Welding related reviews
 

I was a little bored and i figured i would make some reviews on the stuff i use for welding and i wasn't sure to put it in the review section of tool section but i put it here. Anyways i have seen some people ask about helmets and welders but ill try and review everything i use which is basically all mig welding based

My helmet - Lincoln 3350 Mojo
Continuously variable control – For shade and sensitivity.
6-13 shade control.
Internal
Sensitivity – Adjustable for different welding environments.
Delay – Adjustable from dark back to light state.
Light weight – 21 oz (595 g)
Grind mode – Great for weld prep or post-weld clean up activities.
Magnifying ‘cheater’ lens capable
Hard hat adapter capable

Helmets i own or have used

Hobart Bonehead XVS - Decent helmet *First helmet, got flashed a decent amount of times possibly due to only 2 sensors*
Speedglas - I personally don't like these helmets even though many people do, i tried it and it didn't feel right and i couldn't get used to it but i know many people that would recommend them
Miller MP-10 - Decent to good *Not a fan of passive lens at all but its a big lens so i liked it for that*
Miller Classic helmets - Decent helmet
Miller Digital Pro-Hobby - Decent to good helmet
Miller Digital Elite - Good helmet *Two friends from work ordered them and both had bleeding on the cartridge by the buttons and didn't work but that could've been shipping problems*
Lincoln 3350 - Good to Great helmet *Second and current helmet i use, i mainly bought for the screen size but it had much more to offer*
Large screen passive lens - Decent helmets but not a fan of passive lens
Old rivet style helmet - Decent but too small of a screen for me and its passive

Gloves - Revco BSX BM88 Xtreme Pigskin MIG Welding Gloves

Man these gloves are just pure awesome i wouldn't trade them for any other gloves if i was doing mig welding, you can bend each individual finger instead of most average gloves it tries to bending two at a time. They have great heat resistance and hold up for a long time if you aren't picking up hot metal and what not which ruins gloves pretty fast. I'm about to order a third pair because the finger is down to the liner on one of the gloves because i usually pick up and handle hot metal which is my own fault. They feature a drag and rest patch which is nice but i use drag patch as a rest patch instead and the fit on them is perfect its not too tight but not too loose.

Heat shield - Weldas aluminized 7x8 leather shield

I started using these when i got switched over to pipe welding because i wasn't able to move my support hand as opposed to when i was in fabrication *I do no free hand weld* so i started using these and man they work great. I only use this on my gun hand and so far i only went through one and currently on the second one but the first was my fault. Once it burns through the aluminized piece it still has leather below it which protects better than bare glove and i currently use the burnt through side. They have elastic bands on both ends so they hold well and can be reversed in case you burn through one side

Jacket - BSX Flame Resistant Cotton Welding Jacket

This is the version that doesn't have the leather on it which is fine, i just got it cheap but the regular green jackets will suffice even though i went through a lot of those. I think they are thinner so grinding towards the jacket will eat through them pretty quick and this jacket has no problem with that.

Welding tools

Ryobi corded long handled 4.4A 4.5in grinder - This is okay for light grinding but once you put weight on it it bogs down to nearly useless. I will be buying a more powerful grinder soon
Typical long handled brush
Harbor freight pliers - For some reason only mine cut wire in on certain spot but everybody Else's HF pliers cut fine but other than that they work fine
Flap disc/Tiger wheels or whatever you want to call them usually 40 grit for majority grinding and a hard wheel for grinding stuff out and sometimes grinding stuff down

Now i could review some welders but i only personally only own a harbor freight one which was half off but it doesn't seem to work well....go figure. At work when i was in fabrication i extensively a millermatic 251s and 252s and i really like them both once they're dialed in they are smooth we did everything from 1/8in 1x1 square wall tubing to 1in plate with them but it was mostly 3/16 angle iron and 1/4in stuff. When i went to pipe i was switched to a miller XMT 304 CC/CV which can do quite a lot and once those are dialed in which usually are much harder to find the sweet spot they work amazing but they are priced out of basically everybody but a companies range.

Here is some welds both old and new and the first two are test plates
3/8in thick plate
1/4in gap
1/4in backing strip
45ish degree bevel

The first one i have is one of my many practice pieces and I no clue what the settings we're its probably a little cold welded the second one which only has a root and fill pass looks cold welded and not very tight but its must be the angle of the picture because its the opposite of that and the last picture is an old pipe fit up picture

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Awesome post, going to absorb as much of it as I can. Thanks!

