I went with the Hobart handler 190, brother in law went with the lincoln 180C (theres three versions of the lincoln) both are great IMO, we both hobby weld a fair bit, and both machines work well as intended. I went with the Hobart because its a great brand at a fair price. I really liked it has the spool gun setup pre wired, but if you know you might want that or know you need it, you might as well get the 190 that has it. I also like Tractor supply has the consumables for it, which is close to the house and open later than the welding supply (lowes is about 15 mins farther out for very little lincoln stuff available). hobart and miller share torch parts which is good.
he went with the lincoln because its a great welder and he's owned one other lincoln and it served him well as well. if your looking, the 180C is the version you get from a welding supply, it has the aluminum/metal wire guide housing, there are also two price point versions (weld pak and pro mig) that have fiberplastic drive housing, as well as some other small differences. know which you are looking at, and spend accordingly
most of the 180c's have it on the front under the knobs, the price points have their marks at the top center.
I can't comment on the Miller, but they have an excellent reputation as well...
I would go with what you can get consumables for locally when you'll need them, nothing ***** like loosing your pace for some project when you can't get welding tips, etc after 5pm. would be nice if there was an authorized repair facility locally too, just in case, but we havent needed them... knock on wood!
with the three brands listed I have few doubts you'll be happy with your choice. good luck choosing!
