Miller Maxstar 161 ..... The Trailblazer Killer?

[@hypnolobster]

1/8 6010 and 3/32 7018 is that thing's whole world. They really do work crazy well.

[@pr1hitter3668]

I purchased a max star 161 and it works great for steel railings and stair pans. It also works with a 220v adapter and can be used sparingly to do heavy duty welding. I’ve seen it used on 220 to put tack welds for structural steel and fillet welds no prob (up to 3/8 1/2” thick)

[@DarlingtonFarm]

Right on, definitely a good machine

[@serg.r4860]

Thank you for your video man. We have this welder where I work & I wasn't too sure about it's stick welding capabilities (I use it to tig mostly) but you gave me some hope. God bless you sir.

[@DarlingtonFarm]

Glad I was able to help, good luck

[@WestCoastFront]

How is your welder holding up? I'm currently in welding school and need to do homework will I'm not in school. At welding school I'm working on vertical using 7080.

[@iron352]

He said it's not the best welder he ever used , it is one of the best in that class .

[@brym3452]

They have me using this lil box at work. And it flexs too much I noticed and gets hot and cold. So I been just wanting these their 250 Ranger. 😂

[@1ifbyland2ifbysea]

we use them om commercial jobs to tig weld schedule 10 stainless sometimes. i actually did today on a job. and also used for 6010 - 7018 gas lines. its a good little welder for 3/32 and 1/8th rod. you can get by with it to make some decent welds in field.

[@Langerang]

Jared Beverlin hey man so I do commercial heating and when installing boilers the crawlspaces are insanely filthy. Do you think the fans and internals would hold up to the muck? Welding mostly Sched 80 pipe

[@1ifbyland2ifbysea]

Langerang the more i have been thinking of it, i am pretty confident you will be ok with 70-18, we always used 70-18 on boilertubes in coal fired power plants, they have a lot of wear on the tubes with coal, the dust like sandblasts everything constantly. if you are still unsure you could use 80-18, i have used that a lot on boilertubes. 90-18 on headers and high pressure parts. on commercial jobs tho we always use 70-18. its a very good rod, 6010 root, 7018 fill and cap, or go with a tig root and 7018. i always weld with 3/32 on small bore pipe. i wouldnt mess with 1/8th. it also works great for pad welding in high corrosion areas. some tubes get worn out in the draft. if its a gas unit which most all commercial are 7018 and 6010 is a great combo, with a good buddy on the inside to buddy weld with. let me know more about the job if you would like i will try to help you with anything i can. i have been in the pipefitting/boilermaker field for 14 years. i am always learning too and asking questions.

[@franl5585]

Nice little welder! Impressive capacity. How about a greenhouse update video? Is it holding up? Mine is, with fortification and vigilance. Lost a panel or two in the wind once or twice, but otherwise it's growing melons in the Pacific Northwest for me. Feel better soon!

[@Brad1237202]

Thanks for sharing! Love your welding videos!!!

[@WestCoastMods]

You need to turn your heat up...10-20 degrees...that would eliminate all the choppiness and cold lapping @ 3:05

[@WestCoastMods]

@ColtDeltaElite10mm I have a Maxstar 200 STR in my garage and it is powered by a 110 connection and I have no problem running at 100-105 amps...by the way I am a 20yr union pipe welder...kzbin.info/www/bejne/mofbY3yArLyorrc

[@stevewarner8880]

I have a Miller Maxstar 140STR that I picked up at an auction. It was made by Fronius for Miller. I’m totally amazed at the arc quality. It doesn’t have the 6010 setting but it runs 7018 great and I use it for lift arc TIG. Did you ever do anything with your Vantage?

[@codycarswell3580]

That's crazy Miller's made by fronius

[@maze644]

Beginner stick welder, curious why you would choose 6010 for a project like this?

[@DarlingtonFarm]

I had an open can mostly. Also some of it had pretty big gaps, but mostly a can to use up

[@grimaldimatos5181]

What u running that off of?

[@DarlingtonFarm]

A Lincoln sae 300 and a miller pipe pro 400

[@allanrobichaud6872]

I have one . It makes a kind of clicking/gurgling sound while on but not welding. There doesn't seem to be any defects in the welds ( I'm an amateur ).Anyone else have this issue?

[@farkle]

Unboxed one today at work at used it for a few hours. Didn't notice the sound you're talking about, but there's a good amount of noise going on around me, so it's possible I couldn't hear it.

[@yanksgomez3477]

My does the same thing it's normal

[@Aduhwan]

DF: I discovered this video while doing Internet research for a welder. I’m a new welder and I’m considering the purchase of a Miller 161 as my first welder. Would this be a good first welder to learn stick (eventually TIG) welding on? If so, which model (S, STL, or STH) would give the best bang for my buck in your opinion?

[@DarlingtonFarm]

A maxstar would be a good beginner welder. Depending on what you plan to do with it you might be better served by a multimatic 200 as it will mig plus the same functions as the maxstar stl.

[@Aduhwan]

​@@DarlingtonFarm Thank you for your helpful response. I did seriously consider the Multimatic 200. Unfortunately, this multiprocess welder is a bit beyond my welder budget at the moment. I may buy one in the future. I am now the proud owner of a used Miller Maxstar 150 STL that I found earlier today on Craigslist. It turns on and its appears to be in very good condition. As soon as my helmet arrives, I look forward to striking an arc and starting my journey as a hobby welder. Subscribed. 😎

[@DarlingtonFarm]

the 150s are good machines, used plenty of them

[@Aduhwan]

@@DarlingtonFarm The professional welder I bought my Maxstar from said the same. This unit is bone stock and did not come with a TIG package. Once I am basically proficient with Stick/SMAW, I will look into what my options are for TIG hardware that will work with this welder. I've looked at a few of the previous videos you've created on your channel. Nice work!

[@DarlingtonFarm]

Thanks, Welding tips and tricks is a good place to start. Get some scrap and just start burning rods. If it is an stl or sth you should be able to add a tig torch and regulator for cheap. if you look on ebay you can get a good ck torch and superflex hose for about 100 bucks thn you just need a regulator which can be had for cheap as well. Good luck

[@JJ-jv1gu]

DF, Good video.. Ya need to make more and please go into more technical details.

[@eroom2087]

I’m not knocking this machine at all and don’t doubt its not a real good welder but I decided to go with the Esab 161 Lts for a lot less money and it’s awesome

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

Waiting for mine to come in the mail! Got it for $480 with the $25 off coupon. Free shipping. Only thing I don't like are the dinse 25 connectors but other than that you can't beat the price and the fact I can take it to my local airgas and they can do the warranty work there. I've heard nothing but good about ESAB

[@sbranham86]

Hows it working out? Have you used the tig in it? I'm debating between the esab 161 and this maxstar 161. Leaning towards the miller for the foot pedal and regulator tig portion as I wont be using stick at all

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@sbranham86 I use mine strictly to weld pipe coupons to stay brushed up while not at work. It's lift arc only so thats the disadvantage if you're looking for a foot pedal. But it's been welding fine for me so far.

[@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735]

@@sbranham86 I scratch my filler wire across my tungsten to start my arc most of time so not having the foot pedal option wasn't a big deal for me.

[@sbranham86]

@@ifitaintrounditurnitdown1735 ok thanks, after more research I discovered you cant use a foot pedal with it

[@michaelreilly1310esq]

Awesome

[@jimfeaster4837]

Great video

[@VivaElMole]

I see it does not give you a stable 90 Amps, that is not good.

[@lolrofl5]

What are you talking about lol amps are controlled by your arc length