Re: Welding related reviews
 

thanks

Tomorrow ill do a more detailed review with pictures compared to my old helmet and my friends harbor freight helmet and im ordering another helmet

also to add to the list of helmets i have used are
harbor freight
huntsman fixed gold lens

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Great, im looking for a helmet now. Looking forward to your post.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

This thread is a great idea and your putting it here first is a good choice...at the fingertips of many folks that would use the knowledge you have to share.

I would imagine that after this thread fills out a bit, that it might eventually be moved into the boards FAQ.

Keep on typing my friend and we will keep on reading. :)

Re: Welding related reviews
 

mig welding pipe?

Re: Welding related reviews
 

I'll try to get as much information on the stuff i use as soon as possible so here's a little more on the helmets i own

The first - my main helmet shown here is the break down of it, its a 2 piece design and extremely easy to take apart
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4b48ee7b.jpg

The second - my old helmet shown here is the break down it, its a 3 piece design and not the easiest to take apart
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6c30074.jpg

Here is a picture of both flipped over. The lincoln 3350 has a better sweat band and overall headgear setup as opposed to the hobart's
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...pse6bc69df.jpg

This showing the size difference of the opening and although its hard to see here the lincoln curls up towards your neck more which i like more a lot more, this will help in tighter areas and the smoke won't be able to roll up under your helmet as easily
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psbc44b016.jpg

Here is a picture showing the obvious size in the cartridge differences from the front, notice you can see the hobart only has 2 sensors on top while the lincoln has 4, 2 on top and bottom which is a definitely helps
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d78348a.jpg

Here is a picture showing the backsides of both cartridges they both feature the same things like delay time, sensitivity, shade but the lincoln is superior in everything it has more shades and a grind mode
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5d84512d.jpg

For the regular non graphics versions i think the XVS runs around 110-120 while the 3350 is around 180-190 and it is worth every penny to buy the lincoln

tomorrow ill add a harbor freight helmet and do a comparison of a 4.5in ryobi grinder vs my new 4.5in dewalt and my other gear

Yessir mig welding pipe i know some people find it surprising especially because we had to do vertical down roots but these are not nuclear or high pressure lines they just run air for the most part anything with high pressure or oil pipes were all tig welded

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Well.... i am back to review/finish some more stuff here SOON. On the list will be my harbor freight arc/tig digital read although i will only be doing the arc/stick part of it for now and some air tools i use at work and a 4in dewalt corded grinder and lastly a mig welder the millermatic 211

Re: Welding related reviews
 

My new miller welder arrived.... here it is a millermatic 211 just the welder not the cart i modified my harbor freight cart to accept it now this is part of a review i will finish later after i get some more time on it so far i only got like maybe.... 40 total minutes of welding on it

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b9e3d3f.jpg

This is a dual volt welder which is 120/230 as you notice the plug right inside the top of the door, i haven't used the 110 and probably never will but the plug is easy to change

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps332a186b.jpg

Here is the very first weld i made i was using the auto set feature using the .30 wire that came with the welder and i can't remember what the volt was set at but it was real hot

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psd2fc4c5c.jpg

Now here is what i really wanted to do i went straight over to vertical ups because i just can't get enough of them i just like welding them over anything as you can see it didn't start out so well... i was using the auto set feature and way to much voltage then i went down as you can see then i get it dialed in decently but i only had 15 minutes for this and the last weld so i couldn't really get it all dialed in to my liking

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1cf8ebd5.jpg

This is a picture of me switching over to the max thickness which is 3/8 in and tried welding it at the panel settings but it was like flux core hot so it didn't turn out the best. The other metal welds were done on 3/16in angle iron while this 3/8 was two plates i put together

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psa9e95bb4.jpg

Here is the last weld i did, i referenced off the panel on the inside of the welder and turned it down to the 1/4in metal settings while using the auto set feature

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psece2c0c5.jpg

Here is the same weld from the bottom, nearly flat i would say with no under cutting or cold lapping... for the most part although the bottom started out a little cold but that was my fault

