Is it any good

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Looking to purchase my first welder,not much cash in hand but found a SP 200 Lincoln for $350.00. Is it worth it? He says it may only need a liner which is $20.00? Was also looking at a new  Lincoln175 which is 1 step up from the 135. Which one of the 3 is better?? Will be doing some chassis and body work.....Thanks
Reply:hmm  im thinking im thinking...well you need to test out that sp 200 if you ask me.  The 175 might get you by, but Id talk to Sandy    if sandy doesnt respond on his own free inititive you should PM him about the 175 because hes got I think a miller and they will run roughly the same, he can tell you whether for the application youre wanting if it will suffice.  I think not.  But maybe sandy will have a better theory on this.  Again, the sp200 aint new.  So you need to be careful.  Test it out and find out what is working with it.  ITs gona be tough though witout the liner.  So go get a liner,  get the guy to give you all the details.  For 20 bucks it seems good sense to me.  You get the liner he says you need, have him show you how to install it...and tell him you need to try the machine out and see how it welds.  Never buy a machine if you cant make sure it runs.  Only time you would do this....if youre buying a machine you know doesnt run and paying according to that.  The ole sayin, dont look at a gift horse in the mouth....well if youre payin for that horse it aint no gift!  Anyway, again I think the 200 is the way to go.  But Maybe sandy has a differnt perspective.   Good luckCHRISLast edited by TxRedneck; 12-28-2005 at 03:02 AM.IF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Chris:Thanks for your reply and information..........I'm kinda leary buying an old used one.Hopefully Sandy will chime in on this. Looked at E-bay for the 175 plus? I think that's what it was called. Now I know $750.00 and $350.00 is a big spread but......I'm wondering If I should just buy new and not worry. I heard this SP 200 is somewhere around 10-15 yrs old,Is that true?? Thanks again...Anyone else deal with the "old Lincoln SP 200???
Reply:yeah the age on sp 200 sounds right.  I mean dont get me wrong I love older machines.  But wire is a pain.  Its not like my trusty ole stick machine.  Stick thre aint much to go wrong except the engine. On the generators they had commuters and brushes but on an old rectified transformer not much to fuss over.   Mig/wirefeed on the ther hand..thheres a lot that can go wrong.  Only thing I worry about with 175 is power needs.  That is finding out you should have paid the extra money i think around 1500 for a 215 or whatever it is.  I think licoln makes a 215, miller has a great lil 210.  I dont know anyone specifically who has the sp 200, hopefully youll get a post in the coming day or two.  Wish I could help you more but Im now kinda stuck to give more advice.  good luck thoughIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:All three of my current machines were bought used.  I agree with TxRedneck.  Tell the guy you'll buy the liner if he'll help you replace it and then try the machine out.  If he balks at all, walk away.  Probably means that he knows there are some other issues as well.  Buying used is as much about reading the person selling the item as knowing the machine he's selling.For me, the advantage with used was that I was able to get much more machine than if I had bought new.  I'll probably never use the full capabilities of the TIG or plasma, but what it does mean for me is that at the settings I am using I have near 100% duty cycle.Start by going to the Lincoln website and downloading the pdf manual for the SP200 and read through it.  It will give you enough to go over the machine and know something about it.  That should tell the seller that you have some sense of what you are doing and that he can't pull the wool over your eyes.
Reply:Thank you both.........will have to do more research on it. But my better judgement tells me to walk away and get a newer model. I recently went to the Lincoln welding school in Clevland so I'll be getting a discount on a new machine when the time comes. I Like the wire feed my self ,but everyone has there own opinion.I just thought for the price it would have been a decent welder (it might be) but I'll just go new!!..Thanks again..........
Reply:If your gut instinct is to walk away from it, that is probably the right decision.  As I said, buying used equipment is about as much about feeling good about the person selling it as the equipment that you are looking at.So how did you like the experience out at the welding school?  I checked things out online after the other post about the classes.  Looks like you could really stand to learn a lot in a short time there.
Reply:Originally Posted by PAToyotaIf your gut instinct is to walk away from it, that is probably the right decision.  As I said, buying used equipment is about as much about feeling good about the person selling it as the equipment that you are looking at.So how did you like the experience out at the welding school?  I checked things out online after the other post about the classes.  Looks like you could really stand to learn a lot in a short time there.
