Welder suggestions

[IslandTractor]

I have a Miller Passport which is pretty much the same as the Miller 211 but adds portability. It has an inverter power supply and gets more performance out of 110v than any other Miller as I recall. Very nice welder especially if you intend to use it in different locations. I forget the weight but it feels like a fully loaded roll-aboard so probably forty pounds. That includes the internal paintball CO2 cartridge. The only downside is cost. I got mine as a demo model which helped.

I don't quite understand the role for the 211 as it is too big and heavy to throw in the truck and move easily. If you use it in a shop then you either have 220v or you don't so why do you need dual voltage?

 

[tooln]

I'm looking at the dual voltage as I currently do not have 220 in my garage. I will some day. I also have a 120 generator that I take to my hunting land. I have had times had to disassemble something to bring back with me to have welded. 74 lbs is not to heavy to through in the truck.

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't doubt the quality of the 211 at all but would be concerned that it is really not designed for field work and also that using it with a generator and fluxcore means you won't be getting much more out of it than you'd get with barebones 110v fluxcore machine. Why not pick up a used boxstore 110v fluxcore feeder for your current and portable needs now and then add either the 211 or 210 equivalent down the road as a dedicated shop welder. 75lbs may be manageable but the 211 is not engineered or built to withstand banging around in the back of a pickup. Alternatively how about a small inverter stick machine like the Thermal Arc or Miller 150 which are functionally just as powerful if not superior to any wirefeeder in the field with a smallish generator. Even HF has a decent inverter 110v stick unit that sells for about $150 if I recall.

 

[bobodu]

Hadn't found a steel job I couldn't do with my tombstone or my 130 amp Ford alternator hooked to a Briggs......

 

[Lightnsound]

I agree that the 211 isn't the be-all/end-all welder, but for $1300 I got a unit that runs on 110-230 volts, is portable enough for occasional jobs not around the shop, will run solid wire, flux core wire, and aluminum wire, and has a regular gun and a spool gun.

I plan on getting some more equipment this summer so I can run stick, tig, and plasma, but for now I can get just about anything done well enough with the 211 and an angle grinder.

If I planned on portable use more often, then a suitcase sized machine might have been my choice, but I'll be in my own driveway and garage 99% of the time and in that environment I prefer a traditional looking machine on a cart. As for durability and protection in transit, a moving blanket in the back of the jeep will keep the welder just a safe as the EPS packing material that Miller had in the box, and I will certainly be more gentle on it than the guys in the UPS hub were throwing it in and out of trucks and on and off conveyors.

As with most other things we discuss here it's a compromise of price, features, versatility, quality, and price. (yeah, I know I said it twice)

Sorry for the run-on sentences, this darn sinus infection is taking its toll on me.

 

[dwilliams35]

Most of the people you hear degrading the capabilities of the 110v Mig really underestimate the value of multiple passes and weld bevels: in other words, you can weld some pretty major stuff with them, if that's the only machine you've got. Beyond that, it's hard to argue with the convenience of them: take 'em anywhere, plug 'em in anywhere, even run them on small generators if you want.. I've got several bigger machines now, but I welded a heck of a lot of different equipment with that little Lincoln before I upgraded. If you can afford a bigger one, and KNOW you're only going to be in a shop, I'd definitely get something bigger, but the 110 machines aren't just a toy like some try to frame them as..

 

[Runner]

Another vote for the Miller 211. If you can figure out some way to get 220 to it, so much the better. I love mine.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm looking at the dual voltage as I currently do not have 220 in my garage. I will some day. I also have a 120 generator that I take to my hunting land. I have had times had to disassemble something to bring back with me to have welded. 74 lbs is not to heavy to through in the truck.

I was confused about the weight. I had the Miller 212 confused with the 211 in terms of size. 174lbs is not a great portable machine but I agree that for occasional use a 74lb machine is not a big deal.

 

[arkydog]

My suggestion is to by a 110v mig welder with variable amp and wire speed that can run both gas and gasless at least 125 amp. Then by a used 220 volt stick welder, usually can pick them up all day long from $75 to $175 for the stuff over 1/4". if you have enough money then go for a used a/c-d/c stick welder. D/C stick is a little nicer looking weld.

When I built my Cad Digger Back hoe I would tack with mig and them weld thick with stick.
I did body work for 30 years and built many projects that way. I self tought myself how to stick weld by reading and practice.

Look under arkydog here to see pics of the backhoe I built. I guess It is the best testimony as to what to buy. My 110v welder is a lincoln sp125 and my 220v is a lincoln 225 a/c-d/c. Don't buy a cheep 110. I used to use miller at work and loved them but I also used lincoln, both the same only different. Also I know for a fact that the older sears and craftsman 220v welders were made by lincoln, very reliable and copper wound.

rob

 

[Rio_Grande]

I agree 210 volt is a must regarding a mig.

I wont recomend a model as I have had the same welders for years my newest one is 10 years old. That said, dont buy a cheap welder. Over 20 years ago I started off with a used lincon tombstone welder. It was used regularty at first then a dozen times a week until about 1998 when I bought a hobart 175 which at that time was identical in parts and construction as the miller of equal size. It even came with a miller gun and internal parts have miller name on them. About 3 years ago My Lincon finally went south and I bought a hobart LX, It has been a fine welder for the amount of use it recieves.

All I am saying is buy good equiptment and it will last. I havent looked at new welders in so long I diddnt know the 211 existed last time I saw one it was a 210 but after looking at that model I would be hard pressed not buying it if my hobart went down.

Oh and some folks dont concider hobart quality cause it aint blue (lol) but mine has never needed more than tips wire and a couple new liners one of which was split in the middle from use, no wonder the wire wouldnt run smooth. All are reasonable fixes. My toumbston ran flawlessly for years until a resistance problem finall did it in and it would get really hot and trip off.