Hobart 140 handler Vs Eastwood 135 mig welders???

[mr.olds]

Hello guys im new in here. Im a classic car hobbyist and im looking to buy my first Mig welder to use on my projects. I have no experience with welding im just going to start and learn

I was looking at some small welders around $ 300-500 range, I found the eastwood Mig 135 and the Hobart Handler mig 140, the eastwood is arround $ 300 and the hobart you can find one arround $ 550, both have good reviews but the question is is it worth it to pay those extra $ 250 for the hobart? I really going to see the differences and welding quality and power??

any suggestions I will appreciate

thanks

[That Guy There]

Hobart for sure.

[Brianstick]

Get the Eastwood, the Hobart isn't worth $250 more. If your heart is set on the Hobart, get a reconditioned one from Toolking, like I did. They are like brand new.

[Gravel]

I've heard good things about Eastwood but my concern is that warranty work requires shipping. I can tell you for sure that the Hobart and Lincoln machines are good.

[vwguy3]

The Eastwood is a Chinese copy of the Lincoln SP-135. For 300.00 it's worth the gamble.

[Gamble]

The eastwood is or used to be a solid machine. It's a transformer unit so not much to fail. They do take a beating for sure. The hobart is great, but not worth the extra money.
However eastwoods new machines I think I would pass on, and the reason is they are built even cheaper than they used to be which was pretty hard to do. They use the cheap silver, Chinese 4 pin connector when they used to use a standard amp plug like miller and lincoln. The new hobart has 5 tap setting and cast aluminum feeder, the eastwood has infinite amperage and plastic wire feed assembly.
For a few extra over the eastwood (mainly because I hate eastwood and their horrible customer service) get a longevity mig 140. It's a very good 110v mig, pretty strong, uses the standard 4 pin amp plug so it's easy to buy other guns, longer, flex necks etc. And I've heard from others they have a cast aluminum wire feed assembly and you can always add a spool gun to it for a minimal amount. Seems like the best of both worlds for a few bucks more.

Someone else can confirm if the new ones have the cast wire feed assemblies.

[AKweldshop]

Buy American, or don't complain when you end up on the bread line....

I'd buy the Hobart.

[mr.olds]

Thank you guys for all the coments, so its better to look for an american one or something better than eastwood...

[AKweldshop]

Thank you guys for all the coments, so its better to look for an american one or something better than eastwood...

Well,
Its all in what You want to do.
We can't spend your money.
We give suggestions on what we would do if we were in your shoes....
Eastwood are an import machine.
Know getting around it.
I personally have had 4 Hobart migs.
They are a very high quality well made, and parts for them are everywhere.

There are lots of satisfied Eastwood owners.
I find the hobart for $550, a way better deal than the Eastwood.
It mainly depends on what you want to do.
The main problem with "smaller" machine is that people try and use them for things, that you need a bigger machine for.
You can find used Hobart migs very reasnable on CL or eBay....

It all comes down to your choice.

We all have our opinions on what to buy.

I personally would like to see Hobart stay around...

Take this post for what its worth...

Good luck on what ever you decide.

Take care,
~John

[Oscar]

I have an Eastwood MIG175 and it works great. Can't compare it to anything else because it is the only mig i have ever used. The infinite adjustability on both voltage and wire speed is nice. Shipping could be a pain should it need warranty service though. It being transformer based, is pretty heavy. Probably around 50lbs or so.

[Brianstick]

If it were my hard earned money, I would go another 2-300 dollars and go with a 220 volt machine. The Hobart is just not worth 550 dollars. The output of the machine is too limited. You can only use about 100-110 amps of it to weld steel. The volts don't go up high enough to use the higher wire speeds. Just my opinion.

[SuperArc]

Yup I'd definitely get a 220v machine. The Hobart Handler 210 would be best. However, of you can't afford that one, the Hobart Handler 190 looks like a better choice (110v) too.

I'd stay away from the Eastwood myself. With Hobart, Miller and Lincoln, you can find parts and consumables everywhere on the web and places like your LWS Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply (Hobart exclusively) etc....

[blawless]

Hobart. For the love of all things steel....Hobart.

[Gamble]

Yup I'd definitely get a 220v machine. The Hobart Handler 210 would be best. However, of you can't afford that one, the Hobart Handler 190 looks like a better choice (110v) too.

I'd stay away from the Eastwood myself. With Hobart, Miller and Lincoln, you can find parts and consumables everywhere on the web and places like your LWS Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply (Hobart exclusively) etc....

The Hobart 190 is a 220v machine not a dual voltage.

[Brand X]

Hello guys im new in here. Im a classic car hobbyist and im looking to buy my first Mig welder to use on my projects. I have no experience with welding im just going to start and learn

I was looking at some small welders around $ 300-500 range, I found the eastwood Mig 135 and the Hobart Handler mig 140, the eastwood is arround $ 300 and the hobart you can find one arround $ 550, both have good reviews but the question is is it worth it to pay those extra $ 250 for the hobart? I really going to see the differences and welding quality and power??

any suggestions I will appreciate

thanks

This is the very best value. I bit more money, but a lot more value.

http://www.weldersupply.com/P/849/Tw...catoriFREESHIP

[Dan]

This is the very best value. I bit more money, but a lot more value.

http://www.weldersupply.com/P/849/Tw...catoriFREESHIP

Scott,

The one question mark placed on this unit, for me, is the fact that long term durability hasn't been proven yet.

