Hobart STI 150, is it the same as Miller 150 STL?

[Manny]

Thinking real hard about getting a Miller 150 STL, but saw new Sears catalog with Hobart STI 150 and it looks and sounds to be the same. Can get a 10% discount if I order before 5/31 and have some Sears gift certificates to contribute to the cause if it is.
Thanks
Manny

[Hobart Expert Steve]

Manny;

Yes, the Miller unit and the Hobart unit are the same.

Steve

[Manny]

Thanks Steve,
If I can pursue a little further, will this unit do a good job on some occasional body work patches, or should I spend the extra and get a Miller STH? (or the Hobart equivelant if there is one)?
Thanks,
Manny

[Dan]

Manny,

on automotive sheetmetal, TIG is going to require a lot more skill from the operator then MIG. To answer your question though, the Hobart sti goes down to 5 amps which will be more then low enough for automotive sheetmetal. The pulse features on the STH will help some, but really isn t needed to sucessfully weld this thinner material. On this thin of material, i d use an .035 diameter filler rod and an .040 tungsten. For the filler material i d actually just purchase a small roll of either E70S-2 or E70S-6 GMAW filler wire and cut short length of wire from it. Also, the weld puddle and arc are going to be pretty small, so i d use #8 lens in my hood.

[Manny]

Thats what I needed to know, thanks much Dan. I read your threads about getting the 150STH and thats what really opened my eyes to this machine as a possibility. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experiance with it and will hopefully be able to join in with some eperiance myself.
Thanks,
Manny

[Dan]

Manny,

Please realize that i ve been welding for 15+ years and started out by going to school for two year. Also, i have a fairly high skill level with TIG so this light automotive sheetmetal maybe something that i am capable of doing with TIG , but it may possibly be very difficult for you at this point.

[Sundown]

Manny,

To add to what Dan has said, I just got my Maxstar 150 STL and plan on doing only 16ga and thicker for some time (I purchased it to do 16-18ga tubing with). I do some restoration work on VW convertables will will continue to use my Mig for bodywork.