Looking to buy a wire welder for our shop to replace the buzz box welder we have now, Looking at a Hobart Iron Man 230 amp. Anyone have advice on the best unit to buy?
How much money are you wanting to spend? And what thicknesses and types of metal are you planning on welding? Have you used a wire welder enough to get familiar with one?
If I was shopping for a new welder I would go to my local welding supply and shop there..Most are competitive in price but If they want your business most will have some demos so you can try it out before you buy ... I personally like Lincoln machines but I own two Millers that are good machines ...The main thing is to have some support locally so when things go wrong you've got some help...
I want it for a farm shop and for use in our plumbing business. We could weld 1/2 to 3/4 steel on occasion but mostly smaller thickness metals. I have never used one before, have always had a stick welder only. I would like to spend $2000 appox. which is why the Hobart unit appeals to me. Are wire welders all position welders?
We farm and have had a Millermatic 251 for several years and like it very much. We usually weld with 035 wire but it will handle up to 045. We use it for repairs and structural work. I think the current equivalent is the 252 and I believe they're still around $2,000.
Wire welders are more friendly for flat welding, but that's not to say they can't be used in all positions, it just takes different welding techniques to do it. For sure don't won't to position nozzle so that slag balls drop down inside the nozzle. And I've used arc welding all my life, used to erect structural iron, have burned pounds of 7018 rods doing so, but in a shop environment, there's no way I would work without a MIG in the shop.
It is my understanding that Hobart is owned by Miller. I was told Miller bought them out a few years ago to get the name so they could use it for the big box store sales. I don’t think it makes them bad, but I do think they are made to sell down the line. What ever you get make sure you can get parts for it. I own a Miller 252 and I love it. If you want to weld that thick of material even the 252 would be pushed to the limit. Be careful with a wire welder. It is very easy to make welds that look great but have very little penetration. Usually with a stick welder if a weld looks good it probably is. Not so with a wire feed. Check out a web site called “welding tips and tricks” that guy knows his stuff. Also “weldingweb” can be helpful. I bought the 252 at the local welding shop. Prices were a little higher than on line but I was trading in a Lincoln 255 (hated that machine). The last machine I bought was a Miller syncrowave 200. I got it online. Even with shipping I save several hundred bucks over local shop.
Hobart is owned by Miller. But with that being said Hobart machines are not built to the same standards as a Miller machine. As was said earlier if I where you I would contact my local welding supply store and start there. I have several times bought demo machines for almost half the price of a new machine. Of course the Internet is a great place for good deals also. On your question about welding position. Yes wire welders can be all position welders. But just like a stick welder it depends on what you are welding on and the skill of the person using the welder. I myself mainly use dual shield wire for almost all of my welding jobs that I do. It typically produces a lot stronger of a weld then most solid wire and you can use it in any position even vertical up. It is however a little bit to hot of a welding wire for most of the thinner sheet metal I work with. Another thing you have to think about is the shielding gas you can use with your welder. And that is as interesting of a topic as you will find because it can bring out a million different preferences and opinions. On that topic I would recommend that you speak with your local welding supply store. If you let them know what you plan on welding and the type and size of wire you plan on using then they can help you decide on what will best suite your needs. On the different thicknesses of metal you plan on welding the wire welder is just like a stick welder. It will weld as thick of metal as you want to weld if you are willing to run enough passes. The main difference between the two is that with a correctly set up wire welder a very unexperienced welder can weld very thin sheet metal. Where as with a stick welder it takes a skilled welder and the right welding rod to do the same job.
I'd go one step further and have your local welding supply store come out to your place and do a survey of what you're welding as a general rule. Then they can come back with a demo machine that they can use it to show you the typical results of a wire machine on your specific type of fabrication work, advise you on shielding gases, etc. We use Miller machines for what it's worth. They appear to be the best on the market but the price reflects that, our machines are in use 24/7 and we need something reliable. One reason I like wire feeders for repair welding (which is mostly what we do) is that you don't have to stop from one side of the structure to the other as you would do with electrodes. Those stops/starts are where the potential problems and starting points of future re-cracking lies.