Reply:If I am not mistaken those things are huge.  That would be a turn off to me.  I have a 290 amp welder that is much more streamlined, thus taking up less space. Though I am told they are work horses and non-computerized.  Hence, If there is any thing wrong, then you might still have a good deal even with repairs.  The 175 would probably do well, complement it with a 50 dollar stick machine for welding heavy stuff.
Reply:Someone selling one for $500 here:http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread...ostid=19116240Here is one of the manuals (you'd need a serial number to narrow it down to the exact one:http://content.lincolnelectric.com//...r/im/IM312.pdfOne currently selling on eBay:http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-IDEALARC...QQcmdZViewItemAnother post about one at about $500:http://www.weldingweb.com/archive/index.php/t-1564.html
Reply:Originally Posted by PAToyotaSomeone selling one for $500 here:http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread...ostid=19116240Here is one of the manuals (you'd need a serial number to narrow it down to the exact one:http://content.lincolnelectric.com//...r/im/IM312.pdfOne currently selling on eBay:http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-IDEALARC...QQcmdZViewItemAnother post about one at about $500:http://www.weldingweb.com/archive/index.php/t-1564.html
Reply:Slowing down would be a sign of needing a new liner.  Don't think you will go wrong for the price.  Good luck.
Reply:Originally Posted by tapwelderSlowing down would be a sign of needing a new liner.  Don't think you will go wrong for the price.  Good luck.
Reply:yeah if its working id take it for the 350.   I like your idea on the liner.  I would depending on the guy tell him to get the liner, depending on the guy id get my own.  Its just personal though.  Basically I think if I dont know him im more apt to say, you get a liner and ill pay the cost of it type of deal....Course then again I kinda like to know what im getting and all that too.  So you know.  Deal with the liner.  the liner is a tube or conduit that the wire runs trhough in the whip, or cable/ lead to the gun.  Couple things happen here.  One is the liner gets dirty.  Another, the liner gets worn from the wire being squashed and such.  Anohter thing, you drop something on the whip, yoiu will bend and distort the liner.  This is trouble.  you could roll over the whip witha wheel on say a welding machine.  Or a forktruck... .   or drop steel on it too   these all are frustrations i live with    When you replace the liner, you will adjust the wire tensioner.  Dont crank the danged thing all the way down.  Just tight enough so it feeds the wire.  More will crush and deform the wire...therefore wearing hard on your liner. Ok, now, another thing is if the liner is worn, or has one of these problems yes by kinking the whip it wont feed properly.  Us who do this for a living with wire, me only in shops,  we always try to keep our whip as straight as possible.   All the time.  If not, even a good whip can bind, but its kinda rare.  Usually a brand new one works real good.   Hope this helps.  and again I think its a good price. And I dont think there will be a problem, just want to verify before you pay the man his money.  Good luckIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:worn rollers?   well worst case is you need a new whip... and maybe a set of rollers.  Id think if you bought them both...and wont be both one or the other for a brand new whip set I think you could get one for what 50-60 bucks guys?  not really sure.  Rollers  I dont know but doubt theyd be too expensive.  Call your welding dist though before you go to see the machine for a price quote if your worried though.   they will quote you ona  new whip too if your worried.  Thats worse case that its not in the welder part which then is totally differnt ball of wax.IF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Originally Posted by TxRedneckworn rollers?   well worst case is you need a new whip... and maybe a set of rollers.  Id think if you bought them both...and wont be both one or the other for a brand new whip set I think you could get one for what 50-60 bucks guys?  not really sure.  Rollers  I dont know but doubt theyd be too expensive.  Call your welding dist though before you go to see the machine for a price quote if your worried though.   they will quote you ona  new whip too if your worried.  Thats worse case that its not in the welder part which then is totally differnt ball of wax.
Reply:lol Thanks for the bday wish.  Yeah exactly about the 300 in cash.  Stuff the other 50 in your sock and say I got the 300 right here what do ya say lol  if he says no walk away come back 20 mins later and say im willing to make a deal lolworks for my grandmother...IF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Originally Posted by TxRednecklol Thanks for the bday wish.  Yeah exactly about the 300 in cash.  Stuff the other 50 in your sock and say I got the 300 right here what do ya say lol  if he says no walk away come back 20 mins later and say im willing to make a deal lolworks for my grandmother...
