Im tired of borrowing, begging and paying people for stuff I need to have welded. I want to buy one welder that will suit the needs of a car guy, from body panel replacement to frame work. I don't want to have to buy another one because I "outgrew" my first one. I stopped at Central welding today and this is what the guy came up with. I would appreciate input from you guys that do a bunch of welding. Thanks, Mark
so its a 200 amp model? if so, thatll be fine, you can do most things inc build frames with most welders over 160amp. my own welder is a 200amp thermal arc fabricator 200, it will do anything up to 3/8" no problem, and can be wound down to do tinfoil thickness tuff as well. i dont know the brand as we dont have them in the uk. yours cost more than mine did though, mine was about £700($1400) all-in with a new mask, reg, bottle, etc. and mine was manufactured in the states then shipped to england!
I have a Lincoln 175 & at times I wish it was bigger. 90% of the time I'm fine, but every once in a while I need to weld something thick & I have to spend a little extra time preping & running multiple passes. I'm cheap as it only cost $650 with cart & tank.
That welder is definately a good choice Miller is good, I have 2 lincoln welders also (130 and a 175) they work great but get the Miller 200 amp one.
CG we had a Millermatic 210 at the shop I used to work at and that thing was awesome. it could weld everything from holes in Subaru sheet metal (think beer can thickness) to Audi frame rails. I also used it to weld some thick metal stock together for a friend and it welded awesome. That is a reasonable price for it too. I would jump on that if I were in your shoes.
You did good. I am on my second miller 251. It is the next size up. The 210 is a great large home machine. I think you did the right thing by buying local. You can save a few dollars by buying online, but being able to get first class service local is worth 10-20% more to me. National Welder is my local shop. They always step up and offer equipment for me to borrow if I ever have to get mine serviced.
i have a miller 185 mig , have had it for about 10 years welds everything form thick to thin, and ive never had a problem, think i paid $1174 for it and the bottle and that was the best price i could find, back then
That's a good welder and also a good price for that unit. I have a Hobart 250 which is owned by Miller now I believe. Mine cost much less than your's ($800.00) and it's the next size up. I shopped around for awhile before I bought the Hobart, it was a year old when I bought it and it came with all kinds of goodies actually. It welds everything just fine for me, however I mostly use this one for mass parts welding because it's just so damn reliable. I have a few Millers and they're fine too, the Tig is nice and I have a Delta Fab unit but that's really over kill for a hobbyist.
Hi Mark, If this is the machine I think it is, your not going to go wrong. I have a Canox MigMatic 200, as far as I know it was built by Miller for Canox, who put their name on them. I can tack or stitch weld 20 gauge steel sheet, and turn right around, crank up the amps and feed speed and weld 1/2 inch plate with no problem at all. I would be hard pressed to ever give up this welder. I've owned it now for 20 years or so. It was on lease for six weeks to a manufacting outfit, they didn't get a contract they had bid for, so it went back to the Canox dealer. I bought it for $1800. with a one year tank contract, and a 30 lb. spool of wire. I've always used 35 thou wire and have found it worked out great for everything I've done. Never had any reason to change. New, this one was a $2300. machine, but the difference in the US/ Canadian dollar comes into play, not sure what the difference was back then. But I think it was about the same as now. I had the choice of the Bernard 20 ft stinger, that was still on it from the lease, or the 12 ft Binzel ( I think that's how it's spelled) that was on it when new. Bernard is a heavier whip and handle, just a bit bigger all around. I'm glad I stayed with the longer stinger. Saves having to roll the machine around so much, just to reach where you want to be. The big thing is, keep the welding wire clean and lubed. Use the clamp on felt pads on the wire, it will wipe the wire, and lube it at the same time. Keeps the inner sleeve from wearing out. Tip cleaner is something to have on hand also, the paste is ok, I've used it, just plunge the hot tip in 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to coat the nozzle so the splatter won't stick. Don't do this if the tip is cold, just plugs up very thing. The stuff is like Vaseline. Once I used up the first jar, I changed to the spray can, it's water based, I've used it ever since. Nice thing with it, you can give the surrounding area to be welded a quick spray, and you keep the weld splatter to a minimum, a quick wipe with a