Recommendation for first welder

The 211 will do 3/8" for a skilled welder however I personally would not use it doing 3/8" for structural work because I never liked the penetration of the 3/8" on butt welds unless time is spent grinding angles and time is valuable.

 

$500-$900 no need for over quarter inch. Strictly hobby more or less. Been looking at the Hobart handler 140 seems like most people say it’s more than adequate more most/all armor

 

Bingo

 

I like buying cheap HF crap or no name tools for most things but when welding and your life might just depend on it I say save up and buy the best. Lincoln or Miller.

 

FWIW I took my Hobart tig welder apart out of curiosity, and almost every part under the hood was blue and said miller on it. Biggest difference between the Hobart 140 and the miller is the autoset feature, where you select wire size and amperage, and the machine automatically adjusts wire speed. The 180 and maybe 211 units are dual voltage, which is a cool feature I think.

 

Isn’t Hobart a subsidiary of miller? It’s like their hobby/diy line vs professional. Like craftsman vs snap on (although those two companies aren’t related).

 

Same. But different

 

They're both owned by the same parent company.

 

I noticed stuff stamped Miller on my Hobart also.

 

I've been using a Hobart Handler 150 for over 20 years. Performed flawlessly so far. I'd agree with someone above who recommended 190 or a little bigger if you plan to weld anything 3/8 or larger.

 

always get a machine that is higher amperage then what you think you will use, you will always end up wishing for just a little bit more... And getting something that can both run on 110 voltage but at a lower output and 220 for when you really need it. I have a miller xmt 350, dynasty 210 and a millermatic 141 and there are plenty of times when I'm using my 141 where i only have 110 power and wish i could use my 350 for even 1/4".

 

Check factory rebates. I got $300 back on my Miller Multimatic 215. It does more than what your asking for but the rebates were on a whole bunch of models. I think they have a new sale every three months or so.
I’m not sure if you made a decision buy here is $200 off the 211 and some other current rebates.
https://www.millerwelds.com/build-with-blue-rebate