New Mig welding set

[koditten]

Got a call from a good friend. He wants to know what mig welder I would recommend for him and his son to buy. The boy has skills, just not $$$. The boy has exibited many attributes that helping with this kind of purchase will not be wasted.

I need you guys to steer me to or away from the more portable units vs the more stationary units.

In a perfect world one would have both.

For your information, the boy has only used Miller brand welders and is really wanting that brand. I'm a Miller welder man, but I think that is only because there is a dealer in our area. In 20 years I have never had to require any service from the manufacturer. Hobart and Lincoln have good machines as well.

I really don't know what to tell my friend. I like the Miller 211, but The 212 is pretty attractive as well.

If it was for me, I would prolly get the 212 as long as a spool gun kit was obtained as well.

I'm going to be talking to his dad here in a bit and maybe we can find out what would be more usefull.

We do both agree that Mig units are lifetime machine and the cost of quality tools will reflect.

Help me make a good recommendation.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Any chance that you might step up the welder you have and make them a decent deal on your used machine ?

 

[zkling]

I'd probably recommend the MM211 unless they plan on doing quite a bit of heavy fab on the side. The 212 is ~2x the machine the 211 is, but for a home person the 211 will most likly do everything one needs. Plus the smaller size, lower cost and 110/220v input of the MM211 is really handy to have. Just my 2¢ Maybe look for a used machine, but as you mentioned used migs (at least good ones) tend to really hold their value.

 

[brucer]

for the price of the Miller212, I would go with the Hobart Ironman 230 and not look back.

I own a Thermal Arc 211i, it is made in china, but the short period I have owned it, it is a nice machine, very versatile with mig/dc-tig/stick/spoolgun.. It has plenty of power and runs very smooth, I can also recommend the Thermal Arc units..

 

[Stooge]

I dont think i'll ever NOT recommend the miller 211 for a home shop ( although they seem very common in pro fab shops), definitely the best purchase ive made in the last couple years. I have 230 in my shop but having the ability to move the machine to other people's houses/ garages who only have 120, is a very useful feature. Its a little heavier but i would still consider it portable enough. I mostly do automotive fab so its generally 3/16, sometimes 1/4(rare) even 5/16 once or twice and down to 20ga, and its never skipped a beat. Plus being half the cost of the 212 for a new machine is a huge plus

 

[pipsters]

What are they going to be welding? Stick machines are cheap and weld heavier material. MIG is great for thinner material. MIG machines can do thick stuff but that is production level MIG equipment - do they have a need for that? Otherwise you are kinda just throwing money out the door.

From my understanding you don't really want to MIG thicker material without being in spray transfer mode, and that requires a pretty hefty machine (250 class) and tailored gas. And again, that is going to be production level equipment, not garage level.

Might be better to purchase a smaller MIG machine and a stick welder if doing heavier say 1/4" and above stuff.

I was hemming and hawing when I picked up my 180 amp Passport, but decided for anything 1/4" and above that I needed to weld structurally I would stick weld it. If it isn't structural, even a 180 amp machine will stick stuff together. And the 45 lbs it weighs, combined with dual 120/240v input, with a contained 12oz CO2 tank (and external hookup) makes it pretty much the only portable MIG out there. Try lugging your 211 around with a 10# spool on it with the tank.

 

[shawnspeed]

I dont think i'll ever NOT recommend the miller 211 for a home shop ( although they seem very common in pro fab shops), definitely the best purchase ive made in the last couple years. I have 230 in my shop but having the ability to move the machine to other people's houses/ garages who only have 120, is a very useful feature. Its a little heavier but i would still consider it portable enough. I mostly do automotive fab so its generally 3/16, sometimes 1/4(rare) even 5/16 once or twice and down to 20ga, and its never skipped a beat. Plus being half the cost of the 212 for a new machine is a huge plus

X2...I also have had one of these for a couple years now , do mostly automotive & Bike work, but I have a Friend with a dairy farm , and I do a bit of fab& repair for him...has ahd no problem wit 3/8 material down to 20 GA stock...great welder... plus it is easy to throw in the car /truck to side jobs..Shawn

 

[BD1]

I'm for the MILLER 211 too. They have a current rebate in progress . Not as good as the last sale.
Get a package deal price with a tank of 75/25 too from local supplier. Prices may vary from suppliers.

 

[sberry]

All the Hobart models are good too.

 

[chrisa7164]

I have the miller 211 myself and would highly recommend it. 110/220 volts is the best of both worlds.

 

[koditten]

That 211 is looking good, the Hobart unit as well.

Thanks for the input, guys.

KO

 

[Katatonic Mike]

Just thought I would pass this along... I googled "Northern Tool Coupons" and found this site:

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/nort....com?c=5168683

I ordered a Hobart 210mvp, it was already cheaper than every other place I looked at $849, but with the $50 off coupon (orders over $250) I got it for $799 shipped. MSRP on Hobarts site is $1308. Most everywhere I looked was asking $900 or more.

 

[brucer]

Just thought I would pass this along... I googled "Northern Tool Coupons" and found this site:

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/nort....com?c=5168683

I ordered a Hobart 210mvp, it was already cheaper than every other place I looked at $849, but with the $50 off coupon (orders over $250) I got it for $799 shipped. MSRP on Hobarts site is $1308. Most everywhere I looked was asking $900 or more.

Thats a darn good deal on a 210 amp class machine..

 

[bigguns69]

This is a long term purchase. Get the best you can afford and don't skimp. I own a Miller 251 and I bought my dad a Miller 212 auto set. I run them both. With my 251, I have welded 1/2" and 3/4" plate no problem. With my dads 212, I have welded the same with multiple pass. I was impressed with his 212 and in particular the auto set feature. It works well. There are all kinds of brands, all work, but only 2 brands I would consider buying, Lincoln and Miller. The companies are stable, they don't redesign their products every few years, parts availability. I happen to own blue because I have gotten good deals on them and had a bad experience with older lincoln wire welders about 10 years ago. I've got them all Mig, Tig Plasma - all blue. Got a Red stick welder though. Haven't used it in 5 years. Try Cyberweld for prices too.