Beginner Welder

[FarFire70]

Finally hit the need for a welder. Primarily car work. I've done some welding back in college but will definitely need to practice again before I get going on projects.

Looking for some insight on welder options. Based on my research, I'm liking Hobart for the cost. I'm expecting minor recreational use on my Jeep for the foreseeable future (not into heavy modifications requiring welder yet). Finding the expense of a Miller/Lincoln hard to justify against the Hobarts.

Looking at these two Hobarts:

Hobart 190: $730

Hobart 210MVP: $900

I don't expect the metal thickness use between them to be the selling factor. Both would cover 99% of my use cases for thicker metals. The 110/220 dual use for the 210MVP is a nice selling feature but not sold on the price increase over the 190.

I have a 220 outlet so good to go in my garage. Obviously the option to go 110/115 on the 210MVP would be nice if I take it to help a friend but that's a small likelihood given I've been this long without a welder.

Looking for feedback on 190 vs 210MVP and any thoughts if there's a better welder option I should be looking at.

 

[Bodj Built]

I'd go with a lincoln or miller. Dual voltage is a great feature if you have to weld anything outside of your garage (which will happen sooner or later).

 

[FarFire70]

I'd go with a lincoln or miller. Dual voltage is a great feature if you have to weld anything outside of your garage (which will happen sooner or later).

Any reason on the recommendation outside of name recognition? Reliability, performance, etc?

 

[soloz2]

I was looking at Hobart based on price and after talking with my LWS I went with a Lincoln 210MP. If I ever need service I can go back to the LWS. If I needed anything from Hobart I would have to drive a couple hours, and the other popular budget brands would have to be shipped across the country. I figured if anything were to go wrong my savings would pretty much be gone so I might as well get the machine with local service and support.

 

[bigdave_185]

I’m looking at the Miller 211. Has the gas option, 220v option and a slightly bigger welder then the Miller I have now, $1200 via the local AirGas store


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[thickhead]

I like that you can get the dual voltage 190 and a spool gun for less than the price of the 210. Seems like a good option to me if you decide to go with Hobart. Heck for auto work in my home garage, the refurb 140 from Hobart for $450 seems like a deal too.

 

[bdbecker]

I don't think you could go wrong with either machine. Personally, I'd go for the bigger 210 MVP just to have the extra capacity, but I'm not the one writing the check either.

 

[FarFire70]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at the Miller 211 and Lincoln 210 MP, too. I'm just struggling with the cost vs benefit over the Hobart for my expected use cases.

I'm still back and forth on 'buy now, upgrade later' vs 'buy once and done' - for either the Hobart or going with the Miller or Lincoln.

Anyone have experience with either and Hobarts for some comparison?

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[ekuhn]

I was back and forth on the Miller 211 and the Lincoln 210. Ended up finding a good deal on the 210mp which included, cart, bottle, spool gun and a ton of wire for $1600.

Prob a little out of your price range but having the option is for Multi Voltage and Multi process is a great purchasing point. Def a once a lifetime purchase to last. And no one has ever said, "Damn, my welder is just too big."

My vote is for the Hobart MVP.

 

[Stooge]

I vote for the 210 with the multi voltage plug, but really for that size machine, its kind of hard to buy a bad one from one of the big names, and a larger machine with more capability can never hurt. My go to machine is a Miller 211 and its does everything i need it to, from thin sheet metal to chassis, suspension, plows, etc. The multi voltage plug made it alot more appealing, and was a big selling point for me, being able to move it around, either to different corners of the garage where there are different outlets, or if you need to go to someone else's place. it would be well worth the $150ish difference to me, especially where you'll still be under a grand

 

[bdbecker]

...I've been looking at the Miller 211 and Lincoln 210 MP, too...

Again, I don't think you could go wrong with either choice. Dad has a Miller 211 - it is an outstanding machine. I do not have any time on the Lincoln, but I have heard good things about them.

 

[tarbellb]

Go with the Hobart 210, its a excellent all around welder.

You dont need a spool gun. You do need a bottle, wire, consumables, helmet, etc....
______
A good point about your Local Welding Supply LWS tho, if they carry one brand opposed to the other it may be worth the access to local supplies?

But many LWS have become outdated luddites, relying on company expense accounts and unwilling to support smaller business and individuals. If you can find a better deal online.... take it.

 

[steel 35]

Anyone have experience with either and Hobarts for some comparison?
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Picked the 210 out for a relative helped assemble and some quick lessons
Spool gun option later, would be very important to me.

 

[Jayman17]

I have the Hobart 210. I am a novice and I've used it for a few welding projects.
Seems to work fine, I liked the fact that you can use 110 or 220.
Sorry I can't give you a more educated review.

