Update on welder search and comparison

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I finally bought a used Miller XMT 304 with an XR feeder and aluma pro style push pull mig gun (it's older than the aluma pro gun). It also came with a 22A wire feeder with a 35' extension cable/hose so I mounted it on a $70 special farm and fleet cart. I found a pretty cheap optima pulse pendant, but haven't had time to try it out. I like the feeder on a cart because it's lighter and easier to move around than the hole welder.  I used tig cable wrap to protect the extension cables to the 22A and zip tied the 2/0 ground cable to the bundle.  Of course I later noticed one of the cable protector companies suggested I could make the cable wrap bigger by zipping 2 covers together.  So, I'll trash some zip ties and put the ground cable in the bundle as well.  It seems like the cables being loose in the protector makes them pretty easy to handle.  If I get to where I'm welding at one spot consistently in my shop I think I'll hang the extra cable from bicycle hooks from the ceiling to keep it off the floor, but still be temporary. Bottom line is this welder is so so so much easier to use than any welder i've had. The longevity I had did a good job when I used the pulse function, but the miller welds great just using normal settings. It could be that 2x the price does buy something.I still think there is lots of overlap in welders from different companies and perhaps the reason serious welders own about 4 with one they use most of the time, but others to do specific jobs and they may both be the same type of welder (ie. both mig welders).    thanks for all the input. Attached Images
Reply:Alright.Tell us how much you paid. Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Sorry, $3500 + $220 shipping.  The XR and PP gun that it came with was the T handle/pistol grip style and I found a decent aluma pro pp gun with a little newer XR control and that was $1000.  I have the xr and gun on ebay right now so I hope to get some of that $ back.  It's a pile of cash and I still have the urge to buy (with someone else's money) a pulsing powcon and feeder and compare at 1/3rd the price.  I've had various forms of welders for 35 years and at this point I thought it was time to get something that would do a better job (or at least make me look good).  I also have a never ending job with some aluminum tankers and while there are plenty of "will work" set ups I really want to have something that does work and my skill level just has to increase until I'm doing a decent job. I'll have $100 in the wire covers when I'm done and I just bought a plastic cake carrier for $15 to cover the wire reel on the 22A.  Here is where I got the idea: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Welding-Wire...item1e8edcf7d7 So far though with minimal adjustment I went from practicing some welds on 1/2" steel to welding the 22A cart together (I think it was 0.049" wall thickness).  It wasn't a back and forth setting then welding.  I think I only burned through once.