what is the best welder?

[Spike00513]

Am looking at a few models to get started doing welding projects
off road truck stuff
which means it probably has to be something with more amps and volts.
220v.
Maybe 3/8 and 1/4" steel

This has introduced me to a few models I hear are good, and have been considering
-Harbor Freight MigMax 215
-Hobart 210MVP
-Hobart 190
-Miller 211 (newer style)
and maybe some others

Curious to know if there is anything you recommend and why.

So far, I've come to the following ideas:
-Why Harbor Freight? Because for an extra $90 you can get 1 or 2 more years extended warranty. It might be DIY fixable. Maybe it will last if it breaks.
I don't think they have million$ to shell out doing warranty replacements, so I imagine they put some care into the design.
It seems to depend. Get a cheap ball joint tool from HFT and use it on a stuck ball joint? You'll bend the tool after 1, 2, or 3 uses. Unlike a professional $200 tool (vs. $13)
But ICON? That's better quality. Which they also sell.

-Why Hobart 190? It has more punch than a baby welder, but is still affordable.

-Why Hobart 210MVP? Maybe it's worth the slightly higher cost over 190, because it gives you Multi Voltage Plug. Plug into low power outlet to weld thinner stuff like sheet metal if you need.
Hobart has an established reputation.
Why/why not? They're transformer style. Twice as heavy, consumes more power, and so on.

-Why Miller 211? Because everyone says it's the answer to life.
Why not 211? Because it's very expensive, and at that price point, still may not even come with anything else like spool gun, gloves, etc.
HFT MigMax 215 was designed to compete with it, and at lower price, still offers similar benefits such as light weight inverter style.

Honestly, I've heard good things about all of them/each and every one of these and that people who have either one, are happy with it

Miller seems like something you can keep forever
HFT MigMax seems like something you can start/get going with today, and will work
I've heard some bad things about both the 211 and 215 spool guns. That 211 button stays clicked on, and 215 wears out with many uses/heat. But since the spool gun is replaceable and cheaper than the welding machine itself, maybe it doesn't detract too much from the overall buy.

How do they rank on discounts?
-Miller currently stopped doing Build With Blue promo
-HFT no longer does those 10 and 20% Off things
-Hobart may or may not be on sale from whatever store sells it

 

[Showkey]

Am looking at a few models to get started doing welding projects

So far, I've come to the following ideas:
-Why Harbor Freight? Because for an extra $90 you can get 1 or 2 more years extended warranty. It might be DIY fixable. Maybe it will last if it breaks.]

No matter the product or device......warranty coverage and warranty time is a marketing decision NOT an engineering/design issue or product quality predictor.*

The extra $90 is an insurance policy you pay for which is 50-80% more additional profit for them.

Availability of parts and repair service is far more important.....which the name brands are well known for.


*Yugo......The car was promoted with a ten-year/100,000-mile warranty, free maintenance, and a price of only $4,500.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Got a TSC local ? They are making the switch from Hobart Ironman 230 to the newer Ironman 240.

 

[pi_guy]

Before you announce what you think is the best welder you should use some this will give you more of a realistic view.

 

[quickfarms]

I prefer red welders

The truth is you need to look at the dealers and who gives you the best support

I still have my old Lincoln SP135T this was the first of the small 220 v machines. I used it for many years without and issue but on one project I kept hitting the limits of its duty cycle

So I was talking to the salesman at my local dealer and he suggested the Lincoln 216 that they were selling on clearance. He found one at another store 2 hours away and I picked it up.

The SP135T feels like a toy compared to the 216.

So I would recommend a small commercial machine from a welder manufacturer

 

[Daveyclimber]

Id vote Hobart if you are on a budget.

 

[Rinspeed]

I'm a big fan and own a Miller. We have had very good results with Lincoln at the shop though.

 

[Sumboodie]

For doing 3/8" using a 200 amp MIG, you'll need preheat and multi pass.

It's 240v BTW. USA hasn't had 220v in almost 100 years.

 

[hilld]

You didn't list what processes you want to weld with. If it is simply GMAW/MIG, there are a lot of wirefeeders out there. If you want a multi process welders such as SMAW/Stick, GTAW/TIG. If TIG, you need to decide if you want to weld Aluminum, if yes, then you need a machine capable of AC TIG or get a Spoolgun for your MIG welder.

