Which welder is for me? (1 Viewer)

[silverhorse]

add me to the Hobart 190 crowd.. just got it a few weeks ago at Tractor Supply. I have a Lincoln 255 and Lincoln 125. One is too small and the other too big for most things I do. the 190 fits my bill.. I was going to get a Miller.. All the guys with welding shops around here use them. So I made some calls to them and asked. They prefer the older stuff without all the circuit boards(less problematic) apparently the newer stuff is more computer controlled.. I noticed this when I compared all the models, the Hobart literally weighed twice as much as a comparable size lincoln or miller.. so i went with the old technology...... hope this helps..

BTW the model I bought is now only assembled in the USA...

 

[Blue77FJ40]

Tweco is a well known name in welding accessories, like MIG guns, that was acquired by ESAB to brand their low cost line of welders that are globally sourced and assembled in China. Then ESAB was recently bought out by Victor Technologies, so it is now a US company.

Pin_Head, can you show where Victor bought ESAB? I can't find anything on that. Only where ESAB bought Victor last year. Thanks.

 

[Pin_Head]

Colfax, a MD based US company, acquired both ESAB and Victor in that order.

ESAB parent to acquire Victor Technologies - The Fabricator

 

[Pin_Head]

Colfax (the parent company of ESAB, Thermal Arc, Tweco and Victor) just discontinued the Thermal Arc / Tweco / ESAB Fabricator 211i and rebadged it as the Victor Firepower MST 220i that sells for $400 more than the Fabricator 211i. I think that the 211i was too much internal competition for the ESAB Rebel 215 to wear the ESAB badge for long. It is the same machine, so people will not be fooled. Look for steep discounts on the Firepower 220i that will put its price back in the $900 range.

 

[Dizzy]

Has anyone used Ready Welder? It is a MIG that runs on two, or so, 12V car batteries. Possibly SMAW as well; checkout web DIYs. My first project would be a shield to physically isolate the batteries from the fabrication environment.