The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Miller vs Hobart

Currently looking at wire welders, Models 180 Millermatic and Hobart Handler 187. Both are 220 single phase units, Miller has infinite voltage control, and Hobart has seven voltage settings. Otherwise they look to be about the same. Supposedly both are made at the same plant. Miller is about 180.00 more, is it a better machine? Anyone have anything good or bad to report about either unit?

John

Hi John,

I have a Millermatic 251, which has infinitely adjustable voltage control. It is also digital, so you can dial in the exact setting you want. I like this type of adjustment particularly when welding thin metal.

Do a google search for Robert Craig's book about MIG welding parameters. I can't remember the exact name of the book. He has some VERY good tips and techniques for getting the most out of your MIG welder. I will do some looking for the book--I may have lent it to a friend but I should be able to lay my hands on it in a day of two.

BTW I was in your part of the world the first weekend in February. I took a big vanload of 11 junior high kids to a youth church rally held at Cavalry Christian Church in Belleview (?) We had 26 in our entire group and that is a LOT of kids to keep track of, so I didn't get a chance to even give you a call. I will try harder next time.

CARL

Hey Carl, Too bad you didn't look me up, I am real close to Bellevue. I know how it is, you had to prioritize, I hope everyone had a good time.

I am going to see if that book is available at the library. Have you had any experience with a Hobart? From what I have read so far, the 187 is a fairly new model, and is getting a pretty good review on another forum. I thought that this would be a better place to get an unbiased opinion.

That 251 is a sweet machine, I don't know of anybody that is unhappy with their Miller.

John

At an old shop I used to work at, we had an industrial Hobart. The shop was down by the beach so the wire spool up top would corrode. This would booger up the feed wheels and the jacket. Spent more time trying to get it to work than using it. The little Lincoln right next to it would always work. I hear the shop replaced the Hobart with a new Miller, recently!!

Both are good machines, the Miller is a little more robust in some areas so to speak, since it's marketed towards industrial use, whereas the Hobart is geared more towards the home shop. Certain items like drive wheels and gears are metal on the Miller, whereas they're plastic on the Hobarts, at least they were a few years ago. If you're just looking for one for home use, I'm sure the Hobart would be fine, and you probably wouldn't notice a difference in using the two. But when I was looking for a 110 unit, I went with the Miller since I got a great deal on it, and I'd used Millers at work for years and really liked them.

Bob

I dont know about the Hobart,however the Miller is a good choice.The miller uses a copper transformer,whereas the Lincoln and most hobby type machines use alluminum transformers.something to think about if you plan on using it a lot.

When I bought mine I looked for convenience of getting the stuff that I would either run out of or I would break. I will only use the welder for my trucks and small jobs around the house and family or friends. They are a wonderful tool and I am loved by a greater circle of people. So, I bought a Lincoln from the big box store. The only time I have to drive a distance for is gas. I think there should be a better distribution of welding gas for backyard, shade tree, mechanic people like me. That is my opinion.

Airgas?? Praxair?? There is no local welding supply near you??

I bought a hobart 180 a while back, works fine for me.

Dave

Miller and Hobart are the same company. As brjr51 said, Miller is more for industrial, Hobart is more for the home user. My Dad has a Hobart, and it performs very well for what we do with it. He used to be a sheet metal worker (retired) and said that the Hobart was virtually identical to the Millers that they used at the shop, only some minor differences, like the controls mentioned earlier.

I bought the smallest miller, 135 I think and I love it. I used it at my shop but have used it more at home and I have never had a problem with it. I've never welded aluminum with it and if I remember right the Hobart version said you could but the Miller said that you have to buy a spool gun if you want to.

Classic line from "Mr. Mom". Sums up the way a lot of us tool guys think!

The biggest difference is the controls as was mentioned. If you are a skilled enough welder to try to perfect your weld by adjusting and AMP or two then the miller gives you that ability whereas the Hobart just has fixed settings. As far as welding aluminum, they can all potentially do it, you need a different gas and the spool gun should be used with any of them. That is because the aluminum wire will kink easily and going all the way through like the steel wire does will create more opportunity for the kinks.

Just bought a Hobart Tigmate for my projects, nice machine with simple set-up and use. All the parts and manuals are Miller/Hobart. This will just be for home use so I bought it with the fingertip control, all I can say is Wow it is one sweet running machine, on thin rusted material I just turn it down a bit and if the porosity creeps in I use a little stainless wire, eats all those little bubbles right up!

