looking to by a mig, miller or lincoln

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looking at the 180c lincoln and the 180 miller, for the price range both are pretty close, will buy the spool gun for alluminium but most of the work will be mild steel.Did some reading on it and both seem to be fairly the same , but I'm no mig expert so any advise would be appriciated .I did weld with migs before but all big unit, nothing for home that runs on 220 v.Thankscocomunk
Reply:A 180 amp class mig will limit you to 1/8" alum with the spoolgun roughly. To do this you'll need to max out the heat and wire speed. Keep this in mind. A 200 amp or larger mig is a better choice for alum as you'll have a bit more adjustment to play with if you are in the 1/8"-3/16" range..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:If you're looking for a home unit on 220V check out the Miller 211 Autoset machine. I have one and it works great.Harold MulderMiller 211 AutosetHTP 201 Invertig with water coolerHardinge Cataract Quick Change Lathe
Reply:Originally Posted by haroldmulderIf you're looking for a home unit on 220V check out the Miller 211 Autoset machine. I have one and it works great.
Reply:Had a miller 135 (a 110 volt machine) it was good. I moved up to a Miller 180 and love it. It has auto set but i don't use it.The miller 211 is a nice idea but are you really going to take the welder out of the shop enough to pay for the dual volt cost?Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:Originally Posted by ReebsHad a miller 135 (a 110 volt machine) it was good. I moved up to a Miller 180 and love it. It has auto set but i don't use it.The miller 211 is a nice idea but are you really going to take the welder out of the shop enough to pay for the dual volt cost?
Reply:ive had my 180c for around 3 yrs, been a good machine so far, its good enough for what i do. i'm currently building a 27 ford roadster, i'm a hobby welder. i also do some minor welding jobs for individuals that come to me by word of mouth.. i think i made a very good decision and purchase on it..  if you go to the lincoln's site they are offerening $75 discount or a free auto darkening helmet..lincoln 180c webpage http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...t.aspx?p=42422bought mine from indiana oxygen, cheapest i could find has free shipping... http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.co...IG-180C/Detail dont know if ioc uses the lincoln discount or not, almost bet they do.. youd be spending about $750 for the 180c with cart.. or $680 without the cart.. not to bad either way.. adding this.. i would.focus on amperage and infinite controls on a mig welder.. i wouldnt worry about welding aluminum yet,get your mig first.. then get a tig later on for aluminum..Last edited by brucer; 11-27-2010 at 09:40 PM.tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Thanks I did not know that. I love my 180. I wish I could match the machine.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:I vote for the 211. For a little bit more you get more amps and have the auto link incase you might need it sometime. Both lincoln and miller are great. I own a lincoln mig but that miller 211 seems like the perfect little machine. Great for small stuff and is also able to do some of the bigger stuff too. I have used both lincoln and miller machines at work and i perfer the millers alot more. ShaneYa gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:one more vote for the 211. big enough to do medium, yet small enough to do small, and portable.i love mineDynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:My vote is for the hobart if you are thinking about getting a mig gun to Northern tool has them on sale as a set for $899.99 best my Lws could do on the miller was $1200 with the spool gun. He even told me the hobart was a great deal and he would probably buy it to. I have used mine for about a 10 pound spool so far and it has worked great leaving some nice beads. Just something to think about.Vantage 300 kubota ,miller 304 xmt ,lincoln ln 25 pro , ranger 305 G, plenty of other tools of the trade to make the sparks fly.
Reply:I would go miller, not only because im a blue guy but because the design of the miller wirefeeder is far superior to lincoln.  Much easier to fix birds-nests and change out spools.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I will check the 211 miller to see the price difference , Will check the hobart to as I didnt even think of that one, but so far it will be the 211 if the price is right or the 180c lincoln.Thanks
Reply:miller and lincoln are both great machinesbut millers 211 is the best deal out thereand if you want a spoolgun millers are10 x better than lincoln guns
Reply:tryem out and get what YOU feel comfortable with,and non production welding 180-210amps is all u need.those ratings on material thicness are usually for single pass welds.prep the joint properly and u can weld inch thick plate w 180 amps and proper wire speed/technique.biggest selling point should be duty cycle,but you cant really go wrong w any of themlincoln weld pak 100 hdlincoln ranger 225gxt ac/dcoxy/acetylenepuroxcw202 victor fc100harris model 85harrismodel 16oxweld w24roxweld w17
Reply:Did a bit of research on the Miller 211 and got some price .  The price was a bit more but from the info here, lot of people seem to like it so that the one I bought with the spool gun, should have it tomorrow as they didnt have one in stock. Got my bottle of argon and C25 , so I should be set to weld with it tomorrow, For the wire, is there a better brand that I shoud get or are they pretty much all the sameThankscocomunkLast edited by cocomunk; 12-12-2010 at 01:03 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by cocomunkDid a bit of research on the Miller 211 and got some price .  The price was a bit more but from the info here, lot of people seem to like it so that the one I bought with the spool gun, should have it tomorrow as they didnt have one in stock. Got my bottle of argon and C25 , so I should be set to weld with it tomorrow, For the wire, is there a better brand that I shoud get or are they pretty much all the sameThankscocomunk