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3a54ff2.jpg

As you can see from the picture my work shop isn't exactly of any good quality lol i just threw a piece of metal on a roller cart and threw down some quick welds while the cart kept trying to roll away

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9b1f08bc.jpg

Now for my thoughts on the welder... when i first opened it and took it out and looked at it i was honestly extremely upset it just seems really cheap but im just used to really expensive welders so i can get over it. The ground clamp and wire is pretty cheesy and ill be replacing it wire that isn't like speaker wiring lol. The auto set feature i kind of figured would be a gimmick but it actually works extremely well but i still do not have even an hour on it so i won't recommend it just yet i want to get a good amount of time and see what problems arise then i will continue from there.

Gas is 75/25 as well

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Keep it coming!!! This is great for guys like me, who are learning.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

This is a great thread for me as well. I'm currently learning and taking a Tig class. I have a Hobart 140 and a Jackson Huntsman helmet. Any tips on Tig welding SS?

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Ill do what i can lol

here are some more pictures i took of some other welds i can't remember the exact settings except for it was still .035 wire and still using the auto set feature all on 3/8in metal

The first is a vertical up welded hot and from the looks of it not too shabby.... so i think...

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9a3d63b8.jpg

Now look here... how upsetting... if you look half way up this weld you will see undercutting. An easy way to tell on a weld like this is to do as i did and take a good flash light from the side and run it up and down the metal looking for the shadows like mine has right on the right side of the weld.

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d4eae10.jpg

Here's another one i did which i held the sides a hair longer to let it fill in better and got rid of the undercutting i do believe

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ab26274.jpg

Now onto the mm 211's stuff, here is the gun itself and one of all of our favorite magazines for a size reference

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps38c44b74.jpg

Here is that wimpy ground clamp and wire i do not like

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps59b67d53.jpg

Here you can see the size of the wire labeled at 6/AWG next to a triple a battery

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps07abbc37.jpg

Luckily the local rural king or tractor supply co both sell i believe is 2/AWG and better ground clamps.

Now to continue on with the review. I'm still using the auto set feature basically because i fell in love with it and how well it works and using the .035 wire seems like it welds just a bit nicer with the auto set feature and overall in general. When i first looked at the mm211 gun i thought man what a shame but after using it i feel like its probably the best feeling gun that I've used to date but the ground clamp and wire left me a little upset but that's a cheap easy fix so no big deal.

I will continue welding and getting some more pictures of the machine and the internals and do some flat welding with different techniques and maybe some vertical downs since i know how much everybody likes those :lol:

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Ill do what i can lol

Unfortunately i personally do not have a lot of welding experience myself i just happened to take to it really easily but i hope no one confuses that with me thinking welding is easy because its most definitely not. Also i have never had a tig welding job i only did it at school but not for long because i broke my collar bone the week we started it so i had to stay on mig and take a summer class for tig and i just don't like giving out tips on welding because of my lack of experience I'm afraid i would be giving out bad advice :lol: but as the old saying goes practice-practice-practice as you can never have enough practice.

Here are some more pictures i took of some other welds i can't remember the exact settings except for it was still .035 wire and still using the auto set feature all on 3/8in metal

The first is a vertical up welded hot and from the looks of it not too shabby.... so i think...

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9a3d63b8.jpg

Now look here... how upsetting... if you look half way up this weld you will see undercutting. An easy way to tell on a weld like this is to do as i did and take a good flash light from the side and run it up and down the metal looking for the shadows like mine has right on the right side of the weld.

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d4eae10.jpg

Here's another one i did which i held the sides a hair longer to let it fill in better and got rid of the undercutting i do believe

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ab26274.jpg

Now onto the mm 211's stuff, here is the gun itself and one of all of our favorite magazines for a size reference

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps38c44b74.jpg

Here is that wimpy ground clamp and wire i do not like

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps59b67d53.jpg

Here you can see the size of the wire labeled at 6/AWG next to a triple a battery

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps07abbc37.jpg

Luckily the local rural king or tractor supply co both sell i believe is 2/AWG and better ground clamps.

Now to continue on with the review. I'm still using the auto set feature basically because i fell in love with it and how well it works and using the .035 wire seems like it welds just a bit nicer with the auto set feature and overall in general. When i first looked at the mm211 gun i thought man what a shame but after using it i feel like its probably the best feeling gun that I've used to date but the ground clamp and wire left me a little upset but that's a cheap easy fix so no big deal.

