Miller180 vs. Lincon 180

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stroker_valiant

stroker_valiant

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So I am in the market for a new welder, my choices are the Miller 180 vs. the Lincon 180. Lowes has the cheapest price on the Lincon at about $650. My local welding supply shop has the Miller for around $800. The miller is sturdier built, i.e., cast iron roller parts nad wire tension pieces vs. plastic on the red one. I have been reading reviews on the both, and it seems to be an argument over preference, like chebby to MoPar. Reviews say one has a better arc over the other, and then it turns to an argument over which one is better. For the average home hobbyist, I would feel just fine with the Lincon, but I hear customer support is better on the Miller.
Does anybody here have either one? Or have any input on either one? Any help is much appreciated.
 
I have a lincon 220 here at the house and it is just fine for the average use, it hasn't let me down yet in the 6-7+ years I have been using it. At work however we have a 220 Hobart which is much better but will also run a lot more.
 
Both great welders, but I switched to the Miller, i get better welds with the Miller, better heat control. Personally, I like the Miller,it is a very reliable, and IMO better quality welder. I'm sure you will get alot of different opinions, and I am not knocking the Lincoln, but I have owned both, and for the money I would take the Miller. Just so you know, Miller owns Hobart, and they are great welders too.
 
I have had great luck with my Lincoln and welded alot with it in the past and it still works great. For the price difference I would go Lincoln for hobby it wont make that much of a difference.
 
I just bought a Century 180. I really like it. I went to the welding supply store to look at Lincoln 180's and the owner of the shop told me about the Century 180's and said they were a bit cheaper (about $200). Century is owned by Lincoln and the gun is a Lincoln gun. From what I have been told the Centrury is just an old Lincoln 180 though I cannot confirm this.

I got the Century 180 and went back and bought a bottle and some other items from the welding supply store.

Here is a link to an example of the Century 180. http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingdepot/K2788-2.html
 
Another plus about the Lincon, if I buy it from my local weld supply store, I get a free $220 eloctronic hood. But I have a magnified gold lens hood that I love now.
 
I have been replacing my service truck welders with Miller's. The trucks now have Lincoln's.
I'm not a welder, but my Techs use these every other day. They really like the Miller's.
 
Food for thought. I was in the same boat last year and ended up with a Hobart 187. Got a good deal online with free shipping (Northern Tool IIRC).
 
When it comes to Lincoln or Miller, it just comes down the what color do you like?

I have a Licoln weld pack 100 I got 20 years ago for my birthday, still works great, bouncing around in my truck, left in the rain, snow.......

Got a Lincoln 140T, about 5 years ago, same deal, trouble free.

had a Hobart handler for a year, it fried using it like the lincoln.

Millers are just as good as licolns, and at least here, they accessories and parts are cheaper for the licoln.
 
I had a new Hobart Handler 175 that I traded for and older Lincoln 140 because of being lots easier to plug to 110 volt instead of 220. The 140 works good for thin material and anything thicker I will stick weld with my portable. The leads are so short it is hard to do much welding on heavy equipment because of reach. With the Lincoln 140 I can use a heavy cord to increase mobility. Both make good machines.
 
To start off with here is a comparison of both. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/en_US/Products/K2473-1/e7242.pdf of course this is off the Lincoln site so it may be slightly biased. I have been repairing welders for about 20 years now and can tell you they are both very good welders and both companies have great customer service. One thing to keep in ming is the Lincoln Promigs sold at the box stores are a decontented version of the Powermigs sold at the welding supply stores. Also keep in mind that the Hobart (Miller) and Century (Lincoln) are the big guys lower priced options. Both are well made but have had some things cut or substituted to lower the price they can sell them at. If you have a decent welding supply store near you ask if they have a machine you can test to determine if you like the way it works. Many will do just that for you. This way you can make your own decision on which one you personally like better.
 
what he said...the salesman will be the one who determines what you get....go with the man who knows the welder...he will give you the best service down the road.

Mop
 
That comparison from Lincoln is kinda biased, but all the stuff the report is pointing out is obviously better made on the red box. So I think my mind might be made up now.

Thanks for all the help in replies.
 
I have a friend that builds trophy trucks. His comment was, mig he likes lincoln, tig it's millers.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either blue or red.

I have a millermatic 175 and it was a royal PIA to get right. I still don't like some of the embedded features on the motherboard, like the wire speed sensing. Once you get it sorted out and a feel for the machine, it works fine.
 
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