Millermatic 350P (first welds)

[hotrodstones]

Crazy Crazy Crazy weld quality, looking forward to the pulse mode, question for ya! with owning the 350P why would you still use the 252?

 

[hotrodstones]

Crazy Crazy Crazy weld quality, looking forward to the pulse mode, question for ya! with owning the 350P why would you still use the 252?

Congrats on your new Miller. It is hands down the best unit I've ever used. Crazy weld quality and that's added up to more work for it and happy customers. I also run the Millermatic 252 and like it as well but the 350P is the machine I really like to use.

Here's a job I did about a month ago for a machinist friend of mine. I used our Miller Dynasty 200 DX and tigged the root pass then I switched over to the Millermatic 350P in pulse mode to complete it. I setup the welding postioner and here's the result.
My buddy was happy and so was the ships engineers. I was pleased when they said it passed the pressure test

Pictures were taken with my Iphone

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[4shorts]

Crazy Crazy Crazy weld quality, looking forward to the pulse mode, question for ya! with owning the 350P why would you still use the 252?

The MM 252 is an all around general purpose machine. Fast to set up and great quality welds and that's why I have it here. The 350P is used for those larger jobs that require deep penetration on heavy metal along with a great looking strong weld but very hot to use, much hotter than the 252.

 

[yomax4]

The MM 252 is an all around general purpose machine. Fast to set up and great quality welds and that's why I have it here. The 350P is used for those larger jobs that require deep penetration on heavy metal along with a great looking strong weld but very hot to use, much hotter than the 252.

Pulse is the way of the future. I am seeing lessor cost units like the Miller and Lincoln 350P doing well with Pulse. European and Japanese technology is way ahead of the USA. OTC, Lortch, Fronius, Kempi. Have been running pulse for a long time. They also have Twin Pulse which is even more amazing than Pulse alone. You can run aluminum all position with no troubles. You can set these machines up like a Tig welder. Pulse frequency, Relationship, Trim and Crater fill. You simply pick your material thickness and the machine does the rest..They are little more money but we are trending toward pulse. Cored wires start to go to the wayside with pulse as well. Welders have really not changed much in the last 40 years. Look out for ten years from now. Digital High Def Twin Pulse Synergic machines will be in the 5k range and the 251/252 style welders will be collectors items much like a typewriter. That's how fast it's going to go.

 

[Scooby074]

Great work as usual Paul.

Beautiful welds. Sure nice to have the horsepower that the 350P provides.

 

[yomax4]

When the 350P's 1st came out they were a quite different animal. 90+% failure rate. Miller quickly sourced a better Pulse board and changed the dynamics a little bit and now it's nearly a top seller for them. Good unit. If didn't have a Digitsl High Def unit I would go with the 350P. You know, L-Tec and Hobart had pulse units out way back in the 80's. Thermal Arc and Lincoln started in the 90's and now Miller has an affordable unit. This is the trend.

 

[mrmikey]

When the 350P's 1st came out they were a quite different animal. 90+% failure rate

Yep I can attest to that.
We bought two of them three or so years ago, I've got one that I use and there's another one that floats around the shop. Mine, I blow out everytime I change the wire, let it cool off if the fans running before I shut it down etc., I look after it.
So far, mines been down 3 times each time with a circuit board problem that was fixed under warranty for around $1500 a pop and it's only got 60 or so arc hours and 6k or so starts on it. The other died a month or so back, just a big 'POP' when it was turned on. Almost $6K to repair it, all three boards gone so that's toast, that one has only 48 welding hours and 7K arc starts on it.
When they work they are a beautiful working machine, the pulse is great, throw on a spoolgun or a Cobra or Python gun for aluminum and it'll lay a bead like you wouldn't believe.
Salesman came in last week and a bunch of us we shotting the crap and we happened to mention the problems with them, his reply "Yeah, they're not really along lasting machne, we've had a lot of problems with them, I wouldn't buy one' . This is the same bird that siad these were a lifsaver machine LOL......Mike
Would I buy one for myself....not a chance in he77.

