Re: upgrading mig welder
- From: wmbjk <wmbjkREMOVE@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 23:51:29 GMT
On Fri, 26 May 2006 01:44:41 GMT, "Rafael Ramos"
<ramray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all:
In the past I have been given very good advice regarding equipment purchases
by this group. Now I am looking to upgrade my old Century 160 mig welder to
a better and greater capability welder. I have looked at the Millermatic
251 and the comparable Lincoln 255. They seem to have the digital readout
for voltage and wire speed, and I am wondering if those niceties are really
necessary or are possibly more things to go wrong with the welders, The
lincoln has stitch and spot welding adjustments that I don't know if I ever
will use. The kind of welding I do most of the time is not that exotic or
advanced that I would need all these features. What I am looking for in a
Mig welder as far as features are:
1. Welding capability to 1/2 inch in a single pass
2. Good voltage stability
3. Duty cycle 40% at max amperage
4. Constant wire speed once is tuned in. This is one of the problems with
the Century, the wire speed has become erratic and it is very difficult to
stay in the "bacon frying " zone
5. Reliability of components. I guess most of the name brands are pretty
good. Some of the wire speed mechanisms look to be well made. HTP has four
wheels (geared) pushing the wire out.
6. Good arc stability. The Miller advertises some additional circuitry
that improves the starting arc.
I have not tried any of these welders so I am in the dark.
In conclusion: I would like as simple a welder that have the features
above without bells and whistles that add to the complexity of the machine.
I look forward to your learned comments
Best Regards
Ray Ramos
I have the Lincoln 255 and I really like it. Hobby use, I've run
perhaps 60lbs of .035 solid through it in about 2 years without any
problems. I don't have the experience to say that it's better than
comparable models, but it sure was a big step up from my previous
machine, a Century 155. I don't get much use from the timer option,
but feel it was worth the small extra cost. The wire feeder is
industrial-quality, it feeds well even if the gun lead is near
knotted. The digital readouts are really nice, they allow you to
repeatedly and accurately setup without diddling.
Nitpicks are few. The setting knobs are too sensitive for my taste.
The setting chart is clumsy to get to inside the spool compartment, so
I wrote some custom settings on duct tape on the gun holster. That
holster is crummy IMO. Instead I bolted a post with some hooks to the
front of the machine, which allows the cables to be easily hung up
clear of the floor. http://tinyurl.com/errxz A friend says my
machines look like Saguaros. :-) The solid wheels aren't great if
the floor is cluttered. The main power switch is directly below one of
the timer toggles, so there's a slight tendency to accidentally switch
from 2 step to 4 step.
Wayne
.
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