Welder Question

[DMAR]

I posted this in the "Hot Deals" section, too, but thought I'd get more hits here.

What do you guys think is the better machine/value, the Lincoln 125 that is on sale at Lowes for $335, or the Hobart 140 that is on sale at Tractor Supply Store...? The Hobart 140 is on sale at TSC for $450. I guess the Hobart would compare to the Lincoln 140 that is not on sale at Lowes.

I know Lincoln has a good name. My grandfather, and father had Lincoln welders, but I'm not sure at this price point if they are good, or just carry the name on a POS made in China unit...?

So, is getting the higher amp machine (Lincoln, or Hobart) worth spending the extra dough. I'd be using it for home shop fabrication, nothing too heavy duty, but you never know... I'm OK with spending a little more now, so I don't have to buy another unit down the road (buy once, cry once...). On the other hand, I don't wnat to spend an extra $150 if I don't have to...

Thanks for the advice.

 

[smitty9805]

I was a welder in a factory for 11 years and while we normally used miller welders, either one of the two you mentioned should be fine. I believe hobart was bought out by miller. I think they use miller guns. If money was not an issue I would go with the higher amp unit. Lincoln also makes great products. Either way I don't think you are making a bad choice. Just my 0.02

 

[zkling]

What Lincoln 125 are you talking about? They make a few different 125 wire feed machines. It gets confusing Is it the "handy mig" model?

I'd go with the hobart. Not only is it a better built machine IMHO, it also has a nicer regulator out of the box, and 15 more amps on the upper end which you will want all the amps out can get on a 115v welder. That lincoln is kinda purpose built for the homedepot/lowes market.

 

[Gary S]

More amperage is always good because you can handle heavier materials. Both Lincoln and Hobart build quality welders.

 

[silentpoet]

Had an older lincoln weld pak. Now have a hobart 140. The little lincoln was a good unit within its limitations. I am going to guess though that it is a weld pak and only initially set up for flux core wire, you have to buy a kit to run solid mig wire. I could be wrong, but having the gas regulator and being set up for it from the start would make me choose the Hobart.

 

[diggerrick]

What Lincoln 125 are you talking about? They make a few different 125 wire feed machines. It gets confusing Is it the "handy mig" model?

I'd go with the hobart. Not only is it a better built machine IMHO, it also has a nicer regulator out of the box, and 15 more amps on the upper end which you will want all the amps out can get on a 115v welder. That lincoln is kinda purpose built for the homedepot/lowes market.

My Lincoln Handy MIG is only 90A.

 

[zkling]

My Lincoln Handy MIG is only 90A.

Oops my mistake, you are correct on that. I can never keep those small machines straight. DMAR can you post a link to the "Lincoln 125 for $335" at lowes? The reason I though it was the handy mig, is because that was the only lincoln machine for ~$335 at Lowes. The 125amp flux core machine is $295, so

 

[DMAR]

Had an older lincoln weld pak. Now have a hobart 140. The little lincoln was a good unit within its limitations. I am going to guess though that it is a weld pak and only initially set up for flux core wire, you have to buy a kit to run solid mig wire. I could be wrong, but having the gas regulator and being set up for it from the start would make me choose the Hobart.

Thank you to everyone that has replied, good information. Silentpoet, great point, I thought the 125 amp Lincoln had the solid mig wire kit, but it doesn't, so I would definitely want the Hobart 140, or the equivalent Lincoln 140 amp machine (the Hobart is a better price point).

What about stepping up to the Lincoln 180 (220v) machine. Worth it, or is the Hobart 140 got enough juice for home shop use...? I'm not working on heavy equipment, or building sky scrapers, but I'm wondering if folks that have gotten the 110v machines wish they got the 220v machine later down the road.

Thanks again.

 

[sberry]

The 180 is a far superior unit, twice as good especially considering the price difference. It is a bargain and the 180-200 class compact migs are great, all of them, red, white or blue.

The engineers that designed this class of unit stood around scratching their balls with this customer in mind. A 120V unit can work fine especially in auto body, the 240 units will put out twice the wattage, way more ideal (still small) for general work, gives it some poop with 030 wire to work on steel above 1/8.

