Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey all, currently running Miller syncrowave 350 and love it. We have only had blue in our shop. They’re great machines but I’m starting to question if I should consider Lincoln. Miller has been solid...until recent years. We’ve been averaging about 4 years before these machines need a new circuit board out in which is very costly. The older machines lasted 20+ years and when they finally broke you felt they owed you nothing. I’m happy with the performance from Miller but becoming more increasingly unhappy with the longevity of them. I’d like to hear some honest thoughts on staying with Miller or switching to Lincoln. We primarily TIG weld on steel, stainless and aluminum of varying thickness from .020-1.00

I think your experience is quite similar to either brand. It seems to be the new standard of quality no mater what you buy.

Things you can do in a production environment to prolong the life your welding machine: Run on Ph3 power if possible, keep the damn machine clean and free from dust/debris and particles! Remove the cover weekly and blow out the dirt, use a large enough machine to avoid hitting duty cycles (if you weld at 200 amps all day, use a 350 amp-rated machine). Periodically check the internal connections for the ground, for corrosion, and clean the connectors.

All these little things add up to a better working environment for a machine, kind of like human work environments. You'd be surprised at the benefits.

Red, Blue, Green or Purple, they all require the same care and suffer the same damage.

Thanks for the info. Aside from the routine cleaning all suggestions are currently in play. Love the technology, hate the lifespan of everything made today. I will note that our older machines that ran decades said made in USA. They now say assembled in USA.

Reality is that your manufacturer warranty is a good indicator of The engineered lifespan. Most companies figure a failure rate of under 10% during the warranty period. They intentionally design components to last longer than the warranty for 90% of the time. New out of the box you have a 10% chance of getting a dead or failed unit. Once the warranty period is up all bets are off.

Went to test out machines at Miller in the closest regional NJ. They set me up on a few machines and we ended up spending 3 hours testing. The syncrowave line was nice, the dynasty line is even better. Working in a job shop where you can weld anything from .020-1.00 on any given day and typically stainless or aluminum I have to give the dynasty the thumbs up. The arc control on aluminum is insane given that you can change it up based on material thickness. Old machines get it done. New machines make it easier. I love the tech but hate the issues. My rep ANDY spent the necessary time to ensure satisfaction and will be out to ensure we are happy with our new dynasty 400 and understand its features. I’ll keep you posted as to my thoughts on the machine for anyone interested. Big shout out to the customer service from Miller at this point. I hope to not speak with them until the next purchase. Oh, the machine has way more bells and whistles than needed. Could totally run a syncrowave but the amount of aluminum done warrants the upgrade. Also we must look to the future. Trying not to buy for the needs of today but for what we might be doing down the road.

That's what I wound up with when we upgraded was a dynasty 400.

Hell of a machine, I hardly use all the bell and whistles but when I need em and use em I'm thankful I have them.

Like you said they just make the jobs easier, not necessary but nice to have.

Did you get the newer model with fan on demand? Only thing I kinda would've liked but the savings on the older demo model just couldn't be ignored.

Also if you didn't already I suggest upgraded to the wireless pedal. It functions just fine and is so much nicer to not drag an extra cable around on the ground.

As far as the longevity of the inverters my local LWS repair tech told me that if we see 5+ years with no repair then we're doing good. He speculated 10 years would be amazing if no repair was needed.

He said it's Just due to the difference in the way the machines are built compared to the old transformers. He said they use more delicate components to achieve the things they do in the size foot print / power inputs.

Who knows maybe in 10 years they'll figure out how to make a more rugged longer lasting inverter that gives 20 yrs of service issue free, going to cost a arm and a leg though I bet.

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