Jay

 

[snyder]

The miller 211 is on my wanted list when my miller140 calls it quits. I thought autoset was a gimmick, now its all I use.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

I have a Lincoln Weld Pack 100, its a little 120V cracker jack welder. I've used for many things including restoring a few vehicles. You can find them cheap and they can weld up to 3/16th. My biggest complaints with it are that the wire feed mechanism is less than what I'd call "quality". And you cant fine tune the voltage output, So instead of a nice smooth potentiometer to get it exactly where you want, it just has settings for "A, B, C, or D." I bought the welder secondhand about 15 years ago use it all the time and it still works great. Depending on what you're going to be welding, something like this would probably be more than sufficient.

Now, if your going to be doing a lot of fabrication/modifying on chassis/frames or maybe installing a bunch of roll cages or whatever, where structural integrity is a serious matter.. You may want to get something with a bit more kick just to make sure your getting a solid weld. But for general random fabrication & body work, a 120V welder will do just about everything you need. If you're looking to save money, I'd suggest going with something like this for most of your needs. Then I'd go find a used 220V stick welder to have on hand for when structural integrity is to be taken a little more serious.

A huge bonus of a 120V welder like this, they're small, easy to move around, and easy to store. Easy to hide away under your work bench or on the bottom rack of your rolling cart, if you have one. Get yourself some gasless wire and you dont even need to worry about storing an argon tank.

 

[Deadsquiggles]

So cost wise, if you're also considering either the Miller 211 or the Lincoln 210 MP, a more accurate comparison would be the Miller 211 to the Lincoln 180 cost wise, and the Miller 215 to the Lincoln MP. Personally between those two brands, I will almost always vote blue.

Now between the two Hobart models you listed, 210MVP all the way. Like ekuhn said, nobody has ever complained about having too much welder. But I also think it's worth spending the extra for either the Miller or Lincoln because the infinite controls are great as well as the Autoset. As a beginner, Autoset is awesome. It takes the guess work out of setting up the machine, which is especially helpful when you're new to welding until you get more comfortable with setting the machine up yourself.

One problem I ran into with my Hobart was not being able to dial it in as well as I wanted, especially the voltage since the selector is detented.

 

[lbpd716]

When I got back into welding after a LONG lapse in doing any type of metal work, I did a **** ton of research util I decided on the Miller 220 AC/DC. Yes, a lot more money than most, but for me its a real one and done solution.

Only other tip I can give that worked super well for me is if you don't have your own tanks, hit up scrap metal recycling yards. One to my local yard and I had two 330's with no collar markings for $20.00 each. They were both oxygen but was able to exchange them as owner bottles well within date. In hindsight, should have gone with smaller ones as easier to handle - but thats what I have my son for.

 

[louiec6]

Check out Hobarts "refurb" site. I bought a 190 there 3-4 years ago and it looked brand new, probably was a return. It took a couple months for me to find one on there but i think it was only 500something. I wanted one that would still work incase i got into heavier stuff so figured it was worth the wait for the same price as a 140. Be warned you do have to watch the site somewhat religiously and be ready to jump on what you want as they go fast.

Haven't done heavy automotive work but have been very happy with it.

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[soloz2]

So cost wise, if you're also considering either the Miller 211 or the Lincoln 210 MP, a more accurate comparison would be the Miller 211 to the Lincoln 180 cost wise, and the Miller 215 to the Lincoln MP. Personally between those two brands, I will almost always vote blue.

Now between the two Hobart models you listed, 210MVP all the way. Like ekuhn said, nobody has ever complained about having too much welder. But I also think it's worth spending the extra for either the Miller or Lincoln because the infinite controls are great as well as the Autoset. As a beginner, Autoset is awesome. It takes the guess work out of setting up the machine, which is especially helpful when you're new to welding until you get more comfortable with setting the machine up yourself.

One problem I ran into with my Hobart was not being able to dial it in as well as I wanted, especially the voltage since the selector is detented.

This is a really good point and one of the reasons I went with my Lincoln 210MP. It has super easy controls. You choose the process, wire size, and it gives you a list of metal thicknesses suitable for your process and wire selection. Choose your thickness and it gives recommended settings to start with and shows a range for wire speed and voltage. You can dial in each individually and it changes color to let you know if you are getting too far out of recommended ranges. As a beginner this is really helpful for me.

 

[HMCFab9]

I like Miller.
Hobart is built by the same company.
For automotive sheetmetal, get .023 wire with c25 gas

 

[Notgrownup]

I bought my son in law’s pro mig140 . For what I do it works perfectly. I like the fact that it’s 120 V because it gives me the portability and will weld up to pretty thick, well thick enough for what I think I will have to weld.

 

[bigguns69]

I have a Miller 211 using .023" solid core wire for autobody work. I like the 110/220v option and mostly use the 110v option for ease of mobility around the shop. I have welded up some 1/4" items, though it's on the end of the spectrum with the .023 wire and 110v. This is my light duty welder put the portability in regards to size and power source requirements makes it handy for jobs outside of a shop environment, in the field.

