Zoro Millermatic 252

[wniemann]

Good Morning,

With Zoro's 25% off sale today I was thinking about purchasing a welder.

It is the 200/230V model and mfg. #907321. Regular Price at zoro is $2542.96, with the discount it would be $1907.22.

I know it will probably go to 30% off within the next couple of months but I'm debating if I should wait or not. Has anyone seen it cheaper than $1800-$1900?

Does anyone have any experience with this model? Easy to set? Reliable? Any cons to it? I'm pretty set on the miller, but what would a comparable Lincoln run? The lincoln would also have to be spool gun compatible.

Thanks,

 

[BigMike782]

1900.00 for a 252?......snap it up!
Easy to set, yup
Reliable, yup
Lincoln?.....oh the whores of Cleveland?
15/30A is the gold standard in spool guns.
Of course this is all my opinion

 

[fatherof4]

Good price, best I could find was 2195 shipped. Miller is the standard for welding, so I doubt you will find any complaints about it. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative you should check out the hobart ironman230,. The lincoln is roughly the same price as the miller.

 

[wniemann]

The spool gun I was looking at on zoro was model #300497, which works out to be $540 with the discount.

http://www.zorotools.com/g/Spool Gun/00074868/?category=9125

It's a spoolmate 200 series. This one says 160A , seems high compared to your 15/30A remark. I'm probably looking at the wrong number. I'm a total newb when it comes to spool guns.

 

[zkling]

They are a very solid and industrial class machine.
The equivalent Lincoln would be the power mig 256
I'm a miller person, but have owned lincoln and had no problems.

Putting the spoolmate 200 on a 250amp class mig like the 252 is a bit limiting. You will limit the full potential of the machine.

The spool mate 15/30A is just a model number, the numbers designate cable length. It is a much more industrial gun compared to the spoolmate 200. The 15/30 is a 200amp 100% duty cycle gun. The spoolmate 200 is a 160A at 60% duty cycle.

Also, what are your plans for this machine? A 250 amp class mig machine is a lot of machine for the average home shop. Might be able to save some $ by going down to a 212 or the like.

 

[sberry]

That is such a good price that if a guy ever wants one it wont get any better. I like one of each, big and little. I should have bought my big before my little but if you got real work, especially if any time and materials are money the 252 is 2x as fast. If you weld 1/4 and up regularly or production weld anything above 14 gage its the machine.

 

[sberry]

Also, what are your plans for this machine? A 250 amp class mig machine is a lot of machine for the average home shop. Might be able to save some $ by going down to a 212 or the like.

You make a real point here and well worth repeating from some additional points.
1st, the compact 200 class mig is revolutionary from the standpoint of affordable, pro quality, its only drawback is limited power,,, its plus is that its 2x a 120 unit and it makes it useful for additional real work, a little slow and wire is expensive but after a guy plays catchup in his life and welds everything in sight he has a capable machine that is all he can be for a roll of wire and a bottle once a year, less than the cost of a modest TV, cords and wire can be light. They work on everything auto and light truck class for the most part.
I got them all and its what I use 35 yrs later 95% of the time.
On my 250 have larger wire and bigger gas bottle. Requires 2x input power.

 

[wniemann]

I did some more research and found out that the 15/30A was a model number, but thanks for clarifying. It will be used on a farm so it will weld however thin we can get it to go to at least 1/2" or 5/8" Plate. Might be able to get by with a 212, but not worth it to save a couple hundred bucks.

I'm hoping it will weld 16 gauge fairly well, but if not we have a smaller century to pick up the slack.

I may wait and try to find a good used 15/30A spool gun then.

 

[zkling]

O yea if money is not a problem, then I don't think anyone has complained that they have too large of a welder output. Unless you have an immediate need or can find a packaged deal with a spool gun I might hold off. I've toyed with the idea for years and could never fully pull the plug on the spool gun, even used. A good size tig is a much more versatile investment IMHO. Now if you plan on welding up aluminum trailers or building john boats then by all means ignore the above.

Do you have a stick welder?

 

[wniemann]

Stick welder, yes. An old lincoln. It works, I can't stick weld worth a darn though. And yes I've always wanted a tig, but like you said its hard to justify, and another machine to take up space in the shop. The aluminum will be mainly thin stuff, but we also have a couple aluminum trailers for the semi that it would be used on for repairs.

I have also tried the harbor freight low temperature aluminum welding rod, and the DHC 2000 for welding aluminum with mixed results.

 

[zkling]

I said the spool gun was hard to justify, the tig is my work horse. But different people, different applications, different solutions. Aluminum mig w/ a spool gun and thin aluminum do not go well together. Sounds like someone needs to hone their stick welding skills.

 

[sberry]

I've toyed with the idea for years and could never fully pull the plug on the spool gun, even used.

You might imp[ress yourself with a spool gun. I had a 300 tig, I have one. Got it free, bought big bottle and used it when its what I had. I had coveted an inverter tig, thought maybe Hobart was going to re enter it but they sent me a 210 to test. I was busy on steel but when I ran the gun with a little discipline its pretty good, only reason I got it is need and I run it on material one size too thin and it works but,,,, I never tig. You can be sloppy, that's easy, you can be good only slightly more work but its fast. I got it rolled, I can really fly. Takes all the excuse out of it.

Even with thin tube and poor fit to **** casting takes about a minute weld time to put that hydrant on. The tube is 060 or so and some the cast 10 ga to 1/4 in places but you can really melt the baser cast and make up puddle without much additional filler, same as tig, lots of basic fusion weld with a little wire added.

 

[zkling]

Please don't put me back on that train of thought

A spool gun just really isn't for the type of work I do which is mostly short, intricate welds on thinner aluminum. Lots of build up and remachine. I have a part in right now that might require, at most 10" of 1/16" 4043 filler to complete.

Honestly I lucked into both of my machines and found a used Syncro 250 setup for the same price a spool gun would have been for the MM210. If I ever run into a used spool gun super cheap I might pick it up, but it would have to be really, really cheap. I have a full size spool of aluminum wire kicking around when I really need to pour the material in. Please keep in mind this is a hobby and side work for me. I'm not running production. If I was it would be a different story. I've ran a good number of lbs through a spool gun to realize it just isn't for me or for most hobbyist.

 

[sberry]

If you have a semi and other related equipment a 252 isn't too much machine for you. Good farm shop unit.

 

[sberry]

I agree they could be redundant, if you already have a 250 synch you can do what you got to do and as you said that's the name of the game. I agree, not tied to production profit. I guess I only try to add that the cheap setup (a bottle costs either way) can fill a need in repair, I can do the work I got to do. And this isn't from a specialist perspective but more of a **** hit the fan repair maintenance kind of perspective.
I like doing things fast and it lends itself well to that pit stop kind of environment. The thin is not as much of a problem as I had feared, a few blasts of tack and sometimes stripper type passes to heat sink poor fits and zip over it to seal. You got to stop and or plan well.
It can make for some gorilla welds too, ugly but strong, its easy to screw up.

 

[csp]

Please tell me about this sale! Is there a coupon code? I'm thinking of picking up a 212 from them.

 

[BigMike782]

I posted 15/30A because most guys know that better than saying 195156 or 130831

 

[wniemann]

Code is MOHAWK , 15% off $75, 20% off $150, and 25% off $300+. Max savings of $2000.

Today only I believe.