Lincoln vs Miller

bdog · Aug 22, 2016

Is it just like Ford vs Chevy or do the brands make certain products better than others?

Maybe it is just me but in most people I talk to think Lincoln makes the best engine drives and Miller makes the best mig welders. Most tig guys seem to think the miller dynasty is the best tig rig.

Heck I have a Miller engine drive and a Lincoln wire feeder and am happy with both so I guess I go against the grain.

Not trying to start a battle between the two brands just wondering if there are particular specific products that maybe Lincoln or Miller clearly makes better than the other.

CADplans · Aug 22, 2016

As far as the engine welders, I do not think it is "Ford vs Chevy"
I think it is Cadillac vs Lincoln.

Both are great,,, I have owned both.
Probably in the Miller Bobcat size,,, the Hobart engine welder looks like it falls right into the group.

Shield Arc · Aug 22, 2016

Both Lincoln, and Miller make great welders! What I do is look at each model, and the options that come with that model. Then I make my decision on which welder to buy.

LD1 · Aug 22, 2016

Agreed. Both are good. Both offer quite a variety of welders, transformer or inverter welders, so lots to choose from and lots of different price points.

Any of them would be 10x's more luxurious than my tapped linde with analog knobs. But shes reliable.

For our production welders at work......all automated stuff.....they like to run millers. We have ~30 miller multiprocess welders. Some of the old 456mp's and some new 450MPA's. They did trial a new continuum 350. Looks pretty high tech....but I know nothing about it. Feedback was good, but quite a bit more expensive than the MPa's.

wawajake · Aug 22, 2016

I always respected Lincoln , because they respected their employees, so for years Lincoln was seen as a model Employer.
I am not sure if that is still true , but when I bought my red Tombstone it was.

vsteel · Aug 22, 2016

Think Ford vs Chevy, each have their fans. You can't really go wrong with either, some models of one are better than the equivalent models of the other. A lot of times it comes down to small things. Take the engine driven welders. Miller can power sensitive electronics while the Lincoln can't. Does that even matter to you? There might be some small differences which make the decision, otherwise buy either with confidence.

Redneck in training · Aug 22, 2016

One of the details I would look at is how the electronics is protected against the environment. In example are the PC boards and heat sinks horizontal or vertical. Horizontal is more likely collect dust that would worsen cooling and also attract pollutants that could damage the PC board or short something. So I think vertically mounted electronics should be more reliable.

ThomasH · Aug 22, 2016

bdog said:
Is it just like Ford vs Chevy or do the brands make certain products better than others?

Maybe it is just me but in most people I talk to think Lincoln makes the best engine drives and Miller makes the best mig welders. Most tig guys seem to think the miller dynasty is the best tig rig.

Heck I have a Miller engine drive and a Lincoln wire feeder and am happy with both so I guess I go against the grain.

Not trying to start a battle between the two brands just wondering if there are particular specific products that maybe Lincoln or Miller clearly makes better than the other.

I happen to have 4 Miller welders, all of them multi-function (XMT inverter CC/CV units), one set up with a HD wire feed for MIG, two that I use for stick, one for TIG, one Hobart MIG welder and 1 Everlast plasma cutter. I have owned some Lincoln and Marquette welders in the past.

I have never had a minute's trouble from any of them. Comparing model for model (similar units), I would make a choice based on what delivers the best value for what I need. In my case, I keep running across Miller welders that are being sold at somewhat low prices to fire sale prices by people that need to sell them to raise cash. I have never seen a welder at an auction that was a good deal, with the exception of some older equipment that looked rode hard and put up wet, untested, beat to heck, and bid by the pound kind of stuff.

I am sure similar deals could be found on either Miller or Lincoln welders if you follow Craigslist, etc. It seems like the best deals are on the higher end welders above 225 amps, as many people don't want a higher powered, non portable unit. Any time I have looked and Just make sure you don't buy a three phase unit, as not many will work on single phase also.

Good luck!

yomax4 · Aug 22, 2016

My 2 cents. If just comparing Miller and Lincoln, Miller Dynasty for tig. Horse a piece on transformer power supplies but higher end CC/CV Lincoln actually has digital power supplies where Miller is still analog with digital interface. I have spent a lot of time selling products in the Oil fields and there are a lot of employers who won't hire you if you don't have a Lincoln engine drive. Most all of the welding is spec'd to Lincoln filler metals. Not to say there is anything wrong with Miller engine drives, They have some cool products in that line. Buy either with confidence.