miller vs hobart

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hey guys im new to welding and im going to pick up a new welder im deciding between a miller 180 and a hobart 187 any advice or opinions on the better choice? thanks
Reply:Miller is spool gun ready, The autoset feature would be nice.  You can get a spoolgun package for about 1000 bucks.  I've heard 187 is a fine welder, however.  I don't think you would be throwing your money away, just weight the value of the additional features.
Reply:do you think the auto set is worth the extra money? how about the voltage settings will one work better or more accurately than the other? does one have more potential than the other or will one weld better/nicer than the other? thanks
Reply:I'm a Miller fan.  The auto set functions are very nice.  Is it worth the extra bread?  Probably not.  I learned to weld on a Hobart Handler, but I'm not sure which one.  I've welded on a Miller 180 and liked it a lot.  The 250 is even nicer.Between the Miller and the Hobart though, I wouldn't suppose one has a tremendous amount of potential to be noticeable better than the other.  Plenty of great work has been done on a Harbor Freight welder and plenty of crappy welding has been done on Lincolns and Millers over the years.
Reply:The machine does not make the man HOWEVER the machine will make a good welder a better welder and make a bad welder worse.As far as I know Hobart is now owned by Miller and is pretty much their "hobby welder" division. These machines are  very good and reliable. Check out the difference of the price and see what other goodies you can get with the extra jangle in your pocket. That extra money saved might get you some nice hand tools, clams, vise, grinder ect.. or maybe an upgrade to a O/A torch setup. Weigh it all out and be honest with yourself as to what you are going to use the machine for and your own skill and level of acheivement.
Reply:The Hobart goes to 187amps, and the miller goes to 180amps. Go with the higher amps.
Reply:I am going to be honest here and say that 7 amps is not really going to make a huge difference. Now 20 is a different story. Compare things like duty cycle and find out which one draws less from the wall.'Mike
Reply:I wouldnt go for slight AMP difference... I would go for the duty cycle rating instead and a good brand as an investment... maybe I am wrong as I seem to know nothing but posting pic...Unit in my fab shop dept:my good hand and team that trust me...A lone welder make art... a village full of welder make Miracles...
Reply:well as far as i know the duty cycle is 30%
Reply:I think the bottom line is that between the Hobart and the Miller it's going to be damn near a wash.I've been looking over the spec sheets to each.  The Hobart is a few lbs lighter.  It has a maximum wire feed rate that is substantially higher than the Miller.  At 30% duty cycle they're within 5 amps of each other.  Both require about the same input current.  The faster feed rate on the Hobart might come in handy in a few limited situations at very high amperages, but it really isn't a large enough welder for that to really be an especially useful thing to have.What are you planning on welding anyway?You're basically looking at two really similar products from two top notch welding companies (now really the same company).  If you want to know which one is "better", than objectively speaking I'd have to say the Miller looks better to me.  But the Hobart is far and above a better value.But is one appreciably better, or will one make you a better welder?  No way.  The Hobart is a fine machine, will last the rest of your life if properly cared for and is almost a hundred bucks cheaper.  Were it my hard earned cash on the line, I'd buy the Hobart, then go buy myself a a bending brake, or a bigger gas bottle, or a nicer grinder.  Something like that.
Reply:thanks for the info... i just bought the hobart 187 yesterday (not knowing they hand the handler 210) im sure i made a good choice and im hoping it will be big enough... im sure it will i will be doing alot of automotive stuff.. bodywork maybe custom bumpers or something like that... i will also be doing things like building a cart for it... maybe different types of shelves cages ect...
Reply:The HH 187 is a great welder not to say the Miller is not, but the HH 187 will probably handle any job the Miller welder will. I have a HH 187  upgraded up from the HH 175, lots of difference between the two of them. Hobart did a great job of fine tuning the HH 187. Like some have said here you can take the difference you saved between the two welders and use it to sweeten the pot on other goodies you can use.