Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi all. New to the forum. We are looking to upgrade the welder in our shop. The shop is a small group of gearhead guys from Kensington Church in the Detroit area. We get donated cars and fix them up for people less fortunate. Just trying to share our gifts with those less fortunate, doing God's will by loving our neighbor.
Anyway, occasionally we do some frame repair. We have a small mig welder but it does not have the HP to do frame repair. (Millermatic 135) I am looking to upgrade our welder and have a budget that I need to stay within. I am looking at a Millermatic 250 or a Lincoln Power Mig 255. Both these machines are obsolete, but I believe parts are still available. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Pro's/Con's between the two machines? Is one better than the other? Trying to make the best decision here. I'm only a hobbyist when it comes to welding so I looking for any advice from people with experience. Thanks

One other item to ask about. Has anyone had any interaction with a "YES Welder". I was looking at the MIG 250-Pro. Seems like a lot of bang for the buck. Its rated at 250 amps max, 220 amps @ 60% duty. I was good with all the specs until I read that the machine claims 13.1KVA and has a maximum amps of 30 at 220 volts. So in my book, 30 amps x 220 VAC = 6600VA or 6.6KVA. How can that power a 13.1 KVA machine??? This machine is multipurpose machine. It does TIG, MIG & Stick. Price is phenomenal. But the numbers just don't add up. Was looking at this for the shop. It should definitely outperform the millermatic 135. Just not sure on parts availability and actual performance. I expect it would not perform as well as a millermatic 250 or the Lincoln Power Mig 255. Any thoughts?

Welcome to the forum! YESWELDER is Chinese garbage. They're more interested in making knock-offs than good products.

Hello MichaelJ,

I'm new to this forum too and have been in welding school for about 6 months. With that said, I've been researching different brands and features to purchase a home welder for myself. Initially, my wife purchased me a multi-process "Chinese" brand welder called "Vevor" and like the admin posted, they are pretty much garbage and run pretty rough. The TIG process was absolutely terrible. I returned it for a full refund. I'm very interested in AC Tig with the HF start feature in a multi-process machine. Like the old saying "You get what you pay for" and I believe welding machines very much follow that motto. Therefore, in my research, I found that the Miller Multimatic 220 multi-processor machine is the best one on the market, very high reviews and many YouTubers use it in their videos. Price wise, it's a Miller and not cheap. When it was first introduced 3 years ago, MSRP was about $3,000. In the last 2 years, there's been about 5-7 price increases and now that same 220 is selling for $4,200. I just purchased one from my local distributor with no discount. This machine will do everything I will every need in my lifetime, but what makes this different than the other 4-in-1's and an important feature is the AC Tig with HF start. I ran the machine for 8 hours over 2 days and it ran sooo smooth! An experienced welder can probably use a lower quality machine just fine. But as a beginner, I truly believe that in order to make the best quality welds, you have to work with the best machine to give you the best chance for success.

You’ve bought a nice box and it should carry you a long way in your career. I have MM200 and have used it relentlessly in freezing cold temps do Flux Core, Dual Shield and Stick on site. In the shop, MIG and Lift Arc Tig work a treat. I’ve got a separate TIG for more precise work (also a Miller). You should be very happy with it.