MillerMatic 175 wire feed speed tracking ?

[jstandle]

Just picked up a bran-spankin new MM175 today. After cruising around seeing what the best was between the HH, Lincoln and MM it was all pretty much a coin toss. My local Norco had this one for sale for $723 so I got it.

I haven't set it up yet but was searching for more information tonight since I'm still a beginner welder. I've done a bit of it but have no formal training and have never welded anything I'd consider critical.

Anyway, I noticed there is a lot of people that don't like the wire feed speed tracking thats built into the MM175 and supposedly can be tough for a beginner.

Have any of you guys started out with this unit and found this to be an extra hurdle when learning to weld?

Also I need to go buy some solid .030 wire tomorrow. Figured I'd pick some up at Home Depot which if I remember right sales Lincoln wire, does that matter so long as it's the solid?

Thanks,
Jordan

[Twisted Minis]

The brand of wire will not matter.

Personally I like the dials the Miller comes with. They're infinitely adjustable, and I like being able to fine tune it. I can see it maybe being a little more difficult to learn on, but its a great machine to learn on. I learned on an old beat welder that didnt work well at all, and I think it made me a better welder having to work with something difficult. Picking up the Miller was easy.

[TiMe_1]

I learned on the same welder and still use it today. You will love that welder.

[CPOM]

Practice a lot and don't be afraid to use other settings for wirespeed than what is suggested on the label. Wirespeed settings are more of a personal thing than a cut and dry number for a certain application.