Welder

[bagged150]

I'm looking at getting a welder here in the next couple of day. My options are either Lincoln pm210, millermatic 211, or Hobart handler 210. I like the price of the Hobart but what would y'all recommend. I know (or heard) that Hobart is now owned by Miller. I do have a 250v 50a plug in my garage, if there is any other machine you would recommend I'm open to suggestions. I would like to have a machine that could do mig, tig, and stick but I'm. It sure my budget would allow it. My budget is around 1200 maybe more.

If there is a thread already in this, please link me to it. I'm not sure how to search on tapatalk.


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[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... After gettin' burnt by hobart, 'n knowin' they're owned by miller,...
All of My welders are red, 'n will always be red,...
Lincoln all the way,...

 

[f150skidoo]

You cant go wrong with the 3 you listed. My previous welder was a Hobart Handler 190 and it was a great welder, the Hobart had a really smooth arc but its duty cycle was driving me crazy. Now the HH 210 MVP is a bit better at 30% @ 150A compared to the HH 190's 30% @ 130A. After selling my old Hobart I bought the Lincoln 210 MP, It doesn't have as nice of a arc as the Hobart and it took me a bit to find my Lincolns sweet spot but now I love the 210 MP. What drew me to the Lincoln was its 25% @ 200A duty cycle which is really good for a portable MIG. I've toyed with buying all the TIG equipment for the 210 MP but figured it was better to put the money towards a AC/DC TIG rather being stuck with just DC on the 210 MP. I looked at the Miller 211 but the Lincoln was a better deal due to its specs and price.

 

[rockinacummins]

I'm a Lincoln guy. Buy red!

 

[Thumper68]

I like the Lincoln 210MP it does everything you want, Mig and stick right out of the box and you can add the tig later when funds allow.

Video I did on it.

 

[a52-830]

got the miller. great rig. very happy. my son loves using it.

 

[texasranger]

+1 on the Lincoln. I've only used it for MIG so far, but about 15 lbs of wire in the last 1.5 years I have no regrets. Most of it was maxed out building a log splitter, haven't hit the duty cycle limit yet.

I paid MSRP shortly after it was released from the LWS which was 999. Now I see it listed for 1199 online, so you can probably get your local to do the 999 if it's not currently "on sale".

My brother has the same one and bought the TIG stuff to go with it...he loves it as well. Haven't heard anything bad on the 211, but red had a better deal when I bought.

 

[sqznby]

Its all personal preference. They're all great machines.
I'm not a fan of the multi machines. I prefer to have a Mig machine and a Tig machine.
I do notice Lincoln has better deals and sales than Miller.

 

[Cr0ck1]

I got the lincoln. Love it. And yes i know theres flammable liquids on the bottom shelf, that pic was taken as i was moving my stuff to my shop.. those things go on a shelf in the shop.







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[txvwnut]

Got a Hobart 210 at work and it's been a great machine. Many "I can weld" users have been on it and it's still running strong.

 

[AndeiH]

do you have a welding hood? welding gloves? welding jacket? clamps? grinder? argon bottle? co2 bottle? fire extinguisher?

what are you planning on welding?

i've had a hobart 210 mvp for 3 years in my home garage and its been great. i also have an ac/dc tig and i rarely use it. the machine itself is fine, its just that i don't need tig as much as i thought i would. it was more of an impulse buy.

 

[pepi]

Fire trucks are red, welders are BLUE

Greg

just make sure its 220 ...

 

[vettex2]

Mines RED.

 

[bagged150]

do you have a welding hood? welding gloves? welding jacket? clamps? grinder? argon bottle? co2 bottle? fire extinguisher?

what are you planning on welding?

i've had a hobart 210 mvp for 3 years in my home garage and its been great. i also have an ac/dc tig and i rarely use it. the machine itself is fine, its just that i don't need tig as much as i thought i would. it was more of an impulse buy.

I don't have any of that stuff. I planned on buying a hood and a grinder but didn't really think about all the other stuff. The guy that will be welding for me will have his own jacket and gloves.

I am welding my front bag brackets to the frame and control arms on my truck.


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[bagged150]

Got a Hobart 210 at work and it's been a great machine. Many "I can weld" users have been on it and it's still running strong.

That's what I am leaning toward. I will probably only use it once and then it will just set. Also the price difference means I can buy a cart, hood, and a few other accessories for the same price or cheaper than either of the other 2.


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[dogdog]

go with the ones that fits your needs..... though if I ever buy another one it would be the millermatic 252 or or it's Lincoln equivalent. But staying within these two brands, got burn by cheap Chinese brands.... and besides my Lincoln weldpak 10+ years ago still kicking.

