Hobart 187 or Lincoln Pro 180 ?

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Howdy!I know this must be one for the ages but I did read a lot of the older threads before posting.  My needs maybe a little different than most of yours as I am a woodworker ... please dont throw slag at me!  Here is the bottom line: Which would you choose and why? Hobart 187 shipped $480ORLincoln Pro 180 shipped around $550My needs are for making shop aides out of steel such as mobile bases for 1000lb machinery and furniture parts out of stainless steel.  At first I was fussing over the cost to rig these two for aluminum welds but after some thought, only on occaison do I ever use aluminum.  Even at that it is for jig making and always screwed to a wooden base ... so welding alluminum is not a top priority for me.  For my needs I am satisfied with brazing aluminum through alternative methods.  My concern here would be welding stainless steel.  You gentlemen never cease to amaze me with your wealth of information.  So which would you pick and why?Last edited by Steve Perez; 07-27-2008 at 05:10 AM.
Reply:I think if it were me , I'd go for the PM180C .I have never used the Hobart before , but , I was looking at the 187 the other day andspecifically , the feed mechanism .  To me , it looked like a pretty cheaply made , allplastic setup . Now , it may work ok , but , the PM looked like a much better made product ( all aluminum and brass with 100% wire support ) . I have owned several small Mig units over the years and I have always found the feedingmechanism to be of the utmost importance . If the machine would not feed the wire smoothly and consistently , it did not matter how much power you had .So , my vote goes for the PM180C . I recently chose the PM over the Miller 180 for myselffor the exact same reason . I have zero regrets .
Reply:This has been discussed before, do a search.  I am a "Red" man.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I'd go with the 180C myself. I like the feed setup a lot better. Keep in mind when I look at a machine I am looking at how well I think it will hold up to hard use. Having used 3 of the Lincolns over the years and a couple of them heavily I have no complaints. Never any problems either and one of them is at least 15 years old. I've been using a Lincoln Weldpak 155 for ornamental iron (among other things) for 3 years now and it does the job well. I have used it for repairing antique iron castings with .045 wire, but it pushes it awfully hard. To clarify a bit I do also own blue equipment that I am very happy with as well. The local Hobart dealer can't even touch the price the local Lincoln dealer has on the 180C.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by Steve PerezI did read a lot of the older threads before posting.  My needs maybe a little different than most of yours as I am a woodworker ... please dont throw slag at me!
Reply:Steve,I'm going to go against the majority here and recommend the HH187.I've owned one for over a year and couldn't be happier with the machine.  It has done everything I've asked it to do (and more).I also have a Miller  MM251 w/30A spoolgun, and more often than not, I go to the Hobart (as long as the project is in it's range).  I've used the smaller Lincoln, Miller and Hobart rigs, and in my estimation the HH 187 is the most bang for the buck of any of them.I'd suggest going to the Hobart board (Weld Talk) and do a search on HH187's.  I've never heard a negative comment regarding the machine.  Review some of Dan's postings on the machine.  He's a very experienced Mig welder who also has some experience with the Lincoln machines.  Think you'll find he's also sold on the HH187.Just my .02.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:thanks everyone.  I ended up with a HH 187.  $539 -  Base price Reconditioned$501 - after 7% Dicount Promo$471 - after microsoft live 6% discount free shipping We'll see how reconditioned it ends up being ...
Reply:Where did you find a Hobart 187 for so cheap?
Reply:check out tool king for recond hh 187 welders.