Page 1 of 1

Millermatic 215

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 11:44 am
by MudHog
Looking at a Millermatic 215, price point plus three in one.
Personal use and new welder.

Any input would be helpful.

Re: Millermatic 215

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2017 7:54 pm
by Turbo
I'm also awaiting some reviews of this machine.

Re: Millermatic 215

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:15 am
by C. Livingstone
Well,

This thread hasn't gotten much feedback from its beginning 3 months ago, so I'll give an objective impression as a marketplace observer.

Price point:

The Miller 215 Multimatic is primarily a MIG unit, which seems to be an updated Millermatic 211, but with CC ability for Stick and DC TIG, at about $1700 with the TIG accessories, and about $1350 without the pedal or TIG torch.

3-in-1:

The Multimatic 215 is a Multi, but doesn't do high-frequency TIG arc starts, which is kind of a big deal, I think. The 215 also only has a duty-cycle of about 20% at 200 amps, which is surprisingly poor for a, primarily speaking, MIG unit.
Duty Cycle.jpg
Duty Cycle.jpg (38.94 KiB) Viewed 1292 times
Comparatively:

The Everlast 211Si and 251Si both have far better duty-cycles and both have high-frequency DC TIG arc starts too (I think the only units in this class that does), and the 251Si is a higher output "PULSE" MIG unit than the Miller, but is priced about the same as the Miller 215/TIG Package. And the Everlast 211Si, with its TIG package, is priced less than the Miller 215 without any TIg accessories.

Conclusion:

So, I know some people want to adhere to the Miller stuff, but the Everlast specs, performance, and value are hard to beat. I mean, I'm not a paid advertiser or a shill of Everlast, just a satisfied retail customer giving solicited feedback.

Alternatively:

On the other hand, there is a Miller unit that I tend to think is a bit under-appreciated and is a pretty good value too, at a little over $2000, which is a "Multi" unit of sorts. It's the inverter Syncrowave 210, which does AC/DC TIG (yes, with HF arc starts), Stick, and MIG (but only via a spoolgun). So, it's about the only unit of it's kind in the North American marketplace at this time that can do AC TIG on aluminum and MIG (via spoolgun), etc. And it comes on a rolling undercarriage so that the unit and gas bottle don't need a welding cart. I find it to be an interesting unit that would probably work for a guy like me as a true "all-in one" unit, but mostly as an AC/DC TIG unit. So, it might be a good choice for a personal user or new welder too, I think.