welder help

im looking at a lincoln weld pak 175 and lincoln promig 180

im leaning toword the 180 any advice??

this is a very big purchase for me any help in deciding would be great..pro's con's????

I don't care too much for the Weld Pak units. So I would also lean towards the Pro Mig 180. However, you could get a Miller for around the same price. I've used many of both over the years at different jobs, and the only Lincolns I have ever liked were more than 10-15 years old. I had nothing but trouble with the newer stuff. So I tend to stick with Miller.

thanks seth my only problem with miller is my mother in law is going to make the purchase on a lowes or home depot card............

and also what kinds of problems did you have???

I just never liked the quality of the new Lincolns. The seemed loose in the controls. After a little bit of use the wire speed would drop and you had to crank it up more every couple of minutes. It never seemed to burn as hot as a Miller of similar heat ratings. Both of those welders say they will weld 3/16". My Miller is a 175, and I can weld 3/8" in one pass without any issues, without turning it all the way up. I always had wire feed issues with the Lincolns, I think that was the biggest issue I fought with.

However, I have used a Lincoln TIG, and loved it. But it is I think 15 years old or better.

My uncle also has a 12 year old Lincoln tombstone stick welder, with a seperate wire feed. Likely the best MIG welder I have ever used. But it has a Tweco gun and Miller wire feed box.

Thats true with millers. way underated machines. I own the hobart 180 and that thing is a beast! i wish i would of got the new handler with 7 heat ratings instead. but oh well. Im going to get myself a nice 210 or something in the future. Lincolns are nice and all, but to many issues with them. Its been forever since i touched one but i remember changing wire was a pain

The promig should be fine. I've never liked the weld-pak stuff, geared more toward hobbiests, people who stick ornamental shit together on weekends. The only real issues I've ever had with the lincoln stuff were the advertised power and duty cycle always seemed alot lower in real life. Of course, that may be because I can abuse my Miller gear to no end, and it takes it.

thanks for the info guys

ive got a miller 175 with 220v plug and i have used a lincoln 125sp with 115v plug, both had gas and once they were tuned in they're awesome, but i prefer my miller plus its a couple of steps up on the power but it also cost only a little more than the lincoln 125sp. if its between a lincoln and hobart, with click heat settings i would go with the hobart. their basically a wolf in sheeps clothing, just keep in mind that a little more goes a long way.

i'd get a miller 175 or 180 or whatever it is now.... the smaller lincolns arent as good as the smaller millers.... we have a 252c lincoln with the infinite dials and digital readouts, and its nice, has a cool cold start eliminating function, but still no match to the miller xmt machines that dominate shops all over.... they are amazing units, ive never been able to overload one, even welding at 27 amps (about 320-350 amps) all day....