compare miller 211 & hobart 210

[lostcause]

ok, as usual i end up spending half a century analyzing things before i actually get around to buying them (good thing i have a couple of old welders on hand to do things while i waffle on my decisions).

i've been pretty content with the plan to get a miller 211 welder, but since mark from everlast has arrived here, he's made some good arguments for their products. normally i wouldn't trust a salesman too much but he's made a lot of good posts and answered a lot of questions for people with solid info, so i can't count him as just a salesman anymore. now i can't help but go back to one of the first welders i looked at when i got the urge to buy something new - the hobart 210.

in today's world, it's so hard to tell who makes what in which country anymore - or whether that even matters. from reputation and history, people tend to know lincoln and miller, so you generally know whatever you get from them is not going to suck, to put it bluntly. around here, the hobart name is fairly common, but has never really been spoken in the same breath as the other two, though i assume it's a quality product. aside from brand loyalties, does anyone know of any major differences in materials or craftsmanship, or function between these two? the specs are fairly similar on both, and i believe the following are some of the differences:

auto set (miller only) - set material thickness & wire, and machine adjusts current automatically - i don't see this as a huge feature - am i wrong?

mvp plug system (miller only) - welder comes with 120v and 240v plugs. machine senses whatever power it is running on automatically - having the option to do lower output work on 120v could at times be a perk.

miller has infinite heat settings?, hobart has 7? - i see this as a potential issue, or am i wrong?

aside from those, the big difference i see is price. $945 delivered with sales tax on the hobart, $1202 for the miller - $257 price difference. both brand prices include the welder and a spoolgun. i'm not going to use this professionally, i consider myself as more of an aggressive homeowner. i just wonder whether whether there is something i would regret long term on one or the other.

edit: just found out that miller is giving a $100 rebate on the 211/spoolgun combo as of june 1. that brings the gap to $157.

 

[yomax4]

OK, The Auto Set is not really Auto Set. You still have to tweek to get what you want. The Hobart 210 is only 150 amps output. Look at the output plate. Also Miller ( ITW ) Owns Hobart. Back when Hobart Sold out, ITW bought the Small welders and Thermadyne bought the Big ones. ( Now Called Fabricators, Power Masters, Arc Masters and SP series ) What ever you buy, Look at the output and not just the decal on the front. Both machines you are looking at are good units for those interested in that type of machine but they both are owned by Miller and they both are not "exactly" what they say they are.
Good Luck. :thumbsup:

 

[mmurphy]

I thought I would let you know I am vary pleased with my Hobart 210. I am not no professional welder, and maybe do not use it as much as you are wanting it for. And made in the USA, or so they say.

 

[kennyd]

Search one of the welding forums...The Miller and Hobart are made on the same assembly line, but the Miller is geared more for commercial/industrial use, it has higher duty cycles and all metal wire drive system vs. the plastic parts in the Hobart.

 

[lostcause]

miller 211: 30a-210a range, 150a @ 30% duty cycle rated output

hobart 210: 25a-210a range, 150a @ 30% duty cycle rated output

as far as on paper, they're pretty much the same. it's the stuff that doesn't show on paper that i'm interested in. like the 7 amperage settings on the hobart? if it's 25a-210a, that's around a 30a step in current for each setting. i'm used to old stick welders with 15a steps and an older century 120 wire feed with infinite steps up to 90a. is the 7 ranges going to be an issue?

 

[Rob-D]

I have a Millermatic 210, it's the old model, I think they came out with an update.

Anyway, I just looked at my Miller book and it's 210 amps @ 30% duty cycle, 60% at 160 amps.

I have the spool gun too and it's a great welder, a really great welder! I don't mind the fact that it has 7 steps, I thought I would when I got it but it hasn't been a problem and I've done all thickness metals and aluminum.

It's made like a tank and that's what I want. I have a little Hobart spot welder and it's ok, does the job but it's not in the same class as the Miller or Lincoln welders in my view. I've looked at the Hobart's at TSC and you can see they skimp on stuff although it's very likely fine for home shops. It's the things you can't see like how the transformers are wound that count but if they both have the same duty cycle than I guess you're ok but not for commercial use.
What you get with the Miller is a bullet proof machine, steel drive wheels and a better resale if you decide to upgrade.

If I was getting a small welder it would be the Lincoln 125SP or whatever they call it now. It's the best little welder you can get and I've done 3/16" on it which is remarkable for a 110 volt welder. Lots of pros use them for portable work. You might want to look into it if it's not too small for your needs

Rob

 

[yomax4]

The Step Voltage Welders are fine. They actually are pretty beefy. They really dont act like there is that much gap in the settings. You can help that cause by playing with with wire speed. Any Welder is a Great Tool..

 

[Stimw]

I've had a MM210 for almost 10 years. I bought it for my business and at the time I wasn't sure I could justify it. It paid for itself in 3 months, easily!!
I worked on Semi Trailers for 30 years, supervised 3 shops in two states. My MM210 will handle about 90% of the welding I have done through the years on semi's. Those shops all had 250 class machines.
I have welded from 16ga. to 1/2" with no problems with the MM210. I've never found the duty cycle to be a problem. I can't really weld for 8 hours straight but that is really hard to do with setting up and repositioning anyway.
Money very well spent.

 

[lostcause]

a couple of you have the 210's, but those are different from the 211. the 212 is the replacement for the 210. the 211 is like a beefed up 140 or 180 from what i can see. the 210/212 are full size machines with 60% duty cycles at their rated output, but the 140/180/211 are portable size with 30% cycles. i don't envision needing to run at 150a continuously, so i will be working with a higher duty cycle when i'm at a lower output. i think that size/power work out fine - i'm getting by with lesser machines now anyways.

plus, this is really the perfect portable to have anyways. even if i find that i want more power eventually, it's always handy to have something you can take with you and use on any plug.

 

[mjncad]

If you can afford the Miller, go blue; if not the Miller Lite version called Hobart will probably be fine for your needs.

Just get a brand name you can get parts and service for if you need it.