What is the differences? I have the option to get the 180 at a local homedepot on a sale for a pretty low pice and I think I am getting a damn good deal. I will be welding sheet metal and possibly c notches, alittle bit of frame work. I know its possible because I have seen plenty of guys do it with no problems and the cars are holding up just fine. Whats soo much better about the 3200 weld pack?
I don't think the 3200 is a current model, so any new ones out there may be leftovers. The 180HD is a model built for Home Depot, and like a lot of stuff Home Depot sells, its a somewhat cheapened version of the lincoln 180 migs. Usual price on the 180HD is about $669. If that's what you'd be paying, take a look at the 180C at a regualr welding supply house. It has a cast aluminum wire drive assembly where the HD model is plastic, and also has continuous voltage control where the HD has a series of preset voltages on a click-click type knob. Lots of times just a little adjustment of the voltage will make the difference between a smooth arc and one that's kinda rough, and you don't get those small adjustments on the HD model. Should be able to buy the 180C for about $100 more than the home depot model, and IMO its well worth the difference.
Also check out the Hobart Handler 140. You can find it cheaper online alot of times with free shipping on eBay, etc... and it's better than the Home Depot model. I have one I use daily and it's a very nice unit, will do sheet metal up to 1/4".
We are a red shop and several years ago I was tempted to pick up some 110 mig machines at Home Depot. I asked at the welding supply why there was such a big difference in price. The owner said that they cannot do warranty work on those machines. They have to be sent somewhere. He cringes every time someone brings one in for repair because he has to explain to the owner that they have to send it off to be repaired.
Go cheap and you get what you pay for. I bought my 140 because it was what I could afford but went to a regular welding supply place because they will take it in and fix it if ever needed. Just the availability of service is worth the extra cost. But then I pretty much hate the big box stores and do everything I can to avoid going to them.
That Hobart looks interesting, but not sure about hobarts, I know they have been around for ever. I sold my Millermatic 200 when I moved, Need to get another mig, all I have is a hunert amp Astro cheapy some one gave me. I always swore by Millers. We had a lincoln and millers in a big shop where I worked and we all liked the miller, way smoother welder. This was 25 years ago
If you decide to buy make sure it has a gas valve or the place to put one. If it doesn't come with a valve go price one. All the machines at the welding supply will have a valve. I'm not talking about the regulator.
Ok will do. Also im from So Cal Near whittier. I am do not know of anybwelding supply places around here.
Gotta agree with those who recommend to buy at a welding store. Yea, it may be more expensive, but the machine will be a much better built one. And if you do have a problem, you can take it to the welding shop that you bought it from, chances are, he'll have the part it needs, or can have it within a couple of days. And most welding stores will help you out to get going (wire, gas, a GOOD welding helmet, etc) or maybe even if you need some welding info. They'll be there for you. Try that at HD. You don't buy one of these things every day-get the good one now and be done with it. You'll thank yourself for it later.
I have the HD3200. I bought it 8 years ago, and I use it alot. It will weld 1/4" easily with a short heavy duty extension cord, or plugged directly into the wall. I use it almost weekly to do repair work on 5 Legends race cars. It is a great machine for the money.
What he said! I also have the 180c & the reostat heat control is real nice to have when you're welding sheet metal. You can dial the heat just where you need it instead of using preset stops.Save up your $ & buy a good unit, don't buy a tool on price alone that you will use a long time.
I guess I lucked out. They sold the last one. So I called the local Airgas store and guess they are closed. I think I will try to get ahold of them sometime this week so I can decide on which is best for me. Im leaning towards a miller now. Will just have to start saving up now.
Miller also owns Hobart, and has for several years. I've got one of the early Hobart Handlers I bought about 22-23 yrs ago, and it has worked fine all this time without ever having to go to the shop. But, its also got the fixed range voltage control on it, and I can't even count the times over the years that one click is a little cold and the next click is a little hot. The rheostat voltage control is really worth having. And whatever you buy, get a 220 volt machine if you plan to do anything like frame work. My old Hobart is a 110v model, and thats okay since I bought it primarily for welding 16 ga sheetmetal, but when you run it up near max heat for heavier stuff you can really hear the cooling fan slow down when you strike an arc. That the fan slows says you've got an incoming voltage drop, and as the incoming voltage drops your arc voltage drops as well which affects your welding performance. A 220v machine will be pulling half the amps of a 110v machine for the same output setting. The amps determine how much incoming voltage drop you'll get, and if you double the amps you get 4X as much voltage drop. This is input amps to the welder and not the actual welding amperage. I've got another 300 amp wire machine I use for heavier stuff, but if I was gonna buy another portable MIG tomorrow I wouldn't consider anything but a 220V machine. That said, a 110v mig will work better in a home size shop than it will in a shop like mine as long as the main electrical panel is in the shop or garage where you're using the welder. Some of the conduit runs to the back end of my shop are close to 150 ft, so mine is already acting like its hooked to a 150ft extension cord. I can tell a big difference in how it welds buy just using it somewhere near the breaker panel rather than at the back end of the shop. In a smaller shop where you'd be plugging into an outlet thats no more than 25-30 ft from the panel, the 110's work pretty good, but I'd still go for a 220 if I was planning on doing much of anything at the upper end of the capacity range of the machine. Sorry for the long winded post. You see a lot of posts in anything where small mig's are discussed where people say you're better off to go with a 220v mig over a 110v. Hopefully the above will help to explain a little about why that's true.
Thank you or the knowledge, it was actually pretty helpful. The thing is my garage at home is the smaller plug which is 110v correct? Well my house is old and its not wired for 220v. I will be doing a c-notch on my car and some welding on my model a frame, a lot of sheet metal welding aswell.
I am going thru the same buying decisions. I only have 110 in my house and I will only be doing one car, mostly sheet metal work, + a smaller amount of frame/crossmember work. I am planning on buying the 110 volt unit, and just tacking together the heavy metal peices. That way a good welder with a good machine can finish the thick welds for not too much money.
The Jalopy Journal
