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110 or 220v welder questions/options (miller 135 vs 175)

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  1_ton_jimmy 
#1 ·
I just got a little bit of money and I'm going to invest in a welder.

I've searched and searched and right now I'm between the miller 135 and 175. I know the 175 would be the better welder and worth the extra money, my problem is with the 220v. I'm renting right now with no garage and dont where exactly I'll be in 6 months or a year.

I've searched some and found that some people make up adapters to plug into normal 3 and 4 plug dryer outlets, is this safe? For 110v I will need a 50foot extension to run it in my driveway, for 220 though I'd need a 100foot to reach my dryer outlet. If I could make up a 100foot 220v extension (probably 8 guage?) and make up a couple of adapters to go from the normal dryer style to whatever I need then I think the 175 would be more versital then the 135.

The other thing is I already have a big 220v buzz box. Its setting in the corner of my inlaws garage and is too heavy to move around and use a lot. I'm thinking if I got the 135 for most stuff I'd still have this to do thicker stuff with (although I cant think of anything I'd do that is thicker than the 135 can handle).

So is there other safe options for 220v other than having a garage with a hookup right there? (like the dryer extension cord/adapter idea)

And on a side note my local welding shop has the 135 on sale right now and with a cart, regs, tank w/first fill and wire (basically ready to weld) comes to $820, which I seem to think is a good deal. I've tried cyberweld and welders direct, along with a few others. I dont mind spending locally but dont want to miss out on a killer deal somewhere, anyone know of something cheaper?
 
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#2 ·
Couple things...

First off, go 220 if at all possible. IIRC the 175 is only marginally heavier than he 135, so weight is no real consideration. The difference in price is also not substantial IMO. Welding capacity is all important.

A 100Ft 220 extension cord is not going to be cheap. Before deciding, I would do the research and find out what 100Ft of the proper cable and the ends (probly have to builds your own) will cost.

The 175 is rated for 19.5 Amps input, so there's no reason you can't run it from your dryer outlet. You can probly run your buzz box from there as well.

Negotiate with your shop. If they'll sell the 135 at a discount, you might be able to talk them into selling a 175 at the same discount.
 
#3 ·
I just bought a miller 175 from a local shop. I brought in an ebay "buy it now ad" and asked him if he would match the price. He did and the reason behind it was that he know I would be coming back for all the comsumables. ie wire, tips, shielding gas.

He may have taken a hit on the initial buy, but I am shure he will come out on top.

As far as 220 vs 110. Look at the amp draw. I believe the 110 unit requires considerable more amps than the 220 unit to weld the same thickness.

btw, I have been welding off a homemade extension cord (leftover wire from wirering the garage) for years with my arc welder and now my 175. Sooner or later I will hardwire the other wall in the garage.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hmm, you're kinda in a tough situation and I don't have a ton of good suggestions. But sure, running off your dryer outlet is safe, you just don't need the neutral, and don't exceed the capacity of the breaker (most likely 30A)

The extension cords muddy the waters, I mean they're not gonna be cheap or convenient. I ran my Hobart 135 off a 100ft 12ga YellowJacket and performance suffered (as expected)

Sooo.........I think you need to walk away from your lease and find someplace to live more conducive to working on your rig :flipoff2:

And if you use your stick welder I'd look into splitting the distance between an extension cord and your leads.
 
#6 ·
I used a 110V MIG welder and 220V stick welder for years and they served me well (both now for sale, see sig). Depending on what I was doing, I'd work with the MIG or tack things up with the MIG and finish with stick. But after building my shop and installing 220V service and finding a good deal on a used MM250X I upgraded.
 
#7 ·
I have the Millermatic 175 and a Lincoln 225AC. I really appreciate having 220power. I built my 75' 220 extension out of 10-3 cable and put a male 3-prong dryer plug on one end and a welder receptacle on the other; it cost me about $70-$85 for the materials 3 years ago.

As for the 110 mig welders, they can work virtually anywhere and your friends will want you to come over the their homes and fix everything.
 
