Pricing on Miller 211 vs Hobart 210

[jlipsky14]

Looking to buy one of the two soon, would prefer the miller.
I can get the hobart right now for 799 with no tax or the miller for 979 after $100 rebate.
Does anyone think I will be able to get either cheaper in a black friday/holiday sale? Not sure when miller usually runs their 200 rebate.
If they are close in price I am going to buy the miller but dont mind the hobart if its going to be 200+ cheaper.
Have been looking used but it seems noone sells these machines.

 

[xela456]

Hobart is owned by Miller, I can't imagine there's too much difference inside those machines.

 

[jlipsky14]

There isn't they are pretty much the same other than some of the wire drive components and the autoset.
Was mainly looking to see what the best prices are that each can be had for. As of now I am leaning towards a 211 from zoro which would be right around 1000 (after a 30% off) plus an additional 100 off with the rebate.

 

[sk farmer]

i really don't understand the pricing or the either or questions that often come up on these. you can't compare on price because the are not comparable machines. the miller slightly better quality, better and more features that makes it more expensive. the hobart has less features and slightly less quality so they say making it cheaper.

if you are ok with the quality and the stepped output of the hobart it is a fine welder. if you want the miller and more features it is slightly more. only you can decide that. me, i am a miller guy and the stepped hobart would drive me crazy.

 

[lbperry]

I'm looking for the same deal; but think I want the autoset on the Hobart 210MVP. Have found pretty much the same pricing as you have.
Let us know if you come up with a good deal on one and I'll do the same.
Good Luck

 

[sberry]

I like steps.

 

[sk farmer]

I'm looking for the same deal; but think I want the autoset on the Hobart 210MVP. Have found pretty much the same pricing as you have.
Let us know if you come up with a good deal on one and I'll do the same.
Good Luck

the hobart "does not" have auto set like the miller. it does have the mvp (multi-voltage plug) that allows it to be used on either 120 or 240 volts.

as sberry states, he likes a stepped output like the hobart has. nothing wrong with that but it is apples and oranges. the miller has the auto set feature and is also infinitely adjustable for wire speed and amperage output. features that no doubt cost more.

neither sberry nor i can tell you whether you want of need them. only you know that.

 

[lbperry]

Yep, I confused MVP with autoset.

 

[GarageGuy89]

I think the extra $200 is worth it just for re-sale purposes, even if the hobart out performed the miller. A used Miller holds it's value. If you plan to take it to the grave then save the money and go with the hobart, if you don't care about the features that is.

Unless you weld 40 hours a week I doubt you will ever notice the difference between the two machines quality.

And no I don't think the Miller's will have any black Friday deals. Consider there $100 or $200 rebate the deal. If anything the Hobart would have a sale.

My 2 cents...

 

[jlipsky14]

Was mainly looking to see what the best price each come up at. All of the deals threads on them are over a year old and not for the newer inverter model.
Right now the best seems to be the miller for around 900 and hobart for 800.
As of now I am planning to buy the miller at the next zoro 30% off.

 

[sberry]

Either machine is fine, the Hobarts have a super arc and if a guy doesn't care about mvp then they have a 190 maybe? I lost touch a little but if the only @reason to spend more is resale why bother, spend 200 more today to get 100 more in the future? But you see very few of these for sale, people keep them.

 

[DerekV]

Absolutely without question the new inverter MM211 over the HH210MVP. I've owned both...kept the MM211.

I've written about this extensively on the WeldingWeb forums - I suggest you take a look over there for more info.

Quick take aways: it's lighter, much more powerful, easier to control, easier to use, higher resale value, etc. Just make sure you get the INVERTER 211. The old 211 is very similar to the Hobart.

 

[sberry]

Yes it has a higher resale,,,, it cost more. I am a bit curious about owning both, what happened to get 2 and are these your first welders?

 

[bcradio]

Absolutely without question the new inverter MM211 over the HH210MVP. I've owned both...kept the MM211.

I've written about this extensively on the WeldingWeb forums - I suggest you take a look over there for more info.

Quick take aways: it's lighter, much more powerful, easier to control, easier to use, higher resale value, etc. Just make sure you get the INVERTER 211. The old 211 is very similar to the Hobart.

Everyone else missed the point.

This here is precisely correct. They are vastly different machines in that one is an inverter machine and the other is a transformer machine. You are looking at the one on Zoro so it is an inverter machine. Definitely get the inverter Millermatic 211 over the Hobart 210 MVP old style Transformer machine

 

[DerekV]

Yes it has a higher resale,,,, it cost more. I am a bit curious about owning both, what happened to get 2 and are these your first welders?

What I and others are saying about the resale value is actually more along the lines of depreciation (very little if any). It will (likely) sell at less of a loss than the Hobart will. And I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I'll give it a shot. I owned a POS 120v flux core welder for a few months, sold that and stepped up to the Hobart (bought brand new). Owned the Hobart for a year and sold it for the inverter MM211 when it first came out (bought brand new). I will mention that I didn't lose much on the Hobart, but it was still under most of the warranty and I take great care of my equipment so it was in pristine condition. I have owned the MM211 for a little over a year now and it is one great machine. A bunch (more like a ton) of new machines have come out across all the notable brands over the past year and I have yet to have the itch to sell this thing. I have a feeling it'll be in the shop for a long time

Everyone else missed the point.

