Need help choosing the right Mig

Rich S · Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:50 am

Ive read about several migs. HTP, Miller, Lincoln, Everlast and some lesser popular Chinese brands. Its all about the details which I know little about.
My plan is to weld carbon steel and aluminum up to 1/4". My passes shouldn't be any longer than 2 feet. With practice, I would like my welds to look as clean as they can. I don't want the machine to be the limiting factor. I don't want hobby grade. I have a Miller Syncrowave 250 for heavy lifting.I have 220 volt power, a mig bottle, regulator and hose. Budget around $1500. Can I get some options above and below $1500? What am I not considering?

Oscar · Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:03 pm

Can't go wrong with the first three. Maybe throw esab into the mix.

As for aluminum, don't forget you would need to buy a spoolgun, for any of those except HTP (depending on the model). Some models will let you do push-feed right from the machine with a dedicated 8ft MIG gun specifically for aluminum.

Louie1961 · Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:48 pm

For $1500 I would go find a clean, used Millermatic 252. If you like your Syncrowave you will fall deeply in love with the MM252. $1500 is possible but sometimes hard to do for one of those. That is exactly what I paid for mine in NJ a couple of years ago. If you are set on buying new, then it would have to be the Hobart Ironman 240 https://store.cyberweld.com/hobart-iron ... 00574.html

Louie1961 · Sat Apr 03, 2021 3:53 pm

Here you go. MM252 with a tank for $1500. https://houston.craigslist.org/tls/d/ho ... 10837.html

Rich S · Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:43 pm

I did a little reading on it. Its a beast! I want to call the owner. How would I test it? Is there a particular thing I should do to run it through its paces? I have a Miller repair shop near by so thats a bonus. Anything I should watch out for?

Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:41 pm

Rich S wrote:.............
My plan is to weld .........aluminum up to 1/4". ........ With practice, I would like my welds to look as clean as they can. I don't want the machine to be the limiting factor. I don't want hobby grade.

look for a pulse machine. it will need to have serious amps. minimum 250 amps for straight, 300-400 amps for pulse.
water cooled mig gun. mig gun will work fine for high amps due to the thicker wire. just change the liner and tips to suit.
its when you weld thin aluminium without pulse is when you need spool gun.

Oscar · Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:58 pm

tweake wrote:its when you weld thin aluminium without pulse is when you need spool gun.

Depending how thin, you can only do so much while still staying in spray transfer. Short-Circuit aluminum MIG is ok, but probably a no-no for structural stuff, as the bead will lay down cold due to aluminum's thermal conductivity.

Sun Apr 04, 2021 1:16 am

tweake wrote: its when you weld thin aluminium without pulse is when you need spool gun.

i stuffed up there.
it should be "its when you weld with thin wires you need a spool gun."

you can use thick wires on thin material with pulse.
with no pulse, thick wires means you can only do thick material.
but as oscar mentions, even with thin wire you can only go down so far.

Louie1961 · Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:00 pm

I did a little reading on it. Its a beast! I want to call the owner. How would I test it? Is there a particular thing I should do to run it through its paces? I have a Miller repair shop near by so that's a bonus. Anything I should watch out for?

Make sure it welds, make sure the displays all work, look for loose or broken knobs and look for overall general condition. If it welds and generally doesn't look abused, it is worth every penny of the $1500

look for a pulse machine. it will need to have serious amps. minimum 250 amps for straight, 300-400 amps for pulse.
water cooled mig gun. mig gun will work fine for high amps due to the thicker wire. just change the liner and tips to suit.
its when you weld thin aluminum without pulse is when you need spool gun.

There's no way he is getting that for a $1500 budget. The MM252 with the recommended 15a or 30a spool gun will weld from 14 gauge aluminum up to 3/8ths, no problem

G-ManBart · Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:00 pm

A clean looking MM252 wouldn't last a day around here at $1,500 so I wouldn't hesitate for a second to contact the seller. I'd bet a paycheck it sold and they never took down the ad.

Rich S · Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:15 pm

I found 3 of them for 1500 and the one in Houston sold. I found one near Dallas. It sold within a few hours of being listed. The last one I found must of sold and the guy didn't take the post down because he didn't respond. I've got better luck finding hen's teeth!
What other welders should I look at? I'm calling the Miller repair shop to see if they have something.
I'm just future planning with 1/4" aluminum. I need 1/4" mild steel and in reality, I would probably be welding on 1/8" aluminum or thinner.

Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:29 pm

Louie1961 wrote: There's no way he is getting that for a $1500 budget. The MM252 with the recommended 15a or 30a spool gun will weld from 14 gauge aluminum up to 3/8ths, no problem

i have no idea on your guys prices, wrong side of the world for that !

welding aluminium cleanly really needs a pulse machine. (not saying it can't done without)
so expectations or price needs to change.

for me, locally i can get brand new basic pulse (like no settings basic) 250 amp machine for that in USD. but its not a commercial grade machine. 2-3x that price to get a new fully featured commercial machine.

Louie1961 · Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:42 pm

Rich S wrote:What other welders should I look at? I'm calling the Miller repair shop to see if they have something.
I'm just future planning with 1/4" aluminum. I need 1/4" mild steel and in reality, I would probably be welding on 1/8" aluminum or thinner.

Hobart Ironman 230, hobart Ironman 240 ( you can buy either of these new within your budget...the 230 was recently discontinued, but some places may still have them). Lincoln Power mig 255 or 256, millermattic 251 (but not the 250)

G-ManBart · Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:29 am

Rich S wrote:I found 3 of them for 1500 and the one in Houston sold. I found one near Dallas. It sold within a few hours of being listed. The last one I found must of sold and the guy didn't take the post down because he didn't respond. I've got better luck finding hen's teeth!
What other welders should I look at? I'm calling the Miller repair shop to see if they have something.
I'm just future planning with 1/4" aluminum. I need 1/4" mild steel and in reality, I would probably be welding on 1/8" aluminum or thinner.

That's kind of what I was getting at....a clean MM252 will be gone in no time at $1,500 and it's not even hard to sell one for $2K.

Louie listed most of the models to keep an eye out for. I would definitely add the Lincoln PowerMIG 255C and 255XT.

Honestly, the Millermatic 250X isn't a bad machine...they have a bad reputation because the arc has a bit of bite to it on starting, but that's mostly just an issue with thin stuff like sheetmetal (it wouldn't be a factor welding aluminum with a spool gun). I've had a couple of them and don't see what all the fuss is about for general welding.