Portamig 405amp inquiry please advise.

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

May i Thank Everyone who has posted offering advice, Big THANK YOU.
Reading the posts. Would like to pickup on something mentioned by Ragnarok, about choosing a 250amp, I think this would be the best route to go down with, as its going to be in favour of home use especially when the volts around the 230 mark & single phase.
only prob with this though, is the Portamig nearest one is the single phase, 235amp running 230v, next step up is the 285amp, 230v, again single phase,
I would prefer the latter at a higher amp, but again, will i be able to run this (285amp) from home without problems. Please can You give Your advice on my decision & also Your input on my choice, Thanks Agin everyone. Much Apriciated. Andy.

 

[brightspark]

May i Thank Everyone who has posted offering advice, Big THANK YOU.
Reading the posts. Would like to pickup on something mentioned by Ragnarok, about choosing a 250amp, I think this would be the best route to go down with, as its going to be in favour of home use especially when the volts around the 230 mark & single phase.
only prob with this though, is the Portamig nearest one is the single phase, 235amp running 230v, next step up is the 285amp, 230v, again single phase,
I would prefer the latter at a higher amp, but again, will i be able to run this (285amp) from home without problems. Please can You give Your advice on my decision & also Your input on my choice, Thanks Agin everyone. Much Apriciated. Andy.

u can run the welder on a 60 amp supply at home no bother just make sure the main cutout fuse is 80 amps and no less . most are . if u are welding at full current just make sure no one in the house is running any heavy loads eg kettle shower tumble dryer cooker ect and its not a problem providing its on its own supply fed from a 60 amp switchfuse back at source

 

[Ragnarok]

looking at the spec on the HD 285 portamig it says 32 amp slow blow, that's the same as my 300amp arc though portamig I think actually make a 250ish as well and a 270 as far as I remember if thats what you would like, you'd have to ask weldequip, they're not all listed on the shop, but he should be able to supply any power portamig they are made by technical arc you can see the line up of tec-arc labelled ones here link and as far as I know portamig will make any spec machine you want, so if you want a 250 with a 4roll wire feed volt and amp meters ect ect, i'm pretty sure you can spec all that and they will build it for you

gotta say though I'd go with a big brand machine if I was considering spending £1350 in the first place which I was and just have haha, ordered in the Lorch hoping to pick it up tomorrow! was alittle more than the £1350 heh have a look at the esab C251 there is a murex badged one exactly the same too, worth a look before you chose what to get they're a good deal

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

Brightspark Thanks for that, Please may You confirm, providing my home switchfuse is say from 80 to 100amp, I can run a 285amp, taking into account no other major elec'y supply is being used. Thanks Again for Your help.

 

[madkayaker]

The only way I would be happy to confirm would be to pull the fuse and see what it says as I have seen 32A fuses being used as a main fuse! As I have already said the only people authorised to do that is the electric board but many sparks do it (including myself) a little tip is to use insulated slide jaw grips as sometimes the holder can be very brittle and crumble in your hand at which point you grad the live fuse!

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

looking at the spec on the HD 285 portamig it says 32 amp slow blow, that's the same as my 300amp arc though portamig I think actually make a 250ish as well and a 270 as far as I remember if thats what you would like, you'd have to ask weldequip, they're not all listed on the shop, but he should be able to supply any power portamig they are made by technical arc you can see the line up of tec-arc labelled ones here link and as far as I know portamig will make any spec machine you want, so if you want a 250 with a 4roll wire feed volt and amp meters ect ect, i'm pretty sure you can spec all that and they will build it for you

gotta say though I'd go with a big brand machine if I was considering spending £1350 in the first place which I was and just have haha, ordered in the Lorch hoping to pick it up tomorrow! was alittle more than the £1350 heh have a look at the esab C251 there is a murex badged one exactly the same too, worth a look before you chose what to get they're a good deal

Again. Really Apriciate the Help, Thank You Ragnarok. Will give Weldequip a bell tomorrow, in meantime cheers for the link, will check it out. I maybe back with more confusing questions though, haha, Thanks Chaps, Youve all been GREAT.

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

The only way I would be happy to confirm would be to pull the fuse and see what it says as I have seen 32A fuses being used as a main fuse! As I have already said the only people authorised to do that is the electric board but many sparks do it (including myself) a little tip is to use insulated slide jaw grips as sometimes the holder can be very brittle and crumble in your hand at which point you grad the live fuse!

Thanks for Great advice. i hadnt thought of this, best to get this checked first i think, then can make a more accurate choice of Mig going by the main fuse output, few calls then tomorrow is on the cards,. Thanks Again. I hope some day i can be helping out newbies & sharing advice with You more experienced Chaps, CHEER'S. Andy.

 

[madkayaker]

I think asking a local decent sparky would be a good place to start as you are wanting to add a large load to your installation. Be aware that cabling from the main fuse to where you want the welder to be will be costly and ugly.

