Welder advice

[David G]

I am going to buy a new wire welder, budget is 3K, and would prefer a Miller.

I am looking at either a 252, or the newer 255.

Please give comments if have them.

 

[Jim in rush co]

I have their fore runner the Millermatic 250, think I bought it mid 1990s have had no problems. Mine set up with spool gun options also. Mainly run 33 pound spools .o35 wire and 75-25 mix. When doing a lot of body work, liked .030 better

 

[504]

You may find one, but I believe the 252 has been discontinued. I delivered a new 255 last Tuesday, Next week I will know if they like it. (full time welding shop with three welders)

 

[Bob Harvey]

I think that your budget may support a TIG/ wire feed, combo unit. Look hard. TIG is the best for any welding, unless you need multi pass, thick material welds. HTH

 

[David G]

252 is a Mig welder

 

[charlie n]

We've got a 252 and it's a great machine, but after watching YouTube the 255 is impressive. Good Luck.

 

[JD Seller]

David I have a Miller 251 and 252 welder. They both are great welders. I personally like the 251 better. The main reason is the 251 is not digital. You turn knobs to set the wire speed and heat. The 252 is digital. I have had to replace the circuit board in the 252 once. Cost about $350.

The Miller 251 and 252 have the same welding capacity. You can find 251s for sale use or reconditioned for a good bit less money than the 252s are.

In your shop you may like the Miller 252 better. Your shop is cleaner and I think you maybe welding a wider variety of thicknesses of metals. The digital is easier to set back to were you where if your jumping around.

I am usually welding heavier steel so I do not change the settings very often.

 

[Determined]

Warranty only lasts so long regardless of brand.

When I am looking at purchasing something major I do a search for what the common problems are and price out those parts.

Depending on the item something like a simple board or controller can cost $200 from one company or $1200 from another.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I second the 252, we have been running one in the shop for 6 years now. Excellent machine.

 

[guido]

Hello Bob Harvey,



TIG is the best for any welding? I would have to disagree with your statement,

Guido.

 

[dr sportster]

You have a really good budget for that. Shop around take your time and utilize all the on-line reviews you can . I have a love/hate relationship with my Miller. MIG can be so handy yet so annoying! . I believe mine as a 210 no spool gun but two ports to plug in .

 

[Duane WI]

I am going to go against the flow here. Are you a professional welder? Do you make a living with it? Are you welding 1/2 inch plate all of the time? If you are a home shop welder I don't know why you want to spend $3k on a welder. For a home shop welder you can spend 1/3 of that and have what you need. Spend the other $2k on other tools to have more capability. If you make a living with it then I understand.

 

[moresmoke]

With a mig welder, if you want to be able to weld vertical or overhead by all means spring for the professional unit. The home owner machines have a very fluid weld puddle. Makes it easy to weave a nice bead flat, but will just run down your sleeve if you try to go overhead.

 

[David G]

I appreciate all the information here.

I will buy a 252 if they have one left, if not a 255.

 

[Oliver 500 Wa]

With a mig welder, if you want to be able to weld vertical or overhead by all means spring for the professional unit. The home owner machines have a very fluid weld puddle. Makes it easy to weave a nice bead flat, but will just run down your sleeve if you try to go overhead.

How far down the scale of machines are you talking? I'm using a Hobart 190 and while I have only done a tiny bit of over head it was fine and I've done lots of vertical welding on side walls in chip truck bodies. Does a beautiful job on those.

 

[jon f mn]

Me too.

 

[David G]

I have been using the neighbors Hobart 140, been real disappointed in it.

 

[bmac57]

I've been welding since I was a little toad.....probably 8 or 9, and I started with the age old Lincoln Tombstone buzz box lol.....still a great old stick welder....
I went to a welding tech school back during my high school days and they were running the old Hobart industrial units......ran great even for the miles on them, and they kept on ticking.

Nowadays with the technology and all......mig, tig, etc., and the multiprocess machines, there aren't too many bad machines out there, including the new HF Vulcan & Titanium lines. Yeah, the cheap Chinese stuff isn't worth the hot air, but for the home hobbyist, it'll get the job done I guess.

Miller and Lincoln still hold a good title and are probably the most widely used brands. Miller owns Hobart (not the Hobart of old), and to be honest, other than a few bells & whistles, the Hobart's are a very good bargin pound for pound. I've got the Handler 190, and if set right, it'll do a great job......

Bob