If you are looking for a new, top of the line welding machine and you can not decide if you should pick the Miller 211 or Lincoln 210 MP, then you are reading the right article. These welders differ from each other quite a bit so it is not actually fair to compare every aspect of the machines, but if you are looking to up your welding game or you are just tired of messing with cheap welders, then going with either one, is a safe way to go.
To be frank, comparing Millermatic 211 vs Lincoln 210 is like comparing apples to oranges, but nevertheless, let us dissect and compare these two welders to find out which of them would be more suitable for you.
Lincoln 210 MP overview
Contents
As the first part of this comparison, let’s have a look at what Lincoln Power MIG has to offer. For those who need a brief history lesson about Lincoln, the company was founded in the 1900’s is one of the first who got into the welding game. Lincoln is a US-based company, and in my opinion, the quality of its welders is astonishing.
What are the features of Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP?
The number of features this welder has is mind-boggling for me. It packs a ton of great stuff, and because of that, I think it is easier for you as a reader if I created a list on the most remarkable ones I would bring out.
- The first and the easiest one to recognize with this welder is a huge LED display. It is not just a simple display showing you the voltage and amps while you are welding as many cheaper end competitors have. This one is actually used to set up the welder. Let me explain – After you turn on the welder, using the buttons below the screen to navigate, you pick the welding method, the filler diameter, the material thickness and then the machine sets the baseline settings for your projects. Of course, after the initial settings, it is possible to fine-tune the voltage. I have to say that this is my favorite feature of the welder because this takes the user experience to another level
- Since I have seen welders without a settings chart I have to bring out that this one has one as well, but thanks to the display, you don’t really need it.
- Now to the most interesting part besides the setup process and LED display. It is a freaking Multi-Process welder. If you are looking to learn new welding methods, this Lincoln 210 MP is definitely a welder to consider. You can do stick welding, MIG welding, FCA Welding as well as DC TIG. The only downside to the TIG here is you can not TIG weld aluminum since the machine is DC only. I would have preferred Lincoln to go the extra mile and make it AC TIG, but it is good for welding delicate mild steel nevertheless.
- As another remarkable feature the 210 MP offers is that after you pick the settings for stick welding, you can manually make the stinger cold turning the voltage knob on the front panel. It can be really useful if your machine is running and you do not want to unexpectedly strike an arc.
What about the design?
As expected, the design aspect is something that Lincoln pays close attention to. To start off, the settings knobs are not wobbly but precise and feel really high quality, so do the buttons. From the controls side, the setting options are of course infinite which is nice.
This brings me to the fact that the welder is using inverter technology, making it really light in weight (only 40 lbs) and economical while providing you the better output in terms of the duty cycle.
Besides that, the overall built and quality of small things is something to appreciate. For example, the hinges on the side panel are made out of metal. A lot of welders have them made out of plastic, which is cheaper, but they tend to fail. Another small thing to add to this list is that they have a storage unit hidden on top of the front panel where you can store your spare nozzles and contact tips.
There is one major downside, however. It does not have an on-demand cooling fan system. That means the cooling fan on the welder is always running and it starts to annoy you pretty darn quickly. It is fairly loud, and if you are spending hours in your shop, your ears will be bleeding by the end of the day.
Power input to run the welder
What’s great about the welder is thanks to the inverter technology, you can virtually use it anywhere with a generator. So for example, If you are a farmer and you need to fix something on the field. Take the machine and a generator and you can fix the problem right on the spot.
Besides that, as a nice addition, it can be used on 115 and 230V electrical systems. It is a nice thing to have if you do not have a 230V outlet right now and you are planning to upgrade your electrical system or even if you have multiple homes, shops or clients who might not have a 230V outlet.
The output of the Lincoln 210 MP
As the name indicates, the maximum amps 210 MP can produce is 210. For MIG it means you can weld up to 3/16 of an inch. The duty cycle is awesome as well – @ 200A it is rated 25%. That is a lot! Probably more than most of the users need in a portable case. It is more of an industrial machine in my eyes. The lowest you can co on amps is 20, so you can weld from really thin materials up to 3/16”
At 115V system, the maximum you can get out of it is 140 amps, while the lowest is 20 here as well. The duty cycle on 115V, however, is 40% @ 100 amps. It is really great result considering you can get this amount of welding time from the regular household power supply.
Miller 211 – Everything you need to know
Now, since we are done with the Lincoln 210 MP let’s have a look at the Miller Multimatic 211. Similar to Lincoln, so has Miller been in the welding game since the early 1900s. They offer top of the line welding equipment and they are one of the leading companies in terms of innovation. From Miller, you can expect nothing but high quality, but is the Multimatic up to par with Lincoln 210?
The features of Millermatic 211
- Similarly to the Lincoln 210, the Multimatic 211 is capable of calculating the right settings for your job to start welding right out of the box. However, their design, in this case, is much more simplistic. This model does not have an LCD screen so everything can be done using the three knobs on the front panel. To give you an example – All you need to do for the auto set to work is to turn the wire speed knob to an appropriate filler wire size you are using. Next, you will need to choose the welding method. You can choose between FCAW, MIG stainless, MIG steel C25, MIG C100 and MIG aluminum (with spool gun). And last but not least, turn the voltage knob to the right thickness indicated on the front panel.
