Another welding thread

1stgenxxx

1stgenxxx

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2005
Location
Hudson
What welders do yaul have..or have used and how do you like them?
 
I'm looking at the Hobart 187....
 
I have the older model of that one, it's a 170
Has done everything I have needed. I did have to replace the circuit board after 6 years, but that's the only issue I have had
 
I have, Miller trailblazer 280 Multiprocess=love it

Have used,

Lincoln inverter multiprocess. Didn't like the feeder to much burnback
Miller XMT304 Excellent machine
Miller dialarc stick/tig excellent machine
Miller cp302 Mig/fluxcore excellent
airco mig industrial unit can't remember exactly the name of tie unit. Excellent for flux core & mig.
Several others I can't remember.
 
The hobart seems to be the best price for what I want. I will just be welding radom things around the house....and stuff on my own rig. I'm going to stay away from a 110 welder.
 
I've found the 187 for 599 at TCS and 699 at Northern Tool. Any sources to get them from for less?
 
Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC

Smaller stick welder. Has done a great job, I'm not the best welder but everything is still holding it self together. I'd love to upgrade to MIG, but that is going to be a while.

Get a MIG to start with.
 
Lincoln AC/DC buzz box with TIG rig setup. love it. cheap and I can weld anything with it. :D


getting the hobart 187 mig soon. its cheap and very easy to use. Love it.
Lincoln mig welders, tried 5-6 different ones and hated every one of them
miller 225 mig, really liked it but a little pricey for the hobby guy
 
rockcity said:
Lincoln AC/DC buzz box with TIG rig setup. love it. cheap and I can weld anything with it. :D
getting the hobart 187 mig soon. its cheap and very easy to use. Love it.
Lincoln mig welders, tried 5-6 different ones and hated every one of them
miller 225 mig, really liked it but a little pricey for the hobby guy
Click to expand...

Yea....I love unbreakable's miller 210 but I can't afford that. I think that the 187 will take care of my needs.
 
i have the Lincoln 175 its been a good one its a 220 mig
have used esab 335i and i think the 440 freakin bad ass but i dont have 3 phase at the house.....
just got the new miller 212 havent had the chance to use it yet but heard its sweet
 
I started welding on a 20 y.o. Craftsman stick around 18 years ago. Then we bought a Clark 130 Flux Core. It works great in the chicken house to weld augers back together not much else. Then I bought a Miller 251 with 30A spoolgun. Best welder I've ever used. The last welder I bought is a Lincoln Weld Pak 155 I setup with gas for nothing thicker than 14g. To be a Lincoln it's a damn good welder. The WWII era Lincolns we had in high school were damn good welders too.
 
I've got a Hobart 175 Mig and it works great. Is basically the same as the 170/175/180/185/187, they just keep improving the electrical system and tweaking a few more amps out of it. Most of my welding is done on setting 3 of 4, I can turn 3/16 plate blue for an inch in both directions on that.

I've had it 7 years and not had a single problem out of it. 1 time I had about 6ft of welding to do, and that was the only time i've ran into duty cycle time problems.
 
84cucvk-5 said:
Don't forget around another 200 bucks for a tank if you don't already have one.
Click to expand...

Yea...I've thought about that already. I'm just going to rent one from James O2 until I find a good deal on a tank. My friend is going to check on lincoln for cheap but I think I will stick with the Hobart. I used a 110 Hobart last summer to do some welding and I really liked it. I hope I like the 220 even better.
 
I have the hobart 187 you're talking about and I like it a lot.

For some reason, the two miller branded ~180 mig machines I've used I hated. The gun and tip sucked and the way it welds just seems different. There's no need for a 210 machine in most any home shop. Justin just likes to be special. :flipoff2:
 
I just bought the hobart 187 this summer. I love it. I've only done flux through it, I just haven't had the real funds to get a tank and set it up right. When I was looking at it, I asked on mallcrawlin what everyone recommended and several had the 180, which is the same unit just older and has less flexibilityon the heat and speed.

I bought mine at TSC for 599-10%. They sent me a coupon that had exclusions on it but welders weren't on there for some reason. I had to call TSC to get the discount but they didn't hesitate at all to give me the discount.

I highly recommend it. Swing by Raleigh and you can burn some metal if you'd like.
 
Used my buddies Miller 175 for a while, bought a snapon mm140, really like it, and been using a snapon mm250 lately. Its been a lil crappy acting sometimes though.
 
braxton357 said:
I have the hobart 187 you're talking about and I like it a lot.

There's no need for a 210 machine in most any home shop. Justin just likes to be special. :flipoff2:
Click to expand...

Nah man.....Fred just has deep pockets.
 
Miller cp-320 mig - sitting beside the Century
Century 200 mig- use for everything, at least 15 years old now, never overheated
Hobart 140 - bought it to have somehing portable, handy for little stuff
Hypertherm 1000 plasma - never use it, hardens/warps the metal to much, rather use a cut off with a thin blade (mainly use the plasma to cut up junk)

At my real job I play/use a Miller 300 Tig
 
First: craftsman (made by century) 110v flux core. It was fairly decent and good to learn with
Second: hobart 175. loved it but need alittle more power.
Third: snap on mm250. I hated it. very tempermental
Fourth: miller 210 now. Love it and just added the spool gun for aluminum welding.
 
HF MIG-100. Made a great anchor.
Lincoln Weld-Pac 100. Great starter. Did well on flux or gas, but if it's not a smoking deal, pass as a first.
Miller 175. My current basement rig. Love it to death.
Esab Migmaster 250. Not worth it. Customer support sucks.
Lincoln Powermig 350mp. Has it's good points, but not enough of them. Can do TIG, haven't tried it.
Miller 210. Great unit.
Miller 350Mp. Demands respect! Great welder. Worth every penny.
Millermatic 140 with Auto-set. That's a great little starter unit. Auto-set is suprisingly useful!
Linc Square Wave TIG 175. Nice for the hobbyist.
Miller Syncrowave 350 Water Cooled. Nice. Real nice. Makes me want to play with a Dynasty, though. Anybody got one I can fiddle with? :D

All that said, here's my opinion. If you can swing it. go for the Millermatic 180 with Auto-set. If you're serious about it, this is a welder that will grow with you, and suprise you with it's capability and ease of use. The Hobie uses the same torch, but the M25 torch parts are available everywhere. I'm sure the Hobie's a fine welder, I've just never used one. Also, while you're at it, spend a couple c-notes on a good helmet.
 
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