Miller 210 or 251?

[yellow]

Thanks to everyone on this board I have jumped from a Lincoln 135 to a Miller 135. I then read that you should ALWAYS pick a machine that you think is suitable and go one above that. I then chose a Lincoln SP-175 Plus as my optimal machine. Shortly afterwards I decided that the Millermatic 210 was the very best machine suited for my home garage. I then read about the Millermatic 251 and now I am hooked.

I'm a mechanical engineer by day and home inventor at night, and one of my pet peeves is not having the right tool when I need it. I don't plan on doing anything too dramatic in my "home garage" but I do truly hate it when I don't have the right tool for the job. Cost isn't really a factor as they are all within $1k of each other. I really want the flexibility to do quality aluminum work as well as steel. I don’t intend on purchasing a spool gun right away if I don’t really have to. Is a spool gun all that necessary? What is everyone's opinion on this? Should I stick with the Miller 210 or go for the 251. I don't have much experience with either but everyone else on here seems to have plenty.

[gregben]

Interesting. I'm an electrical engineer/small business owner and have been
going through much the same thought process as you. I have chosen
the Millermatic 251 after considering many other welders too. The main
reasons I favor the 251 over the 210 is process control. With the 251 you
can directly set the output voltage and wire feed rate whereas on the 210
there is no display of or direct correlation between tap settings and voltage
on the one hand and percentage of maximum wire feed rate and actual
wire feed rate on the other hand. If I know that that welding 1/16" mild
steel with 0.030" ER70S-6 solid wire using 75%AR/25%CO2 shielding gas
works best around 16V and 210IPM, I can switch over to any other welder
with V/IPM settings and start off very close to optimal without having to
burn up a lot of wire and scrap material to get good welds.

The higher duty cycle of the 251 along with its higher current capability
means more reserve for the occasional thick weld.

One potential problem is that you are going to need a 50 amp time-delay
or 60 amp standard breaker if you are running at 230/240V.

[wello]

the 251 would be the better choice for all the reason as gregben said
better to much than not enough it will all you want and then some if i could get one here in oz the 251 would be my pick

[yellow]

gregben, My thoughts exactly! Thanks for the input guys.

[waternut]

I just got my 251 from www.cyberweld.com, they had a great price, and it was delivered straight to my house, within 5days of ordering online. Great price, fast service, and no chance of me screwing up my back with a 200lb piece of dead weight!!! Enjoy!!