what welder would be the best to buy? hobart handler 140 lincoln sp140 millermatic 140 <!-- / message -->
Everyone has his own opinion on that question. I'll be first. For a limited use by a non professional and a good unit.I vote for the lincoln. A welder friend used one for many years and let me use it for a small project. I bought my own and it has been a great unit. IMHO
the miller and the hobart share the same internals so you cant go wrong with either, ive heard alot of complaints over the years about lincoln not saying there bad just that i wouldnt buy one. i have a miller at home and my only problem is running outta wire and gas ahahaha.
Well I have a Lincoln 3200HD, Yeah its the home depot version, its 110 volts, and it has worked great for me for about 7 or 8 years, but it is time for an upgrade, and I think a Miller or and HTP is in line for me. I already have oxy/fuel torches, a combo by plasmadyn that is a 50 amp plasma, tig and stick Combo unit. Will
we have that miller at the shop i work at and i use it on a regular basis...great basic welder, lays nice beads and surprising power for its size. don't like the 20% duty cycle though.
I own a Lincoln sp175 plus 220volt mig and I must say it has never given me one problem. This welder is 10 years old and is used weekly. My other welder is a lincoln 125/225 stick welder. It is 26 years old. It has never given me a problem either. I think it is superior to miller because you can vary amps and wire feed at the rate you want, not just 4 factory preset heat ranges like most millers. I wouldn't buy a 100 volt welder as they aren't much good over 1/8'' for good penetration. You can weld 1/4" with it but you are gonna move slow in order to penetrate the metal properly.
Of the four welding machines in the shop, our welder of choice is the Millermatic 250. Yes, it is a big machine. No, we have never come close to the duty cycle or power limits. If you can only have one machine then buy the biggest one that you can afford. You can always turn it down, but with a small machine you can only turn it 'up' so far.
I have a Millermatic 180 with Autoset and it works great for anything I do. I also have a little 110 Lincoln that I use for sheet metal and little stuff (more portable for me) I like them both and neither one has ever given me any trouble. I say buy what you can afford and remember to factor in the price of a gas bottle for it.
i have a lincoln 180c 220volt.. its pretty nice.. If i were you i would try to go up to a 220volt unit if i were you. They are just stronger welders than the 110volt units, and you dont have to push them as hard...
They are all in reality pretty much the same. I've used them all and they all work very nicely. The only advice can offer is buy the highest capacity welder you can afford, because it's very likely that 1-2 years down the road you'll need it.
+1 The only reason to have a 110vac welder is because you don't have access to 220vac where you are welding. I'm the only person I've ever heard of who is happy after downsizing my shop welder from a AirCo CV200 to a MM35. Everyone else would have bought bigger if they had known what they were getting into. Buy the biggest welder you can afford now and save the hassle of having to do it later.
Check craigslist and Egag. I just picked up a used but good functionng Lincoln pro mig 175 and Hobart auto darkening helmet for $280 off craigslist. I have many projects in mind already BWAHAAHAHA !
I made that mistake with the first plasma I bought. It was a Miller Spectrum 375, and within a year was buying a Hypertherm 1250. So plan ahead.
When your talking about these wimpy welders it doesent matter save the money and buy a 180 . When it comes to 140 welders they all kinda suck . Dont get welding stuff from home cheapo . The bigger welder will pay you back in time .
Listen to the guys on here. I own a 115volt and 230 volt lincoln. I never had a problem with the 115volt lincoln, but I never should have bought the thing. Buy a bigger welder the first time and save your self future headaches. You may not have the intention to weld thicker metal now. But once you start building shit, you will, and the 115volt aint going to cut it. My lincoln 175 is great. no problems. welded up to 3/16 with it so far on one pass and havent meet the duty cycle yet. I like lincolns just fort the fact that the local weld shop down the street carries all the models and replacement parts for them. But honestly, Hobart amd miller are great welders to. Have used both in the past. You cant go wrong with any of them. Just pick a color, but you'll spend less on a lincoln. YOu major issue you have is power source. Make sure you use proper guage wiring and extension chords. My three cents.
I have a Lincoln Power MIG 200, partially because I do more chassis work and heavy fab than sheet metal. It was a more than I wanted to spend, but it knocks out heavy welds with ease, and can be dialed down to work nicely on 20-22 gauge sheet metal... I also like red equipment, so even if it were a POS I would have bought a Lincoln... BIGREDTODD
I bought my Millermatic 180 brand new with a Hobart cart off of ebay for a little over $800 shipped to my door. Haven't had a bit of problems with it. The shop here wanted close to $1000 for just the welder. I would just go with what you can afford and the power source you have.
ive got the home cheapo lincon 3200hd paid i think $430 brand new 3-4 years ago works ok should have spent more at my local welding supply co for a better one though (hindsights always 20/20) still do most fo my welding with oxy/acytlene and coat hangers getin ready to buy a tig though i tryed the miller syncrowave 200 at the miller road show and really liked it any one out there work with that unit?
All the welders that plug into a 110 socket are of little use on anything past 18 guage. They just do not penetrate enough to be safe on things that will take a beating. They are good on body panels as long as you don't mind waiting for them to cool down a lot. Buy the highest rated duty cycle and amp you can get and find a good used stick welder for heavier stuff. JR
i bought my lincoln 180c and also my thermal arc arcmaster 185 tig here. http://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/servlet/StoreFront i give $795 for my 180c with cart, shipped to my door ,got it in 2 days.. same for my tig, got it in 2 days..
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