Miller sent us a Passport Plus MIG welder to play with so they could get our opinions on the machine. In short, we love it. And we think you will, too. It's one of the most versatile welding tools we've laid hands on. There's a ton of info on the company's Web site, so we won't cover every specification, but we will clue you in on a few of the key features we find most appealing.
For starters, the unit is compact and lightweight. At about 45 pounds and the size of a large carry-on suitcase, you can one-hand it into the back of your tow rig and bring it along just in case. Also, you don't need to run nasty flux core wire (although you can use flux core in the Passport Plus). The unit has the ability to MIG on-the-go thanks to a paintball gun-sized CO2 cylinder. And Miller's arc control makes for low-spatter, high-quality welds with the internal CO2 supply, or you can run a fullsize external mixed gas cylinder with the flip of a switch.
The single-phase machine employs Miller's cool new MVP (multi-voltage plug), so switching from standard 115V household current to 230V shop current is quick and easy. The rig's 20 percent duty cycle at 150 amps on 230V power should be plenty for the average hobbyist. And while the unit's 2-pound wire spool capacity won't last all that long, we'd say the Passport Plus is fully capable of serving as the average hobbyist's primary garage welder.
The Passport Plus comes with the 10-foot M-10 MIG gun, a couple 0.024 and 0.030 tips, the internal CO2 bottle, and almost everything else needed to get welding. The only thing we needed to do before laying beads was fill up the CO2 bottle at our local sporting goods store (same as a paintball gun) and buy a 2-pound spool of MIG wire. | 
The Passport Plus comes with the regulator for the internal CO2 bottle. Notice the toggle switch on the bottom inside of the unit to change between internal and external gas supply. The Passport Plus is set up for welding mild steel, but you can also use the unit to weld aluminum with Miller's Spoolmate 100-spool gun. |
The port for the external gas supply is on the back of the machine and accepts a standardized regulator fitting. The ability to easily run fullsize Argon/CO2 cylinders is a really nice feature. | 
Miller's MVP plug makes switching from standard 115V household current to 230V shop current as easy as unscrewing the receptacle and screwing on the other one. There's no need to do anything else. The welder senses which voltage it's plugged into and adjusts automatically. |
One of the first welding jobs the Passport Plus got was on our neighbor's vintage '59 Airstream. It's way easier than carting our 220-pound shop MIG over and running a 230V extension cord. We simply walked next door with the Passport and plugged into a standard 115V extension outlet. | 
There's a nylon carrying case for the power cord, ground cord, and gun cable attached to the side of the welder. It's an extremely portable package. We've been hauling the Passport Plus all over Southern California and Utah and have used it to do everything from campsite Jeep repairs with a generator, to mends in a hotel parking lot in Moab, to various fixes around Hazel's avocado orchard. |
Here's our Moab motor mount parking lot fix. When plugged into 230V shop current, the unit welds almost exactly like our buddy's Millermatic 180, which makes sense, as the Passport Plus is rated at 180 amps in 230V. It's a little different in 115V mode with larger 0.030 wire, and to get a comfortable bead we found ourselves running the welder a bit hotter and the wire speed a bit slower than Miller's recommended settings, found on the inside panel of the welder. | |