SandburRanch
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Plus, with all the theft in today's society he would have to show me proof of purchase.
Opinions on this craigslist used Miller welder?
- Thread starter beppington
- Start date
- Views: 14457
Plus, with all the theft in today's society he would have to show me proof of purchase.
Chilly807
Elite Member
The price on the welder itself is so-so. It's a good welder, but not a great deal used for that price.
As far as tanks go, I have two, one is owned (Argon-Co2 mix) and one is leased (Argon only). To me, if you don't weld much, buy the tank.
The bought ones here from Praxair are a smaller size, so there's no question as to whether it's owned or leased. They don't lease the small ones. The tank I leased I rarely use, so I'm paying the lease fee every year whether I use any gas or not.
I don't worry about hydro testing the tank, even the owned tank is a simple exchange. You walk into the shop with an empty, pay the fee for the gas and walk away with a different full tank. They don't refill "your tank" while you wait. It may be different where you are, I don't know.
Sounds like a good deal on the 211.
Sean
As far as tanks go, I have two, one is owned (Argon-Co2 mix) and one is leased (Argon only). To me, if you don't weld much, buy the tank.
The bought ones here from Praxair are a smaller size, so there's no question as to whether it's owned or leased. They don't lease the small ones. The tank I leased I rarely use, so I'm paying the lease fee every year whether I use any gas or not.
I don't worry about hydro testing the tank, even the owned tank is a simple exchange. You walk into the shop with an empty, pay the fee for the gas and walk away with a different full tank. They don't refill "your tank" while you wait. It may be different where you are, I don't know.
Sounds like a good deal on the 211.
Sean
this welder is all over ebay for $665.99 new with free shipping, so just on the welder alone you should be looking at $500 or less since it's used. i have checked craigslist for welders, and i have seen a lot of people selling for a certain amount when i can buy a new one for the same or less. either they are trying to get as much as they can by hoping you don't shop around or else they didn't shop around and just went out and paid retail.
as far as the tank goes, if he indicated that he paid $65-$75 for the tank, then that is exactly the cost of a one year lease on an empty tank, plus the cost of the ar/co2 inside. if i cut a deal with him on the welder, i'd just say keep the tank and let him deal with that. leases here range from $25 to $45 a year per bottle, depending on dealer and length of contract. a fill will be $30-$45.
around here (i assume it's the same everywhere) leased bottles have the name of the dealer stamped into the ring on the top of the bottle. if you look right under the large threads (about 3" diameter) where the safety cap screws on, there is a raised ring about an inch wide. if this ring is completely smooth and has no markings on it, you should be looking at a customer owned cylinder. if the ring has a name stamped into it, then it belongs to whoever has their name is on it. i can't gauge the size of that bottle - it looks to be close to 3' tall? around here the standard sizes are 20cf, 60cf, 120cf, and 280cf - sizes vary slightly depending on what gas is inside. the 120cf and 280cf are considered commercial sizes and are very rarely customer owned. the 20cf and 60cf are quite often customer owned. yours may be an 80cf? i'm not familiar with them, so i can't say where they fall. i do know that a 60cf will generally cost $100-$150 for the bottle.
as far as other issues when buying a used cylinder, if the identification ring indicates a customer owned cylinder, you also want to make sure they have the transportation cap that protects the valve. if not, deduct $10 to $15, because you will have to pay that to get a new one when you turn in/refill the tank. one other poster mentioned the tank date. i've used gases for years, and i still have never been able to decipher all the stampings on tanks. if the tank has no physical damage to it (welding arc marks will instantly void a tank) and it still has gas in it, then it is likely to pass a test. i believe the test is $10 for 10 years, so it's not a huge cost to have it recertified. if you own a tank, you're going to have to pay those fees eventually.
around here people/places don't generally have their own tanks refilled anyways, they swap their empty non-lease bottles for full non-lease bottles. some places break down the $10 recert fee into each tank exchange and others will just bill you every 10 years if you stay with them as a customer.
as far as the tank goes, if he indicated that he paid $65-$75 for the tank, then that is exactly the cost of a one year lease on an empty tank, plus the cost of the ar/co2 inside. if i cut a deal with him on the welder, i'd just say keep the tank and let him deal with that. leases here range from $25 to $45 a year per bottle, depending on dealer and length of contract. a fill will be $30-$45.
around here (i assume it's the same everywhere) leased bottles have the name of the dealer stamped into the ring on the top of the bottle. if you look right under the large threads (about 3" diameter) where the safety cap screws on, there is a raised ring about an inch wide. if this ring is completely smooth and has no markings on it, you should be looking at a customer owned cylinder. if the ring has a name stamped into it, then it belongs to whoever has their name is on it. i can't gauge the size of that bottle - it looks to be close to 3' tall? around here the standard sizes are 20cf, 60cf, 120cf, and 280cf - sizes vary slightly depending on what gas is inside. the 120cf and 280cf are considered commercial sizes and are very rarely customer owned. the 20cf and 60cf are quite often customer owned. yours may be an 80cf? i'm not familiar with them, so i can't say where they fall. i do know that a 60cf will generally cost $100-$150 for the bottle.
as far as other issues when buying a used cylinder, if the identification ring indicates a customer owned cylinder, you also want to make sure they have the transportation cap that protects the valve. if not, deduct $10 to $15, because you will have to pay that to get a new one when you turn in/refill the tank. one other poster mentioned the tank date. i've used gases for years, and i still have never been able to decipher all the stampings on tanks. if the tank has no physical damage to it (welding arc marks will instantly void a tank) and it still has gas in it, then it is likely to pass a test. i believe the test is $10 for 10 years, so it's not a huge cost to have it recertified. if you own a tank, you're going to have to pay those fees eventually.
around here people/places don't generally have their own tanks refilled anyways, they swap their empty non-lease bottles for full non-lease bottles. some places break down the $10 recert fee into each tank exchange and others will just bill you every 10 years if you stay with them as a customer.
radman1
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I think you can find one cheaper for used price. A 140v IMHO, can't weld heavier stuff without multiple passes and I can't get multiple pass to look good. :laughing: I would try to find a used 180 or 210. I paid $1000 for my Miller 250 including large bottle Ar/CO2 (customer owned) and extras. My brother bought his new miller 251 from by the internet from TX. Much cheaper than local and that was several years ago. A good welder lasts a very long time when used on an occassional basis. A very good used one will probably maintain its value forever. I think I could sell mine for what I paid and I bought it years ago. Get one that can do nearly everything you want.