 

[brightspark]

Brightspark Thanks for that, Please may You confirm, providing my home switchfuse is say from 80 to 100amp, I can run a 285amp, taking into account no other major elec'y supply is being used. Thanks Again for Your help.

this is the type of cutout normaly fitted in modern propertys .they stamp the fuse size on the holder. one is the house fuse box the other feeds the garage which is 40 amps. i could up the supply as the garage is fed with a 35mm armoured cable so i could up the switchfuse to an 80 amp no bother if needed

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

I think asking a local decent sparky would be a good place to start as you are wanting to add a large load to your installation. Be aware that cabling from the main fuse to where you want the welder to be will be costly and ugly.

Thanks for the info. Cheers. Andy.

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

Brightspark, Thank You for uploading the pics, Nice One.
ive currently mis-place the key to the out-door mains fuse, so i'll post back asap to say what total output is, hope that makes sense, Again Than You for the help B.S. Andy.

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

Out of interest, thought i'd comment on the Mig im learning on at present, Its the
Migatronic 385, its a real beast of a machine & seems really heavy duty. Has anone used this Machine ? out of interest.

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

I plan on calling up Welequip in regards to a custom build Portamig @250amp 230v single phase, see what a quote would be compared to the 235amp 230 also single phase.
I now would like to bring my budget down so now in access of upto 1k, Could You kind folks with plenty of experience Please recommend something that would rival or surpass my 1st choice of the Portamig 250/235amp, as im hell bent on the Portamig, just would like to know Your views on my choice, Look Foward to hearing Your reply, Thank You in advance. Andy.

 

[Ragnarok]

I would say that if you like the portamig, go for one of them, they are pretty much in their own category price wise, well them along with all the other machines made by tec-arc under various badges like Britarc, Oxford, MTA, ect ect, i don't much like how the torch comes out of the portamig pointing up, seems the opposite of what it should be, lorch and kemppi for example make note of the fact that the torch connection points down reducing resistance on the wire, still people review the portamig well so i'm sure it's a good macine, the oxford version looks good too, but if you're after a machine for £1k and you want a portamig the 285HD could be ideal, doesn't need the crazy 63 amp supply, just 32A slow you can get a plug that it will run off that doesn't cost about £100 just for a plug and socket more once you factor in a switch and cable, you'd probably end up paying £300 or more just for parts to wire in the 405 haha

the HD does have advantages over the standard portamigs though 4roll wire feed and a better duty cycle for example one of them would be a decent choice for a £1k mig, but there are other sets around for similar money from big brands, but they'll be 250amp not 285, with lower duty cycles, and 2roll wire feeds, and if you get the equivalent portamig it'll be considerably cheaper my guess would be a 250 2roll feed standard type portamig should cost about £700+vat where as a big brand 250 would be £950 or more plus vat really down to what you want, a 250 in my opinion is easily enough for home/hobby/diy or light fabrication upto probably 8-10mm no trouble as long as the duty cycle at full power is decent and/or you don't mind waiting a few minutes between welds

the 285HD would be an obvious choice by the sounds of it, seeing as you say you want a portamig for £1000 hahaha and i think the 32A supply is a much better idea than going with one that needs a 63A my opinion only of course, but i wouldn't want to be running a bigger line than that off a domestic supply my self as i said before

have fun welding I'm still waiting on my new Lorch M-Pro 252 haha

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

Ragnarok.. Thank You for such detail apprieciated.
Lots to take in there..haha. Out of interest, Ive never heard of the Lorch-M Pro. I take itYou will be running this off mainstreem home elecy supply.
May i ask What made decide upon the machine. i guess we all have a reason for choosing a particular machine, hope dont mind my asking reason You chose.

 

[Ragnarok]

Lorch are a very high quality brand, the M-Pro 252 seemed to be the best built, best performing 250amp machine on the market, as soon as I had a demo of a Lorch I decided to get one, i'd been considering the Kemppi Kempact RA 251A/251R and the ESAB c201 or c251, but I went off the idea of the plastic bodied kemppi, also don't like the way you have to tip it over like a sack barrow, or the 2roll feed vs the Lorch 4 roll, though it does have some very appealing features too, like infinitely variable voltage vs step controlled, but plastic body, and sack barrow like design are what put me off, like to be able to roll the machine around with out having to tip it up and support the huge cylinder, the Lorch feels really really nice lovely build quality, and lovely welding performance as for the ESABs the other machines on my list, the c251 had the top power i wanted, but the bottom was a bit high 40amps, i do body work thickness from time to time, and 30amp minimum is what i wanted, so i'd have had to go with the c201 200amp machine which is a little low, plus a low duty cycle in the mid range of amps, so i ended up with just one option, the Lorch, and after the demo on a M-pro 210 control pro i was so impressed i decided to get the model up M-pro 252 control pro haha don't want to have to upgrade in future and yes it'll be running on a domestic supply, it needs a 25amp slow MCB

