Welders welders welders? Which one?

Check craigslist.com when I was looking saw alot of welders for sail.

 

Buy as big of machine as you can and then maybe a bit more for insurance. Very happy with our Millermatic 250, does everything we have ever needed including some structural steel framing in our shop.

 

After returning 3 HF welders when they broke, thankfully under warranty, I bought a hobart and love it. I always thought I was a crappy welder untill I stopped at the Miller booth at a NSRA show. Tried one of their demo units and was surprised at how good I welded on a good welder. Next time the HF broke I never looked back,

 

Hey guys
Looking for advice on which welder to buy. Want a Miller. Looking at the Millermatic 180, or the Millermatic 212. I'm using it for general garage stuff. Also looking at builing model A frames as a hobby. Looking at using 2x4x.125 wall steel along with whatever steel is needed to build frames. Is the 180 enough? It says it will weld up to 5/16 in one pass. Will I be like my wife and left wanting more or do I need to save the extra cash and get the 212.
Thanks.

 

i bought the miller dvi from cyberweld. got here in 2 days and the welder is pretty cool you can plug into 110 or 220 . had it for about a year and a half no problems handled everything i have thrown at it so far.

 

y is this? cant weld thick steel? or low duty cycle? or? I was gonna put a dedicated circuit in the garage for a 110 welder, now thinking about 220.... first for body work, maybe structual eventually...

 

Kapuron, if you can afford the 212 get it. As long as you can dial the machine down to do the thinest work you plan on (sheetmetal?) you will never go wrong with excess capacity, it also means you are less likely to 'run out of welder'.

Just be honest with what you can actually afford.

 

I have a Lincoln welder and i am quite happy with it. Dont waste your money on a Harbor Freight welder.

 

We run old school Miller 250's all day long. And night. Never had one problem with them!

 

I have a Panasonic Gunslinger 260, it is the only copper wound instead of al mig sold in the US at this time. It uses miller disposables and costs less than a Hobart miller or linclon. It is almost 10 years old with never a problem.

 

Go read here.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/index.php

(FWIW, I'm happy with my Miller 251 & Binzel cooled 180SD)

 

Don't buy a welder from Harbor Freight. There are reasons that nice welders are more epensive. If you think that the only reason the price is higher on name brand welders is because of the NAME, do some research. It is worth the money to buy a good welder. If you like to weld and are interested in fab work, then you WILL use it and it will be worth the money. Make a wise investment. You really do get what you pay for.

I'm with Dreadman. Buy a "good" used welder, if you can't afford a "good" new welder.

A search will bring about 100 topics related to welders. Do your research. You won't be sorry if you buy a good welder.

Have you ever heard someone say that their good welder was a waste of money??

 

The Miller 210 (now the MM212) has a huge following on the Miller welding discussion forum.
I buy equipment once for the long run. I bought a MM210 in '04, great machine.

 

Spend some extra doe and get a miller. I have had my 185 for 10 years now without any problems. but when you buy one get the tweeko gun with it, the miller gun was not a very good one and after a month I took it back and trade for the tweeko

 

I'll echo what many here have said. My first Mig was a Miller 110V 90..... my current one is a 220V 210. Miller is a real welder in a sea of pretend ones. The 210 does it all.

 

When I asked my brother (welds for a living) about an off brand welder, his answer was "you never hear anyone ask if Miller or Lincoln had any problems"

 

i have a miller 210,great machine buy i think i would have spent more and got the 251 miller

 

I've always heard that a Tweeco gun is the one to have. I have a 210 Hobart and it works great. What advantages does the Tweeco gun have over the factory Miller gun on my welder?

 

nexxusian, Thanks for the input. I would love to just buy the 212, but will the 180 do the job? I know I'm a cheap bastard. Obviously price is a concern. The 212 costs twice as much as the 180. Is it also true that the replacement parts and attachments will be twice as much? Example-spool gun? F..it maybe I should just buy the 212. Confused. Thanks.

 

I must be the odd man out here. I have a Snap-On MM120. They don't make them any more. It went to MM140 I think. I got it from my dad. Just glad I didn't have to pay for it. I really like it. It works good.

 

KAPURON, the 180 should be able to handle the work you describe. I have used a 'too small' machine to weld heavy stuff together with good results. It's just slow and an unbelievable pain in the ass as the duty cycle will be low. In defense of the 180, I currently use a Daytona Mig 181C, with no troubles with duty cycle (the Miller has a bit more per power setting). However, if I ever run into heavy welding I have access to a Lincoln 250 'Round Top' Stick welder to fall back on (now).

The only way to know if the parts and accessories are more is to actually price them. I seriously doubt any of the consumables are (probably the same parts).

 

Choosing a welder is a tough one. I too was all over the map while shopping around. The Miller 180 and 140, Hobart, Lincoln and others all had thier turn as the one to get, some more than one turn. I finally choose the Miller 180 and ended the crazy cycle of indecission.

 

If you buy a good quality welder, it should last a long time. I bought an Airco 230amp mig twenty years ago used, and it still works great. Most of the stuff that I buy from Harbor Freight, I look back and think why did I buy that, their stuff just doesn't last.

I don't think the the market will be very good for used Harbor Freight welders.

 

I promise you will regret buying a welder from Harbor Freight. I PROMISE! I have always been a bargain hunter, but with welders listen to the prevailing logic. Buy a big name. Also, buy the best you can possibly afford. Get the higher duty cycle, higher amps. You'll want to weld some heavy stuff sooner or later! I have a Lincoln 110v MIG setup with .023 solid wire that works so smooth for autobody and I just got a Lincoln Pro Mig 215 that I'm running .035 and c25 gas. I also have been practicing welding with my oxy-acetylene torch. I bought the Lincoln 215 recently 'cause Praxair had a BLOWOUT price, or I may have gone Miller this time. Bottom line: I had to save my pennies and SELL all of my GUNS to get this welder. I'm not rich. I'm ALSO very glad I went this direction. Buy brand name. It is worth every penny. I have used the HF stuff... don't do it!

 

Get a Miller from cyberweld.com free ship, no tax

 

I've used Miller products for 25 years and have had zero problems.Haven't tried other brands because the Miller never failed me. Super quality machine and very easy to get products for locally.Well worth the extra bucks.Good luck