Help Choosing Mig Welder

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Hey guys, im sure this has been covered before, but everyone has different needs.I took a break from welding for a few months, im starting to do a few projects again, and want to start doing some body work. Welding sheet metal patches and whatnot.I have 2 welders. A Thermal Arc 160s, Stick/Tig, and i have a Decastar 150e mig welder. They are know as Ryobi Welders in the US i believe.I am very happy with the TA so far, but not so much the Decastar. Im running the Deca with no gas now,  The welds are ulgy, can barley get a bead goin wothout the wire getting jammed up. its pretty much just a headache to use. i spend more time fixing the wires and cleaning the tip then i do actually welding. it just doesnt run as smooth as other mig welders i have used.  im wondering if i get some gas would the deca mig run better? does anyone have experience with these?Im looking at a few mig welders, im not sure what the best bang for the buck would be, im on a tight budget. its going to be used for sheet metal and small projects around the garage.my local welding shop has a sale on Thermal Arc Fabricators. I am very happy with my other Thermal Arc so i think the migs would be the same quality. The Fabricator 140 is on for $659, and you also get your choice of anyone freebie above the welders (see pic). but it says its only good for 3/16" at 140 amps.  I also really like miller mig welders. i would like to get a machine that can be switched from 110v to 220v like my TA 160. i dont know much about the miller line thoIs there any mig welders you would  recommend for the $500 to $700 price range? i know its not much cash but its all i can dish out right now. if you think i will be wasting my money let me know, i'd rather hold off and save more money so i can get something that will be usefull.sorry for the long *** post lol thanks for any input
Reply:The only 110v/220v machine of quality that I'm aware of is Millers MM211. Lots of guys here have them and they are quite nice, but you pay for that option. I think they run close to $1000. That TA will under realistic conditions do 1/8" at most. Thats the same with any 140 amp machine from Miller, Hobart or Lincoln. There no magic machine here that will do more. These are strictly sheet metal machines for 1/8" and under. At $700 you might find a 220v Hobart mig in that range, but I'd bet you'd need to go at least another $100 or so to be sure you had the budget for a 220v 180 amp class machine new. If you can get above $1000, there will be a larger number of good options available..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:yeah, i think i'll hold off and get some gas for the deca welder for now, see how that goes. i'd rather save an extra $300 and get what i want. what welder would you recommend in the $1000 - $1500 range? i won't be getting it for a few months now, i'd like to go with a miller.thanks
Reply:A bit of cut and paste from a previous post I did just a short while back that might help you.The questions you really should ask is...What thickness do I want to weld all the time? What is the maximum thickness I may weld? How long will I weld continuously most of the time? Is this for production where you will weld all day at X or is this something that you can weld for a bit then stop and prep the next part? Input power available / portability vs fixed location. These are partially related to the questions above. How much machine can you afford? Lets take the "average" hobbyist. he wants to work on his fenders so wants a machine that will do thin metal say 18ga. But he also figures that he'll want to weld up heavier stuff semi regularly, lets say 1/4" and every so often might do 3/8". Lets look at Millers since I'm more familiar with them.From Millers site I see 4 machines that might fit the bill well. The MM212, MM211, the Passport Plus and possibly the MM180. I'll skip the bigger machines for now.The MM212 is rated at 160amps @60%, max amps is 210amps , Min is 30 amps and Miller says it's good for 22g to 3/8". It's 220v only. List $1992 The MM211 is rated at 150amps @20%, max amps is 210amps , Min is 30 amps and Miller says it's good for 22g to 3/8". it's 110/220v capable. List $1239 The Passport Plus is rated at 150amps @20%, max amps is 180amps , Min is 30 amps and Miller says it's good for 24g to 3/8". it's 110/220v capable. It's lighter than the MM211 and more portable. List $2027 The MM180 is rated at 135amps @30%, max amps is 180amps , Min is 30 amps and Miller says it's good for 24g to 5/16". it's 220v only. List $1014 2 machines are 220v only, 2 are 110v/220v. The MM212 has the highest amps at the most duty cycle, 160amps @60%, so it would handle heavy metals better for longer lengths of time compared to say the MM211 thats 150amps @20%, but the same max amps and thickness rated. The down side of the MM212 is you must have 220v so it's a shop only machine. The MM211 could be used at lower power on 110v say at a friends place to do fenders, and then on 220v at your shop to do 3/8" for short periods of time. The trade off is that it won't weld heavy steel for as long as the MM212 will. The Passport would be a better choice if all you did was portable work, as it's lighter and easier to move, but you pay for this in lower max output (it's designed more to run FC wire and CO2 than the other machines from what I understand, thats why it's still rated at 3/8" despite the lower max listing.) and it's the most expensive of the 4. The MM180 would work if you decided that you wanted a cheaper machine and would pass on the 3/8" capability and portability of the 110v/220v option, to have a more cost efective machine (yes it's possible to do heavier material with proper prep, but I'll stick with the rated listings for simplicity of comparision.)If you were a "heavy" hobbyist / production shop and 1/4" was done FT and 3/8" was frequently done, then a heavier machine like the MM252 might make more sense as it's rated at 200 amps @ 60%, 250 amps @ 40% and max is 300 amps and rated to do 22ga to 1/2".You have to look at all the options and see whats right for you. Does this help and make sense?
