Lincoln PowerMig 255C vs Millermatic 252

This is probably a Coke vs. Pepsi type question, but are there any real substantive differences between these two welders? I'm looking at getting a MIG to use in my farm shop and am trying to figure out what the real differences are between the two machines. My son, who will be using the machine more than I will, likes the ergonomics of the Lincoln and feels that the spindle design for holding the wire is a little better on the Lincoln and he also likes the gun on the Lincoln a little more than the Miller.

What else should I be looking at in doing the comparison between the two welders? The price is essentially the same for both machines and I can get either from the dealer I already work with for my other welding supplies.

Miller is better machine. The drive on the linc is prone to filling with crud. And the internal wiring is a nightmare on the lincolns. The linc only has basic feed and voltage controls. The design is getting pretty long in the tooth, needs to be updated.

The miller supports the Spoolmatic 30 natively, really good spool gun if you want to do aluminum. There are all sorts of extra features in the miller like pre/post flow, burnback and spot/stitch timer which is only available as an option on the linc. Also when a spoolgun is connected you just hit the trigger on the spoolgun and go. The linc requires you to open the side cover to switch between the two every time.

I have the MillerMatic 251 in my fab shop. I have had it four years with daily use. The only problem that I have had, other than normal wear and tear stuff, was a sticky gas solenoid. My warranty repair guy gave me another and no more trouble. Spool and feed system are bulletproof.

The warranty repair shop services all major brands. For some reason, there were a lot of red machines in there...

I would go for the Miller.

Bernard was trading owners of new Miller MIG guns straight across for one of their Centerfire guns. I don't know if that promotion is still current, but if so it should trump whatever gun is on either the Lincoln or the Miller. I'll place another vote for Miller as I have a 251 down at the shop I could not be happier with.

If you even think you might someday use the Spoolmatic 30 gun, buy it when you order the welder. The price of the gun with the welder is significantly lower than if you buy the spoolgun later.

The new millers are supposed to come with bernard guns. The old ones were made by tregaskiss.

If the linc gun is that big of a deal you can buy it with the miller back end on it.

You better weld with one. The Miller has a super soft arc and the Lincoln is crisp. Miller is loaded up nice for aluminum. I still prefer the basic Esab 250 overall for general steel welding. Nice balance of bead wet-out and clean arc. It's the oldest machine and the simplest of the group. You would laugh if you looked at the circuit board size and cost. That is a good thing too. I have the plus model of the Esab but it no longer is made. Best version overall. Airgas has one left but I bet it is gone today.