They certainly have done a good job making auto-set feature less complicated.
- A huge advantage that Miller offers unlike most competitors is the quick select drive roll system. They have made it super easy to switch between different types of wire with this feature. It is difficult to explain it in writing but it really helps to save your nerves and time.
- The next huge thing is fan on-demand. As I mentioned earlier, continuously running fans will start to annoy you after a while. Well, Miller has thought of that and made sure that it only runs when needed. This makes it more economical, helps to reduce noise as well as lessens the amount of dust that will get pulled to the machine’s electrical parts. The ladder helps to increase the lifetime of the welder a lot!
- As another upside, which I guess is not that important, but for those who are looking for convenience, it has an auto-spool gun detection system as well. Miller is trying to make welder’s life easier, and this little feature proves that.
The design of the welder
I really like the design of Miller products, they are small, light and sturdy machines, and the Multimatic 211 is not an exception.
Let’s start off with the controls of the welder. Similarly to Lincoln, the setting controls are infinite while being stiff and not wobbly. You can feel that the knobs are rock solid and not attached directly to the circuit board. It might not seem like a big deal, but it adds a lot of lifetime to the welder.
The machine weighs even less than Lincoln, only 38 pounds. This is only possible due to the inverter technology used. Some prefer the transformer welders like Hobart because they are more durable and cheaper to repair but on the other hand, the technology improves day after day and the inverter welders consume 3-4 times less electricity. So it definitely helps to save money on electricity.
The overall built of the welder is remarkable. You can not expect the same level of attention to detail from cheaper welders. Miller has created an amazing welder with a ton on small features that you would probably not even notice if you have never used a cheaper end welder. One thing that many would not notice for example are the door hinges. They are built in a way to make it impossible for you to break. Just amazing tiny machine that is light, durable and well built.
From this machine, I really do not have any downsides or negative aspects to bring out. It is just such an awesome welder. If I had to bring out something, it would be the ground clamp. I would upgrade to a more heavy-duty one.
Power input to run the welder
From the power input side, the Millermatic 211 is the same as the Lincoln 210 MP. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the welder is inverter-based. That means you can run it on generators. Now I do not know if it necessary for you, but it makes it a little bit more portable.
Besides that, you can run it on a 120V system as well as a 240V system. This makes it even more versatile in terms of where you can use the welder. A solid welder to invest in if you do not yet have a 240V outlet at home.
The Output of the Miller 211
Now, it is good to know that you can run the welder on multiple electric systems and generators, but does it pack a punch? It certainly does! In this case, the model number does not indicate the max output of the welder. As a matter of fact, the amperage range for Miller is 30 to a whopping 230 amps! For 120V I believe it is 30-140 amps maximum, which is the maximum you can get out of 120V system
Now the duty cycle – At 150A it is rated 40% on a 240V system. As far as the 120V goes, it is rated 20% @ 115 Amperages. I believe it could be better, and in reality, it probably is better than that.
Overall I think that more than likely you will not hit the duty cycle limit with this welder, unless you are working in really hot conditions.
Who is the winner? Lincoln 210 MP or Millermatic 211?
As much as I hate when someone spoils something, check out my pick from Amazon HERE.
Features
From the features side, it is tough to say which one would be a winner. The Lincoln in Multi-Process welder giving it a huge advantage over Millermatic 211, but if Multi-Process is not important to you, I would say the point goes to Miller 211.
Price
As of now, the Millermatic is a few bucks cheaper than Lincoln 210, so clearly Miller is a winner here as well if we are not considering Lincoln’s ability to use multiple welding processes.
If we took all aspects into consideration, again it would be a rough decision. The Lincoln TIG welding can only be used to weld steel, on the other hand it has decent stick welding capabilities.
If we took everything into consideration, I think the winner would be Lincoln 210
Versatility
When it comes to versatility, I think we all know who the winner is. Both of the machines can be run on generators as well as 120 and 220V systems, but you just can not beat the Multi-Process capabilities when it comes to versatility.
In my mind, if you needed to work on something on the field, for example, do a repair on a tractor, it would be a lot easier to use Lincoln’s stick welding rather than Miller’s flux-core.
Ease of use and user experience
Both of the machines are really easy to use and set up right out of the box even if you have never welded in your life before. However, if I had to pick which one is easier, then it would be Miller. That’s because you do not have to surf around in the computer to find the settings, methods and whatnot. All you have to do is move three knobs into the right position and you are ready to go.
From the user experience side, I think they are both equally amazing. I have to admit that I really like the interface Lincoln 210 has, but if you do not need to use multiple processes, then it is a bit of an overkill.
Final verdict
Overall, I think if you are interested not only in MIG welding, but would also like to do stick welding and maybe try TIG welding as well then I might go with the Lincoln.
However, if you are only into MIG, then the Miller 211 would be my pick. The machines do not differ a lot, but what makes the difference for me personally is the fan on demand, the smaller case as well as the drive-roll system which is a bit more complicated on the Lincoln.
Besides that, the Lincoln 210MP has extraordinary features as well and when looking at the price you have to invest to get your hands on MP welders, I think it is a solid investment.
| Lincoln 210 MP | Miller Millermatic 211 | |
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