Need Help Deciding

[6010]

Need help deciding on a Mig Welder. I am thinking about buying one in the near future but need some help deciding which one I should get. I am looking at say a Miller 140 versus a 180. I have only done a little mig welding and that was on an old Miller that is almost as old as I am. Since it is the only one I have ever used I don’t have any experience from which to make a decision concerning which one to buy. What I would like to know is if the 180 would be a better choice because it makes better welds, is easier to use, or is just a better more reliable unit. If it is just a speed advantage (welds thicker metal and wouldn’t need an extra pass) then this would not really be an advantage to me, since the extra time would just give me a little more enjoyment while I welded – this is a hobby for me not a job. Also, you would certainly have to give up some portability going from 120v to 220v, but I would be willing to do that if it meant a better more reliable welder.

So help me with which one I should get and also which brand would you recommend. All things being equal I must tell you, blue was my favorite color before I ever thought about welding.

Thanks
6010

[dabar39]

which welder

Give us a little more info as to what types of projects and thickness of materials that you will be most commonly using. What kind of budget do you have, I would go for most machine that I could afford. Is the welder going to get used once a year, once a month etc...etc...etc... The more info you can give us the more help we can provide. Dave

[Danny]

If you plan on running solid wire and shielding gas, the MM 180 will give you more then twice the unit. With solid wire the 140 is going strain on 1/8", and won't be able to produce near the same weld quality as the 180 does on 1/8". A multipass solid wire weld with the 140 on 3/16" won't be near a good as the quality that a single pass weld with the 180 will be. Heck if you left the MM 180 set to were it performs real well on 1/8", and multipassed 3/16", the 180 weld quality will be better then what is possible with the 140.


Personally, I like Hobart's 187 a little better then the MM 180, but the MM 180 is still a real nice unit too.

[Synchroman]

Need help deciding on a Mig Welder. I am thinking about buying one in the near future but need some help deciding which one I should get. I am looking at say a Miller 140 versus a 180. I have only done a little mig welding and that was on an old Miller that is almost as old as I am. Since it is the only one I have ever used I don’t have any experience from which to make a decision concerning which one to buy. What I would like to know is if the 180 would be a better choice because it makes better welds, is easier to use, or is just a better more reliable unit. If it is just a speed advantage (welds thicker metal and wouldn’t need an extra pass) then this would not really be an advantage to me, since the extra time would just give me a little more enjoyment while I welded – this is a hobby for me not a job. Also, you would certainly have to give up some portability going from 120v to 220v, but I would be willing to do that if it meant a better more reliable welder.

So help me with which one I should get and also which brand would you recommend. All things being equal I must tell you, blue was my favorite color before I ever thought about welding.

Thanks
6010

Without regard to anything else, I think you would be better served with a 220 VAC machine. You will be able to handle both thin and up to 1/4 inch material with 220 VAC. I also would look for a model that has a variable power control as opposed to a tapped machine. The variable ones are more versatile.

The 110 and 220 machines are generally equally reliable. It has more to do with capacity of work that you can do. The 220 machines are, of course, not as portable due to the need for special connections when you use them.

I'm sure others will have some ideas but those are mine.

[6010]

Dave,
I have worked in Maintenance for 40 years now and I am about to retire. I have always believed in using quality tools, even those I don't use that often. The welder will be strictly for fun and will only be used when I can get a hold of some scrap metal or have to fix up something for a neighbor. I think the 180, if ya'll tell me its a good one, is about the limit of my budget. I just wanted to hear from you on the message board that that is what I should get.

I really enjoy reading the posts on this message board even though I am not much of a welder. I have had some good welders work for me though. One welder that worked for me saw me trying to weld something one day and took the stinger out of my hand. He said that looks terrible and that I shouldn't try to learn to weld and that should stick to my field, which is electricity.

I have a syncrowave 200 that I just bought not long ago and I am really having fun with that. I just thought I would try a mig welder too and was looking at the 180 versus the 140. If I ever get good enough to ask for money, then I would probably have to upgrade.

I thank Ya'll for the information

[6010]

Danny,
What features does the Hobart have that makes you favor it over the Miller. I would be interested in knowing. Also, what is the relationship between Hobart and Miller. I notice the Hobart logo on their web page.

I know when I worked in a paper mill there was a lot of construction going on. When the rain washed off all the mud on the welders that were being pulled around by trucks, the color that showed was almost always blue. Every once in awhile though, it would be red.

[crawler]

If I were in your shoes, I'd look real hard at the Hobart Handler 187 refurb from www.toolking.com.