This here is precisely correct. They are vastly different machines in that one is an inverter machine and the other is a transformer machine. You are looking at the one on Zoro so it is an inverter machine. Definitely get the inverter Millermatic 211 over the Hobart 210 MVP old style Transformer machine

 

[jlipsky14]

Yes it has a higher resale,,,, it cost more. I am a bit curious about owning both, what happened to get 2 and are these your first welders?

Not my first welders, still planning to get 2 but rather than get a 140 and a stickmate I am going to get a 211 and a stickmate. I have been doing a lot more welding where the mig is a better choice than stick so I can justify the extra to spend a little more on the mig.

 

[GarageGuy89]

Yes it has a higher resale,,,, it cost more. I am a bit curious about owning both, what happened to get 2 and are these your first welders?

Love the welding cart!

 

[lbperry]

What's the benefit of an inverter over a transformer? I'm a novice and when you get to the fine points I need schooling.

 

[My Old Tools]

https://www.millerwelds.com/build-with-blue

 

[DerekV]

What's the benefit of an inverter over a transformer? I'm a novice and when you get to the fine points I need schooling.

An inverter welder is generally lighter (usually significantly), more energy efficient (usually significantly), and gives the manufacturer the ability to manipulate and fine tune operating parameters (or even allow the user to) unlike what has been possible before since everything - the ENTIRE process - is 100% digitally controlled. All of these things typically equate to a better machine and welding experience.

The downside to inverters is that since their 100% digital, they have circuit boards and other sensitive components that can fail ($$$). While (most) modern inverters are VERY robust, they're just not as "bomb proof" as (most of) their transformer alternatives. There's not much to a transformer welder. That's not to say they're bad though.

Those are the very basics. For most people/situations, I think inverters are the way to go. They're so far superior in nearly every category that their "downsides" are insignificant - in my honest opinion. They're only becoming more affordable and more robust.

I hope that helps.

 

[sberry]

I will have to try one somewhere. I will agree about the 211 and a Stickmate. The mig is really the workhorse in small shops anymore and rightly so. If I had to buy a new Stickmate might be tempted to go around it and get to a small Maxstar S type machine. I might feel different about an inverter feeder but I am a career stick welder and like, ok, want it for field work and they really work on 120V, its so super simple. On 240V is a 1/8 lo hi machine.

 

[sberry]

I havnt been on Miller or Hobart in a while and havnt read a review of the new units. Does the efficiency and being able to adjust the parameters a bit more allow for more top end power out of this class of machine?

 

[L.Cheapo]

I bought my 211 inverter machine last December 31, when they had the $400 rebate going on. Absolutely love the machine. Does everything a home gamer like me needs, plugs in anywhere, and lays beads that look way better than a novice like me did them. Small, relatively light weight, and smooth, stable arc. The infinitely variable settings and auto-set are worth the price of admission.

 

[ovrrdrive]

For me the stepped vs infinitely adjustable makes all the difference in the world. Obviously it doesn't matter to some of you seasoned vets but I can't tell you how many times I reached over and bumped one of the knobs to straighten out a bead. If you have steps you're stuck at the factory setting.

Mine is a transformer model but I love my MM180.

 

[lbperry]

You're my kind of man L.Cheapo. Was that $400 off directly from Miller itself? Please alert us when that kind of deal goes on again. I was aiming at the Hobart but the Miller211 seems like the better setup for me. I like that it has the MVP capability too.
Thanks,

 

[DerekV]

I, too, took advantage of the $400 rebate (last September), which was direct through Miller. I believe it was an introductory offer though. I wouldn't anticipate it popping up again, you never know. They've had the current "Build with Blue" rebate for nearly all of 2016. It's not $400, but it's something. I received the check in about a month FYI.

 

[lbperry]

I'll have to keep my eyes open. I'd like to hold off until I can get the price of the 211 down around $1000- $1100 if that's feasible. Ya'll holler if you see a good sale come up.
Thanks,

 

[jlipsky14]

I'll have to keep my eyes open. I'd like to hold off until I can get the price of the 211 down around $1000- $1100 if that's feasible. Ya'll holler if you see a good sale come up.
Thanks,

You can get the 211 for beloe 1000 from cyberweld with the 100 off rebate.

Im debating jumping on the hobart at 700 from acme or just spend the 950 or so on the miller.

 

[Cope]

I like steps.

Me too on Mig.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I got the Hobart 210 used a few years ago (transformer machine) thinking that the older transformer machines are more durable and will last longer. Any truth to that?

FWIW, I've got a miller lead and torch on my Hobart.

 

[jlipsky14]

Thanks for everyone that has responded I ended up ordering the Hobart 210 from acme tools. Was $753 with no tax and "kinda" free shipping (oversize surcharge).
Cheapest I would have been able to get the miller would have been 979 (after rebate) from cyberweld, that is without tax and by shipping it to a friend out of state who I will be with this weekend. Currently the cheapest would have been 1056 from Zoro and 1054 from cyberweld.
It wasn't worth the extra to me for the miller for the general repair/building I do, I would rather spend the 225-300 on more tools.

 

[sberry]

You should feel good about this, it is a very good machine and I really like step voltage better in some sense as it is so much easier to repeat and set the same each time. I use 3 settings, thin, medium and thick.