LN-25 and passports?...

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so I bought a Lincoln LN-25 Pro to run MIG off of my mobile rig (miller trailblazer) about a year ago. I love it, though a little heavy to carry around than I had expected. I just recently became interiged, and heard great reviews, of the Millermatic Passport Plus for its portability and weldability in the field and in the shop. It crossed my mind to sell the LN-25 Pro and buy the the passport... any thoughts?thanks!
Reply:Keep the LN-25 they maybe a bit heavy, but they will outlast anything else. This is one reason they are highly sought after.  I have an oldr model LN-25 never had any any problems with it.  The more wire you use, the lighter it gets.  Salas Repair General Welding & Fabrication
Reply:Passport is only a 180amp machineReally 150ampsRated Output230 V operation: 150 A at 21.5 V, 20% Duty CycleEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:My understanding is the Passport is more for running smaller diameter wire. If you are not going to run anything larger than an .035 or .045 then that may be the machine for you. But if you want to be able to run larger wire like an 072 NR232 or even a 5/64 wire I would keep the LN-25. Honestly the LN-25 is the better machine and has far more capability than the smaller passport. I could see ADDING the passport to the mix so you have less shtuff to carry around when running smaller wire or running MIG but I can not see getting rid of the LN-25. To me you keep that thing until its not even working as a paper weight thats how great those machines are.'Mike
Reply:I have a suitcase feeder and from recent experience I will give you some GREAT advise.....SO LISTEN UP! If you decide to keep the LN-25, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to save money by buying 45lb. rolls of wire. Unless you are going to keep the trigger pulled for 10 hrs non-stop, I repeat again, DO NOT buy 45 lb. rolls of wire! I just got a great price on .035 and .045, 45lb. rolls of S-6, and let me tell you, from now on I will buy 10 lb rolls. You see, I carry my wire feeder outside to the weld area, and holding the mig gun with my left hand and picking up from chest height, eighty pounds of wire feeder, really sucks. Especially when having to manuver around a path to get there.BTW, I agree to keep the LN-25, sooo much more versatile."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manI have a suitcase feeder and from recent experience I will give you some GREAT advise.....SO LISTEN UP! If you decide to keep the LN-25, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to save money by buying 45lb. rolls of wire. Unless you are going to keep the trigger pulled for 10 hrs non-stop, I repeat again, DO NOT buy 45 lb. rolls of wire! I just got a great price on .035 and .045, 45lb. rolls of S-6, and let me tell you, from now on I will buy 10 lb rolls. You see, I carry my wire feeder outside to the weld area, and holding the mig gun with my left hand and picking up from chest height, eighty pounds of wire feeder, really sucks. Especially when having to manuver around a path to get there.BTW, I agree to keep the LN-25, sooo much more versatile.
Reply:I say sell it cheap and fast, shipped to SoCal care of Danny @ .....................City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Man thanks for the very helpful input and confirmation on what a wonderful feeder the LN-25 is! You are all right, it is a great machine. I didn't realize the the passport was so small but it makes sense. I'm keeping the LN-25 and not looking back!thanks.
Reply:on a related note, what are the differences between the LN-25 and LN-25 Pro?
Reply:The LN-25 "PRO" came out just about a year ago. I think the biggest difference between the LN-25 and the PRO, is that the new PRO has an updated exterior case and can be replaced/worked over easier than before. The actual difference in the new PRO is that is comes in two configurations beyond the "standard": one is "extra torque" for running really heavy duty wire, and the other is "Dual Power" which means the feeder operates using Remote Control (Volts AND wire speed set at the feeder) with an extra RC cable from power source to LN-25, as well as Across the Arc (or Voltage Sensing) where the Volts are set at the power source. All previous LN-25s were just 'Across the Arc'  voltage sensing units. I have the "Dual Power" model. It has performed remarkably and quite honestly I have never purchased the RC cable and never used it Remote Control. VS 'Across the Arc' configuration fits most portable feeder situations the best, I just have anticipated being in tight situations away from the welder and wanting to control my volt heat, so now I have the option.
Reply:I use a Suitcase RC feeder as well as a Passport on my truck.  I use the Suitcase feeder for .045 and bigger wire, run from the XMT.  I use the Passport for .035 and smaller wire and I run it from the Bobcat's 220v power and from the customer's 110v power.   The Passport is indeed a very versatile and useful tool on the truck.  Most of what I do in light repair and fabrication on-site, I do with the Passport.   The Passport has it's limitations though, which is why I have the Suitcase feeder.   The Suitcase running from the XMT can burn much bigger wire than the Passport can.   The Passport is limited to .035, both hard wire and fluxcore.  The new Passport Plus can also run a spool gun for mobile aluminum mig welding, which is pretty cool. The Suitcase 8 feeder is pretty light with a 10-lb roll of wire in it, easy to carry around.  As for moving the 80-lb XMT and 60-lb Passport around, I have a red wagon with big air tires that I got from Harbor Freight.  It works great.  Folks always comment on the 'little red wagon' on job sites.  It works for me. MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op