 

[silentpoet]

I am stuck with 110/120 v units right now. The 140 will do most of what I want to do for now fixing up my caddy. Now if 220 was run to the basement I would try for a bigger unit. As it is I will probably stick with my 140 and if I get 220 maybe pick up a lincoln tombstone for heavier stuff. Most of what you are going to do with cars the hobart 140 will do, short of frame work. And maybe even that if you go slow with thicker flux wire.

For me the hobart 140 will do most of what I want. Yeah I would want a machine that would do thicker stuff, but for now it is enough. Like I said I want to add a lincoln tombstone someday.

 

[zkling]

The only advantage a 120v machine has over a 240v machine is the portability and common access to 115v outlet. And possibly cost, that is it. If you can, you may want to look at the MM211 that has 120 AND 240v input. Yes, it will be a bit more up front, but you will have a machine that would be very hard to outgrow in the long run.

IMHO the only reason to buy a 120v only machine for the house is if you CANNOT in no way add a 240v circuit. You can always turn a large machine down, but can't turn a small machine up. The hobart 140 is a very solid machine, just realize it is a 120v, 140amp mig welder and work within its limits.

 

[jshultz78]

I've had the hobart 210mvp for about 2 months now and I love it. Paid $830 or so shipped from northern tool. 120/220v. Hobart claims it'll weld 3/8" in a single pass, but I haven't done it yet, 3/16" is the thickest I've welded. It's a hot machine, It'll almost burn through 1/8" using the recommended settings on 220v.

 

[sberry]

Being able to burn thru is ideal, you never see a cold hole. This is a simple 1/4 **** joint, no bevel with a 180 class and 030. I actually left the little booger so a guy had some clue but this is one bead from one side. and had to hammer it flat to break it, might not had went then except for the flaw. An experienced welder may be able to do this with a 140 but here the machine is able to do 86% of it as a matter of fact.

With a little practice the operator could perfect this and treat the tack or completely melt it and leave root a bit more flush, would pass a common bend test without prep, be totally homogenous if it had been ground flush.

This has some minor defects, the point is the power of the machine. Ideally something you can turn up so it does most of the work for the operator.

Ok, I should fix the first 2 pics, they are upside down in relationship to each other. Nothing was really prepared and the tack not finished, a simple zot then weld. The machine may not have been set perfect but5 it is as hot as it will go with that gas and wire,,,, and putting a larger wire in nets very little. You can really fill gaps. Edges of plates completely melted and filled.

This is why all gaps are not scary, a roll bar, a Nascar, pic 2 is the backside, could put it in about the same if the gap was a bit less or a bit more, this was a simple bar splice. I should have used a longer sample but this is all small machine stuff and typical to the crowd on this forum.

 

[sberry]

I will look for some more pics where we built 7 trailers fr5om scrap mobile home beams and trailer frames. While we worked out the proto on the first one I grab up a 175 machine, wasn't too long and I am out of gas and wire playing along. Grabbing up the 250 class machine with a 330 bottle and full spool of wire we paid half for, deposits it at twice the rate with same gas. It saved a couple days easy and a couple hundred in materials with a machine we already own.

As a one off for a diy wouldn't have been worth an upgrade, on a single trailer would have saved 2 hrs and 25$, those are rare. Most home hobby can or could make hundreds of welds from a 10# roll and gas bottle. We had a routine little job and I was going to let the help play, they are pecking with the welder puff at a time. I go, watch this, one little button to tack it in place and a single shot of weld, they started with 4 tacks and 2 welds.

When I first done this and was learnin I billed all the stuff to someone else most of the time and had a great dealer before the current shopping age etc. The machines stayed the same but the wire and gas went up to the little guy.

 

[PistolWhip]

If you're looking at the Hobart 140, you might be well served to check out the Weldmark MIG25-140 as well. I'm in the same boat as you, looking for a home shop welder and from what I'm finding, the Weldmark is the same as the Hobart; actually made by Hobart and rebranded for Weldmark.

 

[DMAR]

If you're looking at the Hobart 140, you might be well served to check out the Weldmark MIG25-140 as well. I'm in the same boat as you, looking for a home shop welder and from what I'm finding, the Weldmark is the same as the Hobart; actually made by Hobart and rebranded for Weldmark.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out. I'm assuming that its less money...?

After listening to the feedback here, I'm tempted to go for the Lincoln 180, but the Hobart 140 seems like a good bang for the buck. Still researching the choices...