Power mig 255? Miller 211

ANDREW W CHESTNUT

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Joined
Mar 9, 2018
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Erwin
So i am in the need of purchasing my first big boy welder. I have a Lincoln pro 140 one of the older models and its done me well, but i need to go bigger.

I see a used power mig 255 for sale for like 900$ with the drive motor just replaced. I know about the 256s and 255c but nothing about the plan 255.

And course miller has the 211 on sale with a rebate for like 1050 right now and of course i know how they operate.

Opinions?
 
I’ve been using a Miller 211 for past few months and honestly Im starting to like it! But I’ve been a Lincoln kinda guy since I started melting metal together but I bought a Vulcan220 lol
 
When my old Lincoln promig 135 from Lowe's died a slow agonizing death, I replaced it with a Miller 211 MVP from machine and welding. It is a bad assed welder for the part time diy'er.

The auto set works pretty good for me, but I have manually dialed it way down for thin sheet metal, and ran it maxed out and welded 1/2” in two passes.

It's damn nice to be able to run a 120 cord out to the trailer to weld something without having get it to the shop for 240, or to take it up to the house for a quick project too but still have it running 240 in the shop.

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About a month ago I got the Lincoln MP210. Mostly b/c it was the $999 deal but I had heard good things. Only ran MIG with solid wire and gas shielded flux but it is a NICE machine. I came off a millermatic 211 and a Hobart before that. I’m not sure if the 211 only comes in the auto set version but I was not a fan. At first it was cool but eventually you want to use your own settings and you really can’t. I’d say between the 211 and the Lincoln mp210 I like the Lincoln a lot better for MIG and then there’s the plus of stick and DC TIG ability.
 
There are a whole ton of reasons not to buy a miller gmaw machine.

The most important one is arc starting and wfs run in.

Miller is terrible at it, and when you fine tune your settings and wire size, it’s a pita to get the weld started or due quality tacks. It’s a programming issue that they don’t want to address on entry machines.

Lincoln is better at it.

The HArbor freight appears to be a direct Lincoln copy. I believe all attachments and extras swap between the two machines.
 
Oh yeah dont get me wrong i LOVE the capabilities of the mp210 its just at 1500 its out of my range currently. I wish they did that 999 sale again otherwise this would be a no brainer. Why when i saw the bigger 255 i thought about it. Granted i know those are about what?..almost 20 years old? 15?
 
I'm not sure your welding needs but at work we have a new Miller 211 and old school Miller 210. The 211 does work good for what it is and the portability is a nice feature as stated above however I continue to use the big boy 210 since it can keep up with my speed a whole lot easier than the little 211. The 211 mind you comes with a really crappy lead that does not have interchangeable tips and the lead is very stiff cable and very short. If you like the portability aspect than base your decision on that (as I did myself for my own welder) but if it's mostly for a shop, you just can't go wrong with older heavier capacitor powered big boys. This inverter powered stuff is cool, lightweight and works but I do see a big difference between the 2 for burn power. just my little 2cents, $1000 for a welder that comes with a junk 6ft lead gets a real pain in the butt when you start using it so much and trying to reach everywhere in different positions always having to move it to reach lol
 
Yeah currently portability is key right now, I have welded with both, and really prefer the old capacitor style boxes than anything, just seem to be more durable and consistent.
 
ANDREW W CHESTNUT said:
Yeah currently portability is key right now, I have welded with both, and really prefer the old capacitor style boxes than anything, just seem to be more durable and consistent.
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Klutch 140 at northern tool is amazing welder. I had Lincoln 140 for 8yrs and this klutch welds just as smooth with 10% higher duty cycle. $482 with 4yr warranty
 
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I personally havent used them before but i have kinda heard mixed things about them. and i found a mp210 for like 1200, the vulcan being that much cheaper really worth it?


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The Vulcan is a direct copy of the Lincoln.

I haven’t personally welded with the Vulcan but for the price, and a 1 yr no questions asked return policy, it’s worth a shot.

I sold a transformer built miller 212 to upgrade to the Lincoln mp210. I paid $1340 otd tax and all for the Lincoln.

Accessories swap between the two machines.
 
accessories swap between the miller and 210? or the vulcan to the lincoln.


Mac5005 said:
The Vulcan is a direct copy of the Lincoln.

I haven’t personally welded with the Vulcan but for the price, and a 1 yr no questions asked return policy, it’s worth a shot.

I sold a transformer built miller 212 to upgrade to the Lincoln mp210. I paid $1340 otd tax and all for the Lincoln.

Accessories swap between the two machines.
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