On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:09:30 -0700, Brent
wrote:

Hey all And apologies in advance for the crosspost between RCM and
SEJW

I'm looking for advice with ragards to the lower end of the mig welder
family

I'm curious as to whether there are any real difference between the
Lincoln MIG's that are packaged for retail and the SP-135 and SP-175

I'm looking at a Mig pack 15 retail package and trying to find out if
there IS any actual REAL difference between it and the SP-175

My primary machine is a Miller Synchrowave 200 but i'm looking for the
MIG to try and close the gap on the two biggest limitations of the
Synchrowave Portability and outdoor environments.

I've had several instances where a portable outdoor welder is needed
over a bench welder that welds great. Mainly for one simple reason I
dont have a garage so any big project like automobile welding has to
be done outdoors in the driveway

Although I can use Stick welding for outdoor environments portability
is obviously an issue and Myself and SMAW will not get along well on
the thin materials i usually weld. I wont blame the machine i'll blame
the operator but stick and sheet metal are not my cup of tea

From careful studying of the stats for the MIG pack 15 and SP-175 it
Looks like the only difference is marketing because they have the same
gun they run the same wire sizes the same wirefeed speeds and the same
Nominal amperage and duty cycle. Is there something I'm missing that
statistics dont tell? Even the LIST PRICES are almost a dead match.

Am i nuts here and there IS a real difference? or am i thinking along
the right lines that the machines are identical except for some labels
and marketing?

I am Aware i need to add an appropriate regulator to the mig pack 15
if i'm going to use it for GMAW instead of FCAW but i have the hose
and its just a case of getting or using an appropriate regulator for
the gas i have.

FYI The biggest reason i'm even considering a retail welder is the
clearance price on it at the moment.

Thanks in advance for your help

Brent
Ottawa Canada

See if the retail version has voltage steps or continuous adjustment.
Continuous adjustment doesn't matter much with steel over about .090
thick, but it is a big help on thin metal like auto body panels.

I have a Millermatic 210 for heavier work, but my "go-to" box for thin
sheetmetal continues to be the little Lincoln SP125+. That is one
seriously sweet little machine for work like that. I've visited a
couple of pro vintage auto restoration shops where I saw one of these
at every work station, that was a clue for me! It can MIG up to
1/8" or fluxcore up to 3/16", but it's a push: a 220-volt machine is
considerably better for 1/8" and thicker, but not as good for thin
sheetmetal. The bigger machines can do reasonably thin metal (22
gage) but the lil' red box is better and it can do down to 24 gage
autobody panel metal with no problem. Ability to run on 117 volt
current is also handy in the driveway. Use a 12-gage extension cord.

If you wonder if there's any difference in use between the SP125+ and
an import, try em both and see what you think. I found that there
was a world of difference in quality and appearance of welds, done by
the same guy. (me)

The Linc can be a bit fussy about wirefeed. It wants clean,
rust-free wire. I bag the wire in a ziplock when it won't be used for
a while. Erratic wire speed can screw you up bigtime. Miller/Hobart
may be better in that regard but I don't know if they have continuous
arc voltage adjustment.

I got a lincoln mig sp85 here. Its 10 years old, still
works fine for me.

xman