? on small mig selection

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Looking at the miller 180, hobart 187 and the lincoln 180 mig welders. I would think they would all be about the same on power but the lincoln claims it can weld up to 1/2" plate with 045 flux. The other two only claim 5/16", seems a bit odd to me.
Reply:Speaking for the Hobart 210 (which I have), it's not set up for .045 wire from the factory. You need a drive wheel and to change the gun liner to use that wire size (which may be why it's not mentioned for the hh187). I'm not saying it's not possible, but I'd be cautious buying such a machine to weld 1/2" steel plate in a single pass (I'd suggest at least a 250 amp machine). I have welded some 1/2" steel with my 210, but I opened it up at an angle and welded it with a pass on each side (using settings similar to the settings for 3/8" steel, I was welding a 1/2" stub to an almost 1" piece of steel). I "might" have managed to cut an angle across the whole piece and get it (mostly) welded in a single pass, but I don't give my machine credit for having quite that much power. The way I did it, it welded quite well and the weld is clear through the entire thickness of the plate.I would follow your instinct and say that "180 amps is 180 amps" and generally you'll be exactly correct. They are more similar than different and manufacturers sometimes seem to be a little optimistic on their ratings.KevinHobart Handler 210Tweco Fabricator 181iLincoln Squarewave Tig 175
Reply:With enough preheat and interpass temp all of these machines will weld 1" plate. They are all 180 amp machines, right? then that is all the amps you get to work with. Find the deal and buy, stay away from the chicom junk.Better deal is a used Miller or Lincoln. Good Luck.