Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd just bump this one, and maybe keep the information easier to find (I also looked through this thread right here.)
Current welder is a Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 I bought new back in 1997. I've used it, and it alone, in both flux and gas shield configuration, to do all sorts of metal fab. I'd call my level of work "serious hobbyist"- the welder gets used at least once a week. I've never welded anything other than mild steel, and the number of times in all those years I've thought it might be nice to weld aluminum or stainless is probably, on average, about once a year. Of course, if I _could_ weld them, maybe I'd want to more.
The Lincoln's been basically bulletproof. I replaced the dealie that the wire goes through in the flexible hose once when it got wet and rusted, which was my fault. The ground prong broke off the plug probably a decade ago or more and I never fixed it. The original ground clamp finally broke and I replaced it with a heavier-duty one from a welding shop. I probably average about one or two 10 pound spools of wire a year through it.
I've been toying with the thought of upgrading. I feel almost married to my 100 so I've been looking at other red welders. The PowerMig 140 and the PowerMIG 180 are high on the list. What I don't understand is that the 140 has a 60% duty cycle, whereas the 180 is only 20%, at similar output levels. The 140 retails around $900, whereas the 180 is about $1500. I like the 180 for the 110/220 option (I sometimes need a 110 unit, but a 220 would be nice for the extra oomph) and I wonder about the "Diamond Core Technology" that's supposed to basically make you a better welder.
I've looked at the Hobarts, the prices are significantly lower for seemingly equivalent units. Not sure why. I haven't really looked at Millers, I learned to weld on one and then bought my Lincoln and liked it much better. Yes, I know that was 24 years ago, what can I say, I have a long memory.
Any experience comparing the Lincoln PowerMIG 140 and 180? Or should I quell my retail therapy and stick with the tried and true (albeit over 2 decades-old) WeldPak 100?
I can't help with the red boxes.
I will reiterate what I said on page one. For dollars spent ($360), this machine is very good. The one-knob adjustment takes some getting used to but works very well once you get the machine set up.
HITBOX 4 in 1 MIG Welder 200Amp
I've been using this one for 3 years now. It has been flawless and welds circles around the Hobart 140 it replaced. Consumables are standard parts available anywhere. It has a 100% duty cycle. When I was building the bumpers for the XJ, I tacked everything together and then ran a continuous bead over all the seams. That was right at 3 hours of almost continuous welding. The only issue was the gun got so hot it started smoking.
In reply to Toyman01 + Sized and :
That unit has no 110VAC setting. For my intended use, that's a requirement.
Looks like the equivalent red unit would be this. Power MIG 210. $1800. Which does have 110V flexibility.
I guess this goes back to the more general discussion over established brand name stuff and imported products. Is the Lincoln 4x the unit? Almost definitely not. But I can walk down to my welding supply place and buy it, get consumables there, and know that Lincoln will probably still be around in 20 years. I can't say the same about Hitbox, or Bezos' online emporium of goods.
On the flip side, is the Lincoln even made in the USA anymore? Or is it just stuffed full of the same globally-sourced lowest bidder componentry as every blue, orange, yellow, or black welder out there?
I can't find anything that says Lincoln makes machines in the USA. They have manufacturing spread over 40 countries so at a guess their machines are international in origin regardless of where they are assembled.
The Millermatic 211 is Assembled in the USA. So it's outsourced parts as well, not that there is a choice in this era of USA manufacturing.
While I don't mind paying extra for USA manufacturing, I won't pay it for a USA name and overseas manufacturing. I also won't pay 5 times the price for a product that isn't significantly better. If my livelihood depended on it, maybe. For a hobby machine, nope.
You know, I'd be eyeing a Hobart 210MVP to replace my now VERY used Eastwood 135, but the Hitbox thing is tempting if I keep the Eastwood for situations where I can't access 220. Hmm.
Toyman01 + Sized and said:
While I don't mind paying extra for USA manufacturing, I won't pay it for a USA name and overseas manufacturing.
This, 1000x. To me, that's even worse than buying some E36 M3box "globally-sourced" off-brand. At least they're being honest about it. An American name tossing said moniker on a globally-sourced E36 M3box is disingenuous, to boot.
I've only had one "bad" experience with Lincoln - a sticking gas solenoid on an inexpensive machine. It was an easy fix. We had a shop full of Lincoln welders, and they were great. Their reps were great to work with too. I believe they are still headquartered in Ohio. A few years ago, one of their regional salesmen was telling me they have a company wide profit sharing program, which is cool. I know they do a ton of metallurgy and welding research, which benefits the industry even indirectly. For hobby use, I don't think all of that justifies spending way more money, but if you're on the fence, it may be something to consider.
Miller owns Hobart, and it seems that they are trying to differentiate the brands by targeting hobby welders with the Hobart brand and professional shops with the Miller brand. I've had good experiences with both. Most of my experience with their machines was heavy duty transformer machines and wouldn't be an apples to apples comparison the smaller machines. I was really impressed with the multiprocess inverter I got to use for a couple weeks.
ESAB is another brand to consider. Probably in line with Hobart price-wise. I own an ESAB Mini Arc 150, and it's more of a work horse than I expected. I don't have any experience with their newer machines.
Last but not least. Chinese machines are better than anyone wants to admit. If you get one with a quality control problem, you're probably screwed. The odds of that happening are maybe higher than with a blue or red machine. For me it was worth the gamble. Mine is 220V only - I already had a stick/TIG machine that's dual voltage. It is harder to dial in to the settings you want - display doesn't give tenths of a volt, no idea what the units on the wire feed are - but it's good once it's set up. You can absolutely tell it is a cheaper machine. Build quality is not as good. Drive motor is noisy. Fan runs all the time. The supplied ground cable is like four feet long. All that said, I'm happy with the decision to buy it.
