millermatic 250, any problems?

[trouble007]

i have a chance to purchase a millermatic 250 for $1000 is it worth it its a big welder and a little overkill for what i need but my mod is go big or go home. also anyone have any complaints about it?

Thanks

Ryan

 

[kennyd]

Never heard anything bad about it! It's the big brother of my MM210. Sounds like a good price also.

 

[radman1]

I bought a used Millermatic 250 with bottle from my brother. It was 10 years old when I bought it and that was several years ago. It is like the energizer bunny, it keeps on going, going, going........ Only had a few basic wear items replaced.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Tough to beat Miller or Lincoln. I have a 250 and its a great machine. I also have a Hobart 187 and I actually use it for 90% of the stuff I do. Could not beat the price of the 187 and its quite portable even though mine came with a cart and all that where it stays 95% of the time.

Chris

 

[Scooby074]

great machine. Ive use them before and loved it. Fair price. Id buy it

 

[yomax4]

Personally, I would try for a Power Supply with Seperate Feeder but if this fits your needs, Buy it. The 250 will be worth $1000 for years to come.

 

[RickB]

They are a great welder, but it could be quite old. My ex business partner had a 250 in the late 1980's.

 

[bialecki]

I have the MillerMatic 252 and it is great, you will appreciate the power to weld thicker material. I would not hesitate to go with it. I see the current price of the 252 is $2,100, so $1,000 for the 250 that is in good shape is a good deal. You can add a Spoolmatic gun to do Aluminum if so desired in the future as well.

Miller's site for migs: Miller - MIG Welders - 1-Phase

 

[AlanB]

Love mine and have had it probably 17 years or so.

Never had a problem (knock on wood)

 

[chriswheeler]

Good welder, but be carefull and observe the duty rateing. Ours used in a public works dept was burned out several times from using harder than recomended. Lots of users, some knew what they wer doing, some didn't. The capicator bank went every time. Couldn't get the workers to admit this, but was used to build up a large shaft, or lots of wide open use. The Lincoln with the digital controls ( same rateing ) seamed to hold up much better to abuse.
Down side is that you could spend twice the money on the Lincoln. For home use, be hard to hurt.
Chris

 

[joes_427_vette]

I believe the 250 is a very good machine. Certainly enough of them out there. Not much to go wrong.
I would check the serial number for when it was manufactured. This machine could easily be 30+ years old. Not saying this is bad but technology has improved over the years.
As for price I think it is a little over retail. I just bought a 9 year old digital display Lincoln 255C for $900.00 It was used very little at a used car lot mostly for replacing exhaust systems. Still had the orig roll of wire in the carrier.
I have seen 250s from 600 on up that looked in great condition.

 

[Sockwell]

Bought one about 10 years ago. At that time, our company was just starting up, so I bought it to use for industrial maintenance. We've used it hard at times and have only had one problem with it. We had to have a PCB replaced about 6 years ago. From what I've seen of the machine before and since, better than even money says we did something stupid to cause the board failure. Paid $1300 for it new. Would quickly do it again.

 

[wrenchturner]

I have an old Millermatic 200 made in the middle 80's and I love the machine. If I recall correctly, the duty cycle of my machine is 100% at 200 amps and 60% at 250 amps. Anyway, these older machines would do much more than today's machines. I can easily spary arc weld with mine. It has been a while since I researched these machines but I do remember some of the 250 welders haveing a problem with burn back where the wire tends to burn back into the torch tip when ending a weld. Anyway, I would recommend you visit this site http://weldingweb.com/index. It is WeldingWeb where the professional welders hang out.

 

[trouble007]

thanks for the site im actually on there too and there is a bit of a different story coming back about it. everyone says it has harsh arc starts and poor acr quality so i am thinking i will go with the mm 200 instead same machine just a little older

 

[yomax4]

Yes the Arc was harsh and the 250 was actually a step back for Miller from the MM200.. But..They wanted 2 variable control knobs thinking that is what people want. Anytime you add SCR's , In a Transformer format ( Variable volt controls ) you will have a harsh arc compared to the Tap set units. The MM20 is still the benchmark of the integrated mig units. It was just that good. However,, Now days you can get a MM200 quality or better unit for not much more than $1000. With a 5 yr Warranty 15' Tweco Gun, Spot, Stich, Burn Back, Dwell and Trigger Lock with a Better Feed System. Check out Thermal Arc 210.. 250 Amp. All the Craze out there. This is Hobart Mig Roots at its redefined best.. Check it out...

 

[crazycarl]

The TA mig welders are great. I would recommend the 251. great quality and value.
Really nice machine.Welds great thick and thin.