I would spend the extra money and get the Miller over the Hobart any day of the week.

https://inboxq.com/miller-211-vs-215/

 

[BD1]

I'm a Miller guy and my five machines show it. Hobart is fine along with the Lincoln's. I would buy from local welding supplier and get a package deal with a tank of 75/25. A 125 or 150 gets my vote.
I bought three Millers new from local supplier and they matched online prices.
I still would have bought local to support them. Buying a tank from them will definitely save future frustration. Tank refills or exchanges is another topic. Each supplier has their own policy and prices really vary.
Here's the Weldingweb Site you can checkout if you haven't heard about them.

https://weldingweb.com/vbb/forum.php

 

[strutaeng]

I've got a Hobart Ironman 210, which has a pretty decent duty cycle. I use it for light structural work with FCAW, but have done a bit of MIG too. Either one of those machines will be really good for what you want to do.

I'd say if you think of ever doing remote work, go for the one with the 120/240V option. I was doing a 2-story handrail job recently, and had to borrow my BIL's little Lincoln Handy Mig to the field welding. The handrail panels were welded on my garage with the 240V welder...

 

[strutaeng]

I've got a Hobart Ironman 210, which has a pretty decent duty cycle. I use it for light structural work with FCAW, but have done a bit of MIG too. Either one of those machines will be really good for what you want to do.

I'd say if you think of ever doing remote work, go for the one with the 120/240V option. I was doing a 2-story handrail job recently, and had to borrow my BIL's little Lincoln Handy Mig to the field welding. The handrail panels were welded on my garage with the 240V welder...

 

[DTE]

I have a Hobart MVP 210 and Have been using it a couple years and it does great. It has a transformer and so it is heavy but so what. I believe the less electronics the better. I also have a Lincoln weld pak 100 that is about 20 years old and it works fine also for light work. They both have gas which in my opinion is a must have. I also have a Hobart AC/DC stick machine which is a good unit. I do not like everything in one unit

 

[FarFire70]

After your feedback and further research, I'm convinced that the Miller 211 is worth the upgraded cost. The AutoSet is a huge selling point.

Local supplier has it listed at the same price as the online sellers (minus any free helmet or glove add-ons). Going to swing by and see what kind of package deal they'll do to throw in any add-ons or discount to the cylinder.

Given I don't have a huge current welding plans, gotta get through this one project but not currently planning other mods that'll require welding, I'm leaning towards an 80 cylinder. But given I want to do a bit of practicing with the new machine, I may convince myself to step up to a 125.

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[BD1]

You'll get more for your money with the 125 . See what supplier says.
Some may only do 80's and not 125.
I'm lucky, my guy exchanges my 300 oxygen and no issues with 125.


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[Stooge]

After your feedback and further research, I'm convinced that the Miller 211 is worth the upgraded cost. The AutoSet is a huge selling point.


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for what it's worth, i've had my Miller 211 for probably 8+yrs, (i had a hobart prior to that) and after the first week of having some time to play around with it, i can count on one hand the number of times that i've used the autoset feature. In no way do i mean this in any sort of 'greater than thou sentiment', but in a 'you'll end up wanting to dial it in yourself' way. It can be fine, but i've always felt that it runs a little hot and fast, and can make a mess of the thinner automotive sheet metal, and you can just get better results, dialing it in and figuring out where the sweet spots are for whatever material your working with.
Its a great machine, and i'll always recommend it, but i wouldnt base buying one off of the autoset feature.

 

[Deadsquiggles]

If you have the option to buy a 125 with a 75/25 fill, you’re lucky and you should do it. The welding supply stores around me will only let you buy up to an 80, everything larger than that is rent only. That being said, depending on the amount of welding you plan on doing, an 80 lasts longer than you think. I think I paid $246 for an 80 with a 75/25 fill, and a refill/exchange costs me about $40.

 

[soloz2]

A 60cf was the largest my welding supply sells and does not lease.

 

[bdbecker]

for what it's worth, i've had my Miller 211 for probably 8+yrs, (i had a hobart prior to that) and after the first week of having some time to play around with it, i can count on one hand the number of times that i've used the autoset feature...

I was a skeptic too until I used it. The AutoSet on the newer inverter machines actually works really well compared to what it used to be on the transformer machines.

 

[gearhead1]

I don't think you could go wrong with either machine. Personally, I'd go for the bigger 210 MVP just to have the extra capacity, but I'm not the one writing the check either.

Exactly. Get the bigger if you can afford it.

Miller bought Hobart, you’re getting infrastructure from a company that’s been around a while. Miller’s are great, but the Hobart will work perfectly fine at a cheaper price.

 

[Notgrownup]

I can say now that actually having one is a much needed piece of equipment in the shop.