 

[4shorts]

Great work as usual Paul.

Beautiful welds. Sure nice to have the horsepower that the 350P provides.

Thanks Jason. Ya it's all in the tooling. here's a part I repaired off a rock picker yesterday and used the 350P.
I've had the 350P for close to three years now and never an issue. I've visited the repair fissility that repairs all the major brand welding units on the island and never seen a 350P there. All I can say is this one has been flawless. It's welded for eight hours straight at times in hot weather in the shop doing excavator buckets and performed flawlessly. I have the 30 amp Miller spool gun as well for it and its just great.
I will say that I do on occasion remove the tins and blow all the dust out of my welding equipment and been doing that for years. To date I've never experienced any down time with any piece of Miller equipment ( knock on wood)

 

[weldermike]

Congrats on your new Miller. It is hands down the best unit I've ever used. Crazy weld quality and that's added up to more work for it and happy customers. I also run the Millermatic 252 and like it as well but the 350P is the machine I really like to use.

Here's a job I did about a month ago for a machinist friend of mine. I used our Miller Dynasty 200 DX and tigged the root pass then I switched over to the Millermatic 350P in pulse mode to complete it. I setup the welding postioner and here's the result.
My buddy was happy and so was the ships engineers. I was pleased when they said it passed the pressure test

Pictures were taken with my Iphone

You do some fine quality work! Beautiful!

 

[4shorts]

You do some fine quality work! Beautiful!

Gee thanks Mike. Really appreciate that

 

[Scooby074]

Yep I can attest to that.
We bought two of them three or so years ago, I've got one that I use and there's another one that floats around the shop. Mine, I blow out everytime I change the wire, let it cool off if the fans running before I shut it down etc., I look after it.
So far, mines been down 3 times each time with a circuit board problem that was fixed under warranty for around $1500 a pop and it's only got 60 or so arc hours and 6k or so starts on it. The other died a month or so back, just a big 'POP' when it was turned on. Almost $6K to repair it, all three boards gone so that's toast, that one has only 48 welding hours and 7K arc starts on it.
When they work they are a beautiful working machine, the pulse is great, throw on a spoolgun or a Cobra or Python gun for aluminum and it'll lay a bead like you wouldn't believe.
Salesman came in last week and a bunch of us we shotting the crap and we happened to mention the problems with them, his reply "Yeah, they're not really along lasting machne, we've had a lot of problems with them, I wouldn't buy one' . This is the same bird that siad these were a lifsaver machine LOL......Mike
Would I buy one for myself....not a chance in he77.

$6000 to repair a $4000 welder?? Millermatic 350P MIG Welder 907300

 

[4shorts]

$6000 to repair a $4000 welder?? Millermatic 350P MIG Welder 907300

My thoughts as well. Not a great business decision. :shocked:

 

[hotrodstones]

Hello 4shorts
how have you layed out the wiring in your shop for your welders are you single phase? what are you running for voltage & amps to your shop, for my 350P I would like to be able to connect through a wall plug single phase and I only have 230V 200A to the shop. what have you sized the breaker for your welder 60A? and what is Voltage available to that circiut?
Thanks
Chris

 

[hotrodstones]

hello 4shorts Here are the connection spec's I have come up with 230V supply conductor wire awg 8 about 30 feet to pannel 60 or 90 amp breaker??????? could you post a pick of how you have connected to you supply on the wall :drink:

 

[LD1]

I am not an electrician, and I know others will chime in here with more details, but DONT wire that 8awg wire to a 90 amp breaker.

60....maybe?? (this is where others will chime in)

8awg is usually only good for a 40a breaker. But I know there is an exception for welders due to duty cycle of the welder and since it dont draw 100% of its current continuously. I think they allow you to upsize the breaker by ONE size. (again...others will know more). That would allow (I think) you to only be able to use a 50A breaker with that welder.

