Hobart 160i

[Ramtop]

Thinking about buying a stick welder to use occasionally for some projects. I have older Lincoln mig110 which really isn’t big enough to weld heavier materials like 3/8”. The 160i looks good for it’s price point and the relatively lower amperage draw is a plus because my garage only has a 60 amp breaker box currently. Is this welder a good choice? Or should I spend more for something bigger like some of the Miller line?

[Sberry]

I really would like to try it on 120V but this is a very good machine and well suited for small garage and wont even blink 60 service.

[Louie1961]

There is nothing wrong at all with the Hobart unit. But if you can stretch your budget just a little more the ESAB Rogue 181i has more room to grow. It can be used as a DC TIG welder (with a foot pedal-not included), and it has more adjustability (arc force and hot start). It gets AWESOME reviews by many members here. Honestly its just a better all around machine.

https://bakersgas.com/collections/es...esab-700500070

[Sberry]

I am such a fan of Hobart as a company but to tell the truth I would be taking a good look at that yellow thying too if I was in the market. I dont care about the tig,,, did they have a cheaper stick only,,, seems one was about 680$ maybe?

[Sberry]

Luie,,, whats super neat about that is its got more power and more features and cost the same as I paid 15 years ago for a Max Stick. Its really such a deal its back to making the econo units look more expensive again. There is an HF version of this for what,,, 400? Whoopsssssssssssssssssssss see that is a stick version.

[Ramtop]

Thanks for the replies. Running’s has it in their sales flyer this week for $419 so I am leaning towards picking one up if they actually have one in stock. I think that it will be sufficient for my needs. Picking a new welder can lead you down the rabbit hole of , well if I just spend a little more I can get this feature and so on, until you are several hundreds or thousands more than you intended to spend.