I bought the Handler 187 last weekend and tried it out tonight. Very very nice machine. I was "frying bacon" and putting thin mild steel tubing together nicely on the first weld out of the box (C25 gas, .030 -6 wire, 3rd amp setting, wire speed 50, these settings right off the panel chart and it was welding great!!)

The wire rollers are METAL, not plastic, and again, the thing really welds nicely.

Check out www.hobartwelders.com/mboard and search for either machine.

I really like the 187. Wish I had one a lot sooner, but I believe they are new machines. Something like $649 at Northern Tools and free shipping if there is not a store near you.

As previously posted, any MIG is going to weld aluminum better with a spool gun. (The aluminum wire is soft and kinks when the machine pushes it through the liner. Spool gun pulls it off a small spool right there at the weld.) On Al I believe you use 100% Argon rather than 75% with 25% CO2.

I don't think you can go wrong if you pick between the Miller and the Hobart. I believe either would be a good choice, but with the money you save, what can you buy? I know I spent over $300 today on a pair of nice Tillman TIG deerskin gloves, 3 spools of solid wire, a new bottle of C25, and a re-fill on Argon.

--It may be a while before I get my TIG machine out of the tool room!

I checked out the Miller 180. In addition to the infinite amp settings, things I saw that I don't think the Hobart has include:

1. "Smooth-start" I think you would have to weld with both machines to see if this really mattered. Sounds like some degree of marketing fluff.

2. Wire feed "off". Hobart doesn't have this. If you are setting your gas flow you have to set the wire speed to slowest point and then cut off what runs out, or open the box and open the feeder tension so no wire runs out. That is a nice to have.

3. Hobart has more amp range 25-185 versus Miller 30 to 180. 5 amps isn't that much of a difference, but if you need it, it is there.

4. Same gun and cable. Would be nice if the Miller had 15ft cables for the xtra $$. 10 ft is somewhat limiting.

5. Miller’s exclusive “Tip Saver” short circuit protection--again, hard to tell if this is more marketing than engineering.

All-in-all, pretty comparitive machines, price is pretty close, but enough that you could get your full gas cylinder for the difference.

Upon further review--still think you can't go wrong with either one. I'm happy with my HH187 and have no regrets after looking at the Millermatic.

I have a Hobart 140, I love it. It does have a purge/wire feed off setting. The welding supply guy told me(as longbox said) the Hobart line was a home/small shop verison of the Miller, which is more heavy duty for daily continous work(factory). It has to do w/duty cycle mostly, the Miller is higher for continuos welding.

187 may have a purge/wire feed off setting and I just don't know where it is or how to use it. That is very possible.

I welded quite a bit with it this weekend. Thin 1x1 tubing for a driveway gate. It would weld as long as I could stand it. I would have to pull my hood off and take a break, welder was ready to go. I like it pretty good, very easy to use and you can get a lot of work done fast.

Miller 180 here.
I bought it for both sheet metal and frame fab and the fact it's a one-stop shop for all my welding needs. Plus the name and that’s what I was trained on in school.

Though, I have to agree with R-Bo. If your looking at cost the difference is that you could get the fill set-up with the Hobart rather than spending the $$ on a Miller. I put out 800 for just the welder and now need to go back and get the C25. Also, if I wanted to weld aluminum I’d need to purchase the spool gun and adapt it to the 180. I’m not sure what’s involved with doing this with the Hobart, probably the same.

Your choice,
Good luck.

Just to add a wrench to the mix. Hobart just came out with the Handler 210, Yes Handler 210. It is the same size as the 187 but 210amp, only 30% duty vs. 40% with the Ironman 210 but all the same other specs. Oh did I say just got mine Fedex Tuesdays and love it. Can't beet the Hobart. I payed $899.00. no tax no shipping. That alot cheaper that the Ironman210/250, Miller 210,250 and just a little bit more than the 180/187 but you can weld 3/8 one pass when you need it. Just my two cents.

handler 210 is spoolgun ready

brian, i bet you aren't sorry you didn't get a 110 flux core machine. that 210 sounds pretty cool, as much as i hate to buy new stuff i may have to look into those in a year or so. hr

Yes, they are raving about the Handler 210 on the welding boards. I probably should have gone there instead of the 187, but I don't often weld anything much thicker than 1/4", and I already had enough $$ sunk into my TIG.

See this on the HH210
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/showthread.php?t=25436