I have a snap on ya 212 mig welder and in the last 10 years I have had it I only have had to replace the liner and am on my 3rd liner otherwise its just normal consumables
I have used a varity of other welders and this one works just as good as any of the other name brands

 

I have a snap on ya 212 mig welder and in the last 10 years I have had it I only have had to replace the liner and am on my 3rd liner otherwise its just normal consumables
I have used a varity of other welders and this one works just as good as any of the other name brands

About the only thing most people complain about Snap-on is the price. I'm too cheap to buy any of their stuff myself, but from the welders and plasma's of theirs I've used, they all worked great. It's just pricey. My neighbor used to be a Snap-on dealer, and he still uses all their tools even though the screwed him.

As for the used welder, check it out good before you buy. Was it used daily and beat on? Any welder above 200 amp is going to be one hell of a welder for a single person. I'm going to be ordering a Miller 210 with spoolgun in addition to my 135 next.

 

I heard Snap on welders are made by Century. I had a friend that tried on in his shop (bought it from snap on truck) and he said it was the biggest POS welder and sent it back to Snap on. I'd stick with Miller or Lincoln.

 

Some of the Snap-On welders were made by Century and they were pos. I don't know if Snap-On still sells any of them. I know some of the newer ones were made by CK Systematics and are good quality units.

Gus

 

I just bought Snap-on MM250SL welder and I love it. Now Ihave heard that the older ones are POS, but the new ones are the ticket. The have a 100% duty cycle unlike any others. And this model has a remote suitcase that has a 20' extension. It really welds like a dream. And hell you can get one off the truck for 28$ a week.

 

the welders that snap on had that was pos was there blue points

 

welder

I bought the Miller 251, it is sweet. Been using it for the last 2 years to build my 1 ton scout80. It's easy to use and can be hooked up with spool gun later. I have been using 75/25 mix with .035 wire and it rocks.
You should definitly buy a bottle for the gas mix, instead of renting a bottle.

 

I have a YA212 and the MM140. They both are made by CK Systematics. I called the factory and they were happy to send me photocopys of the original manuals. My YA212 is probalby close to 15 years old and works great. No problems at all. They are expensive new.

 

One thing to remember is that Miller, Lincoln, and Hobart are the big 3 of the welding industry. Go to any professional fabrication shop and chances are you will see one or all of those makes in that shop. While Snap-on makes great hand tools, you are paying for the name on some of their items. I think that the welders are one of those items. Most of the welders that snap-on sells are to shops that specialize in other industries (general automotive etc..). I was a professional full time shipyard iron worker and a industrial truck body fabricator for several years and all I ever used was Lincoln or Miller. I also think that if you need service or parts, it is a lot easier to find a shop to repair or obtain parts for one of the more common welders. Of course this is just my two cents which after taxes is worth less than a penny.

 

I would go with a Lincoln or Miller welder. I have a Lincoln Power Mig 255 and a Lincoln Precision Tig 275 welder, and have never had trouble with them. I buy Snap-On hand tools, and love them. But a hand tool company does not need to make welders, I have heard their newer welders are good. But I would go with Lincoln or Miller because parts are way easier to get.

 

Like said above, go with one of the big 3, don't get wrapped up in the name. I personally can't afford Snap-On stuff, new or used. If they had problems in the past then why take the chance that they worked out the kinks. I have a century welder, but it's a portable, kind of like a portable car charger but with a mig stick on it. It works, but it's for emergency trail use only, not sure I'd want it as my only welder, I use a Miller for that. The other downside is that if the snap on goes south places might charge you more to fix it, they might not have the parts in house like the big 3.

 

snap on welders are alright, but not worth paying 2x the pirce as the licoln or miller.
the larger millers are sweet. i was using a freinds miller 235 the otherday at his new shop. digital readouts and everything. sweet unit.

 

Go with the Big three, I know in the shop at school, we run, aside from a few smaller (130 172) Millers, We are running 4 Millermatic 250x's. The students (ab)use them frequently, and they still work great after about 5 years of service.