Reply:I have a Miller 251, Really like it but now they make a 252 That I like. The 251 cost is over  $1800.00  But a fine machine and only runs on 220 and up. I run Dual Sheild so I need the large machine. Here are some prices.  Vernon  Millermatic 140 MIG Welder Auto-Set 907335 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $50 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 140 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $837.00Cyberweld Price: $690.00  Millermatic 140 MIG Welder Auto-Set and Small Cart 907335011 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $50 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 140 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $927.00Cyberweld Price: $771.00   Millermatic 180 Auto-Set MIG Welder 907312 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $50 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 180 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $1,014.00Cyberweld Price: $827.00  Millermatic 180 Auto-Set MIG Welder and Small Cart 907312011 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $50 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 180 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $1,104.00Cyberweld Price: $913.00   Millermatic 211 MIG Welder Auto-Set with MVP 907422 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $100 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 211 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $1,239.00Cyberweld Price: $999.00   Millermatic 211 MIG Welder Auto-Set with MVP and Small Cart 907422011 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $100 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 211 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 100 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $1,329.00Cyberweld Price: $1,085.00  Millermatic Passport Plus MIG Welder 907401Mfg Industrial Price: $2,027.00Cyberweld Price: $1,582.00 Millermatic 212 MIG Welder Auto-Set 907405 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $150 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase any Millermatic 212 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 200 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $1,992.00Cyberweld Price: $1,588.00   Millermatic 212 MIG Welder Auto-Set with Spoolmate 200 951177 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $150 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase a Millermatic 212 MIG welder with Spoolmate 200 package.Mfg Industrial Price: $2,934.00Cyberweld Price: $2,339.00   Millermatic 252 MIG Welder 907321 From now until September 30, 2010 get a $150 Cash Rebate from Miller when you purchase a Millermatic 252 MIG welder AND a Spoolmate 200 spool gun.Mfg Industrial Price: $2,657.00Cyberweld Price: $2,118.00Last edited by 1969 Vernon; 08-30-2010 at 11:26 PM.
Reply:I picked up my Thermal Arc 190 Mig welder for $1000.00, lised at $1520.00 on an Acklands Grainger promotion with a set of Victor torches.And the Thermal Arc works flawlessly, robust and has all the power for short circuit you need.Acklands has been promoting the TA and Miller(Plasma Cutters) products in their flyers you can sign up on their web site.Hobart has made some improvements to their Ironman line.But before you move to buy a new machine get some mixed gas and see how well your old mig works with gas, then take your time, shop around.
Reply:thanks for the great info guys! im kind of leaning towards the MM211. i would love to try a Thermal Arc Mig before i made a purchase tho. what kind of of gas should i go with for my current mig, the decastar? would mixed be ok?
Reply:Gases, it depends on your needs and your volume, their are many mixes and primarily 75/25 Argon/C02 is what I use.The question of what gas to use has been beat to death on this forum but here is a link to get you startedhttp://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...+welding+gasesGood Luck
Reply:if you want a 120/220 welder go with mm211 or the passport or maybe a used mm251
Reply:A used Miller 251 can be had, if you look hard enough, for less than $1000.   There were actually 3 under that price near Philly on Craigslist in the past month, including a $1000 with 30A spool gun!!!!Properly setup, its a wonderful welder.  It has a decent dual roller drive and a great power supply (Pretty flat voltage/current curve).   The only problem is some people ask $2000+ for thier used ones and it takes time for them to realize it just ain't worth.  I think Fleabay is asking $2200 for a 252.Is the welder overkill - maybe.  But with digital meters its trivial for noobs like me to set it up.  I think you'll find that its a relatively high induction machine (low on spatter, able to do really thin beads on thin material), just be aware that it runs hotter than most MIGs (drop the voltage a bit from what you are used to on other machines).  They do weigh something like 150$ though.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX