I'm going to buy my first Mig welder. I have used various ones occasionally at my job for 30 yrs. I have an old stick machine. I am down to these two which are literally within $30 of each other. I am starting a vehicle restore which will require work on thin stuff and basically do the usual mechanic tinkerer repairs. Miller guy says his blue one is more durable and sells both. Lincoln guy says his red one has better product support after sale and sells both and is the authorized warranty center for both. This is the classic Ford vs Chevy/JD vs IH/ Mobil vs Rotella type question, so please keep it civil. thank you
- Thread starter redtom
- Start date
Lumbersawyer
Member
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MN
Great, I bought a Miller 211 years ago before the 215 came out. Wish I had the 215.
I bought a spool gun for aluminum at the same time. It works great for aluminum when needed.
This post was edited by Lumbersawyer on 05/06/2022 at 07:42 pm.
I bought a spool gun for aluminum at the same time. It works great for aluminum when needed.
This post was edited by Lumbersawyer on 05/06/2022 at 07:42 pm.
caterpillar guy
Well-known Member
I assume they both are good for around 200 amp output I've had a miller trailblazer portable welder for about 20 + years now with just regular maintenance oil filters and battery. Had a neighbor that had a few miller welders around mostly so he didn't have to set each one up for just those jobs like one for aluminum and one for steel or tig work.Then the old Rod for heavier stuff. He was one of those guys that used them quite a bit and also subscribed to the theory of the most toys wins deal. Great guy if he liked you. Passed away about 25 years ago now.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
My mig was bought at NAPA by a guy that did body work. Don't know the brand, it's 220v.
You don't need a ton of amps for thin metal.
It has a spot weld feature you can adjust how many seconds you want to weld. Also has a bottle of gas, so you don't use flux wire. Gas gives you a cleaner weld, no slag.
I use a stick welder more than mig. You need a mig for body work. Good luck restoring old vehicles. Try to find where you can buy body panels to weld in. Better than making them.
You don't need a ton of amps for thin metal.
It has a spot weld feature you can adjust how many seconds you want to weld. Also has a bottle of gas, so you don't use flux wire. Gas gives you a cleaner weld, no slag.
I use a stick welder more than mig. You need a mig for body work. Good luck restoring old vehicles. Try to find where you can buy body panels to weld in. Better than making them.
Welding man
Well-known Member
- Location
- West Virginia
Ford or Chevrolet. Personally I drive Fords. As far as welders, I own Lincolns, I have had nothing but bad luck out of Millers. Parts are readily available for either, it all depends if you like red or blue.
dr sportster
Well-known Member
Why am I loyal to the blue They have cost me a lot in welder repair money. 100 broken Millers in shop 3 Lincolns
timcasbolt
Well-known Member
elieve it or not this question has been asked and answered on a few welding websites. Just google the title of this thread and you'll find some interesting reading.
RobCons
Well-known Member
- Location
- Central Alabama
Either will serve the purpose you described. I have a Lincoln so I lean that direction. I do hit the thermal overload on it sometimes if I've got it on high and run lots of welds. Like assembling trailer ramps with angle iron for instance.
I went for the Lincoln 210, commercial version, it has worked flawlessly. I have found the guide for heat and wire speed to be very accurate. The setting guide for rod welding seems to be out to lunch... like getting undercut when you shouldn't. If I just set the amps as if I were running an old buzz box then all is well. I can set the mig as high as I wish and never hit overload. Can't say much for Miller except my Dad was turned down for 'no parts availability' for his 40 plus year old unit. It could just be a parts-man lacking diligence. I do think Miller has earned a good name.
Just to clarify I'm talking Lincoln MP210 Multi process and the Miller Multimatic 215. Both dual voltage in, but I would never need the 120V. Almost identical in specs and goodies in the package. There was a time a year and half or so ago before crazy time that the Lincoln had a very favorable price point. But now they are both within $30 of each other. I was leaning Miller, but now may go Lincoln. I feel and think the miller consumables may be a little higher priced...may be a dealer thing, though. The miller dealer is a branch of chain of stores, may be national, with good stores and not so good. The Lincoln dealer is a local shop, the old fashioned kind, with good guys inside, the ash trays on the counter, the dog in the corner...you know. And like I said they are the warranty center for both. He did say the Millers have more PC board issues.
I should have probably added a little more detail about the Lincoln 210 MP and that is the part about them being made in two versions. Some of the big box stores as well as the Lincoln dealers offered the 210 MP quite a bit cheaper if it was intended for home use as opposed to continuous shop use. I really questioned the salesman about the difference so he explained that the main difference being that the computer board is much more rugged in the costlier one. It will withstand against dust, grit, grinding particles etc without failing compared the cheaper one. I wouldn't have needed to buy the better one for my use but I figured this to be the last welder I will buy, I am going for the higher quality. I have no idea if Miller is into making the two quality levels or matching Lincoln in this regard seeing the price difference is so small.
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