Thinking about a used Millermatic 250

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Ok guys, I know of the issues with the Millermatic 250's as far as it being hard to find the sweet spot. I found a used one that has a gas issue. He said he hasnt checked the issue, he just uses flux wire with it. So i'm sure it's either the gun, the solenoid, or the board. If its the board I might as well wait and get a 211 autoset since he is asking for $500 and a new board would cost roughly $600 putting me at the cost of a new 211. Opinions? Should I take a chance for 500? Anyone have pictures on how to test for the gas issues?-Ram
Reply:Take it for $400.  So much more of a welder than the 211, but you also have to ask yourself what class of machine you need.  The MM200 is a better machine with less to break, same duty cycles and output and less of a price.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:MM200 has a better arc too.
Reply:Miller's REBATE is still active on the 211 .       If the 211 will fill your needs and duty cycle won't be a issue, I would go for the 211. You get a new warranty and a pretty nice machine. If you want a larger machine go for a  252 .
Reply:I was looking HARD at a 211... Too much than I could fork up for what I was getting. Patience paid off and I found a used 251 for $800 less than what it goes for online... had 3 months of use on it, so I bought it. Never have to worry about running out of machine.
Reply:Thats the thing, for 500 wouldn't be a problem if it was gun or solenoid, id be pissed if i end up 1100 in for a old machine when a new one/slightly used 211/212/252 is a little more. Doubt i would ever weld 1/2" so if i had a machine that could do 1/2" in two passes id be good. Might try to go and diagnose it myself to see if i an figure out whats wrong before buying it.
Reply:Yea, I agree. I got an everlast 160sth that can hold me over, I'm a newbie so I gotta practice regardless.Thanks guys,-Ram
Reply:I have owned a MM250 for about 9 years, have made a lot of money with it. Be aware that 99% of them are not spoolgun-compatible. Miller sold a "spoolgun module" which you had to install, and of course this module is now obsolete and vanishingly hard to find. It was hard 9 years ago; today it would be much harder.That said, I am fond of my machine. Do I sometimes wish I had the spot timer and pulser features of the latest 250 series welders? Sure .. but I paid $550 with a bottle and never looked back.My advice is talk to a welder repair outfit. If you don't need a board but the gas still isn't working the diagnosis should be pretty simple. Learn all about that, then go look at the machine and take it through those diagnostics. Lots of times it's just a bad wire connection or something. Another possibility is if you know any geeks who can do board-level repairs, they might be willing to fix a bad board. Finally, spend a few calories looking around. Maybe someone's selling a NOS board on ebay.In other words, do your homework.metalmagpie
Reply:@ WeldingNewbie24 - Jettison the partially-smoked  "250" and await a working "251".  Planned to rip a "211" and recently fell into a *used* XMT304 for same cost.  The "304" is way more machine than the "211"; however, requires a 50A circuit and wire feeder.  Consider teaming an XMT w/ an Xtreme 12VS. That would be the cat's meow.Concur with '7A749'.....a $ grand+ will get you a sweet Amercian built multi-process rig."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:^ Good advice right there. Miller has made a lot of fine machines but the general consensus is that the MM250 ain't one of them. Hard to beat the versatility of an XMT with feeder, and the XMT's are good stick welders as well.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:3 or 4 years ago I had an opportunity to buy a 100% working 250 for $500.  It was black with soot (needed serious cleaning).  I just don't see paying that much for broken one.Bottom line, for a broken machine $500 is premium pricing.If you do get a 250, contact Miller.  Some (maybe all) of the Millers can be modified to improve their welding characteristics.  Not sure what is involved but I heard some put a toggle switch on the welder to change the characteristics back and forth.  The mod is year specific so you need to contact Miller directly.  Try Miller's forums.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:I changed over from a MM200 to an XMT with a feeder.  MUCH more machine.  A bit more costly.  Nothing beats doing a project or repair and just changing the dinse from your power source to a Stinger and turning one switch when you need to change processes from mig to stick.  An XMT 304 has 400 amps and/or 35 volts of output.  No job to small or too big for it.  That's why millers been making them for 15+ years now.  So damn versatile.Last edited by Drf255; 08-08-2013 at 06:44 AM.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:I bought a MM250 and bottle awhile ago for $900-1000 (somewhere in there) and have been happy with it. It does have the spool gun plugs on it (one of the reasons I got it) and works like it should. Just yesterday I made up a trans cross member with it.
Reply:I've got an older 250x that I got for $950 with a 30A spoolgun and other odds and ends.  It works just fine and I've made a lot of money with it.  It was a little hard to fine tune, but after I used it for a few months and figured it out it tunes up just fine.
Reply:Thanks for all the advice guys. I passed on it and I'm holding out. I actually was going to buy a Hobart Tigwave 250 for $500, but the jerk sold it out from underneath me the day I was supposed to go pick it up. Really pissed me off. O'well, i'll use my Everlast 160sth in the mean time and keep an eye out for CL. I check daily, all the deals are usually in Houston/Dallas, 2/5hrs respectively, so I have no chance of scoring those.