Portamig 215 or SWP 220

[Kev666]

Hi all,
I am new on here and have been reading these forums for some time now.

I am currently at the beggining of restoring my old car and have now started to get to the point where I will need a new mig.
I do currently have a VERY old mig that has pretty much died, well it hasnt been used for years.
I am looking at the portamig as i see that it can do 15-215 amps. Which would be great for car body and also 4-5mm steel plate work.
I am also looking at the SWP 220 as this can do 25 -220 Amps . Not quite as low as the portamig, but still looks a contender.

I am wondering between these two which would be the better buy. Does one have any REALLY strong points over the other to consider buying that particualr mig??

I am open to any thoughts on these and look forward to making a decission and buying one.

I could also do with a new shield and gauntlets so this will be a full new kit out , so any suggestions or recommendations would be great.

Many thanks

Kev

 

[cumbriasteve]

I have a Portamig 235...Brilliant bit of kit
An Ebay Cheapie Auto helmet...also brilliant
Gauntlets...just buy plenty of cheap ones, you can destroy expensive ones just the same

 

[rosco454]

I dont have any experience of the SWP but I have a portamig 211 and its a great machine.No hesitation in recommending it,manages body work and thicker stuff without complaint.

Cheers Ross.

 

[ian1]

Which mig

Hiya,
I would look at the welding characteristics of these machines. I do not have direct knowledge of these two models so can only offer a spec opinion. The portamig offers a much lower amp range which can be very useful if you intend on using 0.6mm wire and the 180 model offers twelve settings rather than the standard six on many models.
As a general rule I have always advised that you can only get between 160-170 amps welding current from a 13 amp supply on transformer migs, thus these machines you are looking at will only offer a greater duty cycle within this range unless you are in a position to increase the input power.
This is only a personal opinion and I hope it helps with your decision, I can only add that a local reputable welding distributor may be in a position to offer advice and suitable after sales service which can be worth paying a few quid more in the long run.