ZRX61- is there a big difference in 210 and 250's? beside 210 using slightly less heat and both have same duty cycle.
36truck- Can you PM the price if you want to sell it to me? I might be interested.
Dunno who you're talking to. I owned and started an MFG company that built off-road accessories (lift kits, roll cages - metal). Production environments that included assembly welding And we had a welder making sparks ALL day. I know for a fact that one of our MM210's was my partners box that was fairly new when we started and it made it almost 3 years before needing service. When it did it was a feed controller for a couple hundred bucks and it went strong until I sold the business.
I had a 250x (old version of the 251, 252) and it was also a good box. Compared to the 210 it could just do a little more single pass (heat). Made a lot of money with that box too. Ended up selling the (mig) 250x and got a 212 auto set when I sold the company for one and only one reason - the 250x had miles on it and I got such a good deal from the welding supply shop I was able to do so for about $200 out of pocket. Had aluminum spool guns (if you're in to them) then and now - work great.
Had a couple old industrial Hobart MIGs. They were badass add I think I got each for around $500. Had a HUGE industrial Miller multi-process machine that I got at auction for $400. Something stupid like 500 amp mig, TIG...stupid sweet, couldn't weld aluminum. Spent its previous life welding stainless fittings into huge liquid nitrogen tanks.
Same thing for TIGs - I've had a 200, 250, and 350. All really good machines. Many hours on all of them. Never had one without a cooler. Wish I personally was more practiced on a TIG but that's a side-bar.
Used machines are used machines. They could be lemons, they could be worn out, and they could be fantastic and provide years of service in production environments. Looking clean and new doesn't mean it's a good one. I based all of my purchases on evaluations of the seller more than the box but ended up very lucky or...sticking with Miller ended up being the ticket.
Never seen or heard of a "Blue" (Miller) lemon. Friends claim "Red" (Lincoln) are equally as good.
New boxes have settings that make it easier to get the setup right. My 212 auto-set is stupid simple. Pick the wire size, set the material thickness, and hammer down. Older machines had heat and wire speed, a test pass with a little tweak and hammer down. In the end, it was me doing the welding - no difference.
It all stared with a $500 century I bought new in box. I'd hit duty cycle the box would go into thermal shutdown to protect itself and I'd just sit there waiting...
