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Hobart 210 MVP vs. Millermatic 211

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VenomInjected

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Alright guys...

In the market to get a dual voltage welder.... Cant decide with my local farm store having the Hobart 210 onsale for $749 or if I take part in the miller rebate onine and get a miller 211 for $997.

Im a garage/car restoration builder so I don't have to spend if the Hobart 210 MVP will do what I need but.... some of the miller features are nice.... as well as the miller inverter at 38 lbs vs the hobarts 80 some.

Any real world use of the Hobart 210 MVP or the new inverter based Millermatic 211? Is it worth the extra $250?


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#2 · (Edited)
Get the Hobart and save the money. I have both and I think the Hobart is better because it has a transformer instead of an inverter. Inverters are here today and junk tomorrow. I have had too many inverter welder and plasma machine fail beyond repair. All of them were Millers. I still have some old Miller welders and I like them a lot. I just don't trust Miller inverters at all. I changed the ground clamp on the miller 211 and my Hobart 135. Always go for the transformer welder if you want it to last. If you can afford to buy a new welder every 10 years and you need light weight get an inverter. My Lincoln Inverters are still going strong and one of them is about 20 years old.


 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
69sa200 said:
Get the Hobart and save the money. I have both and I think the Hobart is better because it has a transformer instead of an inverter. Inverters are here today and junk tomorrow. I have had too many inverter welder and plasma machine fail beyond repair. All of them were Millers. I still have some old Miller welders and I like them a lot. I just don't trust Miller inverters at all. I changed the ground clamp on the miller 211 and my Hobart 135. Always go for the transformer welder if you want it to last. If you can afford to buy a new welder every 10 years and you need light weight get an inverter. My Lincoln Inverters are still going strong and one of them is about 20 years old.
Click to expand...
Killer info.... pretty much the cost of the miller 211 by itself....... I can get into the 210MVP with a tank and some consumables....
 
#4 ·
The 211 is going to offer a little more top end power, enough to make it noticeable.

The 211 wire drive is designed to handle a 15' long gun lead. On the Handler 210 MVP, Hobart doesn't recommend using any longer then the 10' long gun lead supplied with the unit.

The Handler 210 has a good low end for thin ga sheet. The variable voltage on the 211 may give it the ability to dial in a better low end arc then the 210.

The 210 does have a pretty good short arc. Weld puddle wet out is good too.
 
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#5 ·
Get the Miller. You have a little bit more power and the wire feed mechanism is aluminum, not plastic, the ground clamp is better, It's a Miller, the regulator is better, you have infinite voltage control. All excellent features.
 
#6 ·
The ground clamp on both of them is cheap but they still work ok. I changed my ground clamp to a copper jaw clamp but it didn't effect the arc quality just easier starts on mill scale.




This is the inside of a Millermatic 130 transformer. It has a much larger drive motor and large transformer. It weighs 76 lbs and the Millermatic 211 weighs 35 lbs. The Hobart uses a similar transformer. Miller used to offer a transformer model of the 211 but it was discontinued. Just compare the internals and you can see why inverter welders are so cheap. The tapped settings are easily adjusted to any metal thickness. The infinite voltage adjustment is not important at all. Each setting on the tap is about 1/16" of steel thickness that you can weld. So tap 3 can weld up to 3/16" steel. The wire size is important too. .023" wire is excellent for auto sheet metal 22 gauge-1/8". The .030" wire is good for 18 gauge -1/4". You can also use .035" wire but it's not as versatile for auto related projects.
 
#7 ·
Keith Merrell said:
Get the Miller. You have a little bit more power and the wire feed mechanism is aluminum, not plastic, the ground clamp is better, It's a Miller, the regulator is better, you have infinite voltage control. All excellent features.
Click to expand...
The wire drive on the Handler 210 MVP is cast aluminum too. The picture of the Handler 210 MVP posted in this thread isn't current, because the 211 and 210 MVP both come with the same work (ground) clamp.
 
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Discussion starter · #13 ·
Went to go buy the $749 Hobart 210 MVP.... sold out and the sale ends this week. (They told me they have been sold out since Nov. 15th.)

Retail price Fleet Farm price was $889.99... on sale for $749.99

Don't know what to do now.. maybe just wait until early 2017?... anyone know what 2017 Miller rebate will be?
 
#14 ·
I would not be surprised if they were phasing out the heavy 210. They are quite reliable but the 90# weight (with a roll of wire) is a hard sell for portability. Log on to Hobart weld shop as they do sell some stuff direct, especially if they want to clean out stock.
 
#15 ·
Farm and Fleet usually gives rain checks
VenomInjected said:
Went to go buy the $749 Hobart 210 MVP.... sold out and the sale ends this week. (They told me they have been sold out since Nov. 15th.)

Retail price Fleet Farm price was $889.99... on sale for $749.99

Don't know what to do now.. maybe just wait until early 2017?... anyone know what 2017 Miller rebate will be?
Click to expand...
 
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#17 ·
Showdog75 said:
I've got a transformer miller 211 and it's basically brand new with very little arc time on it. Although I'm totally satisfied with it I'd trade in a heartbeat for a inverter 211. Mobility is important to me.
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I agree with everything above, but I'd NEVER swap out my transformer for the new inverter. $10 bucks says the transformer based one will still be working 10 years from now, while the inverter model "might" work.
;) ;) ;)
 
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#18 ·
Went through the same process about a month ago, I ended up with the MM 211. I know I may have lost some durability/longevity with the inverter, but I didn't want the weight. My old HH187 was getting to be a real pain to take anywhere. Had to go lighter.
So far, I will give a definite thumbs up to this machine. No problems to speak of and I've been running a 15' gun since new, so I can vouch for the drive roll system
 
#19 ·
This topic has been covered in detail so many times.

Had the Hobart (sold) and have had the Miller for over a year (current MIG machine). Dan did a nice job summing things up. I do want to add that the top end power is WAY more than the Hobart. 25.5v @ 230amps vs. something like 21(ish)v @ 210amps...that's a lot more output wattage. It is very noticeable. While the stock torch won't last long, it can spray arc no problem unlike the Hobart. It's sweet.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Get the Miller. It is so much better - the increase in cost is easily justified. Modern quality inverters are very robust. If taken care of, the machine will likely last many, many years.
 
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VenomInjected
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