[phishfud]

I am in the market for a Mig, as i am about to do the floors in my TA. I have never welded before, so pretty new to this. I know i want a gas unit, and most of my work will be body related. i have been looking for a while now, and reading up on what is good and bad. Naturally, i looked at Miller and Lincoln, but a bit much for me pricewise. I found a Hobart at Harbor Freight, which is nice since i have a store like 2 miles from me. I also found a Clarke at Northern Tool, but I dont know much about them. Figured someone here may have some good advice. Thanks.

Hobart:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55236

Clarke:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...05&R=200311005

Thanks for any help.

Terry

[leecorrell]

I have a Hobart handler 135 and I am very happy with it. The Harbor Freight price seems way out of line though. $379 for a reman unit! Then you have to pay shipping too, right? I purchased my Hobart from a local shop for $399 and it came with a free cart. Mine was not a reman unit either!

[PLAY400]

I have the Clark. Only complaint is getting consumables since the change in local distributor. Because I don't think I should have to wait a couple of weeks for shields or tips I'm looking at stepping up to a Lincoln with rehostats on both power and feed.

[phishfud]

Thanks for the price info. I wouldnt have known otherwise. No shippoing though, I just have to drive down there, but then I gotta pay tax. Either way, it adds to it.

Terry

[marxjunk]

The hobart handler 135 is a miller 135, the Hobart is made by miller, it's marketing. We have both, and they are both excellent for sheet metal work. I just paid 800 for a miller, and the hobart is 450 at tractor supply.....i shoulda shopped a litte more.
I will say this, parts are a big deal, if ya break and need parts, ya better get a brand name, I just went through the ordeal with a snap-on plasma cutter. Made by century i think, i paid 1400 for the thing, went out of warranty, and repairs are 1100, cuz it's not a miller or lincoln.....expensive lesson on my part. I will never buy any kinda of weld/cutting tool ever again that isn't a miller or lincoln, no matter how cheap.

[Greg Reid]

I just bought this Clarke Welder earlier this week. Haven't even had a chance to use it yet as I have to get a 220vac outlet hooked up. I bought it based largely on opinions of the folks here who have owned and/or used them.
This particular welder included a nice cart, two rolls of wire, an auto-darkening welding helment and the gas conversion kit. Basically everything needed except the argon tank and the 220vac plug. It looks to be of high quality upon visual inspection of the circuit board, wiring, case, etc...

[GTOster]

I got a Lincoln 135 Pro
What a dream I haven't welded since High School Picked it up made a few bead on scrap metal and I was off to the races I welded in two full floor pans on a 67 GTO in an afternoon and am doing boby patches now
A Very easy machine to use on another note
I buddy of mine bought one from Harbor Freight the feed triger stopped working while he was welding and it started spitting out wire at full speed made a mess everywhere it touched the car then he went to turn it off and the damm thing was on fire he ended up turning off the main breaker to the house so he could put the fire out ( what a nice smell his shop has now)
I guess what I am saying is you get what you Pay for
Lincoln for me
Paul

[THEGTOCHISM]

Bought a lincoln mig to replace my old daytona mig. It's A great mig to buy. Also if you can ,get a auto dark helment from northern. Best thing i ever bought. Really helped my welding.

[PetesPonies]

Clarkes use the same comsumables as the standard in the industry. I have 4 Clarkes...good product.

[phishfud]

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I am gonna grab the Hobart, simply because the Harbor Freight store is nly about 2 miles from me, so I can just pick it up. The one they have in the store is not a refurb, so by the end of the day, I should have a mig. Now I just gotta get a tank, and get started. Thanks for the help.

Terry

[Tripower455]

I bought a Millermatic Challenger (40-170 amp) about 8 years ago, and it has been a great machine. No issues whatsoever. Consumables are easy, and I've never needed any parts whatsoever. I did my entire trunk floor, wheel wells and drivers floor, not to mention fixing every bike on the block, boat trailers, lawn mowers etc.

Great machine, and the newer ones even have a reopstat for power (mine has several settings, but has a reostat for wire speed.)

[quick67bird]

I bought a Miller DVI mig. A little big for what I needed but I wanted to be able to grow into it and I like being able to go from 110 to 220 by changing the plugs. This will also weld aluminum with if I get a spool gun.

Robert

[Colin]

I like Miller and Lincoln. I like Miller a little better though, parts for them are easier to get and usually cheaper.

[larry davis]

Miller is the beat manufacturer, parts supplier, and has the best warranty service.
Usually have better features as well.