what do you think

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thinking of purchasing some new equipment i have my eye on the miller wildcat 200 and the multimatic 200 your opinions are greatly appreciated http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...p?model=M90575http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...rocess/product.Lincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:It would help to know what sorts of projects you plan to use it for, Assassin. If you're running a wire feeder I strongly recommend a machine capable of at least 300 amps, unless you only plan on using the wire feeder for thin sheet metal work. It's easy to exceed 250 amps when running flux-cored wire in flat/horizontal welds. In fact if you're only running, say, 150 amps when welding flat on structural materials you're being a lot less productive than you could be. Labor is by far the biggest cost in any welding job.If you buy a 300 amp machine you WILL be more productive and your welds will look better. Diesel units are generally worth the extra sticker price due to the lower fuel consumption, longer lifetime, and less frequent maintenance. Gas units will end up costing you more in total, over the lifetime of the unit. So you can either pay more now, and less later, or pay less now and pay a lot more later.Last edited by Joshfromsaltlake; 07-30-2012 at 03:06 AM.
Reply:If IIRC the Wildcat is a CC only machine. If you want to do wire from it in the future, you really want to look at a Bobcat or trailblazer at least. With the Bobcat you'd need to use a VS type feeder since it doesn't have a contactor or 14 pin receptacle. The lack of 14 pin receptacle on the Bobcat also means you can't use a remote for tig. I'm pretty sure the Wildcat doesn't have remote capability either, so not pedal if you want to do tig.On the gen set side, the wildcat only puts out 5500 watts continuous. Quite low compared to say a Bobcat/TB. 5500 watts won't run a decent sized plasma and will probably be close to maxed out if you run that Multimatic 200 at full power, depending what process you are using. ( 230v draw is between 15-21 amps) 5500 watts gives you something like 23 amps @ 230v max roughly. I think the Multimatic is a nice machine, but on the mig side, the Multimatic 200 is a bit on the "light" side as far as output on 230v. Rating is 150 amps 20% duty cycle. That puts it on the low end of the 230v migs. Figure 3/16" under real world conditions if I'm reading the manual correctly. Just one of the trade offs that you have to take to get a small portable machine that does a lot vs a dedicated mig. Note that a bigger 230v mig will out draw that aux power on a Wildcat. Even my "little" MM185 wants 26 amps, 230v to run at rated output. A bigger mig would draw even more.As said, an idea what you are planning to do would help..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:What DSW said.  For the money, if you shell out a few hundred more, you can get a Trailblazer.  You could also find a well-used never-abused Trailblazer for about $3000, and you get 10,500 watt output on the generator side, 6000 while running an arc.  You also step up the duty cycle a LOT more, and get the 14-pin receptacle and CV side.  You get a TB with a wire feeder and a high frequency box and you're talking some serious flexibility.
Reply:well as far as projects it is normally on the light side corrals, pipe fences , car ports , pole barns ect... so i normally running 3/32 and 1/8 7018 and 6010 so on average 40-165 amps dc ..as far as feeders go i have a 12vs that i use and only use flux core normally the nr211mp (always working out in the open )  the multimatic 200 well i think of just a general all around machine for when i get those light jobs that need a lower amperage for stuff like purlins, iron fences, body panels , exhaust , ect capable of running a spool gun for aluminum like fenders and steps ect aluminum i never do anything over an 1/8 the only part that i didnt understand about the multimatic 200 was the out put rating can anyone clarify it for me... Welding Amperage RangeMIG 30-200 AmpsTIG 5-150 AmpsStick 20-150 Amps then the Rated OutputCV: MIG/Flux-cored120/230 VAC -- 110 A at 19.5 V, 20% Duty Cycle120/230 VAC -- 150 A at 21.5 V, 20% Duty CycleCC: TIG120 VAC -- 150 A at 16 V, 30% Duty Cycle230 VAC-- 150 A at 16 V, 30% Duty CycleCC: Stick120 VAC -- 100 A at 24 V, 35% Duty Cycle230 VAC -- 150 A at 26 V, 30% Duty CycleLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:Seems pretty straight forward. What exactly don't you understand? The range shows max and minimum output for that unit. The rated output is where Miller chose to  publish duty cycles for the machine, both on 110v power and 230v power. So while you can mig at 200 amps, your duty cycle will be less than the 20% listed at 150 amps.Not sure how well it will run wire in CC with only 200 amps to work with max. Most VS feeders want to run in spray mode running off a CC machine and want lots of amps to do so. The low duty cycle at 200 amps may be an issue if it will even work, and on lower settings with a higher duty cycle, you may not have the balls to run wire from a VS feeder well.Last edited by DSW; 07-30-2012 at 08:37 PM..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:dsw thanks for the clarification i just wasnt understanding the rating side seemed straight forward then the duty cycle threw me off lol my VS the lowest i ever ran it was 120 anything lower that that it wont runLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R