Best 140A-ish 110-volt MIG for shop use?

[farmall]

What's the consensus on the best current Lincoln, Miller or Hobart offering in the 140A range?

A friend needs one for light work where only 110 is convenient. He has other machines for heavier work. Wire will be .023" and .035" steel, no flux core.

[Brand X]

Originally Posted by farmall

What's the consensus on the best current Lincoln, Miller or Hobart offering in the 140A range?

A friend needs one for light work where only 110 is convenient. He has other machines for heavier work. Wire will be .023" and .035" steel, no flux core.

Within it's range, the Lincoln 140c is the unit I would buy. I used about 15 different ones, and they always seem to weld the same. They have good wet-out of the weld bead. I would be tempted to try a Thermal-arc 140 only because I used a 131,and it was decent. (too hot down on the very bottom) It wet out the puddle really nice too. .035 solid is way too much wire for most 140 amp standard type migs.

[Birdwell4]

I really like my Lincoln 140C. I've run about 15 lbs of either.023 or.030 in it and have never had any issues. easy to set up, metal rollers and drives, and it has a new cogged drive system too. Never had it slip even a little.

[joebie]

I dig the hell out of my Miller 140.

[BB70Chevelle]

Will be purchasing one of these welders also this week so when working on my car I don't have to keep changing mig wire and liners in my 212 and can just have one machine setup for .023 wire and leave the 212 for thicker metal. Does anyone have any experience with the Esab CaddyMig c160i? How does it rate vs the mm140 or powermig 140c? Specs wise seems to be the best out of the 3 machines. (220v, 100amps @ 100%, 150amps @ 35%, only weighs 26lbs)

[David R]

I bought a Lincoln SP100 when they first came out around 1985. Still got it and still use it. I burn about a 12 lb roll of .023 a year.

I don't think you can get 140 amps out of any 110 v mig no matter what it sez on it. 88 amps on a 15 amp breaker, 100amps at welding voltage on a 20 amp breaker. Do the math.

I do keep a 30 amp breaker in my panel for the plug closest. See the sticky about welding 3/8 with a 110 volt mig.

I guess my vote is Lincoln,

BB70chevelle, the original poster asked about 110 volt migs. YES 220v would be better.
continuous voltage is better than taps any time.

[DSW]

David, your Passport on 110v probably puts out more power than just about any other mig on 115v simply because it's an inverter. That said, I doubt the OP wants to spend that kind of jingle for the small increase over a standard 140 amp class machine. You are paying a lot extra for the light weight and 110/ 220 capability of a portable machine for something dedicated to 110v use in a shop.

[David R]

I was only talking about my SP100 because the OP was looking for a 110 volt mig. I do not know what I can get out of the passport on 110v, but I will find out. Amps and Welding Volts. 15, 20 , and 30 amp circuits. I did a Hobart Handler 140 a long time ago.

I had been eying the passport for a year or two. It sat at the LWS on the shelf. I finally bought it at the end of last year. I have used 3 or 4 rolls of .030 wire. Its a nice machine with limitations. I have taken it on jobs with nothing but success. It does not replace my SP100.

David

[DSW]

David, if you hadn't just posted picts with the Passport, I probably wouldn't have mentioned anything for the same reason you said.

I'll be curious about how much more that Passport will get out of a 115v outlets at various amps. Especially in the hands of someone who can make a decent weld and judge it's potential. I'd also be curious about how much 100% CO2 vs 75/25 mix effects the results if you have the 2 gasses, since that Passport was designed specifically around 100% CO2 from everything I'd heard from Miller. The couple times I've had a chance to run one it was an awesome little machine.

I doubt the difference is all that much in real world terms, maybe an extra 1/16", and probably isn't enough to warrant spending that kind of money for a machine that would just be run on 115v power. That's more just a bonus as for as portability is concerned and you get the real power on 230v just like you do with any 110/220v comparison.

[farmall]

I did a Hobart Handler 140 a long time ago.

How did you like that one?

[Broccoli1]

The Passport Plus on 120v is way better than the SP135 I had- well just runs smoother, I really like it and like it over the MM211.

I only used CO2 with it.

Another thing about the Passport it seemed to be able to handle long runs of Ext cord better.

50' and the SP135 would see a difference in weld quality.

I've run the Passport up to 200' on 12/3- just to see what it would do, ran just fine.

but agree 1600.00 be a lot for a 120v machine

[farmall]

That Passport sounds sweet, but my bud isn't wanting to spend that much unless a specific job will cover it. It will be useful to know even more Passport performance info.

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by farmall

What's the consensus on the best current Lincoln, Miller or Hobart offering in the 140A range?

A friend needs one for light work where only 110 is convenient. He has other machines for heavier work. Wire will be .023" and .035" steel, no flux core.

No 120v machine will run .035

just keep .023 in it and he'll be fine.