Passport vs Maxstar 150

[HAWK]

Scott V,

Sounds like a good deal. I'll be glad to pick up a fitting with a pin depressor. The tanks are .25 per oz locally. That's 3.00 = tax for a 12 oz bottle. I thought about trying to fill off the 20lb, but have not tried it yet.

[Scott V]

According to my friend at Airgas it should work fine. I have already beat the $4.00 per little bottle fill price. They gave me the tank to try for a month at no charge, except the gas for $10.00. I will know by the end of the month if I need the pin. I might be e-mailing you soon?

Scott

[HAWK]

Scott,

Do you have enough head pressure for many fills? I am using a 50lb CO2 bottle and a dip tube and it really works great. I got my parts at less than wholesale. If you need the pin depresseer fitting it is $9. [email protected]

[Scott V]

Don't kick yourself yet...It could be a long way off. Just speculation.

Andy

Also the more you use the Passport the more you will like it. It's usually the other way around for me!!!

Hawk,
here is the poor man version of the little bottle fill. No fancy aftermarket pin pusher. It fills just the same for me.I will just have to manual the purge if necessary. My freezer is close enough to get the bottles cold, so I won't have to waste gas.

I broke down and bought a co2 regulator and I will trade my 75/25 for a 37 pound co2 welding bottle tomorrow. I like how it welds with co2.

http://tinyurl.com/5x7eh

[ASKANDY]

Don't kick yourself yet...It could be a long way off. Just speculation.

Andy

[toolmaker]

Oh yeah, throw that one in ANDY, that the passport might have a brother that is multi-process. After I've made up my mind and bought my welder out will come this one and I'll be kicking myself for not waiting .

Thanks for all the opinions, as I would like to get both , just for a hobby right now that really wouldn't be prudent. If I really need to burn, I can just use the big dogs at work( Sync 250, MM210), especially since I run the shop

[taz]

Thanks, Andy. And the new little brother is due--when?

[Sundown]

I think this shows, once again, that what you need, depends on what you need to do.

[ASKANDY]

taz,
Typically not. A stick machine is a constant current type powersource. A mig unit is a constant voltage machine. The inverters have a circuit that changes the output of the machine to make it multiprocess. The speculation is that the Passport may have a new brother sometime in the future that is multiprocess.

A-

[taz]

Stick leads? Not being one to experiment too much, this comment brings up a question: Can you stick weld with a mig machine? I mean, you have a power supply and a ground so can you use a fluxcoated rod and stick weld? Assuming a cable and rod holder.

[Scott V]

Ok then, add another bag on the otherside of the passport for the stick leads.

[ASKANDY]

You'll have to put me down for the passport. I personally wouldn't buy a tig machine unless it had AC. For me, unless all I did was repair SS counters, hoods and tables for the food industry and needed only the DC portable tig, the passport would be more versitile for me as a repair and mobile unit. Remember, tig NEEDS clean material where I can mig through a little contamination on my mower deck if needed.

Andy

[Sundown]

George that only would work for Cary, because he say nobody can tell the difference in a arc.So when he needs a AC tig, he grabs his Lincoln SP 130 and he can't tell the difference anyway.

Yeah, I have days like that also

[tommyd]

In my "quest" like everybody else to get the best bang for the buck, and me still not being able to make up my mind I'm going to throw this into fray. If you had your choice which one? Both are priced about the same, portablility about the same. Main difference is that I see processes and maybe total output( passport probably having the edge in material thickness).

Let the rumblings begin.

Thanks for all info.

Get both. One now and one later

[Danny]

The Maxstar 150STH would offer me the most versatility on the 16 ga. - 1/2" thickness range of steel and stainless that i tend to weld on, so it would be my first choice. Then of course i would start saving for the GMAW unit.