miller 175 vs hobart 180

   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #1  

TimOb

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I'm in need of a welder for general shop purposes. This'll be my first welder and I'll be learning on it. Is there much differences between the miller 175 and hobart 180? They seem pretty similar.

Thanks,
Tim
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180
  • Thread Starter
#2  
I'm in need of a welder for general shop purposes. This'll be my first welder and I'll be learning on it. Is there much differences between the miller 175 and hobart 180? They seem pretty similar.

Thanks,
Tim
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #3  
You should ask your question on the Hobart/Miller welding forum right HERE.

BTW, your question has been asked and answered there several times. They are a friendly group and you will get a straight answer. The biggest difference, other than a few amps, is the wire feed system, the Miller uses metal rollers and the Hobart uses plastic and I believe the guns are different. I had a Miller 175 until recently when I upgraded to a MM251.
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #4  
You should ask your question on the Hobart/Miller welding forum right HERE.

BTW, your question has been asked and answered there several times. They are a friendly group and you will get a straight answer. The biggest difference, other than a few amps, is the wire feed system, the Miller uses metal rollers and the Hobart uses plastic and I believe the guns are different. I had a Miller 175 until recently when I upgraded to a MM251.
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #5  
The one difference that I noted when looking at them was that the Miller requires (or at least it is recommended) a seperate spoolgun and Spoolgun adapter (Add $500-$700) to weld aluminum. Where as the Hobart appears to support welding aluminum out-of-the-box.

They both use the same MIG gun assembly H10/M10 so I'm not sure why the Miller requires the accessories but I suspect it has to do with recommending the best possible equipment and touting the fact that the Spoolgun and adapter allow better quality welds with Aluminum.

Miller owns Hobart so at the end of the day the money is going to the same company.

I just bought my Miller 175 and am happy with it. I haven't bought the spoolgun and adapter (yet). I have no immediate plans for welding aluminum.

I'm sure the forum that MadRef recommended may also be able to give good recommendations.

PB
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #6  
The one difference that I noted when looking at them was that the Miller requires (or at least it is recommended) a seperate spoolgun and Spoolgun adapter (Add $500-$700) to weld aluminum. Where as the Hobart appears to support welding aluminum out-of-the-box.

They both use the same MIG gun assembly H10/M10 so I'm not sure why the Miller requires the accessories but I suspect it has to do with recommending the best possible equipment and touting the fact that the Spoolgun and adapter allow better quality welds with Aluminum.

Miller owns Hobart so at the end of the day the money is going to the same company.

I just bought my Miller 175 and am happy with it. I haven't bought the spoolgun and adapter (yet). I have no immediate plans for welding aluminum.

I'm sure the forum that MadRef recommended may also be able to give good recommendations.

PB
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #7  
Oh yeah, the Millermatic has infinite Voltage control which is a big plus over the Hobart. It's the reason I went with the Miller. Lincoln offers a 175+ with infinite voltage control too and their aluminum support only requires a kit that is something like $50-100.

The input amperage requirements on the Miller is really low so it will run on my generator (a sign of better quality I think).
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #8  
Oh yeah, the Millermatic has infinite Voltage control which is a big plus over the Hobart. It's the reason I went with the Miller. Lincoln offers a 175+ with infinite voltage control too and their aluminum support only requires a kit that is something like $50-100.

The input amperage requirements on the Miller is really low so it will run on my generator (a sign of better quality I think).
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #9  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The one difference that I noted when looking at them was that the Miller requires (or at least it is recommended) a seperate spoolgun and Spoolgun adapter (Add $500-$700) to weld aluminum. Where as the Hobart appears to support welding aluminum out-of-the-box. )</font>

Both welders require an SGA adapter and spool gun to weld aluminum properly. You can use a roll of aluminum wire in either machine directly but you should change out the gun liner or you will get plenty of birds nesting of the wire on the spool. That is why a spool gun is recommended for aluminum.

If you plan on doing a lot of aluminum then buy a TIG unit as they will do it much much better. I have a Thermal Arc TA185 unit for aluminum.
 
   / miller 175 vs hobart 180 #10  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The one difference that I noted when looking at them was that the Miller requires (or at least it is recommended) a seperate spoolgun and Spoolgun adapter (Add $500-$700) to weld aluminum. Where as the Hobart appears to support welding aluminum out-of-the-box. )</font>

Both welders require an SGA adapter and spool gun to weld aluminum properly. You can use a roll of aluminum wire in either machine directly but you should change out the gun liner or you will get plenty of birds nesting of the wire on the spool. That is why a spool gun is recommended for aluminum.

If you plan on doing a lot of aluminum then buy a TIG unit as they will do it much much better. I have a Thermal Arc TA185 unit for aluminum.
 
 
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