Haha...ok. You don't seem like the type who budges from a particular stance, but I'll comment on some of your statements to make sure the OP isn't misinformed.
View attachment 1579171
Even the 120 volt transformer welders can push 180 amps for short periods. The Hobart 210 MVP with 230 volt transformer will push 250 amps for short periods possibly closer to 300 amps.
Take a look at the voltage @ 180amps there. All those 11.5 (maybe not even?) volts aren't going to melt any wire.
Period. Maybe if the power source was use for something other than welding, say for some odd-ball electronic device that needs low voltage and ultra high current, yeah maybe it'll work. But this is a wire feed welder. The wire needs a certain amount of voltage for any given amperage in order to smoothly and continuously short circuit. There is absolutely no way that it will weld at 250+ amps!
It's power source just does not lend enough voltage to melt any wire at those current levels. But by all means, (try to) prove me/the physics of welding wrong...
You cant push these compact inverter welders too hard or they will burn up.
This is an ignorant statement and plain false. You can absolutely push inverters hard if they're designed appropriately (aka more IGBTs = spreads electrical load = less stress on components) - as with
ANY electrical equipment!
The Miller 211 inverter is not more powerful than the Hobart 210 MVP. They will both handle 3/8" steel. You should never try to weld 3/8" steel with any of these small MIG welders anyways. To weld 3/8" steel you should have 1 amp per .001" 350 amps and .045" wire for proper single pass welds on 3/8".
Woah woah...what? Power (watts) = voltage x amperage. Last time I checked, 25.5v x 230amps (5865 watts) is more than 21 x 210 (4410 watts).
That's nearly 33% more power output. This actually permits spray transfer on the Miller, whereas the Hobart can
barely short circuit smoothly in the 200+ amp range as it
barely has enough voltage to melt off the wire (I'm not saying it
can't do it, though). And the "1 amp per thousandth" rule for mild steel starts to go out the window for anything over 1/8". Some further reading on the principles of GMAW
here.
80 lbs isn't heavy to me. Plus I use a cart to move the welder around the job site. How else are you going to move the gas cylinder and welder around? If you have money to burn get an inverter.
For the record, the HH210 MVP is nearly 90lbs and is 100lbs or more with an 8" spool in there. We're all happy that you can and take pride in being able to throw around 80lbs though. And it's not that most people can't move that around, it's just "awkward weight". It's a dual voltage device. The whole point is for it to be portable. A 50lb welder is a whole heck of a lot easier to handle than a 100lb welder. And as for cylinders - 80cuft and below aren't heavy and can fit in the back seat of any compact car. Don't forget about a paintball-style CO2 rig...now that's portable.
---------------------
Make no doubt about it - a quality transformer welder will likely last longer than a quality inverter welder. Historically, inverter machines plain and simple have higher rates of failure. But we're talking decades of use here - modern inverters are nothing like the early ones. Like anything else: how it's used and maintained will greatly affect a machine's durability. Proper design (aka epoxied/coated vertically-positioned circuit boards with multiple IGBTs and other quality components *cough* *the new MM211* *cough*) together with both normal use and normal maintenance will almost always yield a VERY long lasting welder (and if it doesn't, 99.9% of the time it's an infancy failure). For most people, the benefits far outweigh the (low) risks.
---------------------
OP - again - I've owned both! You WILL like the Miller more! That's all I have to say - take it or leave it.
