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Re: just bought vulcan omni pro 220 and protig 200

i was talking about the 1/4" spades that are used on the power leads going to the circuit breaker and the main power board inside the units and i hope you're correct about the current draw...all i see is the harbor freight specs at 25A at full tilt!

chose the omni pro as it can also do tig just in case and looks like the user interface is more complete.but to be honest,i really didn't look at the migmax much.

i'm really on the fence about these units but will let the welding dictate whether they stay or go.
just noticed the input leads are 14awg so you might be correct on the current draw.

the mig gun and lead assembly is a bit 'light duty" feeling and the gun switch definitely could use something better.
the machines seem nice,the attachments somewhat less so ,but they could be considered consumables too i guess!

i've had pretty good luck with much of the harbor freight stuff over the years.i've bought HF milling machine power feeds that are still going strong 18 years later,had lathes and smaller mills that always worked as designed once dialed in and always managed to re sell them with no issues.have a 4.5" grinder that i've abused and it still goes strong,but the rubber coating on it is becoming all gooey.hence my suspicion for the knobs and other plastic parts longevity.

i know a pro welder in town that uses the small 165A black tig for stainless work on boats for years with no issues so no bias here,plus i don't weld for a living either.
just wondering how these 2 will hold up 10 or 15 years from now.

still looking for a smoking deal on a dynasty 400 or even a 280 but it's hard to weld with the amps you don't have when needed.

Re: just bought vulcan omni pro 220 and protig 200

Originally Posted by shovelon

Word to the wise. Photocopy your receipts and staple them to the back of the copy. Fold and insert into an envelope and keep safe. The thermal prints fade to oblivion in short order by design. That way you can prove your purchase for refund.

The stores here (Northern California) email a photocopy of the receipt an hour or so after a purchase. I save those to add up for business expense at tax time. (because as you noted - the store original soon fades to blank and would be useless if audited a couple of years later.)

Re: just bought vulcan omni pro 220 and protig 200

The spade connectors should last the test of time as both machines are inverter types and draw trickles of current at steady rates. My beef is when changing from the 115 lead to the 220volt lead getting them to plug into the back of the machine is a PIA. I am considering sharpening the prongs on the back to slide in easier.

Word to the wise. Photocopy your reciepts and staple them to the back of the copy. Fold and insert into an envelope and keep safe. The thermal prints fade to oblivion in short order by design. That way you can prove your purchase for refund.

Question. Why the Omni instead of the MigMax215?

just bought vulcan omni pro 220 and protig 200

broke down and bought a vulcan pro-tig 200 and omni-pro 220.
could not resist the 15% coupon making both about $1800 tax included.
opened them up and must say assembly is pretty clean and seems of decent quality.well put together with thick metal housings,well painted and plastic end caps are sturdy.the hardware actually screws into a welded nut or a thick indentation,not just a sheetmetal screw.

omni pro has 2 cooling fans and is pretty quiet.

the pro-tig has a full wind tunnel in which all the components are located and cooled.not sure if this is good or bad in the long term with dust,shavings etc...?
fan is a bit noisy but not much more than anything else out there.

the 1/4" spade connectors on the 120/220 input might be a problem as i don't see how they can survive a constant 20A flow but we'll see.

another minor thing is the rubber coated knobs and switches on both units.waiting to see how long this rubber is going to last before it turns into black sticky goop.like a lot of plastics do over time!

bought them with the mindset of returning them at some point knowing the quality of harbor freight stuff but will try and put as many hours on them before .