 

[big_bake]

I have a Hobart 210 MVP and it has done everything I asked of it. Being multi voltage is nice when you have to do something with no 220v available. I say grab that one and save the difference for a bottle of gas. That machine will do your sheet metal work all the way to welding bag brackets to the frame.

 

[sberry]

The Hobart is very very good. The main reason to go to a multi machine for me would be stick if I didn't have one as I work on equipment but in auto/light truck the mig in this class could do it all.
I have never hit the duty on one of these small units and I ran them wayyyyyy beyond any homebody type. Ran 10# of wire off in a day with one.

 

[airrj]

The Hobart 210MVP has worked great for me for 2 years. I have run .023 and .035 wire in it, gas and flux core and all have worked very well. One thing that I have found better than expected is it has a very sharp startup arc (that is the best way I can describe it). Say you are trying to weld a nut on the top of a broken bolt to get the broken bolt out, the Hobart has a sharp, quick arc that makes it easier to do. I have used other MIG machines that have more of a ramp up and in that one application didn't work as well.

Everything that I have is Hobart, and that wasn't by design, just the best deal when I bought things. The 210MVP has been great. I have a 30 year old Tig Wave 250 tig machine that has been great. The ArcForce 500 plasma cutter has been acceptable at best, and I have their top of the line welding helmet which is about to go in the trash because it eats batteries, and the harness is junk.

My point is that no one company makes great everything. As you are doing for this, research each independently when you are buying more equipment. And you know, eventually you will want to buy more stuff.

Good luck with whichever you get.

 

[bagged150]

So I went ahead and bought the hobart. It was the best deal for me and I was able to get a helmet, and cart, for under 950. I can still go buy and gas cylinder and hopefully still be cheaper than the Lincoln which was around 1200.


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[HAP]

Crock, not sure if the convenience of having those flammables on your cart outweighs the potential fire hazard they present. Maybe a hinged sheet metal cover or similar spark deflector? Very well organized though...

 

[SiGmA_X]

MM211 here, love it. I imagine the MM211 and H210 are basically the same minus the autoset. Autoset is 'cool' and all, but I don't see the need for it. I imagine the added features give you another board to fail...

 

[big_bake]

^^^^This^^^^

The upcharge was for the blue paint and the "infinite" voltage adjustment. The 7 taps on the Hobart 210 get the job done. I fine tune the wire speed. Now on the other hand that new inverter based Miller 211 looks nice and lightweight

 

[sberry]

I like the taps on the Hobart, so easy to reset.

 

[mikhett]

I have owned a Hobart Handler 180 for 10 years.NO PROBLEMS!

 

[sberry]

And the newer models are actually better than the 180.

 

[bagged150]

Hopefully this treats me right. My welding cart isn't the best but it should work until I can drop some money in a good one.

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[sberry]

Nothing wrong with any of that. You cant wear that machine out.

 

[bagged89s10]

Lincoln has always taken care of my needs. I've never had an issue with mine which I've had for about 15 years. I like the versatility of the 210mp. I'm sure Hobart will last just as long unless it's abused.

 

[Marcm157]

I have a Miller 190 and love it. The only difference between it and the 211 is the dual voltage on the 211.

I don't travel with my welder and I am set with 220 in my garage.

 

[kkroger]

We actually just picked up a Hobart Ironman 230 for the shop, Welds very nice at Door Settings. a damned capable machine for $1500 or so Delivered.

 

[sberry]

The 230 is very good and would be on my short list if I was looking in that class. Great machine at a super price. Nothing fancy but 2x the 211.

 

[big_bake]

One trick that I have found with my Hobart 210. When you are trying to set the CFM for the shielding gas, flick the torch type to spool gun. This will allow the trigger on the MIG to open the gas valve, but disable the wire feeder. You can dial that CFM in perfectly, then just flip the switch back to MIG gun. I also do the same at the end after turning the gas bottle off to purge the pressure out of the machine and lines.

 

[MarkG]

I loved my Handler 140. BTW, on that test stick bead, it sure sounded like it needed to be cranked up to me. Sounded like the arc was on the brink of going out the whole time.

 

[sqznby]

Congrats on the new purchase.
You wont be disappointed at all.

 

[sberry]

One trick that I have found with my Hobart 210. When you are trying to set the CFM for the shielding gas, flick the torch type to spool gun. This will allow the trigger on the MIG to open the gas valve, but disable the wire feeder. You can dial that CFM in perfectly, then just flip the switch back to MIG gun. I also do the same at the end after turning the gas bottle off to purge the pressure out of the machine and lines.

Why not get it set and leave it alone?

 

[big_bake]

Why not get it set and leave it alone?

I don't have a garage yet so the welder and bottle get broke down after use. That dial inevitably gets turned during transport and the next setup. Just an easy way for me to get the CFM right. I also notice the static reading on the gauge is not what you get when the gas valve is open and flowing. A few CFM different, which probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.