Red vs Blue

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This is not another which I should buy thread. The owner of the company I work for has opened another plant in Upstate New York and we were gathering up a truck load of balers and forklifts to send up there. The owner told me to get a welder for NY. Being one to seize any chance to better my situation I boxed up our 1 year old Ranger 10K put it on the truck and ordered a Bobcat 250 for myself. I didn't think that I could pull off upgrading to a trailblazer 302 but I would have if I could have.  This a 1 step up upgrade so it won't be a direct comparison but should be close. I picked up the bobcat on the way to work yesterday. I had a big repair job in a customers plant yesterday so I only had a chance to unbox it and make sure that it ran. The rangers come on a wooden skid that rides fine in the back of a pickup. The bobcats come on a plastic skid that will slide around if not strapped in. The bobcat was much quieter than the ranger 10k but I think it would have the same sound level as a ranger GXT or 250. The fine range control on ranger was smooth as butter but on the bobcat it had quite a bit more drag and felt like the reostat must have been wound with heavier wire. You can feel every wire on it when you turn the knob. This may not be a bad thing, time will tell if it matters.  The fuel filler neck on the ranger sticks up above the welder case while the bobcats fuel filler and cap is below the top of the case to protect it from being damaged. The choke knob was always stiff on the ranger but much smoother on the bobcat. This years 23 hp kohler engine seemed to start just a bit quicker than last years 20hp kohler. Due to the fact both brands have the same engine have the same engine I would expect this out of both brands. I will post more when I get a chance to do some welding with the bobcat. I kept the same leads that I had on the ranger 10k so that won't be a factor.
Reply:OK, I've got the chance to put about 5 hrs of welding on the bobcat. The performance of the two were very similar. The most noticeable difference, in my opinion, between the two is when welding at low current settings such as 3/32" 6010/6011 rod. In this situation it was a bit easier to strike an arc with the Lincoln. Jump up just a few amps theres not much difference at all.  In my area a ranger gxt sells for $3000, $3400 for a ranger 250. The bobcat 250 cost $3257. I really would have like to been able to use the ranger 250 for a few hrs before buying. So to sum it up on these lower end machines what kind service you get at your LWS might well be the biggest difference.If anybody else has had the chance to compare 2 similar machine such as a vantage 300 to a pro 300 feel free to chime in and give your opinion. If you've had a chance to compare a bobcat to a ranger and have a different opinion than me don't be shy about speaking up.