I have had this welder for about a year now, its been awesome. I have welded everything from complete exhausts to car frames. This was my first personal welder (I used to use a $2k miller at school). This thing welds awesome. when i was first looking for a welder i didnt think that the multi voltage feature would be a big deal (110v and 220v). But man was i wrong, I have used 110v 90% of the time! Still welds great! Would definitely recommend this machine! Great video man!
Great video! Have watched so many review videos for the migmax 215 and really just want to know how people feel about it. You get right to the point and give good details and reasons as to why. Thank you. I think I'm sold.
I've had this welder for a week now. My stimulus welder. I've used tons of welders and though this isn't my favorite, I'm very very impressed with it. Arc is crisp. Duty cycle is about average. I've done vertical and overhead with this with great results.
Just met you guys at the rallycross race on sunday. Was trying to lay down stringer beads for my migmax 215 to show a friend that wants to buy a welder and they were coming out junk... Hopped on here to see what people were doing with settings and your videos popped up. Pretty awesome to see that this hobby welder can be put to hard use in a shop environment. You have an interesting mishmosh of tools and actually we line up on alot of them so that was cool to see. I've been really happy with my kobalt 24v tools, the migmax, and my AHP alphatig, which came out before the vulcans were available. There's alot you can buy from HF that works just fine, or you don't feel too bad about it if burns up in a few years, so its cool to see your shop putting out serious builds using the stuff. Anyway, very cool to see these things can take the abuse of high use daily. I think my answer to the crummy stringer beads is I need to hook up to 220v finally.
thanks for posting. At last a real unbiased review after long time use instead of Typical out of the box videos given by the manufacturer. I really enjoyed the video. Your welds are fine. If you move the gun sideways a lot it is usually related to lack of heat. With proper heat input your gun motion should be minimal and your bead slightly convex. Weaving is not done on mig. weaving is a bad habit it increases heat input and makes unnecessary wide welds (except on vertical). (on your 1/4 weld test) I noticed you have knurled drive rolls in your machine, you should have u groove this drive roll is for tubular wire. the links are very useful i am subscribing. Cheers
Love this vid! I truly enjoyed seeing the tools you use in your shop. It would be nice to have a shop the size of yours. Sadly come spring I will be evicting the only project car left inside my garage in order to make room for more shop tools. I have been using the Vulcan Omni Pro 220 for the past year. Prior to getting it i was using a Lincoln 110 flux core welder. My welds improved more with the welder upgrade than the past 15 years I have used that old Lincoln. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the video guys also FYI I have this machine if you want to step it up I purchased the new Lincoln magnum Pro175L mig gun. Plug and play for this machine and it is an unbelievable improvement.
Loved the video, always like to see what others use in their shop. I used to buy from HF many years ago (before I moved to the UK 15 years ago) and am really surprised how much there quality has improved. Onwards and upwards with the channel and your business, of course
Hey, first off, thanks for taking the time to do this video. Very informative and I am in the market for one of these welders. The pain point for me… the cost of this is really pretty close to the Miller 211. Here is how i come to that conclusion: Harbor Freight Welder : MIGMax 215 = approx. 800.00 2 year warranty = 140.00 Replacement cost for the mig Gun = 200.00 ( everyone that has reviewed has said the guns on these are crap and have to be replaced, 200.00 is cost of a good gun. Not replacing crap with crap, but a comparable gun from a reputable Welding supply house) Total is approx. 1300.00 with tax included Miller Matic: Miller 211 = 1220.00 3 year warranty = Free NO need to replace gun = Free support to get replacement parts for up to 20 years for this model = Free ( something that Miller does for all their products) Resale value for Miller @ 60% after 3 years vs. Vulcan @ 10% after 3 years Total is approx. 1305.40 out the door It seems like its worth it to pay the extra 5.40 for the miller all things considered and the name and reputation of the Miller is a lot better than that of the Harbor Freight Vulcan. Now, the Vulcan would be more tempting if they brought back the 1 year free warranty and gave you the option to purchase an additional 2 year at conclusion of the 1 year free warranty, but they discontinued that last year. HBF replacement plan is a PIA, what a pain to be taking my entire wilder in every time the Gas solenoid , or gun , or switch breaks. I do have to say… i like the look and feel of the Vulcan much better than the Miller, but I'm not rich… cant afford to buy a new mig welder every 3 years ( planned obsolescence of the Vulcan) This is just my research and observations over the past 3 weeks.