Miller Electric, Hobart brothers and a bunch of other companies are all owned by the same parent company, Illinois Tool Works.
have a millermatic 212 like it very much 252 will handel heveryer stuff but i was proud to get mine had a smal;l lincoln 110 mechine just would not work very well on the stuff i had started getting into the thing i noticed about the miller over the hobart the miller had a longer stinger i beleive.
The main gig at my place is structural steel fab and welding. As a person that uses them all day every day i would recommend sticking with Miller, Lincoln and esab in that order and those brands. For a lighter MIG i would say you would be well served by a miller 252. For SERIOUS repair work i would look into a Miller XMT CC/CV and a suitcase feeder. That would give you the best of all worlds. You could run regular .035 E70 MIG wire or switch drive rolls and gun and run an .052" dual shield wire for multi pass welds on thicker material. Also gives the versatility to run lager stick electrodes even small to medium carbon arc gouging. Heck you can even get an add on to do pulse MIG, or a high frequency box for DC tig welding. IF you have a large enough generator you could even load it up and drag it out to the field for true shop capability's out in the dirt.
Lincoln 250 CC/CV and 12v miller suitcase, .045, up to 1"- love it. Wish I had something else for the shop.
keep a eye out for a good used one, I got a 400 mst thermal arc and a brand new feeder for 1800 out the door.
I have used Miller, Lincoln and an old Union carbide MIG welder at the mines, all were good machines. I did a lot of research when I was looking for a 110v MIG for home. My searching led to MIller, Lincoln and Hobart brands as being good reliable machines. I settled on Hobart and have been a happy camper ever since. After buying it, I wished I had purchased it many years ago. I was told that the machines that are sold by actual dealers are heavier duty machines than those sold by Lowes, Tractor Supply, and such, hence the higher prices. For work environment I would agree, go to a welding supplier/ dealer.
I've owned a hobart 250 for 20 some years now, love it, that being said out of all the rolls of wire run through it the only thing I've ever done was put a new gun liner in it besides tips, I have no idea how many rolls its eaten, maybe 200 maybe more. I've also got a miller suitcase feeder for my bobcat, love that was well for shielded wire we use outdoors. I went to a welding clinic and tried every make model of welder on the market when I was going to buy one, then when I had it narrowed down I went back and ran about three side by side for hours and ended up buying the hobart, I've never been sorry since, but go locally and get someone to do that for you, if you have nobody locally then figure out who is the closest to you to do business with and if they are any good and provide service, if no service then shop elsewhere, service is the key to anything. Aslo look at duty cycle and make sure you don't exceede it, I've burned up several stick welders by going over the duty cycle and I made sure when I bought a wire welder it was a long enough duty cycle, my suitcase feeder is 100% at 100% power or I can run it continuous forever if I wanted at full power, my hobart is something like 80% duty cycle at almost full power, about the highest of the welders I liked. Also different wire runs better in different welders, I have tried them all and two brands I like the best, a cheap wire and also a higher priced wire, the top of the line wire I hated and took back the remaining rolls I had, keep that in mind as well. I bought my hobart with the hobart gun and love it, I didn't like the top of the line gun they wanted to sell me though, it had twist in tips which would have been nice but it didn't feel right in my hand, the hobart did and I bought that instead, miller didn't fit right either. As for buying used, I'd go new and get on with life, you get a warrenty and for what little more it is be the only one to own it and know its never been abused or had problems with it. I"ve run them all and for different applications I use different welders but for the shop its my hobart, I know of several repair shops to use only hobart machines and they love them as well, its about like chevy vs ford thing, its what you like and get used to, best of luck
Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to go with the Hobart unit, it also comes with the additional spool gun for stainless and aluminum.
I wouldnt trade my millermatic212 for anything(except a stack of cash big enough to retire). I use it daily.