Miller 211 or Lincoln 216?

[sixdogs]

My welding is mostly MIG and some flux core on farm equipment steel and similar things. No aluminum. I'm an advanced beginner or beginning intermediate welder, am older and like things simple. I'm not a purist and don't want to be but want a quality weld that looks pretty good and I can remember the settings from infrequent use.

Currently I have a Lincoln SP 170T that I really like. It's a little light for some material and I'm stumped when I come up with 1/4" or a little thicker material. Lincoln seemed like the natural choice for me but I think Miller might have a more popular product --212 auto set--that I'm thinking about. The Lincoln 216 states that it's designed for flux core use but that probably doesn't mean anything. I'm not trying to start a food fight but I don't know much about this and most salesman just toot their own horn so I'm looking for opinions.

I pulled these two sites off the net and will shop for a better price when the time comes. I've toyed with this purchase in the past but am now ready. Thank you in advance.


POWER MIG® 216 MIG Welder

Millermatic® 212 Auto-Set? MIG Welder | Miller

 

[rustyshakelford]

Have you looked at the lincoln 210mp? I have one and love it.

Brett

 

[Shield Arc]

I would go with the Lincoln. Little more amp output, little more duty cycle.
For the average guy here, I think .045" NR-212, or Hobart's 21-B self shielded flux core will handle just about any repair they will have. .035" Mig is a good all around size fab wire.
Miller - Welding Calculators

 

[sixdogs]

I would go with the Lincoln. Little more amp output, little more duty cycle.
For the average guy here, I think .045" NR-212, or Hobart's 21-B self shielded flux core will handle just about any repair they will have. .035" Mig is a good all around size fab wire.
Miller - Welding Calculators

And it would be fine if almost all that I would do would be MIG?

 

[sixdogs]

Have you looked at the lincoln 210mp? I have one and love it.

Brett

I have looked at it but wondered about the capacity and if one welder could do three processes with equal quality. That you would give up a little in order to do all three? I wondered how thick it would weld and I wondered about the lower price compared to other models that seemed to be in the same output class. I guess I don't know enough...can you fill me in a little?

 

[C4Ranch]

Have you looked at the lincoln 210mp? I have one and love it.

Brett

Have been looking into this one myself. What's the biggest you've welded with it? Any issues with duty cycle?

 

[orezok]

Both welders are excellent products, but you might look at HTP also.

MIG 2400 Welding Package, Metal Welding, Welder Supplies, Accessories for Welding | USAWeld.com

 

[sixdogs]

I would go with the Lincoln. Little more amp output, little more duty cycle.
For the average guy here, I think .045" NR-212, or Hobart's 21-B self shielded flux core will handle just about any repair they will have. .035" Mig is a good all around size fab wire.
Miller - Welding Calculators

OK, how about I swap out the first Miller above and substitute this one

Millermatic 212 Auto-Set Wire Welder #907405 | Millermatic 212 Mig wire welder | Millermatic 212 Auto-Set welding machine |Miller 212 Auto-Set Welder | Welding Machine | Welders Supply Company Beloit-Big Bend-Burlington Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinoi


And compared with this Lincoln below what do you think?

POWER MIG® 216 MIG Welder

 

[Arc weld]

Your subject says MM 211 and you're asking about a 212. They're both pretty comparable. I used to have a 255 Lincoln and really liked the arc on it.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I have looked at it but wondered about the capacity and if one welder could do three processes with equal quality. That you would give up a little in order to do all three? I wondered how thick it would weld and I wondered about the lower price compared to other models that seemed to be in the same output class. I guess I don't know enough...can you fill me in a little?

I wish I knew more. I bought it for mig. I have a new EFI bobcat for stick and power. I love the 210 because I can plug it into the wall and run 1/8" all day and the welder doesn't trip the breaker. If I need big power, I'll start the bobcat and get 220.

I got a bad batch of gas a few weeks ago and instead of usng the bobcat, I used the 210 to run stick. Does great with that too. Only thing I haven't tried is TIG

If I was a betting man, I'd say there will be a price increase if that would make you feel better. They cannot keep up with demand. That should say something.

Have been looking into this one myself. What's the biggest you've welded with it? Any issues with duty cycle?

I'm running .030 wire with 75/25 and the heaviest I've run was 1/4 but it was at about a 4-5 mins out of 10 mins running seam welds. Not much of a test but never a hiccup. This is by far my favorite welder

Brett