Miller warranty is not existent so you're paying out of pocket so if something happens tossing the welder in my truck running it down the harbor freight is a lot cheaper than having the source parts that I got to wait forever to get. I've been using the same gun on the harbor freight now for a very long time I don't understand the need to replace it I actually like the gun very much. It's all personal preference. Miller does not just give you replacement parts for 20 years that is not true at all. If something goes wrong you're going to be paying out of pocket and parts are very very expensive. I've owned Miller's and it's been a very unpleasant experience when you need to change stuff.
@@carbonshocks Sorry if my point was confusing, will respond in line with your comments, to try to make better sense of what I was trying to point out and please understand, this is only in the interest of trying to understand the best and most economic investment for me and your viewers on a big ticket item like this. I'm really leaning towards the HBF / Vulcan, but still stuck on Value / trade -offs…. “Miller warranty is not existent so you're paying out of pocket” it is my understanding that Miller has a 3 year warranty. Harbor freight has a 90 day. You have to pay for the extended warranty. The ESP from Harbor Freight and it is only for two additional years, not 3 years like the Miller welder. The Harbor Freight ESP for this Welder in this video is about $140.00. So the Miller Welder is covered for 3 years ( included in price of welder). “harbor freight is a lot cheaper than having the source parts that I got to wait forever to get.” You do make a really good point ! “Miller does not just give you replacement parts for 20 years that is not true at all.” This was not what I meant ( not the idea i was trying to convey), I was speaking to the point that Miller will support their product for 20 years. So, if / when your Miller warranty is up, and a part breaks, you can purchase ( out of your pocket) parts for your Miller welder for 20 years. Not the case with Harbor freight products. Historically Harbor Freight does not support their products after about 3~5 years. So the option you might have is to return your welder after the 2 year ESP expires and get a new one. However, I have had a bad experience with this when it has come to other items such as power saws , masonry saws from Harbor fright and attempting to execute the ESP. Also, I think with HBF , you have to have a defective product , or issue with it in order to return if for a new one… if its not broke .. I would have a hard time / dishonest lying about it .. the big guy Upstairs frowns on that :)
Bought an Omni few years ago, worked great untill it got a case of chewing dog.... Been so happy with the Vulcan line I've(also have the small Tig lunchbox) that I'm considering the Vulcan Mig. Thank you for your long term use review.
I have had the Protig 200 for a couple of years. Use big blue with high freq at work that doesn't have pulse. Pulse makes thin work soo much easier. Every time I weld food grade stainless sheet or exhaust people can't believe it was from HF machine. I even repaired a ripped and punctured guide canoe!
I have the protig 200 for almost two years, it works great! Used it for cast aluminum, mild steel and crime alloy, with excellent results! I’m very happy with it but like you said I’m upset they discontinued it. I haves used the Lincoln square wave and it Weld’s pretty much the same. Would be nice if it the brought it back. Post flow is long though.
I'm still not clear. Was this your opinion? I just bought this welder so your rave review (strictly your opinion) made me feel pretty good with the purchase. I had a Hobart 135 in the past and I really didn't like it very well and gave it away. Informative video, thanks.
No guard, handle, and a dead man switch on that grinder! PERFECT 👌. A wire wheel with everyone watching and a long shirt tail. 😆 Like your videos brother, great job. That is a nice shop.
