Spent $400 on a used Miller 215 just to find out my old Lincoln could have done the job

Had to weld some 3/8 plate and figured I needed a new machine since my Lincoln was from the 90s and low on the power side. Turns out with a different rod and a preheat it would have handled it fine. Any of you guys run old machines way past their prime or am I being dumb?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.lily1mo ago

Wait, you're saying a Lincoln from the 90s is still running strong? That's pretty impressive, most guys I know have gone through two or three machines by now. I'm with you though, I've got an old Miller 250 from the 80s that just won't die, and I keep finding excuses to use it instead of my newer stuff. I noticed @the_susan brought up the AC/DC thing on the Miller 215 - that's actually a good point, I didn't even think about that when you first posted. Even if it wasn't a total necessity today, having that AC TIG capability for aluminum is a real game changer down the road.

rileygarcia1mo ago

Did you ever try running that Lincoln on some really thin stuff before swapping it out? I did something similar last year with an old Hobart that I swore was done for. Took it to a shop just to get a second opinion and the guy had me swap out the ground cable and clean the tips. Ran like a new machine after that. @ross.lily mentioning their old Miller 250 reminds me that those 80s and 90s machines were tanks. I think a lot of times we underestimate how much a good preheat and the right rod choice can make up for a machine that's a little short on power. Those newer machines are nice but they also have a lot of electronics that can fail. Your Lincoln might outlast the Miller if you take care of it.

the_susan1mo ago

Pretty sure the Miller 215 is AC/DC, which actually opens up TIG welding on aluminum if you ever need it (something your old Lincoln probably can't do). Just saying sometimes the "upgrade" pays off down the road even if it wasn't strictly necessary today.