In any case, a multi process welder that is of high quality is something like the Miller MultiMatic 220. It also works on 120 and 240V. Not cheap at around 3k, but it does come with 2 gas valves, gas switching, a wire feeder, TIG torch, Stick torch. Of course there are lower cost alternatives.

Good luck.....analysis paralysis is a dangerous game.

 

[Kaizen]

Analysis paralysis is ripe in welders. Good luck. I went everlast 251 and zero regrets


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[PugetDude]

I used to be a red welder guy until I switched to the blue. (211)
My cardinal rule is don't buy anything expensive from HF with a cord on it.
$29 Sander? Sure.
$700 Welder? No way.
YMMV

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Scotts1200]

Open up the Hobart, you will find Capital "M" everywhere.
They are made by Miller great machines.
I'm old and retired and now Run a 175 Eastwood, very impressive for the price and options.

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[byoungblood]

With the Hobart MVP (or the equivalent Miller/Lincoln) you don’t have to plug into a 120v outlet for thinner material, just turn the machine down.

What they do limit is the amperage or duty cycle if you are plugged into a lower voltage outlet.

 

[Showkey]

For doing 3/8" using a 200 amp MIG, you'll need preheat and multi pass.

It's 240v BTW. USA hasn't had 220v in almost 100 years.

If you want to be that guy........The Hobert box, ad copy and literature happens to use 230v :

Handler 190 MIG Welder, 25A- 190A, 230V, 68 lb., 24 ga.- 5/16 in. Thickness, 40 IPM- 170 IPM Wire Speed Feed, 500554

Same for Lincoln:

Lincoln Electric Easy MIG 180 Flux-Cored/MIG Welder — Transformer, 230V, 30–180 Amp Output, Model# K2698-1


Thought there was finally an understanding 220/230/240 was all the same in garage discussion ?

 

[tdkkart]

I bought the Hobart in the last year, for the few projects I've used it for I've been happy with it, does a nice job.

 

[ndnchf]

FWIW - I bought a Hobart 210 MVP two years ago. I felt it was the best value for my needs (price vs capability). I've been extremely happy with it. It welds great, is easy to use and does everything I need.

 

[jerrymoz]

Hobart for sure. If you have the budget,
The Hobart and Miller welders are great. For daily and heavier use the 240v welders are a better option IMO.

 

[dnschmidt]

None of the above. HTP Propulse 220MTS. Does spray arc MIG, Aluminum MIG without the need for a spool gun and dual shied and is a synergic machine that does a great job of getting you really close to perfect settings out of the box.

 

[IndyGarage]

Another vote for Miller 211.

I've used Hobart - the old 180 model, HTP - an older mig, big 3 phase miller with a wire feeder, and my very first mig which was a cheap Campbell Hausfield. Other than the Campbell, which I only used with flux wire, they all welded halfway decent, but I could never get the kind of welds you see on a professionally welded product.

A couple years ago I got one of the new Miller 211's. I used it a couple times and sold off all but the 3 phase, and haven't used it at all except when I ran out of wire one time in the 211.

That Miller autoset does such a good job for me, it has enabled me to make professional level welds on almost everything.

The other day I was putting together a new winch setup. I bought a receiver hitch mount but there was no place to hook back if I want to double the line - plus there was no place to attach it if I wanted to use it without a receiver. I decided to weld on a D ring to the bottom of the hitch mount. It took exactly 10 minutes with the Miller 211 and the welds were the best I've ever done. And this was on 120 volt outlet - I've rarely needed to plug it in to 220 volts.

I cannot imagine a better welder for what I do. I don't know about the longevity of this thing, but it's one of those tools that if it got stolen or broken you would replace the next day with the same thing.

 

[Kaizen]

Open up the Hobart, you will find Capital "M" everywhere.
They are made by Miller great machines.
I'm old and retired and now Run a 175 Eastwood, very impressive for the price and options.

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Had an Eastwood 135 and used the snot out of it for five years. Everything from sheet to 1/4 with flux core. Never let me down. Gave it to a new high school welder when I upgraded.


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[mtgrizzlymn69]

My omnipro 220 has been fantastic. Beautiful welds. Very nice to use


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[Slednut]

Have had a 211 for 5 years and until I got the TIG I used it almost daily. Welds great and has had zero problems.

