Maxstar 200dx

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Hello I am currently looking to purchase a tig welder for home as I have done tig at school on the schools syncrowave 250 but right know i am in the process of searching for a welder and came across a miller maxstar 200dx i have been emailing the seller and have found that it is a model from 2001 which was used in a small fab shop until 2007 and was put into storage until 2013 where it was then taken out and it had light maintence to the torch cables and has been used as a home machine my main question is that it has 1050 some odd arc hours on it and 270,000 some odd arc cycles. So is this too much wear on this machine are they known to have issues with the board it seems as if this is a lot of arc time on a machine but i don't know? thank you
Reply:Can't comment on whether it's been too used or not, but do you realize that it's a DC only machine?  No Aluminum with it.  Inverters don't have a defined durability amount of hours and Miller makes good machines.  The problem is if it gives up the smoke, the repairs may be more $$ than the machine.  A lot depends on the price.  I wouldn't pay more than $600 for a 13 yr old machine like that.  Make sure you test it hard before your purchase.  If you have the space and power at home, your best bet is an old 1990-1995 syncrowave 250.  Not a lot of bells and whistles, all the power you need, AC/DC (square wave) and very very durable.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:To me 1000 hrs isn't a huge amount of hours. Keep in mind a full time job is usually listed at 2000 hrs in a year. So in an shop environment, it's only been used  for 1/2 a year, or 4 hours a day for a full year. Spread out over 6 years, that's really not all that much time. Also remember I believe the clock runs once you turn on the machine, whether you are welding or not, so some of those hours may just be at idle while other things are being done like fit up while tacking. Time on that unit wouldn't bother me all that much. I bet Terry has more hours than that on his Dynasty 200's and he beats his toys pretty hard. The life on a Maxstar 200 is probably about the same as a Dynasty. If nothing else, go over to Millers site and ask them how many hours they expect out of a machine like that. I bet they have a rough idea how many hours a useful "life" is for that machine.I'd agree with the other guys over making sure you check the unit out well before your purchase. Inverters are often not cost effective to repair when things go really bad. Price wise, I think the guys thoughts on $600 might be a tad on the low side, but I haven't really kept tract on used Maxstars all that much. They are a very nice unit, and the 200's have a bit better output on 110v vs the Maxstar 150's.I will also agree that if you want to do alum, the a nice used Syncrowave is a good way to go. The 250's at the tech school take a beating from the kids and keep on going..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:Thank you very much for your information I am going to opt out of purchasing the welder and I may be considering waiting for a deal on a syncrowave 250 as that is what I practice with at school my only concern is power needs. At home we have a 40x30 shop with a 100 amp main panel I know it is some what underpowered but I did not design the shop so the max breaker I would most likely have for the machine is an 80 amp breaker I know this would not be enough to push it to its limits but would i be able to get into 220-250 amps with a breaker of this size? again thanks