R-tech MIG180

[Anaconda666]

I need a little bit of advice with regards buying my first mig welder.
I have found that my budget will run to a R-tech180 which seems to be a decent machine for the money. I will be using it for hobby use, the main use will be welding chassis parts on a Land Rover, mainly 2mm steel and maybe 3mm here and there. I also imagine I will be doing some thinner sheet metal on occasion.
Main question really is the machine suitable and what size wire should I be using as I have noticed a big difference in amps between the .6 and .8 wire sizes.
I guess I should mention I will be using a 13amp plug socket.
Many thanks.

 

[JOEPRO]

I have the same welder and use it on autobody repairs with 0.6mm wire. Fantastic smooth welder highly recommended

 

[Craig-SM]

I bought the R-Tech 180 after having a Clarke 135. I bought both 0.6 and 0.8 wire but other than a brief bit of messing about with thinner wire I’ve stuck with using the 0.8 for everything from thin panel to 3mm and that was done with a 13 amp plug. I’ve since installed a 16A supply for the welder

 

[Morrisman]

I have the r-tech 180 too, great piece of kit.

 

[Pond frog]

R-tech have got 10% of all products at the moment so a good time to buy

 

[doubleboost]

I use .8 wire for everything .

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

I have an Autostar MIG 160 (Basically a Jasic MIG 160 at half the price) and absolutely love it, it does all my automotive repair work and has been great. However I also have a R-Tech ProMIG 250 for all my heavy work, again a great machine that i do most of my fabrication work with. In your situation I would say the R-tech 180 is absolutely the way to go for a land rover as the extra 20A could be helpful occasionally. Also the nice thing with buying R-Tech machines is they have interest free credit finance available on both 6 or 12 month options. So take advantage of that if it suits you.

 

[Anaconda666]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I made a good choice.
Will need to buy some gas and practice some welding before attacking the Land Rover.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I weld 5mm all day with a 180 off a 13 amp plug and it has no trouble going down enough for thin stuff or cranking up for heavier stuff either and their aftersales service is superb.

 

[Mark 2]

Great machine and very versatile.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Lots of us on here have them, that tells you all you need to know.

 

[leadpig]

i had to infill a i beam at work two bits of 12x12x100 steel, i put a 2-3mm bevel on them and turned the mig 180 up to full and went for it. to my amazement it punched all the way through. weld looked decent as well.
but what was best is it was on a 13 amp supply, never tripped and was the first time using a mig properly
wish i took pics now, went back to take pics but they had already painted it with blackjack

 

[Hotstuff]

Another vote for the R-Tech. It was my first welder and I’ve used it for car bodywork.

I would recommend that you phone and speak with someone for the best price and also advice on PPE etc.

 

[Rannsachair]

I had a Cebora 130 for years, when I started struggling to get parts for it I bought a R-Tech180 after watching double boosts videos. My welding instantly improved/ got better, think I have had it 7 years now, only use it occasionally, been happy with it.

 

[doubleboost]

Mention this forum and use My name you will be looked after

 

[MickeyW]

R tech gear is excellent, I have their plasma and TIG machines. The 5 year warranty is worth a great deal too.

 

[Blue Boy]

I bought a 180 recently and am very happy. The finance option was part of the choice as I couldn't afford one outright, found that with wire/gas/PPE it adds up to quite a lot.
My experiences with an old Cebora and a Clarke 151 almost put me off learning to MIG weld, couldn't get on with them at all. I've yet to get gas for the 180 so using self shielding just now and find I can actually weld things reasonably neatly, the r-tech seems to weld well from a very beginners view. Playing around with power and wire feed settings make a visible/audible difference and I'm looking forward to getting some 5% gas soon to practice on thin sheet.

 

[doubleboost]

I bought a 180 recently and am very happy. The finance option was part of the choice as I couldn't afford one outright, found that with wire/gas/PPE it adds up to quite a lot.
My experiences with an old Cebora and a Clarke 151 almost put me off learning to MIG weld, couldn't get on with them at all. I've yet to get gas for the 180 so using self shielding just now and find I can actually weld things reasonably neatly, the r-tech seems to weld well from a very beginners view. Playing around with power and wire feed settings make a visible/audible difference and I'm looking forward to getting some 5% gas soon to practice on thin sheet.