But again, all of this is for a dedicated welder outlet only. If you ever run anything (or plan on running) anything other than a welder, like an air compressor, mill, lathe, etc, then you need to use the 40a breaker with that 8awg wire

 

[mrmikey]

$6000 to repair a $4000 welder??

Just sayin' what we were quoted.
As for the price, when we bought it we paid somewhere around $6500CAN, here's Miller's page Millermatic® 350P - MIG - Miller , the MSRP which I agree isn't the actual price you pay, is listed at $5000US. Add the 'we're Canadian we pay more' price and you'd be around $7K give or take.

My thoughts as well. Not a great business decision.

I work for the gov't, need I say more ....Mike

 

[Scooby074]

I work for the gov't, need I say more ....Mike

Nope. Government is hardly known for careful spending.


Actually millers prices in canada have come down. Case in point, the 252 is available now for $2445 CDN while listed at $2764 USD on the Miller website. With tough negotiations you could even get it for less.


Id have more of a comment on the current government's spending priorities, but we'd get into politics and the thread would get closed.

 

[4shorts]

Hello 4shorts
how have you layed out the wiring in your shop for your welders are you single phase? what are you running for voltage & amps to your shop, for my 350P I would like to be able to connect through a wall plug single phase and I only have 230V 200A to the shop. what have you sized the breaker for your welder 60A? and what is Voltage available to that circiut?
Thanks
Chris

Chris I didn't wire my shop but I can tell you I'm single phase in the shop. I plug into a welding receptacle about six feet from the 200 amp panel. I have a three prong plug on the 350P and use a heavy extension cord on all my weld ears around the shop. My Dynasty 200 DX have the DVI plug on it so I can use 110-220 single or double phase. The receptacle used is hooked up to a 40 amp breaker in the Stablock panel. Can't tell you the wire size because its covered over by the wall
I also run the Miller 30 amp spool gun on mine as well.

 

[jim_wilson]

Bringing back an old thread from the dead.........

I'm wondering how the Miller 350P has been working for you now that you've had it for a few years.

I'm seriously thinking of scraping together the money to buy one. My HTP is about 15 years old now at this point - and I think it's time to jump up to something better. I'd like to have something I can work on heavy gauge steel with - and do aluminum. This would be a long term machine for me so it's worth the money to me to get something that will do everything I might want to do with it.

I've seen some of the reports of sketchy reliability and was wondering what your experience was with it since you probably have used it a lot over the last few years.

 

[4shorts]

Bringing back an old thread from the dead.........

I'm wondering how the Miller 350P has been working for you now that you've had it for a few years.

I'm seriously thinking of scraping together the money to buy one. My HTP is about 15 years old now at this point - and I think it's time to jump up to something better. I'd like to have something I can work on heavy gauge steel with - and do aluminum. This would be a long term machine for me so it's worth the money to me to get something that will do everything I might want to do with it.

I've seen some of the reports of sketchy reliability and was wondering what your experience was with it since you probably have used it a lot over the last few years.

Well its Been flawless but I don't use it exclusively. I tend to use it on the larger jobs more than the smaller ones. The pulse spray is great but very hot to use. When you want to do top quality welds this is the unit to use but on heavier metals.
I use my MM 252 70% of the time. Fast set up for general mig use and I just love the 252. I run .035 on the 252 and .045 on the 350P. 90/10 gas on the 350P and a special blend on the 252. I think its 25/75 but they call it blue shield something or another.

The 350 P with the 30 amp spool gun is great for aluminum and its the unit I use for all my mig aluminum work.
Both units have been 100% reliable. As a matter of fact I've never had any issues with any of my Miller gear
( knock on wood)

I have a Dynasty 200DX that I bough new with over 2400 hours on it with zero problems so I'm a happy camper when it comes to Miller.