Im looking for a suitcase welder does anyone have any input on witch ones to buy
Take a look at miller dynasty.
I have both a Lincon LN25 and a miller 12ES. They both work great but you have to make sure you have enough welder feeding them ,especialy if you are welding big steel. It seems I use the miller more and it is built a little tougher. They both have CC and CV capabilities so you can use them on any welder. Thats my 2 cents if it helps.
I have a Lincoln LN25, a Miller 12VS, and a Miller S-22P12. All are good but the 12VS is the best voltage sensing feeder I have used so far,and it has a much tougher case than the LN25.
thanks guys i was looking at the 12vs
I have had good luck with the lincoln ln25. They were really the only feeder i used when i was doing structural work. Never really had issues with one. That being said, i would really like to try runnin a Miller 12RC off my Trailblazer. The pricing and features seem awesome but i havent heard much about them...
i am biased but i like my lincoln LN25, never used the millers tho.
I own one of all the above, and for day in day out I love my LN-25's. Like AK-47s they are just reliable under fire. the 12VS isn't bad but for the larger self shielded wires that we run in structural steel construction day in and day out the LN's pay the bills.
I have an old SA200 that I would like to adapt a wire feeder to. Is this practical? How would you do it?
Yes, you need a voltage sensing feeder set to constant current and your good to go.
Any reccomendatons as to brand model etc?
The Miller X-TREME 12VS would be my first choice, second the Lincoln LN-25.
I'm glad you said that Tom, I bought a new 12VS in the fall, but haven't had the chance to try it out yet.
I've used a 12v for 8 years now. Never let me down and does a great Job.
I've got a miller, smaller one, not sure of the number unless I'd go look at it, but it holds only the 10 lb spools, I've had it about 5 years now, I love it, its set up for both gas or shielded wire, I only use shielded wire, I drag it anywhere the cables reach to. I'm not sure what your going to do with it, but if you do any amount of welding, you'll love whatever model or make you buy.
My 12v takes 44lb spools. It's a pain to get in and out of the truck body door and you look forward to getting low on wire.
Rob, with a new roll of wire what does yours weigh, about 80-100 lbs? with the cables on and dragging them along as well, I don't suppose you need a gym membership to stay in shape. There were a few guys standing around the welding shop one day I was in getting wire and they all laughed at me for getting 10lb spools of wire, I told them all that a feeder with 10 lb spools in it was 20 lbs lighter than one with a 30 lb spool in it. Since then the shop has told me sales of smaller rolls has picked up considerably and they have to stock a lot more of them because I wasn't the only one buying them anymore, go figure, maybe I'm not the only one who's getting older and slower and weaker.
Yeah Randy, it must weight at least 70lbs. I used to go through almost two spools a year so it saved alot of trips to the welding store. Now it's less than 1 a year and would make sense to use a 10 pounder. That would make it way more manageable. I hear ya about getting older. I 'think young' but sometimes my joints and back think otherwise.
If my old Hobart Hefty's ever die I will buy an LN-25 Lincoln, or a 12VS Extreme Miller. You can push some big wire with either one of them and they take a beating. I have been trying to kill my old Hobarts for years running big dual shield wire, and they keep on running.
So, do you all think $700 is a good deal for a used Miller 12VS? It is said to have about 150 hours and has a couple of partial rolls of wire.
Sounds like a good deal to me.
Thats a deal, go buy it.
With that little use, its the best buy you'll ever find, get it bought before someone else grabs it, just make sure it works like it should and nobody damaged it somehow.
I've got a couple of calls in, no call back yet. Thanks for the reassurance!