Which welder

[Kyle.malone]

I am looking at two different welders. The Lincoln electric 140 at lowes or the Hobart from tractor supply co which is similar to welding thickness.

 

[Explorer]

Hobart. The Lincoln Lowes sells, a Lincoln dealer won't touch if you have issues.

 

[RustyShackelfor]

which hobart? i am planning on a new 210 handler myself.

you might check northern tool also. Their hobart prices have been very good.

 

[buckintone]

Do some online research, depending on what you're trying to accomplish and what your budget is, there are some amazing welders available these days at some really low prices. I would suggest not being caught up in the $ heavy Miller, lincoln, hobart paradigm. imo

 

[ponyracer]

IIRC Hobart went under a few yrs ago and was bought by lincoln. Eastwood and northern tool sell the same welder as the hobart in a diff color pretty cheap. As long as you go with a name brand there all pretty comparable. I use a 140 hobart that has the old style dual knobs not the new single knob crap. Works well up to 1/8th.

 

[rustbucket]

Hobart is owned by Miller. I guess you can say it's their "hobbyist" line, though I think you can still get some high-end Hobart's.

 

[Madgyver]

I'd invest a little more and get a Millermatic 175.
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/comparisons/millermatic_175.html

 

[needabronco]

I'd buy the Hobart, it's Millers cheaper line but they are still MILES above those home depot Lincolns....

I bought a Miller 211 a couple of years ago and love it. It's still small to store under the work bench but will weld up to 3/8"s on 220V and will do just fine on 1/4" on 110, it uses the bigger spools of wire like the large cased welders. You can still turn it down low enough to weld thing sheet metal.

I'd also suggest buying your welder from an actual welding store, when I bought mine I asked for a 'package' deal, I ended up with gloves, welding helmet, tank, and an extra box of wire for not much more than retail on the welder itself.

 

[rustbucket]

I have a Millermatic 175, and it is a great machine. I would also recommend stepping up to a 220V machine. You'll find that you need the extra current capacity when doing fabrication on heavier gauge steel. You'll want to upgrade before long. The 211 needabronco mentions is great because you can run either. So, if you don't have 220V at the moment, you can still do most of what you want to do at 110V, and upgrade your service later.

 

[Explorer]

I'd buy the Hobart, it's Millers cheaper line but they are still MILES above those home depot Lincolns....

I bought a Miller 211 a couple of years ago and love it. It's still small to store under the work bench but will weld up to 3/8"s on 220V and will do just fine on 1/4" on 110, it uses the bigger spools of wire like the large cased welders. You can still turn it down low enough to weld thing sheet metal.

I'd also suggest buying your welder from an actual welding store, when I bought mine I asked for a 'package' deal, I ended up with gloves, welding helmet, tank, and an extra box of wire for not much more than retail on the welder itself.

X2 on the 211. Autoset works darn near perfect. Higher duty cycle might be needed for serious fabricators, but it's done everything I've asked. Nothing wrong with the Hobart Handler 140, great welder for the price. Good starter rig.

 

[JohnJohn]

I just picked up a Miller 211 a couple weeks ago and love it. I got a package deal from my local Welding/gas supply store for $1000 and it came with a cover, auto darkening helmet, cart, wire, metal thickness gauge.
I think it is an under rated welder because it burns 3/8 like it is nothing.

 

[Skiddy]

I am looking at two different welders. The Lincoln electric 140 at lowes or the Hobart from tractor supply co which is similar to welding thickness.

pm me about what price range and i can see if i can get you a good deal at our welding supplier

 

[g8rb8t]

Has anyone tried the Longevity welders (vendor on here)?

Here's their latest specials:
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183160

 

[jperry1290]

Bought a Hobart 140 from Trac Supp last Labor Day. I picked it up for $400 on sale with the mig kit. It has been great for all the light welding I have done in the garage. It has a Miller gun. My friend has a Lincoln from Home Depot and has had problems with the wire feed assy, which he found to be a common issue with Lincoln's

 

[rustbucket]

Has anyone tried the Longevity welders (vendor on here)?

Here's their latest specials:
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183160

I have no experience with them, but I would be concerned about service. Where do you take it? If you have to ship it back to them, who pays? Then there is the hassle of packing something like this up for shipping. I have heard they are decent units, but I'm still a little skeptical about the long-term durability and service.

 

[BoltBuster]

I bought the Lowes Lincoln and happy with it, there is nothing to them if they had a part go bad. I wouldnt mind trying the Miller next time to compare the difference.

 

[badmuttstang]

Another vote for the miller 211 but if budget does not allow go for the Hobart the Lincoln at Lowe's just does not seem to be the same quality as an other Lincoln I had one sold it after 1 year did get what I paid for it but got mine on clearance bought the miller and love it

 

[Punisher]

Why wont Lincoln mess with the ones sold at lowes? I bought a refurbished Lincoln with the year warranty and have never had a problem with it iv welded everything with it bumpers cage sliders and it's kicked ass and it a 110. My buddy bought one from lowes and it preformes just as good.

 

[bigmuddy]

I bought a lincoln mig pro 180 I think it's called from Lowes, probably 4-5 years ago. I have welded everything on the bronco, cages, bumpers, shock mounts etc without a problem. I also just finished rebuiding an 18 foot car hauler over the winter and welded my ass off without a hiccup. It takes the big or small spool of wire too.

Interesting this debate comes up again though. I was just a the Conexp show in Vegas and Lincoln had a huge booth as usual. I decided to ask a couple of guys about the lincoln welders at lowes. They said yes there is a difference on the welders, heat sinks aren't as good, the angle of the inner sleeve to the gun is at a weird angle and will likely wear faster than a pro model. I also asked about repair on the lowes models and according to the two guys I spoke too, they said all parts are available through your local welding shop and they would order for you, if the shop refused too? You can call Lincoln and Lincoln would jump the dealer about supplying or repairing a Lincoln product.
They also said that the Lowes, home depot, tractor supply models, be they Lincoln or Miller are roughly the same and for the price really can't be beat for the hobbyist.

For the money I spent on my Lincoln/Lowes welder I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

Ben

 

[deltabronco]

Lincoln and Miller are like Chevy and Ford, both are excellent. Hobart is owned by the same company that owns miller, but they arent the same. Miller is more indusrial