Passport Plus vs 212

[icnivad]

Hey, I'm looking at buying my second welder and I'm thinking of going with one of these two and was curious what people thought about them. At first glance I am leaning toward the passport plus. For about the same price, they can both weld 3/8" with 60% duty at 220v. The passport can run on 115 if I need and is more portable. Am I sacrificing anything? Are there any downsides? Thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

[davedarragh]

Hey, I'm looking at buying my second welder and I'm thinking of going with one of these two and was curious what people thought about them. At first glance I am leaning toward the passport plus. For about the same price, they can both weld 3/8" with 60% duty at 220v. The passport can run on 115 if I need and is more portable. Am I sacrificing anything? Are there any downsides? Thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

What is your "1st" welder?

[icnivad]

haha. I was hoping no one would ask that. It's a harbor*cough*freight model. Makes pretty gross welds, hence the need to upgrade. My uses are primarily for auto work, but I have a 35' bus and a highly customized offroad vehicle that needs some chassis welding, so I think I might need a bit more power than someone welding up their MG convertible.

[Danny]

Advertised amperage range

Passport plus: 30 -180 amp

MM212: 30 - 210 amps

Personally, I don't consider either unit a single pass 3/8" unit; however, the additional 30 amps that the MM 212 provides makes it the more realistic 3/8" unit.

Duty cycle wise, there is a difference between the two units.

Passport Plus: (230V input)

1. 100%@ 120 amps
2. 60% @ 130 amps
3. 30% @ 145 amps

MM212:

1. 100% @ 130 amps
2. 60% @ 160 amps
3. 30% @ 210 amps

[SBray]

I don't know if you plan on moving your work from one site to another but Miller lists the MM212 at 178lbs and the Passport at 45lbs. My local dealers describe the MM212 as strictly a floor shop machine, not intended to be on the move.

Steve

[Desertrider33]

Your question suggests a lack of understanding of the primary purposes of the machines in question. The Passport and 212 are two completely different types of machines, each suited to very different purposes. I'm not really sure how one comes to the conclusion that the ideal machine choice would be between these two machines that are so very different from eachother.

The Millermatic 212 is a great mig machine for the home-shop. The Passport is a great portable mig machine for use in a mobile welding business.

If you had asked about a MM212 versus a Lincoln 215, that would make sense, or a Passport versus a MM211. I could understand the logic going into those trains of thought. Asking about Passport versus 212 is like asking about a sports car versus a pickup truck. They have completely different purposes. Yes, both machines melt metal and both vehicles transport a person from one place to another, but neither is well suited to other's main purpose.

I would spend some time thinking about how you will actually use the machine and then make a decision about whether you need a portable machine for making money on the road, or need a shop machine for use in the garage. Once you have that narrowed down, then start looking into the details of different brands/models of machines that fit the description of what you really need the machine to do for you.

[davedarragh]

haha. I was hoping no one would ask that. It's a harbor*cough*freight model. Makes pretty gross welds, hence the need to upgrade. My uses are primarily for auto work, but I have a 35' bus and a highly customized offroad vehicle that needs some chassis welding, so I think I might need a bit more power than someone welding up their MG convertible.

Oh, so you really DON'T have a welder. DesertRider gave the best advice. You need to determine your needs. As far as 3/8" single pass, it's time to break out the 7018's.

Dave