MIG buying decision..

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Hello, Looking at buying a new welder for the workshop, currently using a WIA 335 it's about 10+ years old. It has been a great machine but struggles to weld 250+ amps for long periods of time without causing drama, so I am upgrading. These are the two contenders:http://www.welding.com.au/dw45-53/weldmatic-396/$4700250A@100%http://www.unimig.com.au/workshop_4.html$3000 300A@100%Both have a 3 year warranty. Leaning towards the unimig and the sales guy loves unimig too, but it seems almost too good to be true. Any thoughts on UNIMIG or which option I should take?Cheers
Reply:Hi dpac,Where abouts are you in Oz?If you asked me I would sell you an OTC Daihen XD 400 or XD 500 amp machine.Very high quality mig welding machine.  OTC Daihen is one of the largest manufacturers of welding machines, robots and welding torches.  They are a very high quality product and built like a brick s**t house.For example the OTC welding torches I sell are very light in weight compared to say Tweco and Bernard.  The contact tips last for ages.  The nozzles are screw on.  A lot of other shrouds and nozzles are push on.  Like the Bernard 4391 and 4491 series nozzles they have a tendency to get loose as they wear.  Then the nozzle soft of flops around and the contact tip does not stay centered which will a) piss you off and b) disturb your shielding gas flow.The contact tips are nice and long in length.  There is a whole range of contact tips available the ones that are stocked in Australia are the 40mm and 45mm tips.  The 45mm tips sit flush with the end of the nozzle.  My customers who weld galvanised cattle panel say that this keeps the arc burning further away from the nozzle, which keeps the spatter out.The torches are very flexible.  Here is a picture of one, I will get some better pics up some day. . OTC mig welding gun.The actual power source is excellent.  The wire feed can feed very fast for high current welding applications, and is a very big and strong 110W motor.400 amp model is 35% duty at 10mins, and 500 amp model is 60% at ten mins.Has penetration control so that when your arm goes up and down normally the distance from the end of the mig wire to the weld puddle would change, which would affect the penetration levels etc.  This automatically adjusts for this.Also has1. Power saving design, 2. Shielding gas saving function, 3. On demand cooling fan, 4. Power saving sequenceHas terminals for robotic and automated machines, for when you buy a new OTC welding robot What else,  Comes with remote wire feeder, about 12m long.1. Instantaneous arc start close to 100% from low to high current2.  One Know Synergic Control provides appropriate arc voltage for the welding current selected.This model was actually rebadged as the XD 400 from being a 350 because it performs so well that even though it is made as a 350 amp model it kicks a** when comparing to other 400 amp rated machines in Australia.About OTC DaihenThere welding equipment is the best of the best in the world.  They make tigs, migs, arc welders, mig guns, tig torches, robots etc.  They are a single source provider so all parts come from them.And while I'm at it I will suggest if your business can afford to purchase an OTC machine,  to use a high quality welding wire with it.  One of the best mig welding wires in the world is Kiswel KC-28 mig welding wire:  Mig welding wireThis mig wire is used by Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi, Komatsu Ltd, Hitachi Heavy Industries, Toyota Trading Co. Ltd, Nissan Trading Co. Ltd. Mitsubishi Motors Co. Inter........and the rest.  It is expensive but it is a very good wire.  Email me for current price both pallet and individual spools.As to the UNIMIG and WIA.  I have heard that some UNI's are made in Australia and some in Italy.  One of them is not so good, I think it was the Australian model.  Not 100% sure.And the WIA are ok too.You asked for an opinion and that is it,Cheers,Peter