Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey guys i am looking to buy a welder and im torn between these two. I am a beginer and this will be my first machine so im having a hard time deciding . I have seen reveiws on both of these but they are a couple of years old. Now that the newer version of the miller 211 has been out a little while , and i think the multi purpose lincoln is fairly new as well, i would like some updated opinions please. I will be running the machine from home for projects and to work on some heavy equipment i have for work. I really like the miller because its seems to have a great reputation and i can by it on sale right now for $1130.00 with helmet and gloves. The lincoln on the other hand is about $1375 w/tax at local weld supply, and no helmet and gloves. the lincoln accels in the fact that it can do mig, tig, and stick, so that is great versitility. both are dual voltage input. i want to buy a good machine that will last me a long time other wise i would go buy one from harbor freight. is the lincoln worth the extra money for versatility? or should i go for that miller on sale thats screamin my name. thanks for any honest advice!

I know nothing about the Miller but bought a factory refurbished 210 MP from WeldingMart in Appleton Wi last fall for right at $1200 with free shipping and no tax direct from Lincoln in Cleveland. I bought a Square Wave Tig 200 at the same time. When I got them everything looked brand new. No scratches on the plug blades even? They came with the regular factory warranty and the extended warranty is available on them which the WeldingMart sales person said wasn't available on refurbished machines
when I bought them - but I called Lincoln and they said it was.

I welded with a cheap Sears cracker box for probably thirty years before I got these, and a cheap Sears mig for about twenty, and boy what a difference the 210 MP is compared to those old Sears machines. I'm just now trying to teach myself Tig, by lurking on here and watching Jody's videos, so can't say much about the SW200.

A better comparison to the Lincoln would be Miller MultiMatic 215. The 211 is a MIG box, the Multi315 is a TIG, MIG, Stick, Flux Core and Spool Gun capable unit. It’s priced very comparably to the Lincoln and is also multi voltage. And portable at under 30#.

Either of these would be excellent choices for a new welder, and provide outstanding range of processes for whatever comes at you. You can reduce your upfront costs by purchasing aftermarket TIG cables, torches and pedals rather than “brand” units. I do t believe either unit offers HF TIG start, but both should be Lift Arc. Can’t go wrong with either.

A better comparison to the Lincoln would be Miller MultiMatic 215. The 211 is a MIG box, the Multi 215 is a TIG, MIG, Stick, Flux Core and Spool Gun capable unit. It’s priced very comparably to the Lincoln and is also multi voltage. And portable at under 30#.

Either of these would be excellent choices for a new welder, and provide outstanding range of processes for whatever comes at you. You can reduce your upfront costs by purchasing aftermarket TIG cables, torches and pedals rather than “brand” units. I do t believe either unit offers HF TIG start, but both should be Lift Arc. Can’t go wrong with either.

Well I went to my local Welding Supply today and spent about an hour with the owner. I explain to him what I am looking to do and he advised me that the Lincoln 210 MP would be the machine that best fit my needs .I really like the versatility of the machine even though the tig probably isn't that great, at least I will still be able to Mig and stick. Do you guys have any recommendations on which helmet to buy? They are trying to sell me a viking $250 helmet but don't know if it's better to skimp on the helmet and by other accessories or not. Any other accessories you guys would recommend to get started with this unit? Was thinking of getting a foldable table and a 125 CF tank. Is there better aftermarket options that I should be looking at? Thanks for any help

The welding hood/helmet is an important tool not to be taken lightly, after all it protects your eyes and allows you to see what's going on, that IS what is all about...right?

After researching the heck out of them I bought an Optrel e684. There are apparently several really good ones and it ranks right up there with the best of them according to most comments you will read.

Put your money on a good helmet. You'll be glad you did. Lincoln makes a good helmet.

LtBadd wrote:The welding hood/helmet is an important tool not to be taken lightly, after all it protects your eyes and allows you to see what's going on, that IS what is all about...right?

OP heed Richard's advice here. I have a friend that has a HF auto darkening helmet, he says it's every bit as good as a Lincoln or Miller, but I don't agree. You only get one set of eyes and the chances of being flashed are much higher with a low end HF helmet. This is especially true for low amp tig welding.

Unfortunately even the high end helmets are made in China these days, and that is true for Lincoln. But when you get a better quality helmet at least they do testing and publish the results.

I ended up with a Miller Digital Elite helmet, for me the fit and weight was better for me than the Lincoln.

Alan

Thank you guys for all the great advice! Harbor Freight also sells Vulcan hoods for about $140 which is a name brand aside from Harbor Freight. But like you guys were saying you only get one set of eyes so I think I will spring for a decent Hood. Any other accessories that you guys would recommend? I will only be doing Mig and stick to begin with

444e wrote:Thank you guys for all the great advice! Harbor Freight also sells Vulcan hoods for about $140 which is a name brand aside from Harbor Freight. But like you guys were saying you only get one set of eyes so I think I will spring for a decent Hood. Any other accessories that you guys would recommend? I will only be doing Mig and stick to begin with

Well how much money can you spend.. One tool I've found useful for MIG is, welding or MIG pliers like THIS, HF even has their brand, you can find these around at different price points

444e wrote:Any other accessories that you guys would recommend? I will only be doing Mig and stick to begin with

Good quality leather apron. You can get a decent one for about $30, long enough to cover the thighs if possible.

I would also recommend some type of sleeve protection, a hybrid jacket with leather sleeves can be had for about $40-$50.

If you have a hybrid jacket with leather sleeves, you can use the apron to protect your torso/legs so if you find yourself doing overhead stick or welding underneath a vehicle you will be somewhat protected.

Of course a good pair of gloves is a given, and a bandanna or thin hat to wear under your helmet to protect the top of your head. There's sure to be people on this forum that weld in their t-shirts with only a pair of welding goggles, I just don't see any sense in that. To me it's kind of like wearing your seat belt when you drive, the one time you really need it you will be thankful. The first time you burn a pair of gloves you will be thankful you had them on.

And not a safety device, but get as many clamps as you can afford.

Alan

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Just when i thought i made my mind up on the lincoln 210 i came across the esab emp215. Seen a lot of good reviews on the esab and it comes with tig torch. my local welding supply is a dealer for lincoln and they service them so that is a huge plus,, but i have seen alot of mixed reviews on the red box. Is esab a better machine?? i think it is slightly more robust as you guys call it, but no dealer close to me. You guys have been awesome so far, please lead me in the right direction and thanks for helping out a newb!! oh yea the esab is about 200-300 more than red

Don't know if you've bought yet but I would recommend more research re the esab machine. Mebby register on weldingweb and read down the esab dedicated section. There are far more problems with the esab stuff than with the red stuff from what I've read and their customer support can be more iffy.

http://weldingweb.com/forumdisplay.php? ... ored-Forum