School me on welders... 135amp 120v vs. 175amp 220v......

[Krylon..]

Hello all..


Ok a little history on what i have now. I bought a Lincoln Pro Mig 135 wire feed welder a few years ago. It has been a very good welder to me and I love it. Haven't run anything but .035 flux core through it.... According to the Lincoln site I can weld up to 3/16" in a single pass(flux) and up to 5/16" multi-pass. And single pass Mig to 3/16"....
LINK (http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e7325.pdf)

I've been thinking about purchasing a 220v welder in the future(maybe by summer if all goes well). Since I really like my other Lincoln, I've been thinking about going with the Pro Mig 175.. It can definately weld thicker material using flux core. Up to 1/4" single pass flux or 5/16" multi-pass with .035 or up to 1/2" mulitpass with .045 NR-212 flux core.
LINK (http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e7330.pdf)


What gets me is if you compare the two using the Mig process, they weld the same. Up to 3/16" single pass using .035 flux... Only reason I would step up to a different/larger welder is to weld thicker material with gas for a cleaner weld...

So judging by what I wrote here, is the 175 a waste of money? Should I just stick with the 120v 135? Or step up int he future. They always say bigger is better, but according to the fact sheest it doesn't look that way... Is the extra 40 amp and the 220v juice of the 175 worth it?



Just looking for opinions.. I know some will say go Miller or go with a model sold by a welder supply store for more $$. But comparing the retail version to the wholesale version, I dont see any difference in performance(judging by the thickness charts)... Only difference I can see is more adjustability.... And so far with my Pro Mig 135, I've been happy...


Thanks!

[PAToyota]

Well, there is the issue of the size of the welding wire... You are going to get to the point with any wire-feed welder where you just aren't putting enough metal into the joint to do it in a single pass.

The main reason I went from 110V to 220V was duty cycle. I upgraded to a used MM250X and whereas I would have to stop and wait with my old 110V while it cooled back down, I pretty much have 100% duty cycle for most of my welding now. Only when I'm welding really heavy stuff do I have to even think about duty cycle. Moderately heavy and I end up having to stop before the machine does.

[edit]Notice that you are going from 90amps at 20% duty cycle to 130amps at 30% duty cycle - which means that at 90amps you are probably looking at 40~50% duty cycle. One thing I do like about Miller is that they seem to have more product information on their site.

[Krylon..]

Well, there is the issue of the size of the welding wire... You are going to get to the point with any wire-feed welder where you just aren't putting enough metal into the joint to do it in a single pass.

The main reason I went from 110V to 220V was duty cycle. I upgraded to a used MM250X and whereas I would have to stop and wait with my old 110V while it cooled back down, I pretty much have 100% duty cycle for most of my welding now. Only when I'm welding really heavy stuff do I have to even think about duty cycle. Moderately heavy and I end up having to stop before the machine does.

[edit]Notice that you are going from 90amps at 20% duty cycle to 130amps at 30% duty cycle - which means that at 90amps you are probably looking at 40~50% duty cycle. One thing I do like about Miller is that they seem to have more product information on their site.


I like my 135, it has been a good welder to me. Have hit the duty cycle a few times when welding on the highest heat setting and welding a long strip a few times...

I probably wouldn't see more than 1/4" stuff on a normal basis... Just though since I would be jumping up to 220v and 40 more amps, that I could weld thicker or at least up to 1/4" on a single pass. They dont list running .045 solid wire though or even multi-pass for gas though....

My main use would be for welding 1/8" stuf together like cages, frame rails, etc... Want to use gas for a cleaner weld and would liek to do single pass. Hmmm.....

[PAToyota]

Just looked at the Lincoln website quickly. I'd download the manual for the 175, though, and take a closer look at the specs.

[69CJ]

Man, you must REALLY like looking at that website....:flipoff2:

[pmurf1]

IMO, if you're gonna step up to a 220 machine, go bigger than a 175 amp or so. I have a Miller 135 that I've fabbed up everything with, same as you. .035 flux core is my choice, but when I step up I'm getting a Miller 210 with a alum spoolgun. The difference is night and day. I've used a 175 a few times and wasn't that impressed with it. The 210 makes you go whoa! I can't imagine what a 250 amper or so would do to me, probably make me giddy like a school girl. I plan on keeping my 135 with the 210 since it's handy to take places if I need to weld something and still works great after 5 years and hundreds of pounds of wire through it.

[Krylon..]

I plan on keeping my 135 with the 210 since it's handy to take places if I need to weld something and still works great after 5 years and hundreds of pounds of wire through it.


Yes, I'd like to keep my 135(120v) for away from home repairs... Thoguht about the 210 or 255. Maybe I'll just start saving. :D I think it was the 255 that lists being able to multipass 1/2" material on gas. But the 210 and 175 dont list that as an option in the .pdf manual.

[StinkBug]

I used a hobart 135 for years with no complaints. It was a really good welder and did what I needed it to do. But when I stepped up to a real welder i was amazed at the difference. It just burns everything together with little effort, much more controllable whether your doin sheet metal or 3/8" plate, and the welds are beautiful. I didn't go with a lincoln, hobart, or miller. I got the HTP MIG 200 and I'm extremely happy with it. Also got the flexible swan neck and extra long leads. I dont know what the price difference between that and a lincoln but it'd be worth looking at. Aweome service too BTW.

Dallas

[Krylon..]

I used a hobart 135 for years with no complaints. It was a really good welder and did what I needed it to do. But when I stepped up to a real welder i was amazed at the difference. It just burns everything together with little effort, much more controllable whether your doin sheet metal or 3/8" plate, and the welds are beautiful. I didn't go with a lincoln, hobart, or miller. I got the HTP MIG 200 and I'm extremely happy with it. Also got the flexible swan neck and extra long leads. I dont know what the price difference between that and a lincoln but it'd be worth looking at. Aweome service too BTW.

Dallas


Dallas, I see on their site that it's rated at 3/8" max thickness. Have you weleded thicker using multipass?

[85 Chevota]

I used to have a Lincoln SP100. When it got stolen, I got a Lincoln SP170. Night and day difference, of course. If I ever had to do it again, I'd go straight to a 255 Mig, and skip over Migs in the sub 200 amp range. Of course, there have only been a handful of times when my 170 couldn't do what I wanted it to. I use a 255 amp AC/DC stick machine for the heavier stuff.