Tweet
I've posted this same question on the Millermotorsports board, but I thought I'd see what your expericances were here on the subject before I make my final decision.To preface my question I'll give you a little background and a rough outline of what I'd like to do with a welder. I'm 18 and live on my parents farm, but in addition to doing farm repair and fabrication, I also do a lot of automotive work and repair. I've self-taught myself to mig-weld on the little Weld-Pak 100 my dad bought me 5 years ago. I've probably welded 40lbs of .035in flux-core total, but I'm pretty adept at just about anything within the little machines range.
In the next several weeks, I'll be embarking on major body repair on several cars, so I'll need a good mig that I can acheive good results on 22 gauge sheetmetal with.
I have borrowed a friends Hobart 135, but I'm not real happy with it's performance. I used good-quality .023in wire and c25 gas, but it was really hard to obtain an acceptable weld. the biggest problem I experianced was the wire balling up on the end, which made it real hard to get a good clean weld bead. Like I've said, I'm self-taught, and haven't studied welding formally, so maybe I was experiancing globular transfer or something, but I'll tell you that when it wasn't balling up, I could weld pretty good. I suppose I really ought to take a welding class, but I'm already taking 17 credits this fall in addition to the farm work I already do, so I really don't have the time.
I have a little Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 that I've had for years, and while I'll vouch for the build quality of the machine, I think I'd be happier with something a little better than the entry-level machine I'm using now. I have considered getting a shield gas setup for the Weld-Pak, but I still love the little dude for emergency farm repairs anywhere withing range of 110v power, so it would be a pain to continually switch back and forth from flux-core to gas shield.
The number one thing I'm looking for is superb performance on 22 gauge, and maybe even 24 gauge sheet. I also do work on metal up to 3/8" or so and ocassionally on steel up to a 1/2" or more, but I can deal with using my old Lincoln "buzz-box" in those rare cases.
The previous being said, I've pretty much narrowed my choices down the the Millermatic 210 or the Millermatic 251. The 210 is large enough for most of the work I'll be doing, but I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $500 for the nicer features of the 251. I like the infinte voltage control of the 251, although the 210 has seven taps which would seem to offer enough adjustability. The digital meters on the 251 are way cool, although they might not actually offer a big difference in actual welding performance. I guess to sum it up, the 251 has a lot of really cool features over the 210, but would I really see much of a performance difference as a result?
I probably would've just borrowed the Hobart from my friend, but I used it for small job the other day and it SUCKED! To start with, the machine has hardly been used, but it has been abused. The gas regulator is partly broken, but I was able to guess on the gas setting well enough. It also seemed that the gas solenoid in the machine was either stuck all the way open or partially open
Thanks for you help,
Seth
In the next several weeks, I'll be embarking on major body repair on several cars, so I'll need a good mig that I can acheive good results on 22 gauge sheetmetal with.
I have borrowed a friends Hobart 135, but I'm not real happy with it's performance. I used good-quality .023in wire and c25 gas, but it was really hard to obtain an acceptable weld. the biggest problem I experianced was the wire balling up on the end, which made it real hard to get a good clean weld bead. Like I've said, I'm self-taught, and haven't studied welding formally, so maybe I was experiancing globular transfer or something, but I'll tell you that when it wasn't balling up, I could weld pretty good. I suppose I really ought to take a welding class, but I'm already taking 17 credits this fall in addition to the farm work I already do, so I really don't have the time.
I have a little Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 that I've had for years, and while I'll vouch for the build quality of the machine, I think I'd be happier with something a little better than the entry-level machine I'm using now. I have considered getting a shield gas setup for the Weld-Pak, but I still love the little dude for emergency farm repairs anywhere withing range of 110v power, so it would be a pain to continually switch back and forth from flux-core to gas shield.
The number one thing I'm looking for is superb performance on 22 gauge, and maybe even 24 gauge sheet. I also do work on metal up to 3/8" or so and ocassionally on steel up to a 1/2" or more, but I can deal with using my old Lincoln "buzz-box" in those rare cases.
The previous being said, I've pretty much narrowed my choices down the the Millermatic 210 or the Millermatic 251. The 210 is large enough for most of the work I'll be doing, but I'm just wondering if it's worth the extra $500 for the nicer features of the 251. I like the infinte voltage control of the 251, although the 210 has seven taps which would seem to offer enough adjustability. The digital meters on the 251 are way cool, although they might not actually offer a big difference in actual welding performance. I guess to sum it up, the 251 has a lot of really cool features over the 210, but would I really see much of a performance difference as a result?
I probably would've just borrowed the Hobart from my friend, but I used it for small job the other day and it SUCKED! To start with, the machine has hardly been used, but it has been abused. The gas regulator is partly broken, but I was able to guess on the gas setting well enough. It also seemed that the gas solenoid in the machine was either stuck all the way open or partially open
Thanks for you help,
Seth
....... 
. I can spray with my MM 210, but no were near the dutycycle or power out put that the MM 251 can. Spray transfer will work great for the thicker material that you have to weld around the farm. 
Comment