rag and everything comes right off. If you like, I can get you pictures of mine if you want to compare, or any questions, I'll be glad to help if I can. The newer self darking helmets are great, you have an extra hand available all the time to hold the weld piece, instead of having to flip the helmet or front shield down. If you do get one, see that it has TWO photo sensers on it. If it only has one, and it falls in the shadow of the welding glare, (from a post, partition, or whatever) it won't darken and you'll get a nasty case of sandy eye in a few hours. Also get one that darkens in 25000th of a second or faster. The 10000th of a second darking time will cause you a weld flash after a days welding. Each time you start, it gets you, and after awhile it adds up, sandy eye again! Hope this helps, best of luck. Rob
I've had a 210 for about 4 years, maybe 5. Bought it at year end and got a free spool on attachment for aluminum...good for tack welding. I like the welder fine. It replaced a 20 year old Linde 160 that hadn't died but was probably gonna. I do a lot of sheet metal and chassis fabrication. It works fine for both. It's a fine machine, you'll like it. It was around $1100 for the machine. I already had tanks and helmets. So that pricing sounds about right. Charlie
Mark, I currently have a Millermatic 251 and am extremely happy with it. Mine came with an unconditional 3 year warranty, which I haven't needed to use yet, and don't foresee needing to use. The only thing I notice is the price... I paid $1,280 for my "251"...just guessing a smaller machine should be a bit less money. The price for the cylinder and helmet seem a bit pricey.... both over priced by maybe about 35-40%..... BUT.... I am in Massachusetts and prices may be entirely different here. Either way.....I doubt you can go wrong with that machine, you will have many a years of good use from it. JOE
Hey guys thanks for the quick input. I havent purchased it yet, that is just a quote he gave me. The 251 was 500 bucks more. I think I can spend that money better elsewhere. I will look into better prices for helmet.
How long ago did you get your "251"? - I haven't seen them that cheap ever. - Even online they are running $1700-$1900 Did you get it some place in MA?
Thats $51 less than I was quoted this afternoon for the same machine down here in Salem. Sounds like a fare deal to me. Good Luck...H
I'd definatly get it for that price. The same machine is $1422 through cyberweld. Like others have said, buying local is worth it. heres the link to the cyberweld site http://store.cyberweld.com/millermatic210.html
The 251 is more than a car guy needs. I have a 210 with add on spool and love it. I just need more practice with aluminum.
a 210 should be all the welder you need, i have been running a 251 for about 2 years now and its given me no trouble at all, if you can get a deal on the spool gun buy it, i wish i would of when i bought mine, miller sometimes has deals that you can get the spool gun for about 1/2 price. if they have NS wire where you buying your machine all the better, its copper free and wont plug your liner and its about the smoothest wire going.
Im not an expert, but these guys have been a pleasure to deal with, and free shipping http://www.cyberweld.com/
Yes thats a good buy fo a MILLERMATIC 210, thats what we run in my shop and it will do everything you will ever need it too. Happy welding, let me know if you have any other questions.
Something to consider...yeah they may be overcharging you a bit on the "add-ons" like the helmet, but I wonder if you'll get that "back" in great service over the years...Tucker
Yes, this is a mid to late 1970's welder, made by miller and is only painted red and badged cannox. They are a 150 amp 60% duty cycle machine. I have welded up to 3/8" plate with mine with no problems. I have a manual for mine. Should you need any further information, please contact.
Seems like a fair price for a great machine . . . I'd got for it. I bought my MaxStar 200DX (TIG Unit) about 2 years ago and have been extremely pleased with it - just a great machine (only paid $1200 for the machine - new). I've never welded with a Lincoln machine, will probably stick with 'Big Blue' for quite some time.
Looks like a fair price but if it were me, I wouldn't buy a cylinder outright. At least down here when I used to get a refill from Airgas, I didn't usually get the same cylinder back, I get one that's filled already. You should consider a lease plan for a tank instead, if you haven't already bought this rig. Just my two cents. Edit: Dang, tricked by thread necromancy!
HAHAH no kidding FNG first post and he brings up a 2 year old thread to answer a question that really had nothiong to do with the original post. Love it!
You uh, really think he's still deciding if he should buy it, almost three years after he posted about it?
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