i can get a lincold sp-150 with tank and 220 ext. cable it was bought in 1987 for $1700 but its barely been used i tested out it works amazing i cant get him to go any lower than $700 is that a decent price?

Well, I’ve never actually used one, but I’ve heard about them… seems like they sort of turned into the SP175 (I think there’s an SP180 now), which aren’t nearly the machines the old SP150 was, lots more control and beefier drive setup than the newer machines, and just beefier in general.

That being said, unless the thing is in pristine condition and comes with a lot of extras (supplies, cart, bottle…) I think $700 is a bit high for it. I’ve heard of them going for $200-250 for just the welder and you should be able to get a new SP175 for less than $700

it does come with a cart and bottle well the welder is the cart and regulator also comes with wire it also has a stitch and spot feateure those would be great to have

That price seem pretty hight to me also. Most of the new machines come with a regulator and bottles are pretty cheep.

You can get a brand new Miller Mattic at Cyberweld for $795.00.





MILLERMATIC 175 MIG WELDER

You don't have to be an expert to get great welds with the Millermatic® 175 MIG welder. This compact, portable package delivers a maximum output of 175 amps and is ideal for maintenance, auto body and fabrication projects. The Millermatice 175 is easy to use and move. The new infinite voltage control provides a broader operating range with finer control by automatically increasing or decreasing wire feed speed when voltage is adjusted.

Features: New infinite voltage control with wire feed speed tracking
Durable cast aluminum feedhead
Miller's exclusive "Tip Saver" short circuit protection
Self-resetting motor protection circuit
Thermal overload protection
Input power- 230V, 19.5 Amps, 60 hz, Single Phase
Amperage range- 30 - 175 Amps

Comes Complete with: 10 ft. M-10 Miller MIG gun & cable assembly
10 ft. work cable & clamp
Factory installed gas solenoid valve
Smith Argon/CO2 regulator and gas hose
Power cord with plug
Extra contact tips
Sample spool of solid wire
Information/settings chart

QUICK SPECS MILLERMATIC 175

Input Power Requires 1-Phase Power

230 V, 19.5 A, 60 Hz

Rated Output 130 A at 20 VDC, 30% Duty Cycle

Output Power Range 30 - 175 Amps

Weight 81 lb (36.4 kg)

APPLICATIONS PROCESSES

Light Industrial Applications • Light Fabrication • Maintenance and Repair • Auto Body • Farm and Ranch • Home Flux Cored (FCAW) (gas and self-shielded) • MIG (GMAW)

Free standard ground shipping within continental U.S.

Check it out at Cyberweld.com - Welding Supplies - Miller, Hobart & More

but that welder does not come with a tank or have the stitch and spot timers?

It does not come with the stich and spot timers. Once you have the basics of welding you usually would not use those features anyway. Keep in mind that welding technology changes at a very rapid rate. They are not just adding new part numbers to the line up just to sell more products. You looking at a welder that is just about 20 years old. While it might be "like new" they have made 20 years in welding technology as far as better arc starting, steadier performance (weather very thin metal or thick), better control, board designs, set up charts (for voltage and wire speed), transformer techonolgy, and most have automatic voltage detection system. Of coarse you also get a warranty with a new welder. A bottle and cord are cheep in the bigger picture.

In my opinion unless your getting this for like $200 to $300 I would think that your not making a good choice. I don't sell welders nor do I care what you buy. But most people who are looking to save a few pennys usually end up paying more in the long run. I am sure lots of people on here will agree to that. I am also not saying to buy everything new. Lots of people can't afford to get everything new. A good tool will last a life time if taken care of.

i have been welding for a couple of years now i still think at least the spot weld timer would be great like when putting in a patch panel that way you know all the spot wels are uniform and all the same shape and everything

Yes, welder tech has changed quite a bit in those years, but not really WRT to transformer based MIG machines, but the fact is that you can get a 175-180A class mig, complete package, known good, with a warrenty… for less then his price, and if he doesn’t come down to around 2-300 +/- a little depending on what you get with it I would just go out and get a new machine.