 

[Spike00513]

My omnipro 220 has been fantastic. Beautiful welds. Very nice to use


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this caught my eye as well
seems hard to beat multiprocess
the fact that it can also do TIG which looks better
and aluminum (lightweight parts and cars) instead of just being limited to steel (trucks)

the reviews on Harbor Freight Vulcan (both 215 and 220) are so good that I kind of want to try it
if only I could figure out how to discount it to make the deal even sweeter
(currently they claim to not be running the usual 10% off)

might even get it and risk becoming this meme in a year or 2 if it breaks

None of the above. HTP Propulse 220MTS. Does spray arc MIG, Aluminum MIG without the need for a spool gun and dual shied and is a synergic machine that does a great job of getting you really close to perfect settings out of the box.

damn
Synergic MIG
That's some high level ****

I used to be a red welder guy until I switched to the blue. (211)
My cardinal rule is don't buy anything expensive from HF with a cord on it.
$29 Sander? Sure.
$700 Welder? No way.
YMMV

Good luck with whatever you choose.

for at least everything else I agree...
Hopefully it doesn't apply to welders; not sure; I hear "they're all made the same" but not sure if true.
I know with everything else though...
Cheap **** like heat gun, engraver? Sure. $7. Still works.
But more? Corded tools and cordless? Doesn't seem to compare well to rivals with more established reputation like Milwaukee, etc.

Analysis paralysis is ripe in welders. Good luck. I went everlast 251 and zero regrets

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damn he got the thing that everyone calls Neverlast
Big Balls

You didn't list what processes you want to weld with. If it is simply GMAW/MIG, there are a lot of wirefeeders out there. If you want a multi process welders such as SMAW/Stick, GTAW/TIG. If TIG, you need to decide if you want to weld Aluminum, if yes, then you need a machine capable of AC TIG or get a Spoolgun for your MIG welder.

In any case, a multi process welder that is of high quality is something like the Miller MultiMatic 220. It also works on 120 and 240V. Not cheap at around 3k, but it does come with 2 gas valves, gas switching, a wire feeder, TIG torch, Stick torch. Of course there are lower cost alternatives.

Good luck.....analysis paralysis is a dangerous game.

I mean MIG/steel
but who doesn't want more availabilities to do later on for different things like TIG
did not know simply putting a spoolgun can make MIG weld alu

"Hey can you weld me this aluminum?" or
"I want to weld that aluminum"

"Oh wait, I can't, with my $900 machine. I need to buy another separate $900 machine for that."
Sounds a lot more extreme than just paying a few hundred bucks on something more that's already multiprocess/capable of that
like how HFT OmniPro 220 is only like $150 more than HFT 215 MigMax, but can still do high voltage MIG welding

 

[rpcraft]

AHP is coming out with the AlphaTIG 225Xi sometime around May. It's everything the older TIG units were but digital now and quick setup features so you don't have to spend a half an hour figuring out where to set the switches on the older units. I've had my older analog unit for about 3 years now and its a great AC/DC TIG unit, no complaints other than the shiite pedal it original came with. I know they have resolved that issue on the newer units and they even include a flex head torch now. All that for 750 USD. It's hard to want to use a MIG welder after you get some nice quality welding done on it but I will shamelessly plug the HF Titanium 175 for the light MIG welding I do when I just want to get the stuff welded in a hurry without a lot of fuss. That being said I have the aluminum spool gun for it as well but just have not taken the time to test it out. It's a pretty simple setup so no reason why it shouldn't work fine but I think the most it will weld up to on the spooler is about 1/8 to 3/16 thickness and occasionnally you can stitch some thicker stuff if you preheat and multipass it but that seems like it would turn messy fast as well as ugly, not to mention really questionable welds but it will get you in the welding door for under 2K.

 

[anndel]

I have a Hobart 140 and Miller 211. Love them both. I would have bought the Lincoln instead of the Miller but the welding store was out for several months.

 

[rangerfredbob]

Keep an eye on the open box section of HFT, I've found crazy deals there over the years, but not as much since the rona...

Not to discount the name brand stuff, which I'm sure is great, I'm just too cheap... I want the good stuff but can't justify it... Anywho, I found a Titanium MIG 170 for $125 open box with nothing but the gun and 110V adapter cord so I've been abusing the thing for the last 2 years, it welds great, and can use a spool gun for welding aluminum later after I get a bottle or two (I've just been using flux core so far). I'd just bought a couple months before that an Unlimited 200 whicih works great too but anything sketchy I use the one I got for cheaper , like running it off a generator or whatever... it just keeps going...

