hey guys im looking to buy a welder for use around the house. it will be mostly used for work on a resto im doing and maybe other light use. im torn between 2 models

first is a hobart 180 wire fed welder. a buddy at work wants to sell it to me. he bought it a few years back and never used it; the warranty is up. it comes with a cart and he wants 500$
i think they retail for about 680 and then another 60$ for the cart. not a bad deal, the price i defiantly right.

second one is a brand new millermatic 180. it has a full warranty and im getting a "deal" for 799 with cart included. most other retailers want 780 just for the welder itself.

ive always used millers and have always been impressed with their models. they are just quite spendy. most everyone i talked to told me to get the miller.

only time ive used a hobart was at an old place i worked at and it was an OK welder. we had problems with it every now and again so i really wasnt impressed. im not sure if it was just a lemon of a model or what.

i know it sounds like ive already made up my mind but i havn't. all input would be appreciated.

I have the hobart 175, I think its 175. I,m glad I have it but it seems a bit finicky.

I have a Miller 251 and I really like it. If your use to a miller I would go with the Miller then.

I have a Miller 135 that has been a jewel . 110 welder .

I would like the miller 251 , but this baby has done well for me .

get what you pay for...Miller all the way

I was told that Miller makes the Hobart. Is this true?

you buy a hobart you get a miller instruction book they are the same machines, in differant boxs. There are some minor differances in the internals an may be the stinger but 98% identical..

That said I am a blue or yellow case guy, but my red box Lincoln sp100 has been a great all purpose fix around the farm machine, as its 110v so I can toss it in the back of the truck with the Honda genny an fix gates feeders and things like that with out having to bring them up to the barn.

I would buy the Blue!

I was told that Miller makes the Hobart. Is this true?

yeah from what ive heard miller makes hobart. hobart is millers "cheap" brand. the guy told me hobart is for weekend warrior use while millers are designed for light industrial use.

What kind of electricity do you have? I've got a miller 185 mig and it's a great machine for in the garage/shop. It runs on 220 so I had a plug wired up in my garage. It's big enough to weld about anything but I can turn it down enough to do thin stuff too. I just sold a brand new miller 140 with a cart and I just bought a Lincoln Ranger 305g for the back of my truck. You won't be dissapointed with the miller. They make high quality machines.

ROF to funny Miller makes the Hobart! so buy the one that is cheaper OR the one that handles the amp you are requiring other than the stickers and paint there IS NO DIFFERENCE. If you are looking for one that handles a higher duty cycle look into the Lincoln, The internals are more heave duty

What kind of electricity do you have? I've got a miller 185 mig and it's a great machine for in the garage/shop. It runs on 220 so I had a plug wired up in my garage. It's big enough to weld about anything but I can turn it down enough to do thin stuff too. I just sold a brand new miller 140 with a cart and I just bought a Lincoln Ranger 305g for the back of my truck. You won't be dissapointed with the miller. They make high quality machines.

i got the hook up for 110 or 220. i thinking im going to try and get the miller. i will be happier with it in the long run.

I have a Lincoln IdealArc SP-255. Its a freakin awesome machine, I love it. They dont make it anymore tho; I think it was last produced in the late 1990's? Welds beautifully and is all computerized; all you do is set the gas type and wire thickness (.035" etc) on the LCD control panel...then just select what thickness metal you are welding (18 gauge, 3/16", 3/8" etc..) and it figures out the wire speed and voltage for you automatically. :cool:

ben

I have a Lincoln IdealArc SP-255. Its a freakin awesome machine, I love it. They dont make it anymore tho; I think it was last produced in the late 1990's? Welds beautifully and is all computerized; all you do is set the gas type and wire thickness (.035" etc) on the LCD control panel...then just select what thickness metal you are welding (18 gauge, 3/16", 3/8" etc..) and it figures out the wire speed and voltage for you automatically. :cool:

ben


i guess thats how the auto set on the miller is susppose to work.

i guess thats how the auto set on the miller is susppose to work.

yes, but even if you don't get the auto set, the new machines have a guide right inside the main case to help you set the machine. I set up the 140 before I sold it and went by their suggestion and it welded nicely. They have really made these new machines easy to use. the other nice thing about getting a miller is your local airgas or other weld supply should have all the consumables and repair parts for you

I have a Miller DVI 2 and the versitility is a very nice feature. 110 & 220 with the swap of a plug

miller or lincoln all the way!! can't go wrong with either one. I would stay away from hobart.

No Miller and Hobart are not the same welders open the cases and you will see the difference.

miller is the way to go

I was actually just looking at the Hobart Handler 210. It can be had for $829. It's 30% duty cycle at 150A. The best part is she is only 80lb. I heard that it's a really good machine for the price.

I just bought a Lincoln Ranger 305g for the back of my truck.


You a building trades guy or a pipeliner?????

im running a miller 210 and it is good to me, also have the spool gun for it and between that and my big ole miller stick welder i can get anything i need put back together!

You a building trades guy or a pipeliner?????

