ArcMate 160D Overview and head to head comparison with millermatic 175

[SAS Company]

For those interested in the ArcMate 160D I thought I would try to describe what to expect when you receive one. I will show my findings with the settings I used to weld several thicknesses of metal. I also had the good fortune to have access to a Millermatic 175 which is one model old in the Miller lineup, but a good comparison standard.
Bear with me as it will likely take me a few days to get all the info and pics posted, hopefully in an order that makes some kind of sense.

[SAS Company]

This is a freshly opened box. Refer to the website for details of what items are included. LONGEVITY packs the product well. There are soft foam cutouts that slip over both ends of the machine. Everything is fitted perfectly inside the box.

[KHK]

I think that this will be a very useful post, please keep it going.

[SAS Company]

This is the included plug. I think the plug is actually pretty decent. Most of the plugs like this have about 3 layers that each have 2 screws. This plug closes up and locks down on the power cord that comes on the machine with just 2 screws. For wiring to the wall I bought a Leviton 7313 30 Amp, 125 Volt, NEMA Tt-30R, 2P, 3W, Flush Mounting Receptacle at Menards. It is in the RV section, not electrical, in my store. The spec you want is NEMA TT-30. It was around $8. For clarity, the yellow plug comes with the machine, the wall plate is what I bought.

[SAS Company]

Here are the machines both from the front. Longevity has digital readouts and arcforce adjustment not present on the Miller. The Millermatic 175 is not the newest model in their lineup, granted, but I think a fair point of comparison. The Binzel whip on the ArcMate 160D feels a bit more robust. People with small hands may prefer the more diminutive size of the Miller gun. Size is not dissimilar but boy is the Miller a lot heavier! Some may consider that an advantage, but I do not. Neither gun comes with a hook which I feel belongs on all mig guns. Both have always on fans, the LONGEVITY is a tad quieter.
I ran a bunch of 18ga mild steel butt joints with both and found weld bead quality to be comparable. I noticed that with the Miller every time I turned the machine on and started my first weld there was porosity. The ArcMate 160D has a brief preflow that prevented that from happening even once. On several occasions with the miller I hit the trigger and the wire fed, but no current was present at the wire. That may be due to the age of the machine (which has spent it's whole life in a body shop) but it was very irritating.

[KHK]

What size wire are you using? What were the settings on the Longevity? Gas or no gas?

[SAS Company]

Keith, I'm running .030 wire with straight co2. I'll go over some settings I find for various thickness at the end.
The internal of the Miller.


The internal of the ArcMate.
The 10# spool just fits. The wire spool I have rubs once every revolution on the sheet metal at the bottom. The drive roller has grooves for .030 and .035 wire.

[SAS Company]

Here are the mig guns semi exploded view. The threaded tips are interchangeable. I even put in one that was packaged as a Lincoln brand. I like the nozzle on the ArcMate, it stays centered on the tip well and looks like it will hold up for quite awhile. I have laid better than 16 feet of weld so far and other than cleaning the build up out of the end of the nozzle the gun required nothing. The cable strain relief on the LONGEVITY gun is a ball and socket looking deal that I don't see kinking very easily. The Miller gun is well built also and the nozzle looks similar to Bernard construction. The Miller nozzle is larger diameter, both are slip on style. The Miller neck has more degrees of bend. Neither gun has a hook which I feel leads to extra wear and tear when the gun is inevitably hung up in a way that damages it.

[SAS Company]

The machine end of the whip on the ArcMate is robust and offers plenty of support to prevent kinking. The Miller whip on the machine end is disappointing. In fact the guy I borrowed this machine from has a round tube sliced in half to make a trough which is welded to the cart. He then zip ties the end of the whip to keep if from kinking. The longevity ground clamp is a design you will find on many industrial machines, though out of lighter material. The Miller has a jumper cable clamp, it works, but is not as well suited to clamping over thicker material like a piece of square tube.

[SAS Company]

1/4 x 1 crs no fillet welded both sides single pass. .030 wire straight co2 gas at 7 L/m 23 volts and 300 wire speed.


Pseudo weld destruct test. Not the most scientific, but repeatable by many. Weld specimen. Allow to cool on cement floor. When specimen is cold clamp in vise and bend with crescent wrench. This falls somewhere between a fillet weld break and a guided bend test.

No weld failure was evident in this case.