Going with the Invision/74DX

[Protraxrptr17]

Last Thursday I went to the Arkansas Welding Expo. The Miller truck was there. I must say, that thing is awesome. It looked like they had the full Miller lineup on there. I can't tell you what all I tried, but I got to try out the 74DX feeder on a XMT350. I was sold immediately. I know it's probably waay more than I need, but there are so many cool features, I will never be bored with it. I really wanted to try the Invision together with the 74DX on some steel, but the one they had was set up for aluminum. I was no fan of MIG aluminum until I tried it. I was amazed at the speed. I also tried a MM350P with a Python. Very impressive. If I was going to be doing lots of aluminum, this is definitely the way to go. All you have to do is set the wire speed, the machine sets the voltage. I welded some 1/4" t joints, then some very thin (maybe 16 guage) t joints without going to the machine. Just set the speed on the gun. Much faster than TIG but looks just as good. I noticed all the MIGs had Bernard guns. I asked why they didn't have Roughnecks, and the rep mumbled something about Miller owns Bernard or something and changed the subject??? Anyway, after checking it out in person, I've decided on the Invision 345MP/ 74DX combo. My dealer quoted $5600 for the power source, feeder, gun, everything I need. That's $200 cheaper than the MIGrunner package with the 74D feeder. I can build my own cart. Hopefully I can get it by the middle of January. Just thought I'd share my experience. If you have a chance to go to a show like that, definitely take it. My dad won an auto hood (cheapie), my wife won nice poker set from the Tregaskiss booth, got a huge box of free grinding, cutting and sanding discs, and I also got one large spool of metal core and one large spool of flux core wire.

Speaking of Tregaskiss, anybody here use the Toughgun? Looks like a fine gun. I think that's what I'm going with after checking it out at the show. You can reverse the swan neck. After the gun handle gets worn, you can swap it with the handle on the feeder end. I also like the trigger better.

[joebass]

I'm going with the same combo and also an XR feeder and gun for Aluminum. So you welded with both on aluminum what were some of the differences? I have looked at the MM 350P but never welded with it.

[pgk]

Protrax, That sounds like one killer mig system. Not a bad price either..

Pete

[Protraxrptr17]

The Invision was setup with a 75DX feeder. The rep said it was a new version especially for aluminum. The 350 was rigged with the Python gun. I think it seemed better because of the setup. Not taking anyhting away from the rep, but the controls on the Invision and feeder were very advanced. He had to play with it alot. The first arc I struck made a loud buzzing sound and blew a huge hole in the material. The next two burnt back and ruined the contact tip. Like I said, the 350 basically set itself. You could tell by talking to him that he really preferred the 350 because of the ease of setup. This was the first time I had used MIG on aluminum and I thought I did a great job. Much easier than TIG. I'm sure that the Invision would produce the same quality when you learned the setup. I didn't play with the settings myself, so I didn't get alot of info on that. I decided on the Invision/74DX because I really love all the adjustability and presets on my Dynasty 300. The combo has cool functions like switching programs from the trigger, (alot of stuff I could live without), and I can also carbon arc gouge with it. I can also change to a different feeder later on if something better comes along. I could also look at it this way, I could get a 350P for about $2500 less and do nearly same thing, just with less buttons and tricks. Shhh! Don't tell my wife that!

[Protraxrptr17]

Protrax, That sounds like one killer mig system. Not a bad price either..

Pete

Oh yes, I dream about it day and night. It made me hate my ancient Mega-Mig. It was so smooth and powerful. The adjustable run in is awesome. No more pop-pop-pop, and cat whiskers. The rep was telling me you can even get a button to go on the back of the gun to switch programs while welding. I'm sure all the old timers will make fun of that feature, but I love new technology. Nobody NEEDS to do that, but just think how cool that would be, welding a flat joint that turns to vertical up. When you get to the vertical just flick a switch without stopping. It would be great on aluminum too. As the material heats up you could just flip to the colder setting.

[Wayne]

Mr

I have a Deltaweld 452 with a D74DX feeder that I bought in Jan 2004. It is a fantastic feeder and has performed flawlessly. I'm sure you will be very happy with your new machine.
Wayne

[unixadm]

That's almost twice the cost of a 350P! I have a 350P and love it. Think long and hard if you're going to need the do-dads. If not, that's a lot of cash in your pocket. The 350P is a very quality machine that has a bunch of features for both steel and aluminum.

In any event - good luck. I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase.

[Paul Seaman]

The invision was the first miller machine I ever struck an arc with, still love it, we used them with a 22A feeder and it worked very well.

Good choice,

[Protraxrptr17]

That's almost twice the cost of a 350P! I have a 350P and love it. Think long and hard if you're going to need the do-dads. If not, that's a lot of cash in your pocket. The 350P is a very quality machine that has a bunch of features for both steel and aluminum.

In any event - good luck. I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase.

You're absolutely right. Like I said, I was totally impressed with the 350P. It was my first choice when I started looking at something new, but I've need something to gouge with and I've heard alot about how nice the Invision stick arc is. I don't use stick much because I'm not comfortable with it, but sometimes I need to use it. Maybe the new machine will give me the confidence I need to master the process.