#8 ·
Well I think I'm looking around the $100 area to get a 100 foot cord. This makes the 135 option cost about $860 and the 175 option about a $1000, my local shop will do deals on both setups. I'm still undecided... I honestly dont see myself using my stick machine much, so I want this one to do it all. But I've been reading a lot of people use the 135 with a little more prep work and it works great.

Acording to the specs the 220 machine pulls less for given thickness so it should actually be better for my situation. (long extension cords) The problem is if I get that I wont have enough money left over for tires :flipoff2:

I'm a begginer welder, I plan on taking a mig class at the local CC this spring. I wonder if I will even notice the difference or need the extra power at this point (only plan on doing lite fab, like spring hangers, shock hoops, bumpers, ect). But at the same time I'm not going to have enough money to replace this soon.
 
#9 ·
rwaters said:
Tires ! We no need no stinkin' tires!

Kidding aside, if you expect to replace your stick welder with a mig unit, then I would suggest that you purchase the 175. You will not regret the power.

Can you wait a while to save up some extra $$$ for the tires?:confused:

Tires will wear out. Yes, these welders will wear out eventually too, but they should last a LONG time when well-cared for.
 
#10 ·
If you're on the fence, don't F*** around- just get the 175. If you get the smaller unit, you'll just have it cranked up all the time and wear it out.

You WILL notice the difference between a nice machine and a crappy one. (not that the 135 is crappy)
 
#12 ·
BogusBlake said:
If you're on the fence, don't F*** around- just get the 175. If you get the smaller unit, you'll just have it cranked up all the time and wear it out.

You WILL notice the difference between a nice machine and a crappy one. (not that the 135 is crappy)
Thanks, and yes I know this is the standard responce, if I had a full garage there would be no question. My main issue was with the fact that I will have to run extensions off of a dryer outlet, but it doesnt seem like it will be a problem so if that is the case then I am going with the 175. I'm buying this in the next day or so... so now I need to figure out where to grab the cord.
 
#14 ·
BrettM said:
no problem with running from a dryer outlet, just make the adapter from parts at Home Depot and get/make a cord as long as you need. Be prepared to spend $100-200 for a good 50-100ft cord.

While HD or Lowe's has everything one needs to build a cord, I would search your local electrical supply store.

If you have too drive far out of your way, then your savings would dimenish. Instead of a chain hardware store, I saved $0.23 a foot by purchasing 10-3 cable at a electrical supply and the plug and receptacle were $1-$3 cheaper too.

If you are really hard up to save money, ask the electrical house's if they have any remenants or returned cable in the gauge and length you need. If you do find some, check every foot for possible damage.
 
#15 ·
Aces'n'8s said:
While HD or Lowe's has everything one needs to build a cord, I would search your local electrical supply store.

If you have too drive far out of your way, then your savings would dimenish. Instead of a chain hardware store, I saved $0.23 a foot by purchasing 10-3 cable at a electrical supply and the plug and receptacle were $1-$3 cheaper too.

If you are really hard up to save money, ask the electrical house's if they have any remenants or returned cable in the gauge and length you need. If you do find some, check every foot for possible damage.
Great thanks for the help. I will call some electrical supply stores today and get some prices. Now I need to figure out how to explain to my wife that the welder will actually be worth it in the long run. I think she is going to kick my ass when she finds out our DD will have to wait even longer for new rubber :D
 
#16 ·
Heh, i was in the same situation as you are... My current house has no 220v plugs, we have a gas washer/dryer... any way i went with the miller dvi welder... but its a big sucker :) anyway i got it from cyberweld.com and a extension cord too. They have free shipping on everything and no tax unless your in NJ... least check it out...
 
#17 ·
rwaters said:
... I think she is going to kick my ass when she finds out our DD will have to wait even longer for new rubber :D

I wouldn't suggest that you jeopardize your, your wife's, or other people's safety by driving on bad tires. I thought, when you mentioned tires, you were referring to a second, off-road, hobby, etc. vehicle.

I would choose vehicle safety over a welder, as hurt appendages do not, usually, function properly.
 
#18 ·
Aces'n'8s said:
I wouldn't suggest that you jeopardize your, your wife's, or other people's safety by driving on bad tires. I thought, when you mentioned tires, you were referring to a second, off-road, hobby, etc. vehicle.

