hobart or lincoln

[hounddog]

what is the better of the two welders and why hobart 140 or the lincoln weld pac 3200? im sure there both good but what one would you buy? ive got the money for either one just cant make up my mind, i lean towards hobart simple because of the warranty and have used one and seem to be good

[newtoit]

My .02.

HH140

Reasons:

This forum.

Miller/ Hobart customer service. They understand the importance of keeping the customer happy. They are Johny on the spot with technical info or parts or repairs.

Lack of confusion over model names/numbers-check the Lincoln Website. The Lowes and Home Depot stuff will not even come up unless you specifically enter them.

Innate fear that anything of this kind made specifically for a big box store will be compromised for a price point.

The 140 has some attractive features over its predecessor, the 135. Lets face it, if you are buying a 110volt welder, you are not going to be welding bridges and battleships. You are going to be welding sheet metal. So better perfoormance on the lower end is what you want.

So why didn't I buy a 140? Because I got a deal on a 180 I could not refuse. And bigger IS better, isn't it? But the 220volt power cord is a real pain in the neck.

Keep in mind, the 140 is the biggest 110volt machine, and the 180 is the biggest 220volt machine in this class of welders. If you can generally bring the work to the welder, get the 180. It has just that much more capacity. If you generally must bring the welder to the work, get the 140, you can plug it in anywhere.

[patrickmcveigh]

Does the Weld-pac come setup for gas? I believe the 140 does, and includes a regulator to boot. Expect to pay $150+ more to get the Lincoln going with gas if you have to add a solenoid, regulator, hoses etc.

[pbford]

I just went through much the same thing. I went with the Hobart because of what I had heard about their customer service. I got a killer deal on a HH175 display model with cart at TSC. Mine was missing a couple of accs. so I called Miller, 3 days later the parts showed up free of charge. Now thats what I call Customer Service! I think either one will make you a good machine but personally I would go Hobart. Yep, my first MIG machine and already a brand loyal snob. LOL! Good luck!


Paul B.