For that matter, in that price range/class I’d probably go with the Hobart Handler 180 first choice, Miller 175 second, and I wouldn’t seriously consider the comparable Lincoln (I think that the Hobart/miller machines are much better machines, and between the 2 I think the Hobart is a better deal).

83 Crossfire TA.

That was the point I was trying to get across. I am not sure why Wiseman9986 posted this thread because he seems to have already made up his mind on the Lincoln. I would agree that the Miller or Hobart machines are a better deal, new, and have a warranty. Why spend pretty much top dollar for a used machine that is almost 20 years old?

I have never been much of a fan of Hobart welders but several of my friends have them and they are good machines. I have used them in the past and they do weld nice.

ok i think you guys convinced me ill go for a newer one now i gotta decide which one

I’m curious, what is it about the hobarts that you don’t like? I use red, tan and blue on a regular basis and I can tell you that when they’re working right they can all put down a good bead, but enough of the small lincons have had wire feed mechanisms that have pissed me off that I can’t stand them and will not recommend them to anyone. The Millers and Hobarts are nice machines (in a lot of cases the same machine, same co and ship with many of the same parts, hell my Hobart Handler shipped with a miller logo on the gun handle), but I find that in practice the few extra features that you pay a few $$$ extra with the miller don’t really add anything to the welder and that the miller wire speed tracking is a bit too aggressive/takes some getting used to.

(FWIW, I own a Hobart Handler, Miller Synchrowave and HTP plasma cutter, so it’s not like I’m stuck on one brand…)

I think that since I learned to weld with a Lincoln I have always been somewhat partial to them. I had an old SP100 whey they first came out. It was a good machine and the wire feed mechanisms had pissed me off more then once too. I found out that on that machine once I changed out the gun and liner all of those issues went away. I probably did not help that I was running a larger wire through it rather then the smaller stuff.

When I purchase my last Mig welder a 220V 251 Miller I can't say enough what a great machine it is. I got tired of having to tig all on the thicker material that I weld.

I guess what you really asked was why I am not a fan of Hobart welders and they have always seem to have wire feed mechanisms issues too.

At work (not my shop) we are a larger manufacturing company. We have about 60 welding machines, a cnc brake, iron workers, scotchman's, lathe, milling machines, a Trumpf laser, a robot, and all of the typical equipment found in a manufacturing company. All of the welders at work are either Lincoln or Miller. We only have five machines that are over 10 years old. We change them out at about 10 years due to the cost associated with machine down time. We have about 30+ mig and 30+ tig machines. Not including the welder for the robot.

The machines at my shop are a Lincoln SP100, Lincoln squarewave 175, Miller 135, Millermatic 251, and a Syncrowave 350LX. I do not have any plasma machines as all of that work is done on the Laser or shear at work. Those machines make for great additions to helping out on my projects!

guys,i been selling welding supplies and welding machines for 12 years.put simply if its not on the actual lincoln site Lincoln Electric then its more of a hobby/home model.yes it will work,yes it might be cheaper but its cheaper for a reason.no,
im not tryin to sell you 1.i just wanna educate you on what you are gonna buy. pm me ill give you lots more info if you like.the lincoln rep for so cali is a friend of mine.btw, hobart is no more,ITW(the parent owner of miller)and thermal arc bought hobart.if you see a hobart machine it was good while it lasted,parts will become scarce.fyi.

i have a lincoln sp150. i bought mine from a welding supply house that just did a bunch of work on it. new board new tweco gun/hose and a tank for 675 in 1996. so u can be the judge. it welds really good i've welded 1/4" wall pipe to 1 inch thick flanges. u just have to crank it up. the only problem with the welder is it's only a 20% duty welder. so when i got it up on 80% of the 150 i only get 2mins of trigger time out of 10. so if ur doing only thin wall steel say in the 16 - 18 ga and can crank it down to 30 or 40% it may be the right welder for u. keep in mind tho i also have a 600 amp 100% duty welder so i don't need to press the sp150. but it is an excellent welder but i'd look around a bit first for some other options 7 seems a bit high today for a 20 y/o welder with a short duty service time. if he sticks to his price he's probably going to have it awhile.