so to sum it up, the Lorch had all the things i wanted
30amp minimum and 250amp maximum
very high build quality
excellent weld performance
brilliant 4roll wire feed
and just a general nice feel to it, in set up and use
synergic is a lovely thing to have even though it's technically unnecessary
there were a real lot of things i liked about it while using it
the whole machine is very well thought out and built, can't wait to get it home haha, i'm told it's on it's way the dealer, was supposed to be there yesterday but for some reason it's been delayed, couriers *rolls eyes*
literally the only downside is the fact it's very expensive for a 250amp machine haha

anyway, long message but you asked haha Lorch seems the best machine on the market, after lots and lots of research, though now i've got/getting one they'll probably bring out a new even better one haha that'd be typical.. haha won't mike mine any worse though, and it's all the welder i need

 

[AndyMetalGearSolid]

Lorch are a very high quality brand, the M-Pro 252 seemed to be the best built, best performing 250amp machine on the market, as soon as I had a demo of a Lorch I decided to get one, i'd been considering the Kemppi Kempact RA 251A/251R and the ESAB c201 or c251, but I went off the idea of the plastic bodied kemppi, also don't like the way you have to tip it over like a sack barrow, or the 2roll feed vs the Lorch 4 roll, though it does have some very appealing features too, like infinitely variable voltage vs step controlled, but plastic body, and sack barrow like design are what put me off, like to be able to roll the machine around with out having to tip it up and support the huge cylinder, the Lorch feels really really nice lovely build quality, and lovely welding performance as for the ESABs the other machines on my list, the c251 had the top power i wanted, but the bottom was a bit high 40amps, i do body work thickness from time to time, and 30amp minimum is what i wanted, so i'd have had to go with the c201 200amp machine which is a little low, plus a low duty cycle in the mid range of amps, so i ended up with just one option, the Lorch, and after the demo on a M-pro 210 control pro i was so impressed i decided to get the model up M-pro 252 control pro haha don't want to have to upgrade in future and yes it'll be running on a domestic supply, it needs a 25amp slow MCB

so to sum it up, the Lorch had all the things i wanted
30amp minimum and 250amp maximum
very high build quality
excellent weld performance
brilliant 4roll wire feed
and just a general nice feel to it, in set up and use
synergic is a lovely thing to have even though it's technically unnecessary
there were a real lot of things i liked about it while using it
the whole machine is very well thought out and built, can't wait to get it home haha, i'm told it's on it's way the dealer, was supposed to be there yesterday but for some reason it's been delayed, couriers *rolls eyes*
literally the only downside is the fact it's very expensive for a 250amp machine haha

anyway, long message but you asked haha Lorch seems the best machine on the market, after lots and lots of research, though now i've got/getting one they'll probably bring out a new even better one haha that'd be typical.. haha won't mike mine any worse though, and it's all the welder i need

Sounds fantastic, well thought out choice for You then Hope Your pleased with it when it arrives & best of luck, May i ask a followupquestion You have already answer'd but sorry its taking me a little longer to absorb everything, could You Please clarfy again weather i could run a 285 amp portami from home without tampering or buying add ons etc im very new to this, so i may need to google few things being said wich im not understanding, lol's its all pretty basic stuff though so absorbing most of it, haha just dontwant to come across a dimwit lol's.

 

[Ragnarok]

yeah the 285 runs of a 32amp, of course you can't plug it in to a normal household 13amp plug the max you can run of that is a 150ish amp welder, you need a plug and socket like this link it's 32amp, and it'll need a switch, and to be wired in to the consumer unit with a 32amp slow blow MCB, or in to a garage supply with a 32amp MCB, i think they need 4mm cable but it maybe 6mm (not an electrician) but yes it runs off a house hold supply with out taking a feed off before the consumer unit and with out worrying too much about what electrics people are using in the house

 

[matt1978]

Hi Rune, there was a delay in E and M's order leaving Germany, but I can definitely confirm that a M-Pro 252 Control Pro was dispatched from Cannock on a over night delivery to E and M today so you should see it tomorrow. I didn't have the torch you wanted in my stock, so I have sent it with a ML 3800 380 amp torch that you can use until your torch arrives on the other delivery from Germany

 

[Ragnarok]

that's great thanks a lot matt! i called E&M cardigan today and the guy told me he'd already phoned the aberystwyth branch 3times today to find out if it'd got there yet haha it is supposed to be going to aberystwyth branch then being driven down to cardigan same day, so heres hoping i'll have it by tomorrow afternoon, then i'll get a fun weekend getting it set up and having a go!

thanks again excellent service another good point about lorch