I've been looking for a while for a decent welder. I was looking pretty seriously into the millermatic 210 however a few deals fell through and others were just above what i could spend. here is what i found now and I want to know what you guys think.

Hobart Handler 180 gas/gasless welder no tank but has regulator comes with
oxy/ac tourch (medium tanks) with 50ft red green hose all acc
2 helmets, hammer, and a few other acc.
The welder is on a cart and the oxy/ac tanks are on a hand truck. He has a reciept for the welder that shows it was purchased last year, said all he had done with it was welded new cats on his tahoe.
He is asking $700 for everything
what do you guys think?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I have no previous welding experience, I am tired of paying someone to do this stuff for me. I will be learning with this machine, but would rather not have to but another unit in a few month finding this to be inadequit.
EDIT 2: Sorry admins, I meant to put this in the OTHER section of the forum.

 

I have a miller 130 mig and love it. The larger tank is 130.00 from my welding gas place so if you wanted to go with gas thats about what your looking at plus say 20.00 to fill it. While looking up the hobart 180 I think I ran across the exact deal your talking about. Its on CL right? I have almost the same Oxy/acy rig. Regulators, torches and hoses(Victor) were 180.00 shipped to my door new from the bay and I waited a bit for that deal. Tanks were something like 280.00. Its been 3 or so years now. New cost on the Oxy acc whole set up is going to be around 500.00. I paid 730.00 for my Miller 130XP 10 years ago with tank and everything new. It all looks pretty nice and well kept. I did a qucik look around the 180 I found for 600.00 plus whatever shipping would be. All sounds like a fair deal for 700.00. If you could squezze him down another 50.00 you did good if not you would still be doing good IMO. Ask about the tanks and when they were last hydrostated and where he got them from and how he is getting them filled.

 

Also I taught myself how to Mig weld with my Miller 130XP. Its almost too easy.

 

Mig welding is as easy as they come, and is a great learning experience cause you can save hundreds doin it yourself. I tought myself when i was 12 yrs old with a little lincon electric 110 welder with flux core wire, Welding takes alot of practice and patience but once you get it down you can probably literally do it with you eyes closed. Good luck with it if you get it, it is probably one of the best things you can learn, i have done lots of stick welding and i am fair at it and some tig welding and that is just more than i can handle, it was HARD.

 

Sounds like a good package deal. I have a Hobart 175 and have been happy with it.

 

Sounds like a fair deal. If you get it buy yourself a roll of flux core wire and start practicing if you teach yourself with flux, when you do switch to gas and run youre first bead you will be amazed at how much cleaner and neat the job turns out.

 

Yes, it IS easy to make a mig weld LOOK good! Getting good penetration to make a safe weld is another story tho. Sometimes penetration isn't a concern, as in joining exhaust system components together. But things like bumpers, roll cages and trailer hitches require a little more knowledge than just making a weld clean and good looking! Find out what you're actually doing when you weld before you attempt anything critical!

As for if that equipment is worth it or not... NO! Let me know where it is and I'll go get it off the market so no one gets cheated by buying it!

chaikwa.

 

well, i picked up the setup. Everything looks great, now i just have to run a big enough line to the garage.