Reply:Hey guys, Sorry but been busy poking into other things lately. The major brand 175 class machines all seem to get good reviews. As far as chasis work goes it would work fine seeing as how most auto/pick-up chasis' run less than 3/16ths or close to. Mine provides good results clear up to 1/4 without a lot of after worry for me. I will say I always put a lot of thought and prep into joint design tho. A 175 can do a lot with special considerations, altho I don't like to make broad statements as to capacity. Never know who's going to grab 4 or 5 words out of the whole context and run with it as a blanket statement. When folks start talking about "trailers" I start to get real conservative with advise. Lock down seems like he's got things in perspective tho. So if the 200 doesn't work out, a 175 will fill a sweet spot. As always, bigger is usually better, untill you guys throw in that part about 'and auto body'.. If you find yourself needing more food for thought, holler and we can blather on some more here.
Reply:And its Sandy to the rescue once again.   Tellya lock, this guy sure knows his stuff.  hes very humble and will say no.  He may not weld for a living.  Dont actually know what he does...so heck he could be a weldng engineer for all we know or CWI I dont know.  But he does weld, and hes sure has a lot of years experience working in the craft.  Sandy will lay it down and shoot it straight.  I agree with what he says about being careful how we word things...but again, I agree that you do seem to know your stuff.  And as he said, bigger is usually better until you start with autobody...no need getting an SA 200 to weld a door panel      Oh, and for the record,  yeah I confused the heck outta a guy recently.  I wrote about pushing a rod into the puddle.  Well I wasnt giving anyone pointers...just making comment about how you can get better penetration with stick...you dont push stick rods you pull them....but in a particular instance you do push it back into the puddle...its very unique to frost/root pass welding on multipass with an open root.  Mostly in pipe welding we do this.  Well,  I totally threw him off.  Completely innocent on both parts.  So he pushed his rods, like you do with solid wire.  Well it was my fault as I should have explained myself and I dint.  I forget to do that sometimes as Ive done this for so long known and burned so many rods I dont much think of what im doing...just do it.  Anyway, good luck and glad sandy jumped in to give you his input before you left for out there so you can sit on this yet atleast another day of contemplationIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Good thing Sandy chimed in...was gonna PM him but.............I gotta thank you all for giving me great advice! Will let you know if & when I get it,& how it all turns out..Keep your fingers crossed for me!! Pictures are on the way...If he ever sends them.....
Reply:Just to let those who answered my question" is it good" refering to a Lincoln SP 200.........Thank you all.Just picked it up (3 hr ride ,but worth it) seller bought new liner ,installed while I was present and showed me how the machine worked. This a great welder,even thou it's 10-12 yrs old. I think it was definitly worth  $375.00!!................
Reply:opps......... doulbe posts
Reply:If that sp200  welds good (still ) ;  you stole that sucker. I think it's about next best thing to my SP 250. I was told it has the same drive set up . BUT, if i have to make a CRITICAL weld, like on a trailer , i'll probably use my lincoln  SA250  generator  w/7018  lo-hy  , or maybe 6010 5p -although  i despise  splatter rod.
Reply:i work on them and have both. for your money you are better off with the 175. the rliability for what you want is better and more portable. also the are is alot better for mostly body work. i have worked on alot of 200 that were worn out junk.  a new gun is about $150 a set of drive rolls about 48 and liner 18. i would go with the new 175.lock down, the SP200 is a very old model, get the code number of that machine and go the the Lincoln website parts navigator to see if parts are still available. The 175 should be your choice, it will manage your body as well as your frame work, if possible, get the "plus" model. The 135 would be too small to do your frame work.Good Luck!
Reply:just purchased the Lincoln Power Mig 350MP Push Pull one pack. Gotta love that machine. Hands down go for the 175plus, more heat or longer duty cycle at lower heat than the 135 also you get a warrenty, even though its a lincoln and you'll probablly never use it. Personaly owned a 135 plus for 3 years before handing it down to my son, ran great but at times i wish i had more power Fire doesn't burn a good Christian !
Reply:I agree, PM350 is an awesome unit w/ that Python gun!