I'm building trades. I'm getting ready to go work for one of Nicor's contractors. They do a lot of gas main and gas services in my area. Nicor is supposed to have a big budget this year which means a lot of work for welding crews. I finally was able to put a rig together so now I'm practicing my down hill welding test and waiting for the call

i got one off of craigslist, brand new for $300. it was a lincoln 140 though.

i looked at miller, hobart, lincoln and other brands (like clarke, sears, harbor freight etc) and this was the best deal i could get. i needed 110v though and make sure it's a 20amp circuit if you go 110. the 15amp will blow routinely. the other feature i saw (besides the autoset you mentioned) was that there are "tapped" and "continuous" voltage machines. tapped just means that one power dial on the unit will have "stops" like 1,2,3,4 etc which coorespond to the recommended power levels for each application. continuous means there are no stops, so you could get a setting like 1.25 or 1.75 or whatever because there's no stops. although the continuous gives more flexibility in power setting, most jobs that most people do don't require this level of precision. mine is 'tapped' and btw tapped costs less than continuous....


i noticed that there's a montana.craigslist.org that lists a few welders, just don't know if theyre close enough to you..

Go for the Miller, you will be happy. I had a 90amp Miller sidekick for 10 years, and sold it for $500, got myself a new Millermatic 135 a few years ago, they were both excellent machines. I would like a 220v machine as well, so may get a Millermatic 175 also eventually.

I'm building trades. I'm getting ready to go work for one of Nicor's contractors. They do a lot of gas main and gas services in my area. Nicor is supposed to have a big budget this year which means a lot of work for welding crews. I finally was able to put a rig together so now I'm practicing my down hill welding test and waiting for the call

I am industrial X-ray tech mostly a pipeline guy, sitting at home waiting on the call as well lots of work but not quite as much as the last couple of years but still should have well over 3000 hours this year.

I am industrial X-ray tech mostly a pipeline guy, sitting at home waiting on the call as well lots of work but not quite as much as the last couple of years but still should have well over 3000 hours this year.

I've got a lot of friends who spent a lot of time last year following the pipeline down from wisconsin to southern illinois. those guys made sick amounts of money.

good luck on the work guys! Times are tough

I'd go with the miller. I've used a lot of miller welders when i was in school and as an employee at shops and they are great machines.

I've got two Miller units. The Diversion 165 TIG and also the Dynasty 200DX. If you have the cash go with the 200DX. It allows you to do pulsed TIG way down to a few amps. That is if you need to do that. If not, the Diversion 165 is a great TIG for the price.

I like my Miller 210. I got the aluminum feed for it as well. Its a nice smooth welder.

Hobart makes quality machines but the 180 was / is not a good unit...it does OK in the middle selections but the bottom and upper end is finicky at best.....but they now have the 187 super nice machine but they also make the Handler 210 now I have it as well as the spool gun to weld aluminum or steel etc 20 ft away from the welder..... it is a super nice machine and very potable..... Hobart has a very informative message board as does Miller (more dram there) http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/ http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/index.php

If you look closely in this pic you can see the Miller Diversion 165 I bought for my other half :D Since I bought myself a Dynasty 200DX, she wanted a TIG. Why? I have no idea.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/garageimage.php?do=full&p=84739&d=1234646974

I bought myself a "new" millermatic 35 last year.It had less than 1 hour of use on it! I got it from an old guy in Cleveland Oh. who has been a "stick" welder all his life and several years ago he thought he would like a new mig so he went and bought this one.To make a long story short,he HATED IT,rolled it to the back of the shop with a full 45# roll of wire and a full bottle of gas.Mabye 20 years later he decides it has taken up space long enough,SOLD, for the bargain price of $500 !!!

I have the Hobart 140 and for me it has been great. 110vac power so you can plug it into an extension cord and weld just about anywhere. Hobart and Miller are about like comparing GMC and Chevy.

I have the Hobart 140 and for me it has been great. 110vac power so you can plug it into an extension cord and weld just about anywhere. Hobart and Miller are about like comparing GMC and Chevy.


Hobarts are alot cheaper in price and Quality.

My vote goes to Miller - Passport Mig - One sweet machine. Can run on an internal bottle or external bottle, 110 or 220 volts, can run a spool gun for welding aluminum, impact resistant case, 10 lb spools, wire dia. up to .035. this machine spoiled me don't want to ever stick weld in the field again. We always migged in the shop and stick welded in the field, but not anymore.

Hobarts ARE NOT a lot cheaper in price and quality. They are a little cheaper in price and are very very good quality for the money. I have a HH 210 at home and use a Miller 252 from time to time, and i will tell you that the Hobart has absolutely great arc characteristics. Aside from the Miller having a bit more power if needed they are neck and neck. If you used them both every day I am sure you would get more use out of the miller, but i have run a lot of wire through that hobart without one disappointment.

well thanks for all the replys, ill be buying a miller 180 w/auto set this week. ill let you know how it welds once i get it all set up!

thanks