Welder decision

[snakejeep]

I have too many welders in my garage and need some advice on
which ones to sell. I've got a Lincoln 255C,used once for about
20 minutes, still like new.A Hobart 210 handler new,still in the box,and a Century
130 amp( I think) with infinite heat and wire controls.And an Esab
plasma cutter,new in the box.I don't really weld that often and
most welding thickness would be sheet metal up to 1/4".Any opinion
on which one of these welders would best meet my needs.I'm thinking I
need to sell either the Hobart or the big Lincoln.I bought all this stuff a
couple of years ago,thinking I would restore lawn equipment,but kind of
lost interest.Thanks for any reply.

 

[crewchief888]

I have too many welders in my garage.


i didnt know that was possible


A Hobart 210 handler new,still in the box,Thanks for any reply.

^^^ this is what i'd keep

 

[3oheight]

^^^ this is what i'd keep

that were i would lean to as well.

 

[zkling]

Definitely get rid of the century 1st off.
It would be a toss up for me between the Lincoln and the HH. The Lincoln has the raw power and industrial duty cycle. On the other hand the HH is much more portable, takes both 110 and 240v input AND still puts out quite a bit of power for its size.

If you plan to do any portable work I would keep the HH. If you planed to only weld in the shop and go after some larger material I'd keep the lincoln. Then again the lincoln would bring you more cash if you sold it compared to the HH. Cash that you could put towards other things.

Without knowing exactly what you are planing to weld, I'd say the HH would more than likely do ~95% of what you would need. What about selling the Lincoln and purchasing a good tig machine?

 

[sberry]

I can actually do most things I can do with a 210. I have both and use the 255 when time and cost are factors. 97% or more of the time its irrelevant.

Some minor changes have been made but the home positioning remains basically the same since my last revision a year or 3 ago. I threw away 2 carts and put the 210 and the plasma on top of the synch and it reaslly let the little DC buzzer find a home. This class of machine is so useful I have another one similar to the 210 about 20 yrs old that hangs around my work bench and on occasion see's duty at the hoist.

It worked and was handy to adjust but it sat for years in an in the way spot.

 

[sberry]

That cart has seen a couple different machines and have screwed 2 brackets to it, made a cut for the bottle when I moved the plasma from it where I had to make 0 modification except for lead hanger.

 

[snakejeep]

Thanks for the suggestions on which welder would best be used
for general hobby use.I have't tried any of the welders except the
small century model.I'm thinking of letting the century go and keeping
the PM 255 for maybe thicker welding and the Hobart for those times
I might need to weld something outside of the garage.Has anybody used
the PM 255 for lighter welding such as 20-24 gauge panels.I'm thinking
I'll need to change the liner to accept 23-24 gauge wire.Is this a hassle
to replace the liner in one of these.Also my new Hobart 210 Handler does
not have the 110 volt option and would it be necessary to change liner
in it also to weld sheet metal.I have the spool guns with both the 255 and
the 210.Which would be better for aluminum welding.To be honest,the size
and power of the big 255 intimidates me somewhat.The only welder I've used
for the last 10 years was the little Century,mostly on sheet metal and 1/8
steel.Believe it or not,this thing with its infinite wire speed and voltage controls was quite easy to weld with within the metal thickness mentioned.I'm not a seasoned welder by no means.Just thinking I might be in over my head with these bigger machines,including the plasma cutter,which looks pretty intimidating by itself, which might be why I've never attempted to use it.What
if I just kept everything and played with it awhile to help ease the jitters.Does
that sound sensible,or should I just let everything go and keep the Hobart and
hope for the best.From looking at the garages of some of these senior members I realize how much of an amateur I really am.Sorry for the long post,
but any advice on usage to ease the jitters of a newbie would be welcomed.
Thanks. Ron