Concerning the MIGMax 215, if you put the thickness knob at 3/8 for 3/8" metal or 10, and then look at the setting info on the lid, you will find that the recommenced setting for 0.45 flux core wire is J/8.5. I brought this discrepancy to the attention of Harbor Freight Technical Support but they had to escalate it to a corporate engineer, I understand. Also, another example of a discrepancy, for instance, is the recommended setting for 0.035 solid wire and C100. On the lid for 240 volts for 1/8" it says D4 but if you set the left knob at 1/8" on the front panel to 1/8" the corresponding point is midway between 6 and 7. Are the synergic settings and the manual settings supposed to be so much different? I understand you are supposed to refer to the chart on the lid for the manual settings and for the synergic settings, you go by the orange highlighted thicknesses that are around the thickness knob. Can anyone explain the discrepancies I have found? Thanks.
I’ve been welding for 30 years. Don’t think to deep about the settings. They are only a reference. For example if you have a long extension cord the machine will run colder than if you used a shorter one. Learning to set the machine for yourself will teach you to be more skillful. Confidence is key.
I love the Vulcan. I see some complaints of the gun not shooting wire out when you pull the trigger and mine did that once & thought oh no now what? Figured out I forgot to turn a switch on. The machine sounded like it was powered up and all as well which was weird. Flipped the switch and worked perfectly. Wondering if this is what happened to some of the others & thought the machine failed? That was my initial thought as well. But nope, was my fault.
Awesome vid as all ways n love the shop walk thru n the tools y'all use n all. Keep up the great work n hope u n ur Fam hav a very Marry Christmas n New yrs.. I'll b W aitn on the next vid as I always do
@@carbonshocks Yes they no longer have that option with the Vulcan line, or the other lines for that matter.. that is why its so hard for me to make the Vulcan choice... Its even listed on the box " 1 year no risk" but the manager and that Corp center told me this is no longer the case... only 90 day.
i like the fact the on off switch is in front..?? something to consider when u have to turn off the welder quickly.. my next welder when i have some extra money..
Seems like just about every machine I've used professionally with an auto set, is usually a bit hot. Just use the AWS tolerances for voltage and wire feed speed and fine tune from there.
So I'm 71 have never really welded,but I'm retired and would like to teach myself. I have used a welder,but not well. Do they make a machine that AC-DC stick,and mig welds?
Gary Burchett everlast and Eastwood make a machine that does it all. There a few companies that make multi process machine. The two mentioned are semi affordable. I’m not sure if Vulcan makes one or not. There are other companies that make them also. They are closer to the $3000 range and over though. I have an everlast tig/stick/plasma machine. I love it. It was about $1700.
Play around with the frequency on the ac tig, it shouldn’t be sounding like that, it should sound higher pitch at a constant rate and not be having a pitch change
I thought I would tell you the wheel you are using on the feeder is not the correct one for that wire it is for Flux core you are supposed to use the smooth for plain wire and the u shaped for aluminum wire
Can the 215 do both 120 and 220 power? Trying to buy one machine for my home shop. Also is it strictly mig? I’ve already got a Chicago electric flux core welder and a Lincoln tombstone stick welder but I am looking for a mug welder and I think I want a 220? Or can this do both? Trying to educate myself before purchase, thank you for your video great information.
for sure we're not experts but we've been using stuff for years and people are questioning the machines and they want to know if they're a good option. This is just our opinion from two guys building stuff. :) Thank you for stopping by the channel
I bought the Pro Tig 200 it was my first tig and I had high hopes for it. I only kept it for a few weeks and returned it. I got super frustrated about all the false starts. It wouldn’t start more often than it would. Do you ever have problems with the high frequency start? Also it seemed to go through so much argon because of the long post flow and no way to change it. I felt like eventually I would make up the difference in price of a more reliable one just in wasted argon.
Hey man, I also own the migmax 215 and LOVE it. I have made a ton of money with that thing. The only thing I've noticed is that it seems to use a TON of gas. I've looked for leaks on the exterior/hoses/reg ect. To no avail. Have you noticed yours using more gas than other welders?
