Mig Welder Choice ???

The Lincoln is a good stick welder in certian machines and soso on wire machines.

Hobart never has built a decent machine for any type of manual welding, period. There past reputation would never make me try a new one!

I would stick with the Millermatic if it was me.

T_Bone

I might try a Hobart if someone give me one but that would be the only way.

T_Bone

T_Bone

Since then we decided to upgrade and replace older (25 years old) Lincoln R3S600 power sources. A trial was held to compare offerings from Lincoln, Miller and ESAB. The ESAB had wire feeding problems feeding 3/32" flux cored electrode off of 850 LB spools. The Miller machine ran with no problems. The Lincoln CV655/DH10 combo worked well also. I endured sales pitches from all reps. A couple of things finally swayed us to choose Lincoln again. The guts of the CV655 were substantially heavier than the Miller machine. And during an AWS tour of a welder repair shop, most of the machines they were working on were Millers of all types. Lincoln also slightly underbid Miller on the package deal.

Yeah, Miller sells the heck out of them, but its been my experience they don't last in heavy industrial operations like Lincoln. The R3S600s
and DC600s we have proved that.

Are the 600amp machines copper windings? I would think the would have to be with the stable arc that they produce.

I really liked the Lincoln idelarc also for a Tig/stick machine but the Miller still beat Lincoln in Mig welding for 200amps or so.

I think where Hobart made the name was in the 600amp/plus machines. I used one for submurged arc welding when I worked at Coors 30yrs ago and it was a great machine but there 300amp wire feeds were terrible for arc stablitiy for the same time period. I used another 250amp Hobart in the late 80's that also was a piece of junk and it was brand new at the time.

T_Bone