Glen-L.com

As usual good advice Kevin,,,,, however I would disagree with Miller being superior to Lincoln on the TIG end

Seriously though they both make good machines and Millers TIG is a fine machine.

MCM, you know when you get your first pickup and there's a 'feel' to it? You drive others' trucks and likely have more than a few vehicles as time goes along but there's something about the feel of equipment that appeals to one or another person. That first truck seems to do it for many drivers and your first welder can do that to a welder. I've notice most welders are pretty loyal to the power supply they start with or work long hours with.

Before I got my first welding power supplies in the mid '70's I was a "Lincoln Lad"; solid. All the gas and diesel portable machines were Lincoln, the first few MIG torches were all 'Red' but then I had to have a TIG power supply -in a weeks time- and nothing was around for months but a Hobart CyberTIG- so I bought it and went to work. I was running MK Cobramatics off Lincoln CV power supplies and it killed me to have another brand in the shop! I'd ordered a Lincoln TIG 300/300 but is was so far out, in 1979-80 winter, that I had to make do.

I had such a 'feel' for my Lincoln systems that I wouldn't even consider other brands. Then, a few years later, I had to have half dozen more systems- right now(!) for a run of skiffs and a few power boats in the later '80's; so we ended up with everything/anything that welded, and that was my introduction to Miller. By then I'd found the PowCon 300 for MIG and it had pulsed MIG -the first inverter in the market- and my Lincoln Loyalty faded and now I've gone over to the Blue side.

I've not used a Lincoln TIG of the same series- that is- one of the inverter type and digital controls with pulse and AC variables like the Dynasty has so I can't say if Lincoln's TIG equivalent to these Millers is as good or better?


3" pipe capped for test, end cut off after the test on the pipe header - Dynasty 300 DX; 2%Ceritated ; 5/32" tungsten; 220A peak 126 PPS @ 50% high 30% background (low) AC Freq 250 Hz 72Balance 5356 Filler


1/8" Plate Tank 5086 Alloy - Dynasty 300 DX; 2%Ceritated ; 1/16" tungsten; 120A peak 1.2 PPS @ 68% high 45% background (low) AC Freq 150 Hz 72Balance 5356 Filler


above weld showing keyhole control by power supply arc settings


Shop Bracket A-53 carbon steel; Dynasty 300 DX; 2%Ceritated 1/8" tungsten; 175A peak 300 PPS @ 58% high 35% background (low) ER70-6 Filler


316L pipe screw pipe fittings Dynasty 300 DX; 2%Ceritated ; 3/32" tungsten; 110A peak 450 PPS @ 50% high 48% background (low) 316L Filler


close up of image above

I really like this power supply!!!

Cheers,

_________________
Kevin Morin

My experience has been just the opposite. During my apprenticeship back in the 70s all my experience was with Blue with the exception of an old round top Lincoln 250 which quickly became my favorite for SMAW pipe and running the root pass with GTAW. However for "bench" welding of TIG welding for SS and AL I perferred the blues. That changed when Lincoln came out with the Precision TIG series. I first welded with one at a trade show and had to have one. My school bought 5 for my program. I even offered Miller the chance to come in with their best answer to the Precision TIG and I would could someone independent to come in and weld with both and I would buy which ever one the welder said was the best. Miller agreed to do so, but call back the day before and said they would not do so.

As for the invertors, I do a lot of anodized aluminum work on boat towers and other marine items. The Lincoln Invertec 205 is the most incredible machine I have ever used to do those welds with.

My experience with the other invertors has been welding root passes in pipe. So I really can't comment much on the differences. I have used both the Miller and Lincoln in the 350 series to do these welds and honestly can't tell any difference. Of course for what we are doing we don't use the pulse of any of the current functions.

I guess it is like cars, everyone has their own brand loyality. I don't think either company builds any junk, if they did they would not be in business.