Input on Which Welding Setup to Keep

[Pbd05]

I need a bit of help regarding which direction to go in here. I'm looking to have to ability to weld steel with MIG mostly, some stick welding, and a bonus would be the option of TIG. Nothing super heavy duty, 1/2" and under down to bodywork sheetmetal.

Last year I picked up a Lincoln Invertec v350-Pro from an auction along with a couple of other welders. The machine ended up needing a new snubber board, but once that was fixed it was working great. My plan was to pickup a wire feeder and then sell my old trusty Lincoln 140 mig welder in order to have an all-in-one machine.

Fast forward to last week where I got a half decent deal on a MillerMatic 252 MIG welder. The reviews on the Miller seem to be really positive as a strait forward MIG welder that is still versatile. This is now making me rethink my plan of getting a wire feeder for the Invertec.

So here's the question, keep the MillerMatic 252 as a MIG machine and the Invertec as a stick/TIG machine. Or, sell/trade the Miller for a wire feeder (likely an LN25) and live life with one machine?

Thanks!

 

[GaryM909]

I would probably stick with the Lincoln for the versatility. Maybe look for a LN-7. That way you won't have to connect the second ground that is on the ln-25

 

[tyyost]

Id keep both, as they are top notch machines.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

Yeah both. I have an an invertec275 for stick/tig and Vulcan migmax215 for mig. You have a great combo going better than a three in one. You will always have a serviceable welder if one happens to break.

 

[Ders]

Keep the v350 if you have the power to back it up. I think it's rated at 90amps on single phase 208v. And if you have 3 phase that's an even easier decision

 

[Sweetcorn]

Sell them all and get a multiprocess welder.

Edit: I say that as someone with many welders, including a multiprocess welder. Buy a quality machine and don't worry about needing a backup, unless you're making your living with it, which doesn't sound like that's the case.

 

[Pbd05]

I would probably stick with the Lincoln for the versatility. Maybe look for a LN-7. That way you won't have to connect the second ground that is on the ln-25

I forgot to add that my v350 is the construction model, and would need to be retrofitted to work with anything but an LN-25 out of the box.

 

[Pbd05]

Thanks for all the input, keep it coming. The plan is to have 200amps in the future shop, so up to 100amp for the welder will be plenty. As a test, I've actually ran the v350 off 30a burning 3/32" rods without any issue. I'm just a hobby welder that will occasionally take on some bigger jobs, so redundancy isn't a huge priority for me.

Looking up multiprocess machines, it looks like a Miller Multimatic 220 would do everything I need and more. The $4k price tag is more than I have into these two machines though.

 

[ItsNemo]

Sell them all and get a multiprocess welder.

Edit: I say that as someone with many welders, including a multiprocess welder. Buy a quality machine and don't worry about needing a backup, unless you're making your living with it, which doesn't sound like that's the case.

This isn't a bad idea...sell it all and get a Multimatic 220.

 

[GaryM909]

Thanks for all the input, keep it coming. The plan is to have 200amps in the future shop, so up to 100amp for the welder will be plenty. As a test, I've actually ran the v350 off 30a burning 3/32" rods without any issue. I'm just a hobby welder that will occasionally take on some bigger jobs, so redundancy isn't a huge priority for me.

Looking up multiprocess machines, it looks like a Miller Multimatic 220 would do everything I need and more. The $4k price tag is more than I have into these two machines though.

I was kind of in the same boat a couple years ago. I had a Miller XMT 304 and a Miller XR for welding aluminum. I used the XR once in the ten years I owned it.
It was way too much for my home garage so I sold them and bought a Multimatic 220. So far it's been great for a home set up. I paid around $4k for the 220 but that was before the price jump.

 

[Pbd05]

Well a good friend of mine is really interested in the MillerMatic 252, so I might not be keeping it as long as I hoped. I appreciate all the info guys, I'll try to move towards an multiprocess machine once the shop is built!