Which would be the best MIG Welder?
I picked up the miller MM210 a couple years back. Same as USA1RACING stated above, I wanted one machine that I would have for the rest of my life. I have never had a problem with it. It is also is spoolgun ready.
For me personally, I should have spent the extra money and gotten a passport(versatility, portability) or a 252(power). I took my dvi2 in to get checked out because it kept shutting down, and I didn't think I was close to the duty cycle. I guess I was wrong, because it checked out fine. An electrician at work was telling me about a mod or two he did that may help me, but I'm not wanting to void the warranty right now.It'll come in handy if I ever move and don't have 220 right away. It welds nice as long as it's not shutting down.
Yeah, I've got one. I thought the versatility would be cool, but it's a little heavy to be lugging around For me personally, I should have spent the extra money and gotten a passport(versatility, portability) or a 252(power). I took my dvi2 in to get checked out because it kept shutting down, and I didn't think I was close to the duty cycle. I guess I was wrong, because it checked out fine. An electrician at work was telling me about a mod or two he did that may help me, but I'm not wanting to void the warranty right now.
It'll come in handy if I ever move and don't have 220 right away. It welds nice as long as it's not shutting down.
For me personally, I should have spent the extra money and gotten a passport(versatility, portability) or a 252(power). I took my dvi2 in to get checked out because it kept shutting down, and I didn't think I was close to the duty cycle. I guess I was wrong, because it checked out fine. An electrician at work was telling me about a mod or two he did that may help me, but I'm not wanting to void the warranty right now.It'll come in handy if I ever move and don't have 220 right away. It welds nice as long as it's not shutting down.
Passports are very over rated, imo... @52 is an awesome machine, but almost nobody working on cars will ever need it, its a heavy fab unit... I use it for building trailers.
This last time, I was welding stuff that it really had no business attempting, but I was going to see if maybe I could do it in multiple passes(it was like 1/2" to 3/4" plate
) I could tack the piece together, but as soon as I would try to lay a bead it would shut down. Of course I'm used to using a 3 phase mm300 at work, I can just go with that beast and never worry about a thing.
A guy at work has the passport, and the thing is wicked. You can plug it into different power sources, it weighs nothing, you can run it off of the little compressed co2 bottles or a regular "big" bottle, and now the new ones you can plug a spool gun into. Obviously for a fab shop where all the work is in one place it wouldn't be the right fit, but if I get someone that needs something welded up on the spot and they can't come to me it would be perfect.
They would have bought my dvi2 back for 1k, and it would have cost me about another 1k for the 252. I've got other things I need more than that right now
Well, the first time it happened I was welding on some 1/4" just messing around. I guess I must have went past the duty cycle. But then after letting it cool down it would just shut off right away again once I started back up.
This last time, I was welding stuff that it really had no business attempting, but I was going to see if maybe I could do it in multiple passes(it was like 1/2" to 3/4" plate) I could tack the piece together, but as soon as I would try to lay a bead it would shut down.
Of course I'm used to using a 3 phase mm300 at work, I can just go with that beast and never worry about a thing.
A guy at work has the passport, and the thing is wicked. You can plug it into different power sources, it weighs nothing, you can run it off of the little compressed co2 bottles or a regular "big" bottle, and now the new ones you can plug a spool gun into. Obviously for a fab shop where all the work is in one place it wouldn't be the right fit, but if I get someone that needs something welded up on the spot and they can't come to me it would be perfect.
They would have bought my dvi2 back for 1k, and it would have cost me about another 1k for the 252. I've got other things I need more than that right now
This last time, I was welding stuff that it really had no business attempting, but I was going to see if maybe I could do it in multiple passes(it was like 1/2" to 3/4" plate
) I could tack the piece together, but as soon as I would try to lay a bead it would shut down. Of course I'm used to using a 3 phase mm300 at work, I can just go with that beast and never worry about a thing.
A guy at work has the passport, and the thing is wicked. You can plug it into different power sources, it weighs nothing, you can run it off of the little compressed co2 bottles or a regular "big" bottle, and now the new ones you can plug a spool gun into. Obviously for a fab shop where all the work is in one place it wouldn't be the right fit, but if I get someone that needs something welded up on the spot and they can't come to me it would be perfect.
They would have bought my dvi2 back for 1k, and it would have cost me about another 1k for the 252. I've got other things I need more than that right now
Sounds fishy to me, I mean you should be able to lay a bead on thick steel for as long as it takes the thermal switch to trip. The thickness of steel doesnt matter for anything but penetration, I can lay a bead on 3/4" plate with my sp135 plus, it wont hold for crap, but it can go until it overheats, I think there is something wrong with your machine.
That's what I was thinking. So I took it in to Wilson Welding(praxair now) and the repairman put it through the ringer and said everything checked out. The newer machines(starting in '07 I think) have two thermastats that will shut it down if it overheats, I was thinking maybe one of them went bad. But he said it was all good, the duty cycle is just so low when it's cranked up. He also said I can't just start welding again after the machine kicks back on, I've got to let it cool longer. That sucks because it takes forever just to kick back on. I talked to someone else who suggested that I make sure I'm pulling enough amps out of my outlet.
I'm thinking of going this route if I can get this one cheap enough. Its just for around the house and and making stuff in my basement and helping my neighbor patch on his farm equipment.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...212563816&rd=1
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Duty cycle is the one thing that the small 110 machines will eat your lunch. You often times need to run them at max amps to do what you need. uty cycle can in reality be 30%. Doesnt take long to put them in protect mode. A 200 amp 220v machine is IMO the perfect solution for a hobbyist. Readily available used for $700-$900. And if you want to build a gate or something that has 1/4"+ material you can still blast it on.
I was thinking about this guy here for just doing exhaust work and fabbing up intake plumbing on my turbo car:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90401+503465
or this one for a bit more. I only have about 400 to spend on a welder. That, and I don't have provisions for 220 at my rent house.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90401+503465
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90401+503465
or this one for a bit more. I only have about 400 to spend on a welder. That, and I don't have provisions for 220 at my rent house.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90401+503465
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Chicagoland
Seriously, i own a fab shop, and i have a miller 252, but i run the **** out of it everyday, if your not looking to run 40 lbs of wire through a machine every couple weeks, dont bother. i also have a small lincoln that i take with me to on site jobs, it welds up to 1/4 inch pass with ease, and welds as good as a small 220 welder. if its just a hobby, these days you dont need anything bigger.
How easy is it to wire up our own 210 circuit? Or at least, how much does it cost to get an electrician in to do it? Only reason I would just go with a 110v because 110 is easily available.
