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MIG welder
Miller 211 vs Lincoln 180 – what are the differences between these two MIG welders? Which one is the better welding machine?
No need to panic. I have collected the most important information information about both MIG welders right here.
You can quickly navigate through the article by clicking links on the navigation below.
Table of Contents
Lincoln 180 Easy MIG
The Lincoln 180 Easy MIG (K2698-1) is a MIG welder with a duty cycle of 30% @ 130 A (230 V). A duty cycle of 30% at 130 amps means you can weld at 130 amps for 3 minutes and have to wait for 7 minutes until you can start welding again.
This welding machine allows you to weld 24 gauge up to 3/16 inch when MIG welding and up to 1/2″ with gasless flux-cored wire.
Of course, you will need shielding gas when MIG welding. Hence, Lincoln 180 comes with the Lincoln Electric Magnum spool gun. As you can already imagine from its name, the Lincoln 180 provides a maximum output current of 180 Amps.
Thanks to its rather low weight of 56 lbs, the Lincoln 180 is still considered to be a portable welding machine.
Typical welding activities that can be done with the Lincoln 180 include auto, light fabrication and farm welding projects.
On the downside, the Lincoln 180 requires an input power of 220v or 230 V and is not suited to weld metal sheets thicker than 1/2″ in single pass.
Official Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 video
Now, take a look at Lincolns official demo video about the Lincoln EasyMIG 180.
Lincoln 180 Specification
- Welding Mode: MIG & flux-cored
- Input Voltage: single phase 208/230 V
- Output Power: 30% @ 130 A (230 V);
- Output welding current range: 30 – 180 A
- Wire feed speed control 50 – 500 IPM
- Max. metal sheet thickness: 3/16″ MIG welding and up to 1/2″ with gasless flux cored wire
- Weight: 56 lbs
Features of Lincoln 180
- The Lincoln 180 is capable of welding stainless-steel, aluminum, and steel.
- Industrial cast Aluminum drive with dual gear-driven rolls delivers improved torque and ensures a quiet operation
- The welder is designed with a brass-to-brass gun connection for better conductivity
- Remove the MIG gun an replace it with the Magnum PRO 100SG spool gun for better aluminum-wire feed welding
Lincoln 180 – Pros & Cons
- Capable of MIG and Flux-Cored welding
- Portable machine because of medium-low weight (56 lbs.)
- Brass-to-brass gun connection, cast aluminium drive system and smooth arc start are a plus on this machine
- Limited to 208/230 V Input power
- Limited in power (180 A max)
- Adjusting the settings needs some experience.
- Although reasonable, the price is pretty high.
Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 Flux-Core/MIG Welder
- Can set up for gas-free flux core welding or gas-shielded MIG welding for steel, stainless and aluminum
- 50–500 IPM wire feed speed control
- Fully adjustable drive system reduces wire tangle and crushing
*Affiliate Disclosure / More Information
Miller 211 / Millermatic 211
The Miller Millermatic 211 is a MIG welder with a duty cycle of 40% @ 150 A (240 V). This welding machine allows you to weld 18 gauge up to 3/8 inch.
As a plus, the Miller 211 comes with the auto-set mode which is aimed at making set up more comfortable and faster.
In the auto-set mode you select your wire and gas combination, set material thickness and wire thickness with the turning knobs. Now, the machine will calculate required power and wire speed by itself. Thanks to the auto-set mode you don’t need to experiment with the weld parameters.
Moreover, the Millermatic 211 comes with an impressive low weight of 42 lbs. Thus you can say it is a very portable machine.
Millermatic 211 unboxing, welding and review video
Please check out the following video to get a better impression of the Millermatic 211.
Miller 211 Specification
- Welding Mode: MIG & flux-cored
- Input Voltage: single phase 120 V / 240 V
- Output Power: 150 @ 40 % duty cylce (240 V) and 115 A @ 20 % duty cycle (120 V)
- Output welding current range: 30 – 230 A
- Wire feed speed control 60 – 600 IPM
- Max. metal sheet thickness: 3/8″ at 240 V
- Weight: 42 lbs (with gun)
You can also read our complete Review on the Miller Millermatic 211 here.
Features of Millermatic 211
- Auto-Set mode provides you with pre-set controls and eliminates the need to adjust weld parameters
- In the manual mode you can adjust the settings to your needs
- Inverter technology combines good arc characteristics with the portability of a 42-pound machine. According to the manufacturer, the arc is extremely forgiving to variations in arc length and travel speeds.
- Wire drive roll has three grooves which makes setup quicker. There are two grooves with different sizes for solid wires and one for the flux-cored wire.
- The auto spool gun detection automatically detects when a MIG gun / spool gun is connected. This is why no switch is required
Miller 211 – Pros & Cons
- Without using any tools, and by simply choosing the plug that fits receptacle, one can easily connect to common 120 or 240 v power receptacles.
- Auto-Set feature is ideal for starters
- The Miller 211 is a versatile machine, because it is capable of both, 120 and 240 V input power
- In contrast to the Lincoln 180, this unit gives you the option to start welding with the exact parameters you need by simply dialing in the thickness of what you are welding.
- Very low weight
- High price
MIG Welder, 120/240VAC, 1 Phase
- Price For: Each Series: Millermatic 211 Aluminum - Material Thickness: 18 ga. to 3/8" Mild Steel - Material Thickness: 24 ga. to 3/8" Stainless Steel - Material Thickness: 20 ga. to 1/4" Hz: 60 Input Amps: 17
*Affiliate Disclosure / More Information
Miller 211 vs Lincoln 180 – Summary
If you can afford the price, I’d recommend you to go with the Miller 211 MIG welder. Its auto-set mode really helps to choose the right weld parameters. Moreover, the Miller 211 is very lightweight and has even more power than the Lincoln 180 (230 Amps max. compared to 180 Amps max. with the Lincoln 180).
If you are not sure yet, you can also check out our complete review on the top MIG welders or our Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140 comparison.
Image Credits: Pixabay
