Milermatic

[chub380]

Vintage

Hi the Vintage is not in the 2003 catalog. To me it has always seemed like you just got used to what you have, I have a mm251 and love it ,however I cannot compare it to the vintage or the 210 because I have never welded with one.

[Scott V]

Cope,I think rock kind of answered that.Its a modern miller 200.It has a copper transformer.IT does not go as low in voltage as some others for really thin metals.But I like it the best of all the millers.I would have to really have to take a hard look between it,and the 210.When I was looking for a machine in that range it was down to the standard 250,and the esab migmaster 250.I picked the esab,and never looked back.They came out with the vintage almost at that time.You know miller made a mistake with the first 250,but would not admit it.So the vintage is still here,atleast the last time I checked,and the mm250 is long gone but not forgotten.I would have been just as happy by buying the vintage.

I do know one case where at my friends sheetmetal shop where they put their miller 200 to rest,and bought a mm250.The top welder there that does all their tig work was not happy with the trade.He was doing alot of cussing,so they went out, and bought him a vintage.They also followed his advice to buy a new loaded aerowave tig machine.But thats a interesting story in its own rite.I also have some more funny stories from my friends welding store about the mm 250.

Bottom line is I would buy a vintage,and feel good about it.Also I really think Miller will get the newer 251 dialed in one day. My friend at the welding store has been keeping me up to date on how the new ones are welding.He says there getting better but not there yet.He has been right on the mark on every machine I have bought from him or I bought elsewhere.Like my Mk 2000A pulse inverter I bought form ebay.I was all clued in to the good,and the bad before it got here.He was right on as usual.You go to most welding stores and ask about a brand they don't carry,and you get some bull about it or a blank look.

[cope]

Vintage VS 251

Scott, what is the deal with the Vintage? How does it stack up against the Millermatic 251, and why both machines with nearly the same specs?

[Scott V]

Rock atleast your honest about it.But sometime It will catch up with you,changing without improving the arc or going backwards in arc quality can cost you sales.Lets us a example of one of esab welders.They had the migmaster 250 which to me is a nice machine.kind of old school tech.Than one year brought out their 251 migmaster to compete with the mm 250.It welded like crap compared to the 250 migmaster.It lasted one year,and was scraped.That machine did more harm to the esab name than about anything they could of done.They learned something in that,because the next machine they brought out was dialed in a whole lot better,and kind of made something nobody else was doing in that price range the migmaster 260.They are selling lots of them,with happy buyers.Seem to me miller is following the first path with some of their welders.The two I am thinging of is the miller 135 vs the lincoln sp 135, and the miller 175 vs the lincoln sp175 plus.I have owned two miller 130s,and one was the xp.I would of bought a miller 175 instead of the lincoln sp175 plus,if the miller had a better arc but it does not.the infinite controls do not matter,or the quick change drive rolls.The cast aluminum drive housing do not matter to me ether.Bottom line is I alway look to miller first,but end up with something else because I like the welding arc better on others.Thats happened five times so far.Now I hear the miller 210 is a nice welding machine thats the way to bring one out.The one time I went to help my friend buy one I told him to buy the miller,because it had a good arc comparable to the the others in the class.That was the miller 185.As far as the other I meant the thermal arc migs.

OK I ATHINK I'LL CHIME IN HERE..........ONE OF THE NICEST MACHINES IS AN OLD ROTATEING MACHINE MY BROTHERS AND I OWN. WE BOUGHT IT AT AN AUCTION........200 AMP 3 PHASE STICK WELDER.......SMOOTHEST ARC I'VE EVER SEEN FROM THE EARLY 1950'S ABOUT 52 OR 53 AS I RECALL.........FUNNY THINK IS IT WEIGHS A BUNCH, MAKES ALL KINDS OF NOISE, CONSUMES A LOT OF KILOWATTS WHEN WELDING, AND IS VERY SIMPLE TO OPERATE............ WE ONLY KEEP IT AROUND BECAUSE IT NEVER BREAKS DOWN (THANK GOODNESS NO PARTS LEFT) AND IS NOT QUITE AS OLD AS US BUT LIKE US IT STILL WORKS............ I THINK WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT PROGRESS MARCH'S ON. WE ALWAYS TRY TO GET WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANT IN THEIR FEED BACK. THE MM200 WERE GOOD MACHINES IN THEIR DAY BUT LIKE ALL MODERN THINGS WERE GETTING DROPPED BY THE WAY SIDE IN SALES. CUSTOMERS ALWAYS WANT SOMETHING NEW........ IF WE STAYED IN THE SAME REDUNDENT MODE (SUCH AS ALWAYS AND ONLY MAKEING THE MM200'S) WE WOULD GET DROPPED BY THE WAY SIDE.........OUR COMPETITORS WOULD EAT US ALIVE IN SALES. SO EACH GENERATION OF THE MACHINE 200, 250, 250X, 251 GIVE'S YOU MORE OPTIONS AND MORE CONTROLS TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS..............HOPE THIS HELPS MAKE UP YOUR MIND ON THE COMPERISON..............THE VINTAGE AND THE MM200 WERE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME....................I WOULD OF ANSWERED THIS SOONER BUT WAS OFF ON VACATION FOR 36 DAYS...............SORRY ABOUT THAT........................ROCK
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[dysfunction]

Donno, Im not selling my MM200. The arc qualitys too nice. The start's nicer than most machines I've used. And its just flat out reliable and predictable.

[Scott V]

Try Arc quality!What ever happened to the space controls on the one 250 model.It work great,but welded like crap?

[dysfunction]

Re: One answer.

Originally posted by Scott V
They are getting better with each new model.One more model,and it should be almost as good as the one it replaced,the Miller 200!(ha-ha)Thats only my opinion,and every other Miller 200 owner.

That and the whole "switchboard" opertions panel up front kicks butt!

[Scott V]

One answer.

They are getting better with each new model.One more model,and it should be almost as good as the one it replaced,the Miller 200!(ha-ha)Thats only my opinion,and every other Miller 200 owner.

[chub380]

Does anyone know the difference between the original mm250 the 250x and the current251 or are they pretty much all the same? Also is the mmvintage comparable to the mm210 as far as the arc and its propertys? Thanks Chub380