I would choose vehicle safety over a welder, as hurt appendages do not, usually, function properly.
Yes I agree!

But I talked to her this morning and after explaining the situation she actually suggested TO ME that we buy the 175 miller and the tires. SWEET! :grinpimp:
 
#19 ·
rwaters said:
Yes I agree!

But I talked to her this morning and after explaining the situation she actually suggested TO ME that we buy the 175 miller and the tires. SWEET! :grinpimp:

Congratulations on your expected purchase!!!

You better get started on those honey-do's right away!

Also, you might be thinking of some welding projects--ornamental, garden scapes, etc. that you could weld-up for her...women love it when they think its their idea that you bought something...
 
#22 · (Edited)
pbmang said:
ebay has them for 675.75 shipped and there is even one that is 575 but it is missing the grounding clamp and reg (i think)

Thats a pretty good deal, but my local shop gave me this deal:

175 WITH cart and regs $745
055 cylinder $100 (first fill free)
.030 10# wire $30

Tax and everything puts me out the door at $970 ready to weld. I think this is a pretty good deal (cosidering roughly $80 is going to uncle sam :mad3: ). And I want to support my local business so they will be there when I need to buy small parts from them in the future.
 
#23 ·
I built my extension cord from stuff at Home Depot. It ended up that a 30 amp Yellow Jacket extension cord was quite a bit cheaper than off the spool. In the end, the 100ft extension cord cost about $120, if I remember correctly. My welder claims to take 50 amps, and the wire is supposed to be bigger, but I just kept feeling if it got warm the first time I welded with it turned all the way up. I never felt a difference in the temp, and I do dangerous stuff all the time, so why not this too?
 
#24 ·
Dalec said:
I built my extension cord from stuff at Home Depot. It ended up that a 30 amp Yellow Jacket extension cord was quite a bit cheaper than off the spool. In the end, the 100ft extension cord cost about $120, if I remember correctly. My welder claims to take 50 amps, and the wire is supposed to be bigger, but I just kept feeling if it got warm the first time I welded with it turned all the way up. I never felt a difference in the temp, and I do dangerous stuff all the time, so why not this too?
Wow scarry stuff :shaking: :flipoff2:

Just do a search on google for welding with an extension cord or 220 volt cord or anything along those lines and a good number of the results are reports of people getting hurt, getting killed or burning down their house with the wrong sized extension cord. Maybe your setup will work fine but I'd make sure you atleast meet the required amps for the setup.

Anyway back to the topic. Thanks to everyones advice here and from my friends I picked up a miller 175 yesterday along with the setup from my local welding shop posted above. :grinpimp:

I also got a cover to keep it looking purty and I went with the following for a cord. 1-50' 10/3 SO with 50amp welding receptor and 30 amp dryer plug, and 1-20' 10/3 SO with welding plugs on both ends. This way I can use the short one around my friends garage where I'll be doing a lot of welding and hopefully around my garage someday, and for now I can use the long one with the short one to reach inside almost any house (70 feet) to the dryer hookup. I bought this stuff today, about 80 cents a foot for the 10/3 and about $20 each for the receptors and plugs.

Now as soon as I get home I'm finishing up the other extension cord and I'll be welding tonight!
 
#25 ·
I hate to ask this after you just bought all that cable, but is the main panel in your house closer to your work area than the dryer outlets?

It would take you about 30 minutes to install a 220V outlet next to your main panel in a way that would be reverisble at the end of your lease.

Now I would never recommed doing something like this since it would be against electrical code and probabaly dangerous since you are not a qualified electrician, but HINT HINT it's not terribly complicated.
 
#26 ·
10cu good to 97ft @30a/240V @ 3% voltage drop-so your 100ft cord is good to go. the 175 only pulls 20A per previous posts.

sorry dalec-your 100ft cord should be 6cu or 4al. 10cu does not have the ampacity for this circuit-so like the man said-sooner or later you will burn something up. if you could get closer-say to 50ft-then you could go a size smaller in either cu or al. an 8cu stranded cord is not very expensive and coils up nice, 6al is dirt cheap but harder to handle.
 
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