MIG welder life expectancy?

[Jason M]

Does anyone have any idea on what the average life expectancy of a MIG welder is. I know that there are a lot of variables that would effect a welders life such as use, abuse, how often if ever the duty cycle was pushed to it's limit, etc,etc,etc. I have a Century 90/105 amp welder that is about 17 years old and has never let me down. I have used it here and there for exhaust work, small projects, etc. I purchased it for $400 new. I am going to sell it and have a price in mind. I'm just looking to get a fair price and have some amount of certainty that it will last for the next user.

[aametalmaster]

Machine or person???....LOL I have one that's 45 years old. My dad bought it new in 1964...Bob

[jeremy k]

Splinter Forge - 17 yrs - That welder has surely paid for itself then. Selling older welders is a tough call on price and life expectency after 17 yrs is ???? Someone buying a welder that old is buying a gamble of a cheap welder vs. the price of a new one. It's like what the farmer said when his horse died...... he never did that before. I'd say in my experience if the welder was not abused it should last for quite some time - how long? it's hard to say. My concern if I was buying one that old would be if parts are still available if something did go wrong. - good luck selling it - JK

[unkle spike]

As long as it is not abused (overheated, or jostled about in the back of a truck), they should last a long time. Welders in a shop need to be blown out routinely, they get full of grindings etc. As long as it is kept cool and not abused it should last longer than the person running it.

[HWooldridge]

I have an old hot-tap style Miller 150 that was made in the late 1970's - I bought it used in 1985 for $150 and have used it ever since. It's had one contactor replaced and the gun liner has been changed twice. Those few repairs probably cost another $150 over the years and it has given me over twenty years of reliable service.