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Lincoln 180C mig welder any good?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by orcas tow, Apr 9, 2007.

  1. orcas tow
    Joined: Nov 23, 2004
    Posts: 282

    orcas tow
    Member

    I'm looking to upgrade from my trusty Lincoln 110 mig that has served me well for the last 10 years but has always been on the small side of what I would like.
    I am set on a Lincoln but am not familiar with the 180, guess it replaced the 175 with a whole bunch of new technology (not sure if thats good or not) wonder if theres any bugs to worry about, will be welding from sheetmetal to frames/crossmembers, thanks.
     
  2. I only know the 175 and all I can say, it's amazing.
     
  3. gokatgo
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 189

    gokatgo
    Member
    from Phx AZ

    I picked up a lincoln 175 brand new for $460. Not sure how much better 5 amps is to warrant twice the price. I like every 220 lincoln I have used, even the old 155 model is a huge improvement over a 110 welder.
     
  4. eric
    Joined: Jun 4, 2001
    Posts: 1,643

    eric
    Member

    not to steal this thread but what are the llimits of a Lincoln weld pack 100 HD??? any add on like a tank possible?? should i just flip it and buy a better Mig??? it's flux cored wire so i know its not the best but any way to do "some" metal work on body panels???
     
  5. Thirtycoup
    Joined: Jul 21, 2002
    Posts: 1,197

    Thirtycoup
    Member

    the 175 is a great welder....a friend just bought the 175 at lowes this week so they are still avialable. :) mike
     
  6. orcas tow
    Joined: Nov 23, 2004
    Posts: 282

    orcas tow
    Member

    The Lincoln 100/110 is great, I have a argon/co2 mix for gas & .035 wire, its very controlable & precise for sheetmetal, if I didnt need to weld heavier materials I would stick with the 110
     
  7. 1931S/X
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 667

    1931S/X
    Member
    from nj

    the 180c is a newer model. a lot of different stuff from the 175. there is also a 180t. only welding supplys will carry it, the older models will stay on the shelfs of the big box stores, i dont think lincoln is offering them the new machines, they are so called "industrial" machines. it is said to be a good machine, but if i was in the market, i would chack out the hobart handler 187, new machine, getting excelent reviews. northern tool offers good deals along with tsc if you live near either of them. i have the 100 and its a good little machine for car stuff, you can weld up to 1/8" with it. great for body work. have had it for about 12 years.
     
  8. Ritchie
    Joined: Dec 6, 2007
    Posts: 12

    Ritchie
    Member

    I am in the same boat now. I can't decide between the millertatic 180 or the Lincoln 180C. Now the Hobart is a concideration as it is a little cheaper.
    The welding shop I went to yesterday only had the Miller. I could get the miller 180, cart and bottle of 75%/25% for around $1,100. There is another shop at the other end of Brittmoore I will check out.
    I am leaning towards the Lincoln right now.
    I will be using it for installing new floors in the 59'. All I have now is a ancient Sears wirefeed crakerbox and it blows holes in thin stuff even at the lowest setting.
    Not in a real hurry as I dont even have my W-2 yet. I will be blowing my tax return to stimulate the economy
     
  9. I have an older Lincoln 255 amp MIG and I love it. I bought it used from a welding supply outfit.
    Bob
     
  10. I have a new 180C and I love it. I've been welding with Miller 175, Hobart, Miller 215, and a Big Lincoln in the past, and I think this 180C takes the cake. From fine sheetmetal work to ch***is building...I don't see a need for anything else.
     
  11. ski
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 112

    ski
    Member
    from San Diego

    I got the Hobart 180 a couple years back and it's okay for a hack like me but if I was buying now I'd go for the Millermatic. The Hobart was cheap (540. shipped) and it's a great rig but the Miller has adjustability instead of 4 heat ranges. Hobart is now owned by one of the two biggies but I forget which one.
     
  12. 39 Ford
    Joined: Jan 22, 2006
    Posts: 1,558

    39 Ford
    Member

    Try Cyberweld.com they sell miller and Hobart shipped(free) to your door at great prices and no state sales tax.
     
  13. Kirk Hanning
    Joined: Feb 27, 2005
    Posts: 1,605

    Kirk Hanning
    Member

    I second cyberweld.com, I got my plasma cutter w/cart and acesssories shipped free with no tax within 5 day of ordering.
     
  14. Ritchie
    Joined: Dec 6, 2007
    Posts: 12

    Ritchie
    Member

    I talked with some of the welder in the shop where I work and they all said "Miller". I saw many posts here that said the same. I am happy to support the local Miller dealer here. Nice to get consumables close by too. Turns out, there is no shortage of welding shops in the Houston area. Also being able to put a package together in on place is good. Still a couple hundered higher than a mail oreder but I am cool with that.

    Thanks y'al
     
  15. Kapuron
    Joined: Jan 3, 2008
    Posts: 42

    Kapuron
    Member
    from Colorado

    Looking at the licoln 180t. Heard the 180c can fluctuate too much? Anybody know the big differences between the two. I know one is continuous and one is tap, but is it really worth getting the continuous? I'm ***uming the continuous is compared to the millermatic 180 with AUTO SET. I'm hearing the auto set can hinder your welds once you get good at welding. Can anybody enlighten me.....please???????
     
