If you've been scared off by welding, maybe you better take a closer look at this.

I got the invitation to sample the new Millermatic 140 just prior to the SEMA Show. The PR guy lured me in with the promise of winning a new Millermatic 140 (I didn’t), but I came away from SEMA with the lasting impression that the guys at Miller are paying attention to the DIY hot rodder in a big way with their newest product.

The problem is, a lot of guys who tackle some pretty hard jobs by themselves (such as engine building) have a tendency to shrink away from stuff like paint & body work, and welding. I can see why they avoid the first thing, but now that there are so many good welders on the market for beginners, welding should be taken off the list of “scary” stuff to do at home.

Out of the new generation of affordable, easy-to-use welders comes the Millermatic 140, which is probably the easiest welder I’ve ever laid hands on. It has a street price of around $600 (if you don’t load up with too many accessories), and will have you welding like a pro in minutes. And I do mean like a pro. The key is Miller’s new Auto-Set feature, which takes all the guesswork out of setting the wire feed speed and the voltage. The only thing you set is the wire thickness (it’s written right on the spool), and the material thickness. The on-board computer takes care of the rest.

At issue here is that many novices make critical mistakes, sometimes unknowingly, that result in weak or brittle welds. Porosity, poor penetration, oxidation and a whole host of other maladies (such as “ugly”) can infect a weld, rendering it useless in an important situation. Miller’s Auto-Set feature essentially protects the beginner from these woes from the very first time you pull the trigger.

So I’m at Miller’s SEMA booth with my brother, Dave. He’s got no interest in cars whatsoever, so I figured he’d be the perfect test subject. After a few seconds of practicing, Dave was laying down a perfect row of dimes on a 1/8-inch steel “T” weld like he’d been doing it his whole life. Did I mention this was the first time he’s been in the same room with a welder, let alone used one?

There’s a lot I’m leaving out about the 140, like the fact you can still manually set the controls, and that lots of accessories are available. The Millermatic 140 also operates on ordinary 115 volt household power, so you don’t have to rewire your garage to get started. I even got into the action and tried my hand at welding aluminum, which is just a spool-swap and shield-gas swap away. I found that welding aluminum is super easy too, and wouldn’t think twice about trying it on my own with a machine like the Millermatic 140.