I will continue welding and getting some more pictures of the machine and the internals and do some flat welding with different techniques and maybe some vertical downs since i know how much everybody likes those :lol:

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Great info!!!

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Funny, I also have that same Miller on the same HF cart. I put better casters on the front, and replaced the chain with a tank 'clamp' (for lack of a better term) that I spotted at my local welding supply store. Now that tank stays planted as I roll the cart around! I need to solve the lip issue on the door side though. I don't like leaving it open, though with the cover probably makes little difference.

I agree with you about the ground clamp. Wimpy and not enough of a jaw opening. I didn't have good success with the AutoSet, but following the internal chart I've had good results.

I'm a total welding noob! I'd like to take a class or two, but not sure who might offer that down here in the Phoenix area that isn't 1.5 hour drive away from my house. Seems like many of the CColleges have dropped many of the vocational courses.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Don't worry everyone i am going to finish this soon as a small update i did redo the ground cable and clamp and ended up getting worse results so that kind of annoyed me thats when i stopped welding with it and then i ran out of wire so i picked up an 8in spool and i changed back to the old clamp but kept the new wire

Re: Welding related reviews
 

I said i would eventually try and finish this... well i got some more on it lol im still trying to get a final impression on it but here's some more pictures i promised, i lowered the settings and did some flats, overheads and every welders favorite vertical downs.

These are all on 1/4in metal i cut up real fast and ground the mill scale off of which is a necessity when welding in my opinion anything. Or just cleaning the metal altogether one could say.

Here we start off with the flats, i used the circle technique since its really the only one i like but i used 3 different sizes.

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5dfe18f4.jpg

Here is a close up, the right weld in the pictures is the first and smallest and moved up to a bigger circle

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psf21b754f.jpg

An overall picture

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psf241f550.jpg

A picture of the heat signatures on back

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9336e9cc.jpg

This is just a cover over the first/smallest weld i decided to do

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps01aa35c9.jpg

Here is the overhead, originally i started from the right side and pushed away from me as i prefer that way best then i pulled the left weld towards me

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps26fbbec3.jpg

This is the overhead heat signature

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psc06a390b.jpg

Here are the vertical downs, 3 different techniques the first and highest one was a straight pull down, then an upside down U then the one i use most is a downward circle

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4bacf62b.jpg

Here is the last weld, it was another overhead i was trying to make them a little bigger but the welder started messing up and i then i just got mad and quit lol

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psd8ebe375.jpg

Some more thoughts on the welder, back when i first got it i was iffy on it and for a little bit i wished i had bought the mm252 but after putting these welds in I've decided i like the welder a lot especially the gun its really light and easy to maneuver although i guess it doesn't seem as rugged/built as a high dollar welder i won't toss this around like i do at work. As far as the settings inside the machine and the auto set... the settings on the panel i think are pretty far off i tried the 3/8 settings and it was like way too hot, it might've worked great for 1in metal but much too hot for 3/8.

Basically every setting is off which doesn't help a new welder who doesn't understand what is and isn't correct... so i think i will eventually make my own list with different thickness metals and what i feel is the appropriate settings for those thickness's. The auto set feature i realized i was using it wrong and it didn't really work for me very well but ill go back and try it just to make sure. I also haven't used the 110v feature as i feel there is no need for it but if someone wants ill give it a try.

Portability is an issue i have with this i think it comes in at 70lbs which to me is not something i want to lug around. As compared to a 251, 252 or any other welder a step up is obviously is much more portable because you can throw it in your bed but i think it could shed some weight lol

Current thoughts
Price V Performance - 10/10
Portability - 8/10
Ease of use - 8/10
Quality - 9/10

Now these are what i put the #'s at obviously a new welder that doesn't know how to set everything up may think its a lot harder than it actually is

As far as duty cycle goes i was never good with math and this whole duty cycle stuff has always had me a little confused but my understanding it is that you can weld straight for 3 minutes then it needs 7 minutes to cool since its based of a 10 minute interval. If all that is correct i just don't ever see me doing that as welding for 3 minutes is a whole lot of heat and weld going into something but i could be wrong on the duty cycle stuff.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Hey Mr250, any more thoughts on 110v settings?