  16. 1931S/X
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 667

    1931S/X
    Member
    from nj

    i like taps, providing there are enough of them. i have the hobart handler 210, it has 7 taps i think, which is plenty. oh yeah hobart and miller are ownde by the same company. industrial tool or something like that.
     
  17. Kapuron
    Joined: Jan 3, 2008
    Posts: 42

    Kapuron
    Member
    from Colorado

    1931S/X. How many taps are enough? I am new at this. Looking to buy this welder on tuesday. Final choices are the Lincoln 180T and the Millermatic 180 without the auto-set. Thanks for the help.
     
  18. I just bought a 180 Lincoln at Lowe's for $6oo and some change . I haven't taken it out of the box yet . Bought it when my 100 wand broke . It's about $20 to fix the wand but what the hell ! The Lowe's price seemed like a better deal .Oooooh , shiney
     
  19. 1931S/X
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 667

    1931S/X
    Member
    from nj

    how many taps does the lincoln have? i forget. the more you have the beter off you will be. any time some one is looking to buy a new mig i always recomend the hobart line, check out the HH187 or HH210. they are awsome machines with great tech support, customer service, warranty, cheap, and still made in the usa.
     
  20. BigVinDaddyMac
    Joined: Feb 17, 2008
    Posts: 195

    BigVinDaddyMac
    Member

    I use Miller 185's, Miller 210's at work and have a Hobart Ironworker 210 at home. I love my Hobart at half the price of a Miller. The only major difference is supposedly in the capacitor quality. The welds look the same to me. I got tired of ****ing with the smaller welders at home and decided to buy what I really needed to fabricate cool stuff with. I am one happy gearhead now.
     
  21. 1931S/X
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 667

    1931S/X
    Member
    from nj

    i thought about the ironman but i liked the handeler 210 better as it had more taps. the ironworker has a slightly higher duty cycle.
     
  22. brucer
    Joined: Jun 5, 2008
    Posts: 332

    brucer
    Member
    from western ky

    i bought a lincoln 180c about 2 months ago.. love it, the 180c has complete adjustment, no taps, amperage control is like a volume control, from 30amps to 180amps...

    i paid $795 to my door, for the welder, regulator, and cart. from http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com

    i bought my thermal arc prowave 185 tig from the same place, good service and at***udes..
     
  23. Kapuron
    Joined: Jan 3, 2008
    Posts: 42

    Kapuron
    Member
    from Colorado

    Just bought the Power Mig 180T for 692.00 from local welding supply store. It has been pretty kick ***. Has 5 taps (A-E). I'm just a begginer, but this things welds way better than the 3200 HD that I have a work. Plus the weld supply store gave me a great warranty on top of the factory. Any other pointers?
     
  24. I bought a 100 Weld pack way back for around $200 that was a display model. I worked great as far as working on cars. I even welded frames with it . Considering a frame is less than an 1/8" thick, it did the job fine. Then I got into welding heavy gauge stuff and bought a Lincoln 175 and ever since, the 100 just collects dust. Not saying its a bad machine but the 175 is just that much better for heavy stuff. As far as more taps the better, in theory sure I will go along with that but you can always speed up a bit to keep from blowing or slow down to get more penetration. You can also pull the tip back from the material to adust the heat. So Just because you have 5 tap posissions doesn't limit you one bit. Heres a link with a great write up.
    http://www.camaros.net/forums/showpost.php?p=66951&postcount=2
    Even though this site isn't Hamb friendly, it's still all the principles of building a car. This is the full list of write ups this guy has done. He seems to be very well versed.
    Enjoy all the reading.
    http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=74560
     
  25. ems customer service
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 2,654

    ems customer service
    Member

    We have both, the new machine has more power for the gasless flux core which is needed for outside work, the 180 also pops the breaker very easily.

    It would be hard to justify the upgrade
     
  26. My 180C is still going strong since Dec '07. Not a single issue with it.
     
  27. I have an old sp100 110 machine love it for sheetmetal,it has full controll on the amp setting. I needed a bigger machine an I got a175 but the one with the taps hated it. the drive motor gave out .I bought a 180c I love it, way better machine.
     
  28. 32Rules
    Joined: Mar 17, 2007
    Posts: 202

    32Rules
    Member

    The 180c is great I tried it and the miller 180 and thought the Lincoln was smoother and easier to use. Like the c over the t. Easier to dial in
     
  29. buckd
    Joined: Nov 29, 2008
    Posts: 335

    buckd
    Member

    I have been a welder/ fabricator for 50 years I always had lincoln welders , but have had opportunities to use miller and hobart several times over the years. I have a sp100, sp130 and an sp170 That I have used for 25 years with out a lick of problems.
    I also have an sp250 that is computerized bought it 18 years ago but it only gets used on really big stuff. My recomendations are stay away from the weldpacks , even with the gas conversion they don't have the same duty cycle curve as the sp models. My experience with Hobart is they are like a Model T compared to a Cadillac.
    The 180 should do everything you could ever want, probably for the rest of your life. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE REGRETS WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO BUY THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!
     
  30. If Customer service is included in your decision, sorry but no-one comes even close to Miller/Hobart. Then again, I wouldn't buy any other welder than one of those 2 company's anyway. Lincoln might be a decent machine, but they are not known for customer service, there has been plenty of discusion on that topic here before.
     

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