Need advice - looking at used Lincoln Wirematic 255...

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Guys, I went to take a quick look at a used Lincoln Wirematic 255 tonight.  The owner wasn't there, so all I could do was visually inspect it.  It's a little dusty, but looks pretty solid.  No cuts in the gun hose, drive mechanism looks good, comes with a little 40cf bottle and regulator, etc.  All in all, a machine that's had some use, but doesn't look abused or had a lot of wire run through it.I'm hoping to get a chance to run a bead or two tomorrow - gotta make sure it throws sparks or it would be an expensive paperweight!  This class of machine is WAY beyond what I need (I was thinking 175-class and maybe stretching to the PM215 or MM210), but figured if I could get a good enough deal I might as well go big.I'm not sure of the year of manufacture, but any thoughts on a ballpark price to offer, assuming the machine is in fine working condition?  Anything else I should be aware of with this welder?Thanks!Jason
Reply:I didnt catch that it was a wirematic for some reason,, duh, I have one and havnt had any problems with it but it doesnt have much of a cult following. Scott V on here knows more about the comparison to other machines than I do by far as my feeder experience is somewhat limited to my own units. I guess its an alright unit, I am kind of indifferent towards it. It makes sparks.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:My friend at the welding store (which has always steered me the right direction in buying good units) says it was pretty much junk. It was even worse the the MM 250 that came out at the same time.If Sberry ever tried spray with that unit he would  wonder what is all that straining sound comming out of that machine. The Miller does it too. Those two machine was the reason the Esab 250 migmaster became very popular. It was about the only one that was solid.My friend say the older SP 200 kicks its ***, just like the MM 200 does to the MM 250.
Reply:Scott, did your bud say there were other issues with the 255 or only when running it on top end? The listed output specs look fair. I think if I was doing enough work to justify another machine I would move this one to fluxcore.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:It seemed he had a whole list of things that he did not like. Some were in the short-arc but I can't remember many details. I do think he said something about a ropey weld bead. I remember more about the MM-250, like it sucked with small wire for bodywork.Since fluxcore has such a wide sweet spot that machine just might do fine?It was a transition machine between the old and the new with aluminum tranformers. The new ones are fine and so are the old ones. If you know anything about Lincoln, is they tend to stay with a machines that works without too many fancy changes. Look at the LN-25 a perfect example of that thinking. Or even the little sp welders. That will clue you in of what Lincoln thought of those machines.
Reply:I havnt noticed any really anything bad wih it compared to other machines. I think the arc may be a bit better with my little SP and my experience with feeders is somewhat limited anyway. I could probably count the ones I have ran on both hands,,, way less than number of girlfriends for sure,,, ha Most of my working career revolved around stick work and some innershield, some wire in a small fab shop work but it was back in the day we didnt really care anyway,,, ha. I am not all that fussy anyway. Most of my work is general repair and light fab and to anyone else it looks great, I been in this biz long enough in this area that weld quality isnt an issue. I would have to say its not all that bad. Overhead seems good.  When I get a cam that does closeups well I will post some pics. I really should mark the dials, the V is so wide and you use such a narrow spot its difficult to get it dialed in repeatedly although the sweet spot is fair as I can tell. I think I would rather have taps though on this machine. They had an electronic version of this machine when I bought it but it was 300 more and I figured i stood a chance of fixing this thing if it ever became an issue. I think I have had it about 10 yrs or so, never a problem.Last edited by Sberry; 11-21-2004 at 09:07 PM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:Thanks for the info guys!  I didn't end up getting it, though.  The guy was selling it as part of a commercial auction and (I think) the bidding got a little silly - I walked away at $1,250 (plus 10% buyers premium).If I could've picked it up for the price of a 175-class machine, I would've definitely been interested, but $1,250 is the same price as a new PM215/MM210 and only a few bucks away from a PM255!They also had a Bobcat 225NT with a 16hp Onan and the 8,000W generator (not sure of # of hours) that went for $2,100 + 10% buyers premium.  New ones from Miller are only a few hundred more!  I don't get it....Thanks anyway for the input and advice!Jason