 

[ehsan]

I'll add another vote for the Miller MM 220. Yes it's expensive but it basically does everything in one reasonably sized box. Perfect for me as a DIY'er in my home garage. AC TIG is the feature that puts it above most other multi-process machines. If you plan to use AC, it's worth it. If you don't, then it's too much money. I will be messing with aluminum occasionally so I just bought the one that I would be hard-pressed to outgrow.

 

[Kaizen]

damn he got the thing that everyone calls Neverlast
Big

Bought last year and did a large amount of research. Didn’t find anyone that used it saying that.
Was just using its water cooled tig torch this weekend for several hours. Zero issues or complaints. Good luck




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[tarbellb]

If I were doing it again but in todays market I would buy a multi-purpose machine (even off brand) and avoid the spool gun in blue/red.

But... the Hobart 210 is a rock if you are planning on just MIG.

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

I went through this 6 months or so back and ended up with the Hobart 210MVP. It's been fantastic, I'm very pleased with it. I've yet to try the spool gun, I mostly weld 240V with gas on 1/8", 3/16", 1/4" steel. It will lay beautiful beads on 1/4", I've no doubt it can easily handle its rated 3/8".

 

[Ign]

My biggest complaints with an H210MVP:

-the fan is ridiculously loud. I'm used to noise in a fab shop but damn it's annoying.

-the M10 gun is garbage

 

[Mas78]

Last fall I bought the Miller 211 to have a small, easily portable unit and have no regrets other than price.
The auto set feature works much better than I expected, I didn't plan on using that when I bought it as I figured it was a sales gimmick but it does well on setting the wire speed along with the volts.
I have not used it with a spool gun, so I have no input there.

Over black Friday time frame dad ordered a Vulcan 215 for a 2nd unit at the farm to supplement a Miller 250 heavy transformer welder.
It honestly works well. In the cold the ground cable and gun whip are not as flexible as my Miller.
Also the Miller fan only runs while welding and shortly after.
The Vulcan fan runs all the time so it's noisier when your not welding but I don't find myself leaving it turned on.

Both weld good on 120v or 240v.

On 240v the Miller will allow autoset across entire range with 0.030" wire, 26ga-3/8" i think it is. However 3/8" is really to much for 0.030" wire.
The Vulcan won't let you use the lowest setting nor into the 3/8" range with autoset, you'll need to put 0.035" wire in for 3/8"

I generally run 0.035" anyhow as 11ga on up is what I normally weld.
I do keep 0.023 and 0.030 on hand.

This is a super hard decision picking a welder with the different manufactures and price points.
The price the Vulcan was with ITC discount I could have gotten two of those for the price of my Miller.
The Vulcan doesn't currently have a good sale price right now so for me I'd still step up to the Miller again for the price difference.

Only real input I can give you advice on is make sure you can easily source consumables, tips cones and liners on which ever unit you decide on.

 

[Deadsquiggles]

If you're just looking for MIG welding, it's hard to beat the Miller 211. The MDX100 gun that the new ones come with is one of the better stock guns I've used. And of course, just about everywhere carries Miller consumables. The Autoset is also great, if anything it runs a touch hot but I've no issues with it, even when I had to do some body work with .030" wire on some slightly rusty metal. I own the spoolgun for it as well and haven't had any issues with it. The Miller 211 just works. That being said, if you ever anticipate needing another process, now is the time to buy a multiprocess machine if you can swing it.

 

[will335i]

I agree with Mas78. I have the Vulcan Omnipro that I got for $660 and its a great machine at that price point and will handle anything I want to do with it. At the current price point its worth going with some of the more established machines out there.

I think the biggest complaints I have seen with the Vulcans are the guns and cables that come with them. I am using lincoln tips in my mig gun so I know those are interchangeable but I dont know about cups since I haven't picked up a tig gun yet.

I would like to see if there are some ground cables and guns from other manufactures that are compatible.

 

[ItsNemo]

Another Miller vote, although I have a Multimatic 215...you won't regret getting it over the other options. The other thing about Miller's is if you ever did decide to sell it, you'll get 80% of new rather than 50%.

 

[Iron Beaver]

I have a Multimatic 215 as well. I chose it based on the recommendation of my local service center that they worked on less of them than the Lincoln 210MP. It's coming up on it's third year of service and I love it.

Also, get a welder with stick capability. You'll almost certainly need it someday.