JD welder..

[jd670]

A little off topic here, but I'm thinking about getting a new mig welder for myself. I have a Lincoln buzz box that I do most of my repair and fab work with, but it's getting a little tired. I'm not sure what size to get. I've used a Millermatic 250x and a 252 at work. Love them both, but pricey. I looked at the Lincoln 180c and the Hobart 190 Handler and the Ironman 230. I know alot of you guys fab up some really nice attachments for your tractors. That's what I will mostly be doing. Any suggestions???

 

[Jamming]

Been looking at stick welders also, the longevity 250i is Chinese made but a big bang for the buck and I have read plenty of good reviews, I have been running a Hobart handler wire feed for more than 10 years and it has been great so iam somewhat brand loyal to Hobart and might buy it instead of the longevity one. But I really think a larger powered wire feed is the way to go, still on the fence myself. But I sure like the wire feed welding, easy fast and very strong and it can be done with rosin core wire if need be. Let us know what you get and why.

 

[jd670]

I'm with you. The wire feed is much faster and nicer looking welds. I wish JD still offered welders. It would be cool to have a green and yellow welder in my garage. I really like the Hobart ironman 230. It can do 1/2 steel in a single pass and is spool gun ready for aluminum. The best price I've found so far is Sears for $1549. TSC also carries it for $1599 with no shipping. Millermatic 252 from 2500-3000. Way out of my budget. Same for the comparable Lincolns. I have heard good and bad things of the Harbor Freight welders. I'll keep looking and keep you updated.

 

[Mechanos]

I have a a Miller Challenger 172 MIG that I use for most stuff. I also have a Miller Synchrowave 350 TIG w/ water cooled torch for the fancy stuff. The 350 can also be setup with a stinger for stick welding if I come across the need. As you can probably tell, I'm partial to blue welders.

The Hobarts are made by Miller but aren't quite as heavy duty as the Miller line.

 

[jd670]

Well finally made my decision on a welder. I looked over all the ones available to me and came away with the Lincoln Pro-Mig 180 from Lowes. After talking to my neighbor, who is a master welder for CSX and fixed my Lincoln 225 stick welder. I realized I didn't need a 250amp mig. He suggested a tapped machine instead of continuious feed control. Saying that for what i would use it for, a tapped would fit my needs better. So it came down to the Lincoln 180 and the Hobart Handler 190. Both have roughly the same specs and both are tapped machines. I also found out that all the Lincoln 180s from Lowes and Home Depot were in fact Lincoln sp180t machines. Complete with the diamond core technology and that the Hobart 190 is actually the old 187. Hobart rep told me that the 187 was always capable of 190 amps, so they just bumped up the number. In the end it came down to price. Hobart $799 vs. Lincoln $669. With the extra money I got the 100sg spool gun for $170 with 10% discount coupon from Lowes. My entire package was $802.00 out the door from Lowes with 10% coupon. I want to thank everyone for there input on my decsion.