Here is the link. $519.00 + 7.99 shipping. If you're going to buy one, I'd do it soon since the tend out run out of these units quickly.

http://www.toolking.com/hobartwelders_500525a.aspx

[crawler]

Danny,
What features does the Hobart have that makes you favor it over the Miller. I would be interested in knowing. Also, what is the relationship between Hobart and Miller. I notice the Hobart logo on their web page.

I know when I worked in a paper mill there was a lot of construction going on. When the rain washed off all the mud on the welders that were being pulled around by trucks, the color that showed was almost always blue. Every once in awhile though, it would be red.

Miller and Hobart are owned by ITW (Illinois Tool Works).

Read this thread comparing Millermatic 180 and HH187.
MM180 will have variable voltage. HH187 has tapped voltage. HH187 is said ot have better arc at the upper voltage. Please read the comments from user, Dan. He knows his stuff.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/showthread.php?t=24135&highlight=hh187

[fun4now]

as far as reliability and quality of construction you will find the 140 & 180 the same. if you really want to jump up in a welder the MM212 would be the way to go. its great on thin and will lay a fantastic bead on thicker also. never heard a complaint about the MM210 and the 212 seems to be fallowing suit.
i have had the MM135 for 6 + years now and it runs a great today as it did the day i got it. other than me dropping a large piece of sheet steel on the gun hose and cutting the trigger wires (i rewired it myself as a fix) i have never had a problem with the unit. its portability is great, add some flux wire and you can go anywhere. it is limited by its 135amps but other then that its great. 1/8" is no problem. if you are just looking for some thing for the occasional MIG up like an exhaust or clamp here and there it should be fine. keeping in mind you have the syncro 200 for thicker stuff ( i got a TA-185 for that) the MM140 should be a great asset to the home shop. when and if you start doing work for $$ the MM212 or 252 would be the way to go.
the HH187 for under $600 would be a great option. some thing you should definitely look at.
as for the taped VS infinite debate........well lets just say it rages on and on. if its a quality unit aether will do a fine job and you will learn to adjust what you have be it taped or infinite to suit your needs.

[Danny]

Danny,
What features does the Hobart have that makes you favor it over the Miller. I would be interested in knowing. Also, what is the relationship between Hobart and Miller. I notice the Hobart logo on their web page.

I know when I worked in a paper mill there was a lot of construction going on. When the rain washed off all the mud on the welders that were being pulled around by trucks, the color that showed was almost always blue. Every once in awhile though, it would be red.

I'll point out that I am Danny on this board, and Dan on the Hobart board.

As you might have read by now, I favor the HH 187 over the MM 180, due to the fact that I feel the 187 has better arc characteristics, a slightly wetter weld puddle, produces a more spatter free metal transfer, most noticably on the top end. Understand when I state I favor the 187 over the MM 180, I don't mean there is a large margin in the area of performance between the two. The best way to state it, would be I feel the HH 187 is slightly better then the MM 180. The MM 180 is a real good unit too, and I'd have no issues owning one myself.

[Miller Kevin]

Hello 6010,

Although both of these are very good units there are are some major differences between the Handler 187 and the Millermatic 180.

1) The Millermatic 180 has variable voltage control vs tap voltage control on the Handler 187

2) The Millermatic 180 has a cast aluminum wire drive housing vs the plastic drive housing on the Handler 187.

3) The Millermatic 180 now has a direct connect spoolgun that is currently in rollout called the Spoolmate 100. This spoolgun will fit on the Millermatic 140, the Millermatic 140 with Auto Set and Millermatic 180. If you would ever have the need to weld aluminum this would give you an economical option.

As I said before these are both very good units. You have to decide what features you want and how much you want to invest in a machine. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,
Kevin Schuh
[email protected]
Ph: (920)735-4505

[BWS29128]

HTP Gets My Vote

My vote goes to HTP, since I just ordered one yesterday and it's due to arrive tomorrow.

In terms of quality, they've been around for 26 years, most of their products are manufactured in the US (and the ones that are made outside the US are made in the exact same factories as Miller and Lincoln have some of theirs made), and I have yet to hear a single negative thing about them.

If you'll hold off for a few days and let me get mine in and set up, you can drive down to Camden and play with it with me or I'll load it up in the truck and take it to the fiancee's house in H'ville later this week since she's up in NY sailing on the QMII.

Here's a link to HTP's page:

http://www.htpweld.com/products/index.htm

Lemme know what you think. I've also got a recent copy with good prices (as of yesterday) of their latest catalog in PDF format and I'll email it to you if you'll send me your email address via PM.

~Clint

[6010]

I was wondering why you went to Hartsville, Now I know. And I thought it might be to work

Thanks for the invite. I will be getting back with you on it.