Millermatic 212 autoset

[Ray Bly]

I'm might be buying a miller 212 autoset to go with my 210 tig machine, I had looked at a used 252 but the price of this one that is nearly brand new with only 1/2 roll of wire thru it is hard to pass up. Does anyone have one if so are you happy with it or did you wish you had the 252? my last miller was a 200 black face it was a great machine but It sat for a while so I foolishly sold it.

Thanks

 

[sberry]

I am not real familiar with the 212 but here goes. I believe it is similar to a 211 in a full size chassis, it's main benifit is it can hold a full size spool of wire. A 252 is a very robust machine, the amp ratings on these do not tell the whole story. A 252 has a lot of poop, will output both very hi in volts as well as amps for long time. It will run hot processes not usually used in home hobby garages. Probably near 2x the smaller machine and pays where time is money, will lay down more wire with same gas and time.

 

[bobcatdan]

The 212 is basically a 211 in a full body and I believe it has a 60% duty cycle compared to a 211's 20%. I believe it is speced the same as a 211 with 3/8" being the thickest it is rated to weld. A 252 is rated for 1/2". If a 252 was truly oversized for what you are ever going to do it with, then a 212 maybe a perfect fit. If you actually need 252, then you won't be happy with a 212.

 

[Cope]

Before I bought the MM212 I would buy the Hobart Ironman 230.

 

[jimgood]

What kind of work are you going to do with it? Production work? Lot's of long welds on 1/4" or thicker steel?

 

[sberry]

I agree with Cope about the IM230. I havnt used the 230 but, alan and I know Dan who posts on Hobart and has to be one of the best machine testers in the country likes it. I am pretty fair but I lose interest too fast and am not super fussy but have tested a couple mahines in a critical fashion and have to agree with his assessment. A couple places he pointed out where the taps had a gap were pretty much spot on and it takes a bit of know how and understanding to find that spot, something an amateur would have trouble with. Its been a while since I followed it though and there have been a lot of development since then but most of the new features are really for sales and to be able to raise the price in a very competitive market.
Prices really stalled for a long time, can still buy some models for the same dollars as I did in the early 90's when I bought new machines. The only way they could raise pricing was to include new features. Lincoln still sells the basic same unit in a box store for near the same dollars, they change the jacket and the model number but the machine itself is near identical, some of them are even better.