180 vs 187

[RonN]

I'm new here but have read many great questions and answers. Now I have one.
I have a HH 120 that has served me very well but now seems the time to move up.
Farm and Fleet has the HH180 for 549.00 without a cart and I just noticed Amazon has the HH187 for 649.00 with a cart. Any opinions on the differences of the machines or your personal opinion on which you would buy would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance.
RonN

[Broccoli1]

I'm new here but have read many great questions and answers. Now I have one.
I have a HH 120 that has served me very well but now seems the time to move up.
Farm and Fleet has the HH180 for 549.00 without a cart and I just noticed Amazon has the HH187 for 649.00 with a cart. Any opinions on the differences of the machines or your personal opinion on which you would buy would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance.
RonN

Ron,

I can't believe no one has responded yet. As far as I can tell from all the posts about the 187- The 187 Can't say as I don't own one or even tried one but everyone seems to be Extremely happy with the 187 and that it is a Huge improvement over the 180

[cope]

without a doubt, it's much more machine than the HH180 it replaced. If you already had a 180, I would say keep it, but there is no way I would recommend buying the 180 when the 187 is here.

[Dan]

without a doubt, it's much more machine than the HH180 it replaced. If you already had a 180, I would say keep it, but there is no way I would recommend buying the 180 when the 187 is here.

Alan, I have to disagree with you on keeping the HH 180. The performance of the top two taps on the HH 180 is very poor. I definitely rate the HH 180 as a blunder on Hobart's part. Hobart definitely made up for it though with the HH 187.

[turbo38t]

Man, I love my Handler 174. I don't know why people need infinite settings, or even more than 4. A good weldor just compensates naturally by going slower or faster. If you're a stick welder you know what I'm talking about. I used the 187 the other day and it's a nice machine, but nothing to trade my 175 in for. And with the sga-1000 box and 3536 spoolgun my 175 is great for 3/16" aluminum.....1/4" if you're lucky. Dave

[horseman1]

I have the 175 too and I was wondering if trading up would be worth it.

[Dan]

I have the 175 too and I was wondering if trading up would be worth it.

If you plan on welding any 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel, the upgrade to the 187 is well worth it. Plus, the 187 is a nicer 1/8" unit then the 175.

[lgjhn]

If you plan on welding any 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel, the upgrade to the 187 is well worth it. Plus, the 187 is a nicer 1/8" unit then the 175.

You're all hearing it from the man that did the field testing.....
I can personally avouch for the top end of the 187: been there, did it....its sweet. In its range, it rivals my MM210. With a tag of $549 at Sears, I would say "jump on it" now and don't look back!!

[turbo38t]

I guess I'm hesitant. Once you know how to maneuver the gun with the 175 the next step is stick for me. I use stick on anything over 1/4" anyways usually. No reason not to. Just made a welder cart fr my 175 tonight actually. Will send pics tomorrow. Dave

[Sundown]

I guess I'm hesitant. Once you know how to maneuver the gun with the 175 the next step is stick for me. I use stick on anything over 1/4" anyways usually. No reason not to. Just made a welder cart fr my 175 tonight actually. Will send pics tomorrow. Dave

The 175 is a better machine than the 180 was, however the 187 apears to be even that much better. If the 175 does it for you then that's the one to have, looking forward to seeing the cart.

[Berniep]

So are you all saying that the reason I can't weld right is my 180?
All this time I thought it was me

[RichT]

Good perspectives here. Contemplating upgrading from MM175 to Ho187. Do mostly lower gauge auto stuff, occasional heavier stuff...for ex, 3/16 tube steel for a car rotisserie or tractor implements. Really like the 175 on gas-great welds. Should I upgrade to 187?

[Clay Walters]

Well, I'm a little reluctant to post as I'm not much of a welder. That said I recently sold my HH175 but found I couldn't pass up on the deal for the new HH187.

I can tell there is some difference; its smoother. But a pretty weld with the 175 looks like a pretty weld with the 187. And an ugly one....you get the picture.

Since I've never attempted anything less than 1/8" I can't speak to the light guage performance difference. With fluxcore they seem about the same.

I can say that the new fluxcore nozzles are very nice. And with gas, the 187 has less splatter. Eventually I'll get around to picking up some argon and will have a better idea after playing with some aluminum. My 175 was very smooth on aluminum and it'll be interesting to see if the new 187 is even better.

Regards,

Clay

[BryanM]

need info on HH187

[Clay Walters]

need info on HH187

Here's a link to the manual. Also recommend you search this site for 187 or HH187 or Hobart Handler 187. A ton of recent threads should answer your questions.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/om/6digit/o228187a_hob.pdf

Regards,

Clay