Had to pick between a Miller 211 and a Lincoln 210MP for my home shop...

I went with the Miller because the local welding supply shop had a demo unit I could try out. First week I ran about 50 feet of 1/4 inch fillet welds on some mild steel and it felt real smooth. But now I'm wondering if the Lincoln's multi-process would have been better for the stainless jobs I keep getting calls about. Anybody else make this choice and regret it down the road?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_lee1mo ago

Stick with what you know works for your core jobs and just pick up a used spool gun for the stainless work. The Miller will handle it fine with the right setup, and you avoid the multi-process headaches that come with the Lincoln. You can always grab a dedicated tig machine later if the stainless calls turn into real steady money.

joelwells1mo ago

Get a used Spoolmatic 30A off Craigslist, they pop up all the time for under 400 bucks. You'll need the WC-24 control and a gas solenoid too unless your Miller already has one. I ran stainless wire through a standard liner once with just a Teflon liner and it was nothing but birdnesting and frustration. The spool gun solves all that garbage and lets you keep your main rig set up for steel without changing rolls halfway through a job.

oscarw831mo ago

Same principle as keeping a backup tool for every job.