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Welder choice

3K views 28 replies 24 participants last post by  greasysmitty 
#1 ·
I am looking to buy a new 220 welder. I am looking at Lincoln ST-175 Plus and the Millermatic 175 or the Hobart Handler 180.

I would like some REAL world reviews, not I HEARD that the Lincoln was awsome type responses please.

I am wanting to buy this welder in the next 2-3 weeks and need some input quickly guys. I dont want to step up to a bigger welder, I am really only interested in the ones listed above.

Thanks guys, I appreciate your advice on this.

Aaron
 
#2 ·
I've got the Lincoln SP-175 Plus. I love it. It's pretty much the welder that my 4x4 club uses when there's thicker metal or critical welds to be made.

The SP-175 Plus has the infinite heat control, which I think is really important. If the others do not, the choice, then, is simple.

Al
 
#3 ·
I have the Millermatic 175 for about 3 years now. It is an absolutely outstanding welder. It has the infinite heat control as does the Lincoln 175.

I have run gasless and sold Mig .024-.040 through it and it has never given me any problems what-so-ever. I have welded 1/2" mild steel plate with .040 Innershield and yes, I cross-sectioned it to review penetration. It did fine.

All the welders you mentioned above are good ones.

If you search some, you will find what seems to be an insufferable amount of threads discussing this EXACT topic.
 
#4 ·
Aces'n'8s said:
I have the Millermatic 175 for about 3 years now. It is an absolutely outstanding welder. It has the infinite heat control as does the Lincoln 175.

I have run gasless and sold Mig .024-.040 through it and it has never given me any problems what-so-ever. I have welded 1/2" mild steel plate with .040 Innershield and yes, I cross-sectioned it to review penetration. It did fine.

All the welders you mentioned above are good ones.

If you search some, you will find what seems to be an insufferable amount of threads discussing this EXACT topic.
x2

All three units are reall close to each other. My vote is Miller, but I suggest going with and getting from you local supplier. Mine has been an invaluable resouce of knowlege and help. Havent need anything but consumables for my MM175.
 
#6 ·
I have had my Lincoln SP-170 for almost 14 years now. I have put a lot of wire through it (200 12LB spools), and it hasn't ever given me problems. I have used many other MIG welders, and the SP-170 is still my favorite.
 
#11 ·
From what I was told, the Miller uses more expensive copper windings vs the cheaper aluminum windings of the Lincoln. This info came from two welding shops. They are priced basically identically and the manager of one of the shops is a friend of mine and gave me a rockin' deal on a Miller 175.
 
#12 ·
The SP175+ can spit out a max 400 inches per minute of wire.
The MM175 can spit out a max 700 inches per minute of wire.

But, on machines only putting out 175 amps, what do you think happens when somebody tries to weld at anywhere near 700IPM with them ?

None of these machines are bad, but the Lincoln's gun consumables are tweco compatible, and that might come in handy during a weekend welding session.
 
#16 ·
I like the Lincoln becase of the infinite heat control and the fact that Lincoln makes a Aluminum wire kit so that you can weld aluminum with the 175.

To do this with the Miller they insist on a Spool Gun. While that is good for production. If you are doing a few small things, espically on a bench it is nice to be able to do it cheeply.

Also it is a good welder.

BTW. I have a sp-175T, and a miller matic 200. The 200 is nice for big stuff but the Lincoln is pretty portable.

Carl
 
#17 ·
I recently bought the Liconln 175 without the infinite heat settings. The local welder told me that unless you are a very skilled/expert welder, that you would most likely not notice the difference. I have been very please with the results of this welder and would recommend it to anyone looking for a 220V welder. I dont' think you can go wrong with any of them!
Good luck and happy welding!
 
#18 ·
Just to throw one more option out there, our new Thermal Arc Fabricator 251 was delivered yesterday. We were able to get it for the same price as a MM210. We have not had the chance to do anything with it yet, but we will let y'all know how well it works. On a side note, the welding shop at the local community college is now using nothing but Thermal Arc machines.
 
#22 ·
mucknet said:
I just picked up a HH180 for $500 shipped on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hobart-Handler-...ryZ46413QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I was toying back and forth with getting a MM210 or even a 251.. but I can do 90% of what I'd ever do with the HH180, so I figured I'd spend the saved coin on other things like a plasma cutter, and other tools.
I just bought a recon HH180 from ToolKing as well. Had to trade in my CO2 bottle for a C25 since the regulator was different from my hold Hobart 120.. haven't quite put down a bead with it yet, though.
 
#23 ·
tsm1mt said:
I just bought a recon HH180 from ToolKing as well. Had to trade in my CO2 bottle for a C25 since the regulator was different from my hold Hobart 120.. haven't quite put down a bead with it yet, though.

Let me know how it goes. Good to know you had a hobart and bought another one.

This will be my first welder (other than my ready welder), so I don't know what you mean by a C25 bottle? is that an unstandard bottle type?
 
#24 ·
91blaze said:
I've got a lincoln, come by and try it out. got it at home depot w/cart for ~400 maybe you can get it price matched?

FYI a home depot lincoln is NOT the same as one bought from a welding store. I highly suggest getting your welder from a welding shop. Not saying the HD one won't work, it's just in a different league..
 
#25 ·
mucknet said:
Let me know how it goes. Good to know you had a hobart and bought another one.

This will be my first welder (other than my ready welder), so I don't know what you mean by a C25 bottle? is that an unstandard bottle type?
The old welder ran on straight CO2, and used a regulator for CO2, and a valve for CO2.

The new HH180 came with a regulator designed for 25% CO2, 75% Argon mix, and uses a CGA 580 valve - bigger than my CO2 bottle.

So I had to go trade my CO2 bottle for an Argon/CO2 mix (which is a little more expensive than straight CO2, but cheaper than buying a new valve)

No big deal, since I passed the Hobart 120 on to a buddy and won't be needing a straight CO2 bottle.
 
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