Dual input voltage Mig welders

[Kirbot]

I've been wanting to pick up a good Mig welder for a little while.

One that will run on 110 AND 220 would be perfect for me, but I've only seen one or two welders like that, and they're north of $1000.

I'm willing to spend some money, but that's just a little too much....

Any suggestions?

 

[RangerDaleXp]

I've been wanting to pick up a good Mig welder for a little while.

One that will run on 110 AND 220 would be perfect for me, but I've only seen one or two welders like that, and they're north of $1000.

I'm willing to spend some money, but that's just a little too much....

Any suggestions?

To get a welder like you ask is going to cost that much. It is either the Miller or a Hobart. Thermodynamics may have one as well but I am sure it is around the same price....

 

[1967lemans]

Yes the thermal arc 211
http://www.thermadyne.com/thermalarc

lincoln has one too
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K3018-1(LincolnElectric)

 

[gsport]

i picked up my miller 211 at airgas for $877 two years ago....

 

[gte718p]

211 miller is an outstanding welder. It's worth the $$$

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I've been wanting to pick up a good Mig welder for a little while.

One that will run on 110 AND 220 would be perfect for me, but I've only seen one or two welders like that, and they're north of $1000.

I'm willing to spend some money, but that's just a little too much....

Any suggestions?

Hobart 210 MVP. Same specs as the Miller 211 MVP, only difference is tapped vs infinite voltage. But WFS is still infinite

Amazon for $879 w/free shipping and no tax (least here in TX until Jul 1 when tax goes in effect).

Or Northern Tool, $879 plus tax but free shipping.


Anyway, I'm seriously eyeballing this machine. It gets some good reviews. Worth a look.

 

[thehazmatguy]

I've got the Miller 211 and it's great. The price is a bitter pill to swallow but it's very likely going to be the only mig welder you'll ever need. It's a life long tool. I bought mine for nearly $900 with shipping, brand new, from eBay. Miller sent me a free (somewhat cheesy) welder cart as part of a promo they were running at the time too.

Save your coins, sell some old CD's, put your BeDazzler on Craigslist and buy the right tool the first time.

 

[buening]

Do you have a tig machine? Its hard to pass up the inverter welders like the Thermal Arc, as it does both Mig and Tig. You may not think you need tig until you start messing with the mig, then you'll get the bug I'm looking at the Thermal Arc 181i, which is only a 230V machine but is also $800. If tig isn't important, the Hobart or Miller suggested above would work good. The only time I'd see having a multi-voltage welder useful is if you need to bring it somewhere else besides your garage which won't have 230V. If it won't leave your garage then you may find it isn't as important as you thought.

 

[rocker92]

we have a miller 211 and it is nice to have in the garage, the 110 is nice for sheet metal and can be used with just about any outlet in the garage so it is nice in that sense. and the 230 is nice to have incase you ever have to weld something very heavy. you pay more, but you have the versatility to go either way, without two machines.

from what ive heard, miller bought out hobart, and hobart is now a cheaper miller. hobart doesnt have the infinite settings that the miller does and the wire drive rolls are nylon instead of steel.

 

[thehazmatguy]

The only time I'd see having a multi-voltage welder useful is if you need to bring it somewhere else besides your garage which won't have 230V. If it won't leave your garage then you may find it isn't as important as you thought.

That's it!

I bought my welder before I bought my house. I didn't get a 230v line in the garage for over a year. = there was no rush for a 230v line because the welder does 115v or 230v.

After I put my BBQ in I wanted to weld some hold down nuts in place. The hold down bolts were J hooks that were in cement. (There was no way the project was going to go to the welder, the welder had to go to the project.) I plugged a short extension cord into a 20 amp kitchen outlet, put some flux core wire in the Miller 211 and welded the bolts in place.

I helped my Dad weld in some replacement floor panels in his '55 hard top at his house, in his garage. He doesn't have a 230v in his garage.

I plan to add an RV gate to my back yard... there's no 230v in the back yard. I'll be able to do welding in place instead of hauling welding tasks back and forth between the garage and the back yard.

I wish I would have had this welder when I was building my '55 Chevy. I bought it after I had paid to have someone else do the heavy welding that a 230v welder can do... but on my next car project, I can make all the brackets and do all the frame welding I need to do.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Do you have a tig machine? Its hard to pass up the inverter welders like the Thermal Arc, as it does both Mig and Tig. You may not think you need tig until you start messing with the mig, then you'll get the bug I'm looking at the Thermal Arc 181i, which is only a 230V machine but is also $800. If tig isn't important, the Hobart or Miller suggested above would work good. The only time I'd see having a multi-voltage welder useful is if you need to bring it somewhere else besides your garage which won't have 230V. If it won't leave your garage then you may find it isn't as important as you thought.

