Miller 330a/bp tig or Lincoln power mig 215

Hey guys, well it seems I want to do be able to do some of my own frame work and my lincoln 140 is not going to cut it. I want to be safe and make sure I do this right.

I have a guy in town that has both a miller 330a BP tig or a lincoln power mig 215 for sale.

The tig has everything from the cooler to the remote switch

The lincoln power mig is complete as well

I can do both Tig and mig, so this is not a concern of mine.

My question is, what one is would be best for frame work and other work on the rod. They are both about the same price so it doesn't matter about the price. If you had a choice what would you buy... or not buy?

Thanks for the help and insight

Take the Lincoln in this case and I will explain my thoughts on why. It's not that there is anything exceptional about the MIG unit, but I believe there are some drawbacks to the Miller. First is the sheer physical size. I don't know what type of size constraints you have in your garage/shop, but it always seems that space is at a premium for me. Also, how hard will it be to find replacement parts for something of that age?

With that said, the Lincoln is a good solid unit that would offer many years of service. Much easier to do body work with a MIG setup as well.

Buy the mig. A mig is better for general fab work. It's faster and more versatile.

Tig is great for aluminum, small jobs, art projects and pretty things, not so great for welding 200 joints on a frame.

I've got both. I use mig at least 90% of the time.

Great posts guys and advice, thank you! I will got with the mig

So the lincoln power 215 mig can handle frame work?

In general, any 220 volt mig is going to do the job.

Yep, you're good. Pull the trigger.

I own both a Millermatic 200 I bought new 27 yrs ago and not one seconds trouble.
I bought a Miller 180 SD tig and also have not had one seconds trouble.
The advice you got is good it is faster to weld with a mig and the Lincoln 215 will be a good size for ya.

Jim
I have to tell ya I've never owned a Lincoln but, ran several

Sevo said:

Great posts guys and advice, thank you! I will got with the mig

So the lincoln power 215 mig can handle frame work?

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I tend to run my beads hot and fast. For example, a lot of guys like to run 1/8" stick electrode at around 120 amps. I tend to crank it up to around 140 or so. That Lincoln would be just a bit under powered for how I weld. I'm not saying it's a poor choice or unsuitable for what you want, but you'll probably need to lean on it and watch the duty cycle.

Yes, it'll handle the job. Can you? Let's see some pics of your beads! [

I like it when I read these posts and agree.

Great advice, thank you guys for letting me bounce this stuff off you all. It really helps me not make a mistake on what welder to get.

justsomeguy said:

I tend to run my beads hot and fast. For example, a lot of guys like to run 1/8" stick electrode at around 120 amps. I tend to crank it up to around 140 or so. That Lincoln would be just a bit under powered for how I weld. I'm not saying it's a poor choice or unsuitable for what you want, but you'll probably need to lean on it and watch the duty cycle.

Yes, it'll handle the job. Can you? Let's see some pics of your beads! [

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Well my beads will not be near as pretty as some of the ones on here. There is some true talent, I am just a hack but I enjoy welding

You mention duty cycle, would a Millermatic 175 Welder have enough? I ask this as I found one a millermatic 175 that is little cheaper than the lincoln. It is 230 amp but I am thinking its on the low end of being able to do what I need. Anyone using a milllermatic 175?

Thanks again for all the help with this.

I believe the duty cycle of the 175 is 30%. That means that for every three minutes of welding, you will have to have seven minutes of not welding. This sounds like it is fairly unusable until you really stop and think about it. Wire wheeling/surface prepping, grinding out your bad welds, adjusting your settings, etc. In general, the less experience you have the lower the duty cycle you need because nothing will go well enough for you to go more than three minutes of laying beads without stopping for something. Not trying to sound condescending, just what I have seen with new weldors.

That 175 is not a bad welder, but it's a bit small. I consider it to be in a different class than the Lincoln you are looking at. The Lincoln I consider to be on the lower end of the commercial/industrial range while the Miller is on the upper end of the homeowner units. You can also fit larger spools in the Lincoln which makes it become much less $/lb for filler.

These pics are not mine, but ripped from another site. They are from a very proficient weldor and with the Lincoln PowerMig 200. Just to show what the Lincoln is capable of.

justsomeguy said:

I believe the duty cycle of the 175 is 30%. That means that for every three minutes of welding, you will have to have seven minutes of not welding. This sounds like it is fairly unusable until you really stop and think about it. Wire wheeling/surface prepping, grinding out your bad welds, adjusting your settings, etc. In general, the less experience you have the lower the duty cycle you need because nothing will go well enough for you to go more than three minutes of laying beads without stopping for something. Not trying to sound condescending, just what I have seen with new weldors.

That 175 is not a bad welder, but it's a bit small. I consider it to be in a different class than the Lincoln you are looking at. The Lincoln I consider to be on the lower end of the commercial/industrial range while the Miller is on the upper end of the homeowner units. You can also fit larger spools in the Lincoln which makes it become much less $/lb for filler.

These pics are not mine, but ripped from another site. They are from a very proficient weldor and with the Lincoln PowerMig 200. Just to show what the Lincoln is capable of.

Click to expand...

Great pos, thank you for the help. Those welds are incredible! I hope to be that good someday.

I kind of thought the 175 would just not have enough for what I want to do. I will pay the extra money for more power. In the long run I will be happier.

Thank you for your help