I've got the Hobart 210mvp, essentially the same welder you had in the 211, minus the auto-set feature.

I run mine with 75/25, but due to the rental property I have, I only run it on 110v right now ( 220v extension cord from the dryer plug wasn't popular with the landlord)

Re: Welding related reviews
 

I haven't used the 110 and never planned on it but if you want i can, i just figured might as well use the 220. What's the land lords exact problems with your setup? I can say its the best way to set up a welder but its pretty common i know that.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

I have the 211 and its great. I use the 110v at home on everything I put together and it works better than my shop welder on 220v. Easily on of the best welders Ive put my hands on and one of the best investments Ive made. Great product.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

are some of these flux core wire welds? lots of smoke and splatter, but good looking welds

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1cf8ebd5.jpg

Re: Welding related reviews
 

[QUOTE=_Ogre;6214413]are some of these flux core wire welds? lots of smoke and splatter, but good looking welds

Sorry for never responding Ogre i've been caught up with work and toys lol but to answer your question no its not flux core, me personally the way i tell a flux core from a mig is by the shiny appearance a flux core has as opposed to migs more dull appearance. I'm not a flux core fan myself but i can still do it but the reason the spatter was so high was the welder was set so hot and the dust is something i have never really gotten an answer on as i have had it happen on every mig welder i have used at some point or another.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Guys i plan on continuing this i just got burnt out on everything and just bought a house and another fourwheeler so everything is finally settling down. Brew i would eventually like to try the 110v feature although i doubt ill ever use it but just to see how it works. As far as my lincoln helmet goes the only problems it has given me are these.

Low battery light doesn't work
Lens starts blinking randomly sometimes
Headgear will crack at the pivot point *Only problem that was a real issue*

One more piece on this helmet i read some reviews on it somewhere and the guy was complaining it was "flimsy". I see what he is saying but i take this as a pro not a con. The helmet basically in a sense flexes obviously because its made out of a softer plastic or whatever but where he takes it as a con i do not. I use this to my advantage when getting into tight spots you can force the helmet to bend to fit which i do on multiple occasions. Whenever you drop it the helmet can absorb the impact through flex unlike a more solid helmet that will absorb it all in that spot you dropped it.

In the future i plan on adding this http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...-Bandsaw/G0613 there is another but its a 3 phase and i believe its the one i had at my last job. They stuck me on it for 3 weeks working 4-12s a 10 and then an 8 on Saturday... i put it through the ringer cutting all day and the only problem i ever had was it broke blades but i believe its because my company bought some cheap blades.

That band saw is such a good piece for the price i know its obviously pricey but for what it does i would never bother with anything else and cutting angles is a breeze. It has a quick lock level which you unlock then turn the whole setup to whatever angle which is marked on the swivel then lock it in, set the metal in. Turn the blade on set the lower speed and let it eat. Seriously i can't oversell this thing as i had a good amount of time basically stress testing it.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Here's some more pics of what the 211 can do at cheaper price doesn't means it can't put in a nicer weld like them fancy expensive welders do.

I used a harbor freight oxy torch to cut some plate i can't remember if it was 3/8 but i believe it was i straight cut them by hand and beveled them with a grinder. Naturally i just wanted to weld i didn't care too much on the prep work which is obvious by the incorrect bevel angle and root gap.

If there's one thing i would ever tell someone else even though i don't like doing that especially over the internet the three things i go by in welding is metal prep, welder settings, welding technique.

Any who here's the 211 with some more verticals, 3/8" plate, 1/4" root gap, 1/4" thick backing strip, no clue on welder settings because it was quick.

Root
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...pszycftmqh.jpg

Fill # 1
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psja0yqvr0.jpg

Fill # 2
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...pslkv1suu0.jpg

Cover
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...pslfkx4wnk.jpg

Cleaned cover
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...psp0fmwhpj.jpg

Close up of lower cleaned cover
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...pscohh6dgw.jpg

Yes the weaves could've been tighter especially on the fill passes and yeah i should've waited on the middle a tad longer but.... i think this more than justifies the 211's ability to put in some decent looking welds, let the nit picking begin lol.

Re: Welding related reviews
 

Nice welds! former pipe welder here----