter radio to your stereo console

i like the idea of the 120/240v machines but your pretty much stuck with small gauge material on 120, exspecially if running off an exstension cord. we will see though going to be a while before i buy a smaller unit for field work

[ryanjones2150]

That depends. You say “small gauge”, so maybe your definition of that is different than mine. I have a small maxstar 150 STH. It’s a dual voltage stick and tig machine that I use for field work. I’ve used the living daylights out of it. Now it’s only DC tig, so no aluminum, but it is HF start and it welds superb in both 115v and 230v. I’ve also ran several hundred pounds of rod on it and have never hit the duty cycle. On 115v, it is limited to 100amps, but I’ve ran 3/32 7018 stick after stick and stick and never tripped a breaker or hit the thermal overload. You can weld a lot of steel with a 3/32 7018 rod. And it weighs 11lbs. You can sling it on your back and hang it off the top of a ladder....been there, done it. Now my little 115v mig will trip a 20amp breaker in about 7 seconds.

[caleb90]

That depends. You say “small gauge”, so maybe your definition of that is different than mine. I have a small maxstar 150 STH. It’s a dual voltage stick and tig machine that I use for field work. I’ve used the living daylights out of it. Now it’s only DC tig, so no aluminum, but it is HF start and it welds superb in both 115v and 230v. I’ve also ran several hundred pounds of rod on it and have never hit the duty cycle. On 115v, it is limited to 100amps, but I’ve ran 3/32 7018 stick after stick and stick and never tripped a breaker or hit the thermal overload. You can weld a lot of steel with a 3/32 7018 rod. And it weighs 11lbs. You can sling it on your back and hang it off the top of a ladder....been there, done it. Now my little 115v mig will trip a 20amp breaker in about 7 seconds.

1/8th in or under for light gauge material. i just want one for flux core and stick use only. if i want to tig i will buy a stand alone unit that is ac so i can weld aluminum.

[ryanjones2150]

There are several small stick welders out there, brand new, that are dual voltage and in the lower price range. Once you want a wire feed, the price jumps a good deal.

One of the reasons I got this small, 115v mig was for what you’re wanting it for. Honestly, I’ve never moved it from its spot next to the welding bench. It’s just too heavy and pulls too much power. I even eventually ran a separate 30amp circuit just to run that machine. It welds nice, I really like running .030 FC through it, but it’s redundant at this point.

The maxstar I have is primarily a tig welder, but I’ve ran more stick on it as of late.

I don’t believe those small migs are as portable as some would like to believe. You go plugging that thing in at your buddy’s house, you’re going to spend half the day flipping the breakers back on. That’s been my experience at least. My little machine is a Lincoln 140c. Inverter technology has most certainly improved on the weight and amperage draw I’d expect. That leaves you looking in the new or near new range.