used miller 210 wire welders

[mikem]

Local welding supply house has two miller mig 210 welders for sale--one is $650 and one is $850. New these are about $1500 but they were owned by a fabrication shop and well used, I imagine. They claim that they work well. The more expensive one had the contactor replaced and that was $200 added to the price.

Are used mig welders a bad investment as a general rule?

I have a OA torch set and a Lincoln 225 A AC/DC stick welder already but everyone tells me that the wire welders are easier to make pretty welds with.

[radkins]

You didn't say how old these are but you did say well used in a fab shop so this usually means high time. Welders do wear out, even Millers, and these are priced about half the price of a new machine so I would look them over really good especially the drive mechanisms. Welding machines like these Millers can last for many years in a shop but if they are in a production environment they can accumulate a LOT of hours in just a few years. I had one Lincoln welder that ran shop duty, which meant it ran most of the time we were there, for almost 16 years with very little in the way of repairs but some other machines I had did not hold up as well but of course it depended a lot on the type of use they were under. My point is these machines could be 15 years old and in excellent shape or they could be 5 years old and worn out, it would just take a good inspection to give any meaningful answer. One BIG thing they have going for them is that they are Millers which mean they started life as a well built machine designed to work full time and to last for years plus parts and service for repairs is easy to find.

[macona]

I would say that is a good price. I dont think I would go for the more expensive one. I am sure they took them in on trade in so they dont have as much into them as you would think.

The 210 is good basic machine. No electronics other than the speed control board for the drive motor. Things to look out for are the contacts on the voltage selector switch. Early models were open internally and collected dust on the dielectric grease that protected the contacts. This could cause poor connections and eventually burn out the switch. There is a piece of plastic like a large tube available that goes between the switch and panel to keep out the dust.

Really not much to wear out on a welder. About the only thing that would on this machine is the drive motor and I have yet to replace one from being worn out. Usually they are replaced for things like the magnets coming loose inside or brushes. If you think about it the motors dont run a whole lot in their life. Especially on a machine with as low of a duty cycle as this machine. And the motors are usually pretty good quality.

Contactors can and do go out. If the machine is being used to spot and stitch like in auto body work they will go out much faster than normal. The contactors are pretty generic and can be had through most suppliers for about $50.

For general welding wire cant be beat. I have only needed to run stick one time in the past couple years. I had to get between two tubes about 1/2" apart and that was the only way.

I believe you can plug one of the Spoolmate 3035 or 3545 right into the front of the 210 so you can do aluminum.