Best Spoolgun for the money

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Hey guys, Been running into a few aluminum jobs lately, and before I turn them down I wanted to know the best route to go. I can either get a High freq box for my TB, or just get a spoolgun. Ive ran the spoolguns before, and I always viewed them as a subpar welding process, but I ran one of the Miller 30a's last week off my works Bobcat and it kicked ***, I kinda want one!which is a good/reputable brand that wont cost me and arm or a leg? or both? Ive had an eye on craigslist, and for anyone that uses that site and doesn't know about http://www.searchtempest.com/ you need to get on that!!Obv the Miller 30a's are the Bee's Knees, but if anyone has any other experiences with spool guns let me know!Miller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:There's 2 spool guns the 30a and all the rest. The HTP from what I have heard is junk. You get what you pay for.
Reply:I feel yah, I've been eyeballing the 30a, and the controller I need for my TB, kinda pricy, but I suppose I'll need it one day or anotherMiller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:I have a "Ready Welder" brand and it works very well. I've had it attached to several mig machines through the years and it's never failed to work quite well. I'm thinking it was about $450 when it was purchased.http://readywelder.com/SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:I could always rock one of the spoolmate/matics 100's for my 211, but I would like the capability to run some heavy duty aluminum jobs should they ever come.At work, everything I do with aluminum is Tig, but until I have my own garage/shop and can plop down coin for a Dynasty, or Syncro/aerowave Ill have to make do with what i can run off my TB, for relatively little coin, I saw an eastwood spoolgun for $65 bucks, Its not anything great, but I assume it would get the job done for a little while while i save my pennies for a newer 30a/ HF boxanyone ever seen an eastwood? I guess it goes with their 175 Mig welder, I have never even heard of this company, but even if I had to chop this spoolgun into oblivion to make it work and it only lasted me one job, it would have paid for itself a few times over.Miller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749You can always run a Spoolmatic 1 off your Spoolmate, unless,you already have one and don't like it.
Reply:http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/tls/4817550715.htmlgotta say, pretty strange picture for a craigslist ad, but what do you guys think, good deal? I dont think the kid is included...or the 350pMiller Spoolmate 200 w/t S-52 WirefeederMM 211'09 Miller Trailblazer 302
Reply:At least you can test it before you buy and it can't hurt to make him an offer after you try it.i've got a Miller 3035 and It's ok but I would not recommend for heavy work.
Reply:Originally Posted by RoadhunterAt least you can test it before you buy and it can't hurt to make him an offer after you try it.i've got a Miller 3035 and It's ok but I would not recommend for heavy work.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ian Duffinhaha i dont know if you noticed the location of myself in relation to the location of the ad...this would be a buy and ship deal, unfortunately, but there are ways of protecting yourself from duds correct? I believe Paypal offers an insurance of some sort
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawMaybe you can get joker11 or Kevin caron out another member in the Phoenix area to check it out for you.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749I sold this one prolly eight, nine years ago.Nice machines
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Hahaha. Most girl friends don't get it, unfortunately You will likely not find a faceplate for it. If you did, they would want a fortune for it. I have a local decal shop make replacement decals that adhere to the old face after I sand it down and repaint it. Pay right about $100 for a setup charge and maybe $20/ per decal. That's with a second matte laminate on it too. Very durable and you cannot tell it from the original. I have all the holes done oversize so when the switches, etc are attached, they don't come in contact with the vinyl. If you wanted to get it done in the future, you could remove it, send it to me and I could get it done for you. As long as most of the lettering is there, he can do it. Even a picture is enough. He's a genius with that kind of stuff.I send all my sheetmetal to a powder coater now, I don't paint much of anything anymore. They have a blue that's very close to new Miller blue. It's not correct to older models, but for the cost and quality, it's a much better way to go.I've come a long ways since that machine. I wouldn't mind finding another one to rebuild.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749They're super nice welding machines. Like I said, damn near the same thing as a MM 200. Arc is the same. Nice and soft, and very controllable for a tapped setting machine.I want one of those, and another SCP 200C to rebuild one day.I invision stainless side covers, custom 90's era decals (black bar with writing inside. Why? Because I like them the best ) and silver writing on a black matte faceplate. I love old Miller machines
Reply:Originally Posted by Roadhunteri've got a Miller 3035 and It's ok but I would not recommend for heavy work.
Reply:A Spoolmatic 3 would hook right up to the TB as it comes with the 14 pin plug on it. The old ones like I have are kind of cumberson though.
Reply:FIND A 30A IF POSSIBLE TO KEEP IT MOBILE ON YOUR TB. I SEARCHED HI AND LOW FOR MINE AND FOUND ONE FOR A GREAT PRICE AND THEN THE WC24 CONTROL FOR AN EVEN BETTER DEAL ON EPAY. I ALSO FOUND A WAY TO MAKE A 14 PIN HOOK UP TO MY MM250 ON THIS SITE. KEEP LOOKING I FOUND MINE AT A GARAGE SALE. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT.. AWPman
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749No, it's not difficult at all. As a matter of fact, it looks very nice I'm actually having a cover for the dual head 54 I'm working on being made for me by the same guy that did these. It makes them look like a million bux
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWRoadhunter, the Spoolmate 3435 is a heavier duty version of the 3035. There are only a few pieces that are different between the 3035 and 3435, so it's possible to just swap out the parts and "upgrade" a 3035 to the heavier duty model.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Thanks. They both turned out pretty good. I've had stainless sheet metal done for several 50 series feeders. I'll post pix of the new dual head I'm building once it's done.It'll match the Maxtron perfectly
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Yeah, that's the same problem we ran into were the heavy radiused corners on a lot of the stuff we wanted to make panels for. The 50 series feeders are a piece of cake because the lines are straight, and corners are a standard 90 degrees without the fat radius common on a lot of their newer equipment. I have a late 70's Dialarc HF I'm going to have him do stainless side panels for. The top has, I'm guessing a 1" radius on the corners, and he doesn't have any tooling for his press brake that will replicate it. I'm sure I could make some, but for such a limited application, it would be a waste of time and money.The flat stainless side panels with either a blue or black top seems to go together very nicely. The top on a Maxtron has a real heavy radius and a dogleg crimp in the side, which would be extremely difficult to replicate without die dimensions and enough money to custom make it after you figure the math out. I just do a satin black on the top and it looks super.I believe the feeder sheet metal is 18 ga. He used 14 ga on the Maxtron panels. It was tricky putting the U slot in the base of them, I used a new Unibit but you really had to watch the chip, as it wanted to hang on to the tool and leave a round scratch where the hole had to be made. I used plywood to support the material as I drilled it and was real careful putting the big holes in it.I gave him $100 for the materials and his time. He owns a pretty successful shop that mainly does commercial sheetmetal ducting and machinery guards. He gives me almost unlimited access to his shop, so if I need a favor from him, I gladly pay whatever he wants. That and a case of beer every couple visits and a gift card to a great local Italian restaurant once in awhile keeps him happy.I would for sure do stainless on your Spoolmate. Do the front and back panels in black, the rest can be done easily on a standard brake. It would look boss bro.