Buying a welder. need some input. My father has a Lincoln SP175plus and it works great. but i need some input on the 135 machines. the 135 will do 99% of what i want to do. on the heavier stuff i can preheat the metal and slow way down. is there any real difference between the 2? any recommendations? thanks in advance. ~Aaron
I used to like the Lincoln because of the potentiometer voltage control, but they've done away with that and gone to a selector switch now. I've used both, and the drive parts and stuff that can break seems to be a little heavier on the Miller. Hell, buy whichever one comes on sale!
the 135 now has the potentiometer on it, its infinite voltage control. they are almost identical. you say the drive parts are heavier on the miller? is this true?
I bought a Miller 135 about a year and a half ago and have had no regrets. It's done everything I've needed to do. I'm kind of a rookie welder, so I haven't tried anything too tough. I went with the Miller on the recomendation from the welding instructor at the local community college. He said he likes the blue ones best. Really just a matter of preference.
why not the 175? well i dont have a 220 Outelt atm, i just moved into a new house. thats the main reason. It wouldent be hard to run one i guess. it is only 100$ more dollars. i just wanna hear the Lincoln vs. Miller pros and cons, if there are any.
A lot of the roller drive and tensioner parts are plastic on the Lincoln. I believe they are still metal on the Miller. The infinite voltage control is very handy, though. My latest SP135 had a 5 position switch...
I've had the Miller 135 for a couple years... I like it a lot, but I wish I could've saved up a bit more and gone with the 175. I've done 1/4" stuf with this thing, but it gets slow and tedious for that.... but then there's not really a whole lot of stuff on a car that's any thicker than that. It's way better than the 110 V welders of the past. I went with the Miller b/c it was about $20 cheaper (that day at that dealer) than the Lincoln that had the rheostat-style voltage adjustment.... but since then, nearly everyone I know of that's used both say the Lincoln is a great welder, but the Miller is just a little bit better. I have no personal experience with any Lincolns... just passing along what I heard.
i also have a miller 135 for my first welder, and have been happy with it practicing. The guy at the welding store also told me that i should be able to weld up to a 3/16" thick of metal, shouldn't have any problems welding on the frame as long as i go slow.(even though i still have not tried welding anything close to 3/16, I'am planning on using it to weld motor mounts and a rack and pinion mount on my frame.
I have a hobart 145, which is just the econo version of the miller 135. Its awesome, and the trailer hitch reciever I welded onto 1/4" plate for my truck bumper didnt tear off when I pulled an 80's full-size oldsmobile with it, so I say it welds 1/4" just fine. I found that a new breaker for my garage allowed me to run substantially longer beads, also.
I have the lincoln, have had it for 2 years. It has done everything I have asked it to, from welding sheet metal to spring perches.
I buy Lincoln, I know this doesn't answer your question but go with the Lincoln 175, home depot has em and they're pretty damn cheap. Then go get a big ass argon/co2 bottle. Screw that flux core shit, you use argon and suddenly your welds look awesome. Even my tiny 110 welder doesn't turn down as low as my Lincoln 175, and it cranks up there really hot too. I can turn it all the way down and weld really thin sheet metal without a problem.
I bought a Lincoln 140 from Lowe's last month and have used it several times. It gives great results- it also has a potentiometer! I use Argon/Co2 (75%/25%) and have no complaints. Like you I didn't have access to anything but 110 volts (without a lot of expense and trouble). Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. Oh, forgot it was $459 but I got a rebate for full face welding helmet!
I've used both...I really like the miller....but both are great...but instead of a 135 I would go with the 175 miller ...unless of course 220 is a problem to get in your garage.. just my 2 cents... -Mike
I work for sheet metal fab companies. Two of them have used the Lincolns with great success. As construction workers we tend to abuse these things. I have a SP100 at home that one of the companies tossed out after 5 years of abuse. I slammed about $50 worth of parts to it and am still using it after 3 years. I would suggest however to go with a 220 machine for our hobby. I personally wouldn't use a mig for frame work but I don't knock those that do and a 110 is on the light side for that.
I got the MM175 a few months ago. Best money I ever spent. Do some research before hand- look at the features you like and decide for yourself. Also get prices from everywhere (online, little shops, big shops, etc) so you know a fair price. I called 2 different Linde shops and got prices on the same welder/same model# and had a price difference of $150 !!! The locations are less than 10 miles away from each other. Little shops also throw in a bunch of extras that you won't get from Lowes and Home Depot. Good Luck!
I have the SP135-Plus. Works great and have never had any issues. I believe most of the roller parts are metal, but I haven't opened it up in a while. I don't think the Home Depot and Lowes versions have the infinite voltage adjustment (thats the "Plus"), which is a good feature for fine tuning the heat. Most of the Home Depot and Lowes skus are their own as well (Made for HD and Lowes by the manufacturer). Not sure if the standard parts are interchangable on those specific models. My $0.00000001
Step up to the 175, you won't regret it. Also in my opinion both lincoln and Miller are very goon machines, but the Miller is slightly higher quality than the Lincoln. Just look at the feed assembly. I use both on a regular basis.
I have had a lincoln sp135plus for over 2 years now, i love it. I have boxed 3 frames with it, welded 3 mustang II crossmembers in with it, welded the straight axle under my 41 willys gasser and it performed great. I use it all the time, I am constantly welding with it. I do not regret buying the lincoln or the 135 for that matter, I have not had a ounce of trouble out of it and it has performed flawlessly.
well i think im just gonna go with the 175 unit, cause im gonna have to pull line 220v for my air compressor so i might as well just make it 2 and run em on seperate breakers. im leaning twards the miller, cause i think it has the better drive stuff in it. im gonna hit a couple local weld shops and look at them in person before i mess around.
if you are doing that just run a bigger line and put a sub panel in. that way if you need a new circuit for something in the future it's right there. my personal preference is miller also. i like the fact that they have a message forum that if you have any question you can get a pro's answer. they are also made in the USA. the two forums are http://www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/ and http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/ later jim
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