Miller and lincoln comparison?

[atwood]

Advice needed, I am looking to purchase a new welder and trying to figure out which of the following is better. The Trailblazer 302G or the Lincoln 305G Ranger. I have heard that there have been a few problems with the 302 but, nothing first hand. I have a 251 trailbazer now and it is a piece of junk. Ive taken it in twice to have it fixed and it cost 1500 both times and the problem still persists. I havent heard of any problems with the lincolns but im shure they have had their problems. An input would be greatly appreciated.

[Black Wolf]

More information would definitely help.

Your intended usage and application.

What accessories do you want to add on.

Etc Etc

With a clearer picture of what you need, others will come on and give their input to help you out.

[cruizer]

Well the 305G isn't a regular customer here in repair land, having a bunch of 302's in with really bizzare low hour problems though.

[DDA52]

"I heard" and "They say" are usually the two biggest liars. I and several others I know personally have TB302's with zero issues whatsoever.

[cruizer]

Again there are lemons in every brand, With me its more of a case where I SEE, and I get to troubleshoot and repair.

[man of steel]

red or blue

i have used both manufacturers machines as i run a welding contracting company,as fro my opinion, i could say that i have never had an issue with lincoln and plenty with miller.My personal issue with miller is that they dont back up their poducts and from experience i have had minor problems with lincoln and they take care of me right away so i would say i would go with the 305 in my proffesional opinion.P.s i also like the arc characteristics that lincoln has plus they have dedicated pipe and downhill modes that make my welders better at their jobs. id say sorry miller but i didnt like being hung out to dry with the last 3 machines i bought and repeatedly repaired at my expense and down time

[MAC702]

Though MOST users won't ever need it, there's no AC welding option on the Lincoln, both are great machines.

If I ever needed to upgrade my TB301G, I sure wouldn't hesitate to stay Blue.

[atwood]

Thaks for all of the input guys,

most of the welding I will be do is on pipe, and quite a bit of fab work. Eventually i do want to get a tig for aluminum and a suitcase for it. I also us an air arc quite a bit. Any other input would be great. Thanks again

[DDA52]

I have been with Miller since the late 80's when Lincoln dropped me and the shop on our heads by refusing to honor the warranty of a brand new machine. Miller picked up the slack and we haven't looked back. We have had several issues over the years that Miller took care of right away with no problems at all. I have seen dozens and dozens more guys that are in the exact same boat as I am. Lincoln didn't give a crap and Miller did. That is why my shop is all blue and will no doubt continue to be for a very long time. I won't give Lincoln the time of day and the local rep know better than to try and talk to me at all.



One thing I have noticed....the guys that are griping about Miller are way up north or in Canada. Makes me doubly glad I am down here in the sun.

[J hall]

Thaks for all of the input guys,

most of the welding I will be do is on pipe, and quite a bit of fab work. Eventually i do want to get a tig for aluminum and a suitcase for it. I also us an air arc quite a bit. Any other input would be great. Thanks again

I used to have a 305G and it was great on stick and fluxcore, and would run a 5/16 airarc carbon reasonably well.

[arc]

i loved my tb302g no problems so far, have seen some go down but have also seen lots of Lincolns melt down too. both are great machines and both have many options that suit ur needs, as a fabricator i prefer the miller. it has a/c, and the suitcases and other add ons i belive to be better than the lincolns.

best thing to do is make a list of things u need out of a machine and what u can afford and compare the two.

[doobie]

I had a small problem with the output of my first trailblazer so i called the local distributor they sent a truck from 4 hours away to pick it up and drop off a loaner and had it back to me in a week and a half.Ive never had any probs with my new one at all.The company i sold my old one to,actually dropped it off the back of a truck while it was moving,picked it up,started it and used it all day.Rock solid machines.I dont gripe and im from northern canada.If you have a bad experience with a machine or company you will let people know,it doesnt matter where you are from.

[griff01]

Advice needed, I am looking to purchase a new welder and trying to figure out which of the following is better. The Trailblazer 302G or the Lincoln 305G Ranger. I have heard that there have been a few problems with the 302 but, nothing first hand. I have a 251 trailbazer now and it is a piece of junk. Ive taken it in twice to have it fixed and it cost 1500 both times and the problem still persists. I havent heard of any problems with the lincolns but im shure they have had their problems. An input would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to stick my neck out and say MOST of the problems with either brand's service probably has more to do with the local LWS or company rep rather than the manufacturer.

Griff

[blackbeard's welding]

i agree with griff.when my 302g bleww the crankcase seal out(twice) my lws had a new one on the back of my truck within the hour. the service was great.the initial reason i went with that lws store and miller was that they are open on sat and will open during their off hours if you givethem a heads up. the other lws(that carried lincoln) wasnt open sat and wouldnt open during their off hours.

[Miller John]

Atwood,
I work for Miller and would certainly hope that if there ever was a problem that we take care of it better than any other company - it's a tradition of ours that we take pride in.

From a welding standpoint comparing the Ranger 305 to Trailblazer 302:

Stick - 7018 and 6010 on both machines is excellent. The Trailblazer is a little easier to set (less knobs).

DC TIG - Both Lift Arcs work great when tungsten is cold. The Trailblazer is better w/ a hot tungsten, long leads, etc, plus it has Auto-Crater so you don't need a remote control to Crater out at the end of a weld, its automatic.

Wire - Both are great for most wires. If you run large diameter wires like 5/64in. structural wires for exammple, the Trailblazer is quite a bit stronger. For solid wires, the Trailblazer is a little more forgiving w/ changing arc lengths and poor parts fit ups.

For power while welding at light generator draws, they are both good. When heavier generator loads are drawn, the Trailblazer's 2 generator system provides the best power while welding and keeps the voltage up higher so that your tools do not have excess heat in them.

I hope that helps. Have a great day,