[TheForge] MIG Welders

[Larry Brown]

I have one of the original Hobarts and it is a good machine but a friend 
bought one of the newer ones and I wouldn't recommend it. Hobart is now 
owned by the company that owns Miller and a lot of the parts are the same, 
but they cut corners with the hobart. I've had good luck with Lincoln and 
Millers.
L Brown

At 03:23 PM 5/21/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>Okay Folks, I know we've covered a lot of this territory in the past, but 
>I'd like some specific input on my situation.  I'm not a great welder and 
>don't do a lot of it.  But, I've owned a Lincoln 225 AC machine for many 
>years.  I was thinking of upgrading to the AC/DC model to see if that 
>would improve my welding in sheet metal.  (I get a lot of burn through or 
>sticking.)  Then this weekend I got a chance to play with a Miller 135 MIG 
>welder.  That got me to thinking about other options.
>
>Now I'm considering keeping the old  AC stick welder and adding a MIG 
>machine to my shop.  I can use the stick welder for heavy duty 
>applications, so I'm thinking of getting a 115V MIG machine so it can take 
>it with me to locations where 230V is not available.  In doing a quick 
>internet search, it seems that 140 amps is the largest that MIGs come in 
>for 115V.  Roughly in order of price I've found the following:
>
>Millermatic 140 w/ Auto Set
>Millermatic 140
>Lincoln Power MIG 140C & 140T
>Hobart Handler 140 MIG
>
>I have several questions.  Why are the Hobarts so much cheaper?  (Are they 
>boat anchors?)  Is there any real difference between Lincoln and Miller 
>(besides color preference)?  Is the "auto set" feature of the Miller worth 
>the extra $80?  What is the difference between the Lincoln 140C and 
>140T?  (I didn't notice any difference in specs and there is only about $5 
>difference in price.)  What other issues should I be considering?
>
>Thanks,
>Aubrey
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