Well, the Lincoln that I was going to get isn't going through so now I'm looking again. I've got a few questions:

I've been looking at the Lincoln SP 175's as a good all around outfit that should take me through the whole project. I've been looknig at Lowes where they have the Pro MIG 175 and Home Depot who also has the SP175HD and also I've been looking online at the SP175 Plus (which is more than the Lowes and HD). My question is if there is any difference between these or are these just branded for the retailers? Also is there a reason that the SP175 Plus is more than the others (about $100+)?

Also, does anyone have the Kobalt 60 gal compressor (13 CFM's @ 90psi) from Lowes, if so how do you like it? For the price at $499, is seems like a nice deal.

Thanks!

 

Don't quote me, but I believe the difference in the "plus" model is duty cycle rating. I bet you could find out easily with a web search. Lincoln should have a home page.

 

I wouldnt go any cheaper than Hobart. Hobart was bought out by Miller and the parts are everywhere and its a good name with a good track record. A cheaper version may have corners cut cheaper parts etc.
I had a little cheap welder from Lowes, I dont think they sell it anymore but it is gas or flux and you cant weld anything unless you have gas. It has no duty cycle once it gets hot your done. Its only good for light sheetmetal work. For the same amount of money my Hobart can weld frame brackets and enginemounts.
I got it out of the box hooked up my gas and started playing. I wrote my name on a piece of scrap and I knew wow this is a decent welder. My cheap welder would spit and pop and would just lose its cycle then start welding again.
Dont get me wrong the cheap welder worked but when the new one arrived man what a difference.

 

What type of Hobart do you have? Ya, I don't want a cheap welder that going to be more of a pain than anything else. That's why I was sticking with the Lincoln's or other name brands. I've heard a lot about the Lincoln's and there quality, especially the sp175's so that's why I was going that route. Also, Lowes and HD carries the 175's so I could just go pick one up and they have some parts, ect if I ever need something. I'm just not sure what the differences are in the model names or if the only difference is just in the name.

I don't want to buy and find out that 'x model' is better for about the same price or that one may be more suited for what I need over the other.

 

I have the Hobart Handler 140. Tractor supply carries the tips and wire and sells them to.

 

The ones at Lowe's are built to Lowe's specs so they can sell at a lower price. If you look at John Deere tractors the sell the only thing that's John Deere is the paint color. They build them to Lowe's specs. THey're cheesey! I have that compressor for 2 years now, and it's been great!. Plenty of air.

Barry

 

My thinking is that I'm not going to be using the welder in a shop type situation so it won't be used that much other than my project. It's kind of like Craftsman vs. Snap On. I had a friend who was a mechanic and the price he use to pay for a set of wrenches could by 3 sets at Sears. Craftsman's have served me well for many years (that's all I buy for mechanical hand tools) but mechanics love Snap On's. I just want to get a Welder that can do frame work as well as body panels and not cause me a bunch of head aches in the process. Also, if I can save a couple hundred at the same time then that's great too.

Also, I've been researching the Kobalt 60gal. compressor from Lowes and so far it's been 90% good from what I can find. I will use that for the usual restoration stuff and if Im confident enough then may go as far as painting as well. I would love some more opinions on both these items.

 

for a 220/ gas machine I would get a hobart 175, I think the new ones are 180s they are a great little machine that is versatile and welds very nice and the price is right on also. If you are looking for more portability a brand name 110 flux core machine is nice to have like a hobart 140. I have had a nice 110 machine flux core it was lincoln or something decent little machine wish I had not sold it just for portability. But man I love my 220v hobart 175 with gas it welds sooo much nicer.

 

One is more expensive than the other because one has infinate variable adjustment settings and the other has mandated increments only.So basically you can fine tune one more than the other.I own the one without the infinate fine tuning ability and it's been a great machine . I only went with it because it was a return at the local Lowe's and it was 50% off.

My 2 cents

 

With a 120V AC line you can only go so far with a 15 or 20A breaker. About the only true difference between a 120 to 140A unit is the marketing hype and fine print.
I use a Firepower FP130 for ease of moving around and an ancient AND heavy Miller 180A 240V for serious work. Firepower is a class act and their parent company produces the Tweco mig gun as used by most of the others. You rarely hear of Firepower as they do mostly OEM branding.

 

LP2, that sounds like a nice find.

I haven't really looked into the Hobarts. I will check on the Hobart pricing. I really like the price of the Lowes/HD units. I did check into some of the other brands but the price was up to $200 more. That's $ that could be used on something else but at the same time I dont want to buy a head ache.

Thanks again!

 

When I bought my Lincoln 175+ I believe the difference was the infinite feed and amperage controls and the capability to reverse polarity (needed for non-ferrous metals) that ran the cost up. I have had my welder for a couple of years now and I am very pleased with its performance and durability.

 

Lowtrkn2k, suggest you start a new thread with your compressor question as this one is following the welder line.

However, while your reading this one...

The size of the tank is nowhere near as important as the horsepower the compressor is capable of and the amount of air (CFM) it will handle. I got a 5.5hp/80gal/17cfm "Craftsman Pro" unit from Sears that was actually manufactured by Devilbiss. It runs on 240V power and has a two stage, oil lubed pump. I got it on sale for about $600 if memory serves.

I've run all kinds of high demand items off it (grinders, impact wrench, sand blasters, etc) and have been very satisfied. It keeps up with me even when sandblasting...the motor shuts down for minutes at a time. Smaller compressors will run more often, get hotter, create more moisture condensation, and wear out sooner.

Another thing to look at is how the pump is lubed. "Oil free" pump compressors are loud enough to wake the dead. The oil lubed ones are still nosiy but tolerable.

Finally, the way I understand it single stage pumps work twice as hard as two stage pumps to create the same amount of air. This also helps reduce the amount of time the compressor runs to keep the tank full. So you want a two stage pump if possible.

Welcome to FTE...

 

For what its worth, I second (third?) what OLDGREENF1 said. When I read his reply I thought I wrote it. I have the same Hobart unit and found, as he did, that Tractor Supply had the best deal. But man are those tanks expensive! I think it was the best think that ever happened to Hobart- getting bought by Miller because one of the best things about a Miller is their gun and when you buy a Hobart you get a Miller gun with it. Mines been great.

Good Luck!

 

[QUOTE=lowtrkn2k]My thinking is that I'm not going to be using the welder in a shop type situation so it won't be used that much other than my project.

This was also my thinking as well, being that I have a lincolin buzz box, I went with a Chicago Elec from H.F. Dual mig 151, its 220v pwr, 20-120 amp welding.
I placed a 30' 12ga. pwr cord on it. I've been using this machine for over three years now with not one problem. It welds great. Never ran into a problem with the duty cycle,even with frame welding. (I've been welding for many years)
You have to buy the regulator seperate. The whole cost set up ready for you to add your tank is under $300.
Just my thoughts