Ummm yes and no. I can see it being useful if you don't have 220 in your garage but you have the extension cord to the dryer outlet. Since the door to the house has to stay open and not shut on the cord, the AC is getting out the cracked door. It would be helpful on projects that can be run on 110v so you can use the outlets in the garage and not unnecessarily run the extension cord into the house. BUT when you do need the 220V you can do it. Long explanation short, the door doesn't have to stay open every time you want to weld something small. Least that's the/one appeal in my garage.

 

[buening]

Keep in mind my assumption was that 240V outlet is already present in your garage. I guess I did leave that out though LOL. I'm currently running 6ga romex wire and 50A surface plug into my garage for my future welder. I doubt I'll ever swap it to 120V for use in my garage since 240V will already be there. For sheetmetal I'll just crank down the voltage on the machine itself rather than change the plug. So if you don't have a 240V outlet in your garage or you may need it outside your garage, then multi voltage is definitely useful.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Keep in mind my assumption was that 240V outlet is already present in your garage. I guess I did leave that out though LOL. I'm currently running 6ga romex wire and 50A surface plug into my garage for my future welder. I doubt I'll ever swap it to 120V for use in my garage since 240V will already be there. For sheetmetal I'll just crank down the voltage on the machine itself rather than change the plug. So if you don't have a 240V outlet in your garage or you may need it outside your garage, then multi voltage is definitely useful.

No you're providing useful info. I just thought I'd toss my cents in on how the dual volt would fit into my garage. There are many homeowners like me who do run an extension cord into the house and then we're dealing with the random practicalities of doing that way. I can hear the hollering now, "Shut the door, you're letting air out and I'm not paying to air condition the whole neighborhood!"

 

[buening]

"Shut the door, you're letting air out and I'm not paying to air condition the whole neighborhood!"

Sounds just like my wife!

 

[GirlnAgarage]

lol


Oh you know what may work for when doors need to stay open like this? Run one of those curtain tension rods in he doorway and a cheap floor length curtain. That will keep enough of a barrier for the air. When I was young my parents used this method in our mobil home to keep the cool air from the window unit in the living room. They cut us kids off and left us in the heat on our side of the house, the bedrooms and the W/D room. I recall a big difference in air temp on each side of the curtain. And heaven help you if you left a gap in the curtain after you went through

 

[tjsr19]

I love my 211 so much that I sold my 252. The only thing I wish I could do is run the big spools of wire. I do plan on building a jig to wind wire from the big spools to save money... It has been 2 years and I still have not done it though.

 

[Hoyer Motorsports]

I like the 211 but it only has a 30% duty cycle. Meaning you can only weld for 3 minuets out of every ten minuets. This isnt an issue for most people, but the 212 has a 60% duty cycle. The more I welded, the more I found myself reaching my machine limits. The 211 has 30% and thats at 220v, its only 20% for 110v outlet. Like i said, won't ever be an issue for most folks, but buying a heavier duty machine is a must for some people. I got by with a miller 140 for years and got frustrated with the low 20% duty cycle so I opted for the 212, a little more money but it never tells me it needs a break before I do. LOL
But portability is a HUGE plus. to take the welder on the road is a total bonus, and the main reason i kept my MM 140

choose wisely....

Chris...

 

[IndyGarage]

The Hobart and Miller 211 and 210 are the best buys.

I ordered some stuff from HTP recently and got their catalog. They make some really nice looking welders that have features the others don't. Their dual voltage is a floor model and weighs 195 lbs vs. about 75 lbs for the hobart/miller. Another bonus is theirs is built on a wheel stand, so you don't have to have a separate cart.

http://www.usaweld.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=23

I notice Miller just came out with a new Multipricess welder the multimatic 200 Does MIG Stick TIG and runs on 110/220 - seems like it might be a bit pricey and the Tig portion only does DC. HTP also has a similar one that only runs on 220.

 

[rsanter]

miller has them with the autoset feature
get one you will love it

bob

 

[JASTECH]

The Miller 211 seems nice, will the 115vac work on truck inverter incase he needs it? Or maybe the battery/115vac Miller they tested in Four Wheeler magazine?

Hobart Trek 180...I just looked it up. This is what I have been thinking of and maybe you will like it.