The Hobart Handler 140 doesn't contain the same choke as the Handler 190 or 210 MVP, so its mid and upper range arc quality are no where near as good as the 190 or 210 MVP. A field test Handle 140 I ran had a similar choke design to the 190 and 210 MVP. It's top end on 1/8" was incredible. The arc was incredibly smooth , puddle wet out was excellent, and spatter was non-existent. The new choke design sacrificed the real soft low end arc that the Handler 140 is known to have, so Hobart decided not to go with it.

The Eastwood 135 looks to be a Chinese pirated version of Lincoln's 135 and 140 combined together. This practice alone would keep me from giving Eastwood my money.

I've ran enough of Miller's compact unit's to realize I am not impressed with their overall performance.

In a transformer based 120 volt unit at this point, I'd go with a Lincoln PowerMIG 140C. Don't know the price on it though.

[Brand X]

I have ran way more 140 c machines then most people have. They are one of my favorites. The lighter weight of the Thermal is one of the most important factors in owning a 120 volt machine. (IMO) Lug it anywhere.The adjustable inductance will help wet the puddle out, and something 120 volt machines generally need. Plus sort the different brand wires out better then a fixed machine Three year warranty, and you could unload for what you paid down the road. Bet the price creeps up like everything. I almost bought one, but Thermal decided to sort one board issue before they where released. Better then possibly fixing some later. All fixed, and I sure would not have a issue with any Thermal inverter made now..Having a tig for less grinding is also a bonus, and stick just adds some pretty nice stainless/dissimilar metal welding options for real cheap. Too much value to pass up. (Like I said)

I bought my Esab 200 when they were new on the block, and it's proven to be outstanding in every way.. Stuff is Just too good anymore to worry much about reliability. Not from a name brand company like Victor..(Thermal-arc no more)

[Brianstick]

Scott,

The one question mark placed on this unit, for me, is the fact that long term durability hasn't been proven yet.

The Hobart Handler 140 doesn't contain the same choke as the Handler 190 or 210 MVP, so its mid and upper range arc quality are no where near as good as the 190 or 210 MVP. A field test Handle 140 I ran had a similar choke design to the 190 and 210 MVP. It's top end on 1/8" was incredible. The arc was incredibly smooth , puddle wet out was excellent, and spatter was non-existent. The new choke design sacrificed the real soft low end arc that the Handler 140 is known to have, so Hobart decided not to go with it.

The Eastwood 135 looks to be a Chinese pirated version of Lincoln's 135 and 140 combined together. This practice alone would keep me from giving Eastwood my money.

I've ran enough of Miller's compact unit's to realize I am not impressed with their overall performance.

In a transformer based 120 volt unit at this point, I'd go with a Lincoln PowerMIG 140C. Don't know the price on it though.

When you talk about a choke, what are you referring to?

[KineticWeldingServic]

I have had zero issues out of my baby welder (hobart 140) it gets ran past its duty cycle fairly often. I can not speak to the other one you listed. On thin stuff .188" and below it is about the only thing I use, good wire clean ground, good gas flow and away you go.

[farmersamm]

Can't really go wrong with the Hobart. My old 135 has probably had near to 200lbs of wire run thru it in all the years I've owned it, and it still works flawlessly. A nice cheap to own tapped machine.

[mr.olds]

Thank you guys for all the comments. looking arround I found an almost new Lincon mig 135, so I check it out in buy it, its in very good condition and is powerfull.

I pay $ 400 for it, but I Live in Guatemala Central America, for here is a very good price, for a new one here you have to pay arround $ 1,200

[ckobesko]

Ide buy the Hobart. I have one and it gives my acdc Thunderbolt a run for its money. Love it!

[guinelle1]

looks like an older post, but either way. i own a HH 190 and a eastwood mig135. the hobart is better no doubt quality wise. i still think for the price point alone, buy the eastwood. (i know my hh 190 is not the 140, but anyway) with the eastwood being 200 cheaper it is definitely worth the savings. i have a eastwood store near me, so warranty is not that bad for me... eastwood even sent my a flier recently to buy the mig 135 for $200. im seriously considering buying another one.

[wwh3]

The Hobart is the only way to go I have a 210 mvp, it is to die for, I have a Lincoln 135 for small jobs. As you can see the Hobart is the one to get, they cost a little more and do a great job. If your going to keep it for a long time, get the Hobart for your peace of mind and longevity down the road. Best of luck to you!

[farmer37]

I found a Miller 130 for 300 bucks years ago.It had several large rolls of wire with it.A leather welding jacket and small tools.It weighs 65 pounds.If a welder weighs less in the same output range it has a skimpy transformer or lacks a choke coil.A choke coil makes a machine have a better arc.A mig welder has a lot of parts that can fail.You need parts backup.