[huckster427]

Does any one have this machine ,is it any good??

Huckster427

[crussell85]

There is sure a lot to be desired with the warranty.

Limited 1 year/90 day warranty- One (1) Year, from the date of purchase, that the transformer and rectifiers are free of defects in material and workmanship. Ninety (90) Days, from the date of purchase, that the gun, liner, wire feed mechanism, welding clamps, electrode holder, cables and accessories packaged with the welder are free of defects in material and workmanship. This does not apply to consumable parts, tips, nozzles and welding wire.

You can buy a Hobart from TSC for another fifty bucks or so. It doesn't come with the cart and helmet and all the other crap that makes it seem like a good deal. Plus a lot better of a warranty. I would stay away from this welder.

If a product is good then their not scared to put a good warranty on it.

[silentpoet]

Can't go wrong with a miller, hobart, or lincoln. Not to say that others are worthless, but you take more of a chance.

[BigEd36]

Poor warranty and Chinese made. I would walk away. For the same $$$ you can buy the Auto Arc 130 which is made by Hobart and carries the same warranty that Hobart welders have. Here's the Auto Arc 130 for $327.21: (notice this one doesn't include the regulator and hose but is a true mig welder, not just flux core) Amazon $406.29 and TSC $399.99 (online only) has the Auto Arc with a regulator, cart and helmet.



The reviews are great for the welder, pretty bad for the cart (mainly screws don't hold well, but.....ya got a welder!) and, especially the cheap helmet, but a decent auto darkening helmet doesn't cost too much. These welders are warranted by, and parts and service are available from Hobart.

The Hobart Handler 140 has a very good reputation and can be bought for $499.99 at TSC. TSC also has the Hobart Handler 125 for $369.99.

In my opinion any of these, as well as others from Miller and Lincoln, would be a much better investment than a welder from China that would be hard, and probably impossible, to get service/parts for.

Ed

[jfl1960]

I have a Lincoln Mig Pak 10 (90 amp wire feeder with FCAW and GMAW capability) that has been in my garage since 2001 and still works like a charm, absolutely great for light duty but found it was not hot enough for anything above 3/16 and when welding heavier materials it would shut down due to exceeding duty cycle if I were welding anything long like 6 inches or more at max setting.. I found one of these Real Gear 140 units in a local buy and sell for $250.00, it looked like new and was hardly used, original roll of hardwire was only 1/2 gone, problem was the guy who had wasn't a welder and didn't understand amperage requirement of this unit, it was running it on a 15amp circuit so he thought it was junk as it wouldn't weld very good for him, I tried the machine and found it running very cold but since it wasn't getting enough amperage to start with I took a chance and got it, it actually requires a dedicated min 20 amp 110V circuit to run properly which I have installed in my garage, I am very impressed so far, it is a Lincoln knock off and therefore uses all the Lincoln consumable parts like nozzles and tips, not sure about liners, or whips, I will try and swap my whip from my Lincoln and see if they are compatible. I have gone through 5 10lb rolls of .035 FCAW wire so far and this welder has only shut down once from exceeding the duty cycle, was welding a combination of steels from 1/8 up to 3/8 with no problems and great penetration. This welder came with a gas setup but I use it for FCAW all the time and now leave my Lincoln setup for GMAW all the time. Personally I like it but as stated these units are kinda like the old fords of the 60's and 70's, one is great and the next is a lemon, they are very reasonably priced. Good luck.

[StreetKruzer]

I have an old Hobart Handler 135 which they don't make anymore. LUV IT! Still does everything I need up to 3/8" and still 110v. The newer Handler 140, etc. are after Hobart was bought out and windings and such are not as they used to be back then. (This from the welder repair people, they say some other major welder MFG bought them, kept the name, and cheapened the lower end units to compete w/chinese, etc.). If I were buying today, I would look hard at Miller 175 for all around. When I got the Handler 135 I needed something to plug in to 110. Bob