welder for xmas

orange150

orange150

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Fairfax City, VA
so im getting a welder for xmas and would like to know what is a good one to get. I already have three spools of wire and hoses and guages for gas, just need the welder. What is a good welder to learn on and use on my truck? its a toss up between 135 and 175amp. 220volt outlets aren't necesarily a problem either.
Thanks
 
second the hobart. unless you can get a comparable lincoln cheaper w/ your discount.
 
hmmm

Well I am biased, a little anyway
The ready welder II modle 10000 will do 22ga up to 3/4 of an inch, single pass. Weld with it at home, and take it on the trail too. Runs off of one, two or three batteries, depending on the thickness you are using it on. 100% duty cycle. You can weld carbon steel or stainless with flux or use sheilding gas, you can weld aluminum with Argon. I happen to know a dealer!:huggy:

I also have a Hobart 175( it's a 180 as it's sold now) works great.
I have a friend with a Lincoln 175 from sLowes, works good too.

I would recomend the 220V on either.
 
Definetly get a 220 welder. I have a Miller 172 (which went to 175, now 180), and it welds great.

I am currently looking at getting a Miller 251 mainly because I want something that welds smoother, and that I don't have to use the max setting on the welder to do thicker steel. Plus another reason for me wanting the 251, because it is a VERY nice welder, and I can get one in near new condition, for $800 if I give him mine in a trade. I bought my welder used for $400 w/o a bottle, so to get the same amount out of it 2-3 years later, I definetly can't complain.
 
i paid 400 for my reman hobart 175 on e-gay, plus ~$175 for gas and some wire. works awsome, and is a real sweet machine. i think the only big difference between the hobart and the miller is the wire feed is plastic on the hobart. i also have an older airco 225 stick welder that i use for thicker stuff
 
Tacoma747 said:
Plus another reason for me wanting the 251, because it is a VERY nice welder, and I can get one in near new condition, for $800 if I give him mine in a trade.
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Where? Dealer? If so does he want to sell another at that price? I have a lincoln 155 I would trade.
 
Got a Hobart Stickmate 235 AC/DC last year for christmas which I really like. Especially like the DC capabilities. Also have a Lincoln WeldPak 100 mig which does about anything you would want to do at home and can run gas or flux wire, small & 110v which makes it very portable to take to a friends to weld. If I only had one I'd get the Lincoln mig because you can run it anywhere on 110 and will weld most anything you need to do.
 
Rob said:
Where? Dealer? If so does he want to sell another at that price? I have a lincoln 155 I would trade.
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A guy I work with has a few things for sale. I would like to buy alot of what he has, but it will hurt my wallet enough when I get the welder (soon I hope).

He has a 4x8 welding table for $100, a Milwalkee chop saw for $75, a 60 Gal compressor for $250, and a few other things. He had a plasma cutter but another guy at work bought it. He was wanting $1500 for the welder and two bottles, but does not want to be without a welder at all, so I told him to give me a price if he kept the bottles and I gave him my welder. Once I save up $800 to spend, hopefully soon after Christmas, I am going to get it.
 
The miller 251 is a really nice welder, but sucks on sheetmetal. I couldn't get it down low enough to not just burn through. Of course I have access to that so I got myself a lincoln 175 from Lowes. It is a great little welder. Don't forget to budget for the gas bottle though. That set me back another $300. I love being able to get disposables from someplace that is open after 5. I really wanted a miller, but couldn't handle the timing at the welding shop.
 
The hobart 180 (175 replacement) is a good welder but you will quickly grow out of it. Just bite the bullet and get the ironman or miller 210. Much better gun, only a little better on duty cycle but the nozzle is sooo much more worth it. Plus it has provisions to upgrade to a spool gun if needed in the future.
 
hmm, the miller 210 is between $1200 and $1600....
while although i would love to have that welder, thats a bit too much money. and i dont see myself needing anything that nice.
so is the lincoln 175 just as good as the hobart or miller equivlent? because i can get it for about 200 less than either of them.
 
As I said above, I have the Hobart 175( which is made by Miller) and I have a friend who has a Lincoln 175. I have welded with both and didn't see any difference in the welds. Both do a good job.
 
i've been very happy with my miller 175. i wouldn't do any less than a 220v machine. i've never had the need for anything more than my 175. i don't think you can go wrong with any of the hobart/miller/lincoln 175's.
 
Hobart is no longer owned by Miller, but they are still made in the same plant. Alot of the parts are interchangable. The only real difference is that Hobart uses a little more plastic on moving pieces than Miller. Im not a big fan of Lincolns buzz boxes, but thats preference.

If you want, you can come try out my Hobart 180 and see if you like it.
 
You are more than welcome to take some time and come and try out my lincoln 175 too. I will admit that miller is a better made machine, but not sure if it is worth the cash for light use. I weld a bunch with mine and have no problems. I would prefer a miller 210 or 251, but I need a plasma cutter and tubeing bender first.
 
miller has infinite heat/wire speed controls too, hobart has like 4-5 set positions. not a big deal really, but nice to have the fine tuning when you need it, like for sheetmetal.
 
RufusTheRam said:
miller has infinite heat/wire speed controls too, hobart has like 4-5 set positions. not a big deal really, but nice to have the fine tuning when you need it, like for sheetmetal.
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Hobart does have the infinate wire speed control, but not heat setting. If you put it inbetween say 2 and 3, it doesn't feed at all. It may take the unsuspecting one an hour or so to figure it out. Ask me how I know!:rolleyes:
 
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