Ok im gonna be buying a welder, but which one is it gonna be please help.... 1. millermatic 140 2. hobart 140 3. lincoln powermig 140 mainly used in the garage for light work,bodywork hobby kinda shit. im pulled to the hobart because of the price point and lincoln for build quality. the miller seems to be priced up because of the autoset. anyone used any of these and if you have brought one, are you happy with your choice. many thanks
Im a miller man myself but their all good welders or were at one time. just seems like millers are very easy to get comfortable with atleast for me.
I really like my Lincoln, but it is a 110 volt. Looking back I would have saved up and bought a 220 volt one.
You have answered your own question perfectly, as a welder of over 30 years, you listed them in the CORRECT order. Perfect! { besides I never heard of that third one }
Ditto to that! as a matter of fact if you want mine I'll sell it for $250 (without the cart and tank) so I can buy the 220.
53, they prefer to be called " sister " company's. They share a lot of technology and parts. I talk with both of them all the time.
I have found, for me, that "the power of blue" is the way to go. The 140 is a nice outfit, but the 180 with autostart will provide a greater useage range, and like many of us, you will save yourself the grief of wishing you had bought the bigger machine up front or having to update later.
If you can spring for any of em, go for the miller. Millers are built to last, and as long as you take care of it you'll outgrow it before it ever gives you any problems.
I have a Miller 212 was looking at the 140 and talked to the salesman and he really talked me into the 212 as i was planing on building my frame. Saved my money for a little longer and i,m really happy with what i bought. It's a much better welder that expected.
The majority will definately prefer Miller. I have an older one that works great. If you can, you won't regret going for the bigger machine.
Go with the Miller. I have had both the other brands and although they will melt metal also, the Miller just welds better. I was not a believer until I got a great deal on my Millermatic 150 and could not believe the difference. You could buy any of these and be happy until you actually use a Miller and then you would be kicking yourself.
Any of the '140' types will work for light material but if you even think that something heavier needs fixin then do like biggeorge says and save up a few more dollars for a bigger machine. .
Go to one of the bigger car shows and try them both.(lincoln & Miller) That is what I did. I went thinking I was going to buy a Miller and liked the Lincoln better. It was smoother and laid a better bead. Both with the guys at the show setting up the machines to weld on their metal. Got to figure both were trying to put their best foot forward as they were only half a building apart. I bought the lincon. A 180C to be exact. You can do the same thing and still pick the Miller but at least you have tried both and pick the one you like.
All 3 are great welders!! I have a Miller but mine doesn't have the autoset and as i've ben a welder for the last 14 years, I wouldn't want that feature. All 3 are great welders though and have a good resale value if you want to upgrade or find that you don't need it down the road. Finding a used one in good shape is also an option to save some money. I bought mine used and have been very happy with it.
I make the graphic overlays and control switches for a company that resells them to foreign language markets.
Based on manufacturer literature, it appears the Lincoln wins between the two models (Millermatic 140 and Power MIG 140) from a build quality/feature set standpoint. The best advice someone can give is to try both at your local welding supply place. Anyone who doesn't have first hand experience with these two specific models is only giving a biased opinion based on brand preference (ie; Ford vs. Chevy).
And there is the right answer. While you test welding with these machines, try out a couple 220 volt machine as well. Its cheaper to buy what your going to need up front instead of buying something small then buying a bigger one later. Gene
All my fab shop uses is miller and have been for 15-20+ years. My son got a Miller 140 autoset for his B-day and he loves it. We use it for mainly sheet metal and light metal fab. We made our own welding cart and it worked out great.
I have the Lincon 140c.. I bought it at a welding supply outfit that sold millers as well. He salesman explained that the lincon was a better choice at the time because it had metal gears and a spool gun hookup, they were about the same price so I went with the Lincon. That being said, I would have rather saved up for a 220 and if I were buying a welder today, I would likely opt for the Miller 212
I shopped for used 220V welders for a long time, used were almost price of new and were not in great condition. 110V welders were priced well used and many had little useage so you may start looking there. Cant go wrong with Miller, I didnt buy one, I may regret it. Heres a Miller 172 in your area $575, ad is a few days old http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/tls/2204486696.html
Honestly I have a Hobart 140 on my work truck for use out in the field and it is a great little machine. I have used the miller 140 (without auto set) and it too is a great unit. I own a lincoln powermig 215xt and Iam glad I saved the extra dough for it. You say your gonna do light stuff but dont kid yourself,once your off and running you will be doin light frame work and with the duty cycles of those units and bieng 110v you will not be getting the machine you need. Get a 220 unit like a 180 miller or 210 hobart or somwhere in that area of unit. You will thank yourself in the longrun. I reccomend the lincoln 216 wich is what replaces the 215xt I have. Saving now for the bigger unit as long as you have the power to run it is absolutely the way to go. I know its not what you asked for in the post Im just speaking from experience on buying welders. I went through a couple smaller units before getting the one I have now,I wish I would have just saved in the first place.
Had a Millermatic 130 for over 11 years,had trouble last summer with it and had to buy a new welder, at the time I needed a welder ASAP and the only thing around was a Lincoln 140. I swear on the Lincoln at least once a week. It is not half the welder my old Miller is and I want to spend the money now to have it fixed. I used many welders over the last 25 years I have yet to find a welder that is better then a Miller.
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