i love my hobart handler 135 (which shares many Miller parts - Hobart has been owned by Miller for several years, now).
I have never used a 220v welder, but this little 120 volt setup has been able to meet all my hobbyist welding needs. I have never paid attention to the wiring in my walls (or worried about it) - I'd be surprised if you could cause damage with a modern 120 volt welder because they have a pretty short cycle time circuit. In other words, they don't allow you to weld continuously for very long (which would generate wire heat). I think mine cycles at about 12 seconds of weld time, followed by 48 seconds of cool down time (20% on, 80% off)- but i don't exactly remember and it's never an issue with sheet metal welding, since it's all stitch welding.
oh yeah, I run mine through a retracting 3 outlet extension cord plugged into an 8 outlet wall power strip, plugged into a 2 outlet wall outlet on I believe a 15 Amp breaker for the garage opener outlet and the 3 wall outlet in my attached 2 car garage.
Last edited by marklaken; 04/27/2011 10:04 PM.