I ultimately have not noticed it on the MIG Max however on the pro Tig yes it does have a very long post flow which is not a bad thing but it's a little bit too long in my opinion and I think you waste a bit of gas
@@carbonshocks right on guys! Thanks for the reply! I can burn through a 150cf bottle in a day or 2 worth of welding no problem so that's why I was curious. May have to pull the case off and see what I can figure out
Ive got the titanium 200 unlimited. 🤷🏼♂️ i weld the fuck out of it. Never had any issues. It welds perfectly fine. Also they have two vulcan tig welders now. The 165 and 205
So the extremely loud buzzing while welding with the pro tig 200 is normal? Yours sounds the same as mine. A buddy of mine who does a lot of tig welding was thrown off by it
looks like MigMax specs out a little stronger than the Lincoln Power Mig 180 ran on 220v with input current of 20 amps, 120V: 30-140 A 230V: 30-180 A Whereas the MigMax 215 does @ 120v: 30 - 140amps, 220v: 30 -220 A Is there an aluminim spool gun available for this?
Will it fully penetrate 1/4"? I have some 4 link brackets and air bag brackets I need to weld on my rear axle and a diy jeep xj bumper that I'm making a real hitch for out of 2" x 1/4 wall tubing
What about the extremely short warranty for the MigMax 215? Harbor freight doesn't provide many replacement parts and no printed circuit boards or liner. Any comments?
Might want to really research other co.panies fine print warranties. For the cost of parts you can just go buy a new machine. We have 3 in house zero issue this far and going on like what... 4 years now? Weld constantly and do just fine. I don't buy a part for it's warranty lol. I buy what fits the bill and let me tell you... These rigs are legit and have made us hundreds of thousands
@@carbonshocks So if a switch or front panel control fails out of warranty, I'm supposed to spend maybe $850 to buy a whole new welder? This is nonsense.
@@runningwater5936 lol 😂 have you price Miller stuff?? It's pretty much that. Or... Just buy the warranty for like 80 a year.. any issue and they just replace it. I could care less what people think we're just sharing our experience. Complain all you want and go buy something else that makes you happy 😎🤙
@@carbonshocks It doesn't sound like you are considering the reality if you are unlucky and a part fails that cannot be replaced after the warranty ends.
What settings i need if i want flatter welds in my mold steel im using .035 wire 100% argon and 220v , thanks from firestone Colorado,also very good skills boody
Hey Dingus!! You gonna make a video about how great harbor freight welders are compared to miller, lincoln and hobart atleast dont mislead the people that it runs a "point 35 wire"
Lol you can run whatever wire you want. .30 .35 lol. Pleae explain where something was misleading. We explained our years of experience with them and they work great.
I'm sorry .035 lol wow your life must suck if this is acting like a complete fool is what you need to do to have fun. Glad my life is not that crappy. "Inserts my life is better than yours post" 🤣 Internet warriors are idiots who can't make it in the real world. Lol
@@lylegrenoble2055 and finally It makes sense why your a moron. Who names their kid lyle.... Go back to west virginia and collect your unemployment checks. Lol 😂
Your Vulcan 200 does way better than my Everlast 250EX. It definitely has a defect; can't weld more than 1" bead without the tungsten blobbing up. Its been back to their shop twice ( big $$$$ ). Still junk.
Looking for anyone's input on how this holds up to TIG welding chassis' or the OmniPro 220. I'm going to weld a tubed front end on my fox(so it needs to be very good quality and a solid weld). Anyone's opinion is greatly appreciated in advance.
He said $575 with coupon for the Mig Max 215, That was when Trump was in office. This goes for just under $800 with a coupon now, which is rare, while normally it's $929. I picked mine up for $375 used by a guy that bought it when Trump was in office.
I think harbor freight is going to put everyone else out of business, do to there GREED. Every one else is making there stuff cheaper & cheaper & harbor freight is taking some pride in the equipment. Go harbor freight
If your going to provide education you might want to first have an understanding of the subject. There is no welded that would use aluminum in the machine. The only way to use aluminum is with a spool gun. The metal is to fragile and won't go through. You can only use a spool gun. So the claim that the said wheel is for aluminum is false for many reasons. Don't worry about trying to correct the world. Just chill and enjoy content. ;)