Which of these 2 welders is best

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I'm an apprentice steamfitter and would like to practice for the 21 Cert (pipe welding test 6010 root and 7018 hot pass and cap on a heavy wall 2" pipe at a 45 degree angle) I'll have plenty of  schedule 80 practice coupons on which to practicehttps://weldingsupply.securesites.co...-1%5Cs%5Cs%5Cshttp://www.millerwelds.com/products/...xstar_150_stl/A Lincoln V160 or a Miller Maxstar 150?? A pre-emptive thanks for your opinions
Reply:Neither one of these machines is designed to run E6010, the Lincoln list the rods it runs good, they are E6011and E6013, Miller says nothing about E6010, they will run it but not in the way you want it. It will hard starting, hard to keep the arc going, and lots of spatter.  They both will run E7018 with good results.Jack
Reply:We use this machine at work (Miller Maxstar 150) and I've noticed the hard starts but it welds with the 6010 just fine. Unfortunately, I just can't take it home to practice with. Thanks for the reply. It's much less expensive than the Lincoln I've noticed
Reply:regularfella,I have a Maxstar STH (better TIG options, but same stick performance as the STL).  It runs 3/32" 6010, 1/8" 6010 adequately.  It also does a nice job with 7018 rods of the same size.  I'm pretty sure you'll run into duty cycle issues with the 1/8" rods; as was pointed out in another discussion of these small inverter welders a few weeks ago.  Whatever you choose, I can say confidently that you'll be happier running these units on 220V single phase, than you would on 110V.  220V gives you access to all of the equipments amperage capacity.  I've run these same rods on a variety of newer Miller machines, Dimension series transformer units and XMT inverter units.  The Maxstar runs a harsher arc and has no dig control.  Generally speaking, I've found that you have to run slightly higher amperage than you would on a larger powersource with more features(hot start or dig).  If you run the same settings on the Maxstar, you do have some issues with rods sticking.  It's hard to judge settings on the analog knob on the front of the MaxStar, but I'd guess that adding ~5amps to what you're used to will address any rod sticking problems without blowing holes in your weld joints.I've taken the UA21 and 41 cert tests and one of the reasons I bought the MaxStar was to keep in practice if I get away from pipewelding for any length of time.That's about all I can tell you.  I looked at the Lincoln inverter machines.  I settled on the Miller for a few reasons.  I remember studying the spec sheets, and liking something I saw on the Miller specs.  Unfortunately, I can't remember what exactly I was fixed on.  My LWS deals primarily with Miller, and my training was on Miller equipment.  This has given me some bias, although I own Lincoln equipment also.  Lastly, I think Miller's reputation is better for these smaller inverter units.  But that's an opinion without any real hard facts to back it up.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:Good timing!  I am hopefully picking up a V160-T today.  I have a job for it today too.Electrical specs for the V160-T and -S are identical.  The -t has all the tig functions I don't need.  The -S has arc force which is something I wanted.  I am buying this machine from my LWS instead of off the internet.  I AM paying more.  The V160-S is discontinued and replaced by the V155-s which has a MUCH lower duty cycle.I Looked at the specs of both machines.  The one that stands out to me is the lincoln has 100% duty cycle at 130 amps.  35% @ 160 amps.  The miller doesn't come close to that.   I run 1/8" 7018 at 140 amps or so.  It should do it all day.  If everything goes right, you will see pics tonight.I really wanted the V160-S, but.......I have a V350.I wouldn't even attempt to run 1/8"  rod on 110v.DavidEdit:  I have an arcmaster 185 and it doesn't run 7018 very well.  Arc force is not adjustable and is too much for my style of welding.  I have DRY 7018 H4MR or whatever those letters are.  Anxious to try it out.  The V160-T is for portable tig welding stainless in kitchens and stick welding in the field.  That is why I wanted the 110/220 option.  I don't go over 75 amps in kitchens.  I also bought a WP9 and WP9P (pencil tip) torch for it.  Just need a fingertip remote.  I already have the foot pedal.Last edited by David R; 05-02-2008 at 09:00 AM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Dave,I recently ran some Lincoln 1/8" 7018 Excalibur rod with my Maxstar, and I think you shouldn't have any problems running it with the V160-T.  Just plug it into 220V and don't expect to run it as fast as you can get the rods into the stinger.7018 H4MR  - H4 means it's low hydrogen and the 4 is an upper limit on the hydrogen content(4ml/100g) of new or properly stored rod.  M is for Military spec, which limits the initial hydrogen content and the amount of moisture pickup after a certain amount of time out of the can.  R is another less strict standard for moisture pickup.Basicly it's top of the line 7018 rod.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:David R- I have a ta185, dont seem to have too much trouble with 3/32  7018havenet tried 1/8"  .   What problems are you finding? Aslo when you say there is no adjustment on arc force- i quess you're not talking about the hot start feature. what is arc force adjustment?
Reply:Arc force is often called 'dig' or 'arc control' on other machines.   It does for stick welding what the 'inductance' control does for mig welding, allows you to vary the arc from soft to stiff with the same current setting.I didn't like my TA185 on stick all that much.  I prefer to use the PowCon, the Dialarc or the Bobcat for stick.  The TA tigs very nice though .I don't know much about it but I wouldnt think a Maxstar 150 would be a great choice for thick pipe, seems kinda small for that.  I would think a Maxstar 200 or XMT 304 would be better, but what do I know about that?MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadDavid R- I have a ta185, dont seem to have too much trouble with 3/32  7018havenet tried 1/8"  .   What problems are you finding? Aslo when you say there is no adjustment on arc force- i quess you're not talking about the hot start feature. what is arc force adjustment?
Reply:thanks for all the replies guys! I was a firewatch the other day for another welder welding up some 3" pipe with a maxstar 150 in a tunnel under the street. I much prefer the arc from our diesel Millers but this machine is just for me to practice and get my 21 pipe cert for a big raise. We were using Lincoln Excaliber rod, both 6010 and 7018 FWIW. I had a journeyman get a little smart alecky with me about an apprentice welding until I asked him to compare his weld to mine. The guy I'm apprenticed to laughed so hard, he left arc marks 2 ft across the pipe LOL
Reply:Is the Dynasty 200 any better than the Maxstar 150 on stick mode?