Why are spool guns so expensive?

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So i'm selling my Miller Spoolmatic 1 spool gun because i no longer have use for it, and when i started researching a bit for an asking price I noticed that a solid 85% of spool guns out there are just as expensive as some welders, why? Sure there's the guns for 2-400 bucks, but most range from 6-1500.Now i don't know a lot about spool guns since I don't use them much, but to me, its just a mig gun with a drive system and wire feed control. Does that really warrant the cost?ESAB MigMaster 275Miller Econotwin HFMiller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Im sure a lot has to do with the market, Not a lot of companies making them and not nearly as many using them as regular guns. Then there is the fact that they are a little more complex and putting a wire feed/control system in a gun and keeping things light and tight takes a little engineering and the right parts brings the prices up a bit. I do think the prices are a bit inflated compared to what they could be but thats the price you pay for quality.
Reply:i bought a spool gun for my miller mig a few years back trying  to save some bucks and not buy a tig i wound up using it a couple of times hated it and finally stop wasting money and bought the tig
Reply:They are expensive because they CAN BE.  Remember the old saying "give them the razor and sell them the blades"?There isn't much technology or material in most spoolguns, but there's plenty of markup!
Reply:And from what I've heard, they work so well. Law of supply and demand. Create something that people demand, and you can charge what you want for the supply!"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:Yupp... I wonder if a person bought a new mig, one of those deals where they throw in the spool gun for like $100 extra or $150 or something, if they could turn around and ebay the spool gun and make enough profit to be worth doing, maybe make that mig a little cheaper [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:These are pretty much the answers i was looking for. The technology in them doesn't seem to warrant the cost to that of a full mig machine.ESAB MigMaster 275Miller Econotwin HFMiller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Some one up above said they did not like their spool gun.  In 1980 I got a spool gun to weld aluminum 2 inch pipe in substations.  We contracted to the local power company to do all the welding on four new substations. mostly out of a basket. It worked so well I could not believe it. Welding all the way around an aluminum pipe with a spool gun and having a beautiful weld still tickles me. But I will say this the falling splatter landing on my windshield sure was the pits.   Mac
Reply:Why are Porsche's or Lamborghini's so expensive? Because they can be and they only make a few of them.If you have me make one part vs. 10,000 parts the cost per is not going to be the same. Think Ford and Model T.
Reply:So a spool gun is essentially a wire feeder for alum, if you want to look at it one way.  How much is a wire feeder add-in to a welder, like the ever-present Miller 22A?  The spool gun is much the same thing as the drive is inside it, and it requires the same basic controls of its own.  The size of the roll you are feeding from really doesn't enter into the cost of the unit all that much, but that is what seems to bother people.  "How much for THAT little thing?"  Heck, I said it myself until I thought about it more.-DaveXMT304 with: 22A Feeder, or HF251 Hi Freq DC TIG air cooled
Reply:The cheap ones don't usually have their own built in speed control like the more expensive units that u can change the speed at the gun.     Our if u can, it's just using the controls on the power source.    Now go price a push pull setup...  makes the Spoolgun look like a bargain.   TIG vs Spoolgun are 2 different application parameters.   Go TIG a semi trailer build....  not going to happen.  Spool guns take a lot of practice... at least for me.   Sent from my SCH-I545 using TapatalkTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:they pay for themselves in a day or two of intense use.
Reply:I bought my Spoolmatic 3 in 1988 for a job. I practiced for about an hour and did the job making way more than I paid for the spool gun. It has done hundreds of jobs by now and was worth every penny I paid for it and much more.
Reply:I bought a Cobramatic around1979. Came with a suitcase for the spool of wire bad about 25 ft or so out to the cobra head gun with pull technology the suitcase feed rolls pushed the aluminum wire. Paid a small fortune for it back then but it paid for itself in a couple weeks.richey
Reply:I don't know. I paid about 1g for my spool gun and 3500 for my tig. I still have my spool gun and the tig got its walking orders. The gun paid for itself quite quick.
Reply:because spool guns are manufactured by the Steel Association of America.  They have a vested interest in you NOT using aluminum in your project, so they sell welders already set up for steel, out of the box, but you have to add expensive accessories to work with aluminum.Just kidding.The principle is valid...if you want to know why someone does something, follow the money.KevKevin / Machine_Punk from The Aerodrome Studio - Lincoln PowerMIG 210 MP - Meco N Midget w/custom welding station - Vintage Victor 100Current Projects: The Aerodrome Studio
Reply:same with water coolers for tig welders.  i have no idea where they come up with those pricesVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.