I am looking to buy a Mig welder ( tax return). I had my hopes on a Millermatic 185 but I can not find one. Do they make them anymore? Or do I have to step up to the 210?

They've got the 175 (220v) and 210. The 210 is a little stouter then the old 185. I own a 175 and love it. It's a lot smaller than the 185. As long as your not welding 1/2" plate the 175 is awsome.

oh yea and the 175 is cost effective at ~$700.

I have the 210...love it
wait until the welding show ang get a great deal and a free auto darkening helmet

Welding show? When and where is that?


I wonder if the Millermatic DVI replaced the Millermatic 185?

I would like to know when the welding show is also

Same here.

Ken, I thought you were just gonna say "sometimes things happen."

well they do..... I have questions every now and then....

whats the deal with the show? I am trying to convince the wife that I need a welder, I am almost there, if I can get a screamin deal on one, then I think I could swing it.

Welding show? Inquiring minds want to know............

Thats the welder i want, the "DVI"

Maybe if enough of us want a welder we can get some sort price break. I would think there is sombody on this board that sells welders or know somebody that does. Would still like to know about the show. Never even heard of a welding show.

I'm looking to move up to a 210. My Century 135 isn't quite up to the thicker stuff.

Ive got the welder, but what I need is a 110V plasma cutter!!!!!!!

Go with the 210, my nieghbor has one and said he would like to take it to bed with him. I have the 250 and the only time that I used more than about half of the power was when I was welding a 1/2" plate tractor bucket.

looks like one was in Feb
i bought mine at Westair in El Cajon

http://www.westairgases.com/news/index.html

get the millermatic 250x. it was bad ass last time i checked. go blue or dont get anything. my old man has had his miller 200 for like 15 years, works perfect, just keep puttin wire in it.

Im very happy with my 210

i agree go with the 210.

miller 250x w/spool gun so you can weld aluminum too!

The current mig's in this range are 175's.

I just went through this, and ended up with the Lincoln 175 Plus, which has infinite current adjustment. While I liked the metal feed roller system of the Miller, that wasn't enough. I figured I might want to play with aluminum some day, and the Lincoln had a teflon liner setup for $65. I know I won't do a lot of alum welding with it, but it'll be enough to taste it affordably. With the Miller, you have to buy not only the spool gun, but also the spool gun power supply. Those two items totalled up to as much or more than the cost of the welder.

If you can afford it, though, go with the 210, especially if you ever might want to do alum. The cost is about double of the 175's, at around $1200, but you also have to budget for the gear. That adds another $500, easily. (I got an auto-dark for myself, but a standard hood for my wife.) I really wanted a 210, but decided that I could always get it later if I outgrow the 175, or get a TIG that can handle the thicker stuff, as a second welder.

I bought mine at Airgas in Temecula. (I see you are near.) I went in a 4-5 times before buying, and Jerry always answered questions, but he's not a salesman...just a welder who works at a shop; a nice guy. Cameron Welding was helpful, too, but most of the time when I walked in there, everybody was out of site. When they came out, they answered questions that I could read from the spec sheets, and it was a different guy each time. Some seemed more like salesmen than knowledgeable welders. Maybe they just seemed more "corporate", and Airgas was more personable.

When finally I went in to buy, Jerry gave me a better price than anywhere I could find online, and believe me, I looked. The price I paid was better than Cameron's "Nascar Special price that is ending soon, so you'd better buy by the end of the week."

I was under the impression that the spool gun just plugged into the miller 210 and that is all that was needed. I will not be able to buy untill taxes come back and I don't expect them untill sometime in May. As far as equipment goes, what do I need for $500? I think I have most of it, all I really need is a Helmet. I have been to Cameron's and yes they do seem stand-offish. where is Airgas?

This is a pretty cool PDF from Miller.

Miller Buyers Guide

You've got 2 to choose from, off University and the 60, go west to Chicago, turn right up about a block on the right, which is closer than Temecula, or exit off 215 S at Winchester Rd, go right, up to Enterprise, left , then to Rider (or Ryder?) go left, down on your right. I'm on the edge of Sun City, takes 20 min. to hit Riverside w/o traffic.

The comment regarding the spool gun was directed towards the smaller 175 models. The lincoln 175 requires the spool gun and a spool gun driver. I think both the 210/215 models both have the spool driver built in. Note the Lincoln has slightly higher duty cycle than the Miller...IIRC. I'm not brand loyal. I remember there was one thing that leaned me towards the millers, but the Lincolns have neat features--like the higher duty cycle on the larger one, and the teflon liner for the smaller one.

Airgas is at 41735 Rider way..951-506-4175. That's the older part of Temecula, behind Hanks...on the inside corner of Rider and Commerce Center Dr. Exit Winchester & go West, turn Left on Enterprise Circle, then the second Left on Rider. It's the last shop on the right.

Note that the last time I went in, they only had a handful of welders in stock. It only took a couple days to get it, though, and that was because my 175 wasn't in stock locally.

The last time I went to Cameron, after I got my welder, I started making a pile of stuff on the counter. A couple of their guys saw me. One disappeared, the other was helping a new customer. After about 10 minutes, I was good to go, and nobody had offered to help, and nobody was in sight. I left the pile and went to Airgas. Some of the things were marked higher at Airgas, but they gave me a discount on some of them, too.

I got two sets of hoods (one autodark--marked $150 but billed at $100) and gloves. You have to add $120-150 for your Argon tank. Other things you might want/need...you can never have enough clamps, vise grip clamps, magnetic holders, and stainless steel brushes, and you'll need tip dip, extra tips, several sizes of wire (smaller wire helps you not blow through the thin tubing), thin gloves for precise work, thick gloves for hot work, I like my leather sleeve jacket, and don't forget the spool gun...the list goes on. Even though my welder was under $700, my bill was over $1100, and that was with the $65 liner kit instead of a spool gun. Then I made a trip to Harbor Fright and picked up more magnets and clamps. It just adds up.

Have fun!

i love my ol miller 185: very compact 220V and great for thin to medium material



notice that the ground/gun leads are overhead ....


.....here is why :



no more welder cart and bottle to push around

Okay folks, I thought I'd resurect this thread and see how everyone faired. I'm in the market for a MIG welder and was wondering if anyone ended up buying either the 210 or 185? I have a 220/35 outlet setup just for a welder, and of course several 115/20 outlets, so that's not an issue.

I'm leaning towards the 210 with the optional spool gun, anyone else have it?

Try Cyberweld. Thats where I bought my tig. Free shipping, no taxes. My local Miller dealer could'nt touch their prices.

Cool, will do

My local AirGas dealer matched the Cyberweld prices--although I went with Lincoln instead of Miller. I went down several times before buying, and built a little relationship with the guy, so when I was ready to buy he gave me the good-guy discount. Sure, I had to pay taxes, but now when I go in to buy supplies, he knows me and I get great service, and he still gives me a good-guy discount.