Al
First off, I d like to ask what is the main material thickness that you intend to weld on. If your thinking about welding a large amount of 3/16" material, I d recommend that you don t buy one of these 120 volt 135 amp machines. Biggest reason is because on average these machines have around a 10% duty cycle at there maximum amperage, which is what 3/16" material will require. Duty cycle is a rating of the percentage of time in a 10 minute time frame that you can weld before the machine needs a rest. Another good reason is max amperage. The recommended amperage range for 3/16 material with a solid wire and shielding gas is between 140 and 160 amp- depending on the joint design being welded. If you down load the MM 135 manual at the Miller website you will see that the parameter chart for welder setting shows settings for 1/8 material with solid wire and shielding gas. They suggest using a self shielded fluxcore wire for 3/16" material. The self shielded wire will give you a weld similar to a stick weld , meaning the weld will be covered by slag.A better machine for 3/16 material that would be similar in price to the MM 135 is a Hobart Handler 175. Advantages are higher duty cycle and higher amperage. The main disadvantage is that it is a 220 volt machine.
Most homes have two 220 volt sources in them, these are the kitchen stove and the clothes dryer. Just yesterday I was running my Millermatic 210 from my stove outlet. Of course , this requires a properly size extension cord. My extension cord contains an in line fuse set up in it so that I can switch fuses to match the manufactures recommended circuit protection. The wire size of the cord is rated to the breaker at the panel.I have it set up this way because I use my MM 210, Hobart Handler 175, CK Systematic 175 (200 amp machine), 250 amp AC/DC stick machine, and Hypertherm powermax 380 plasma cutter off the same circuit and each machine requires a different recommendation for Max amperage of the circuit. In the end though, If 1/8" or thinner is your target then 120 volt machine will be fine. However I think I d save myself about $100 and get a Hobart Handler 135. So you know Miller and Hobart are part of the same corporation.
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