davesisk
Platinum Member
...off Ebay. Final price was $935.52 + $100 shipping. Considering the normal price for these things is around $1500 or more, I believe I've gotten this guy for less than the price of an Ironman 210! The seller says it's brand new. What do you think...did I get a deal on this?
I was considering a Hobart Handler 175 (which should be sufficient for doing things like wrought-iron furniture), but thinking that an Ironman 210 would probably give me more capability (for doing things like tractor attachments, etc. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). However, it was hard to justify paying twice as much for the capability to weld an extra 1/16" of an inch (according to the specs, 5/16" max for the 175, 3/8" max for the 210), even though the duty cycle is much better on the 210. However, getting a 250 (specs say 1/2" max!) for less than the normal price for a 210 sure makes it seem worth the expenditure. I should never have to buy another MIG welder (I hope). The particular Ebay seller hasn't sold anything else, so the only possible concern would be the person's credibility...let's hope this is an honest person and not some scammer (not likely, but certainly possible).
For all the praise the 175 gets on Hobart's Welding Talk forum, I'd assume the 250 should be quite a fantastic machine. Any comments or opinions to confirm this?
(Just as an FYI...I started out with a cheap $150 85 amp flux-cored wirefeed welder from Harbor Freight several years ago. I decided it was crap after doing a few projects. I studied and experimented with MIG and TIG, and decided on TIG. I've gotten halfway decent at TIG on steel, and I've gotten at least halfway proficient with stick on mild steel as well. As far as learning curve, I'd expect this 250 to be pretty much a breeze to use, with the hardest part being getting the heat and wire-feed speed set right. Any suggestions or comments particular to this machine along these lines would be really appreciated!)
Although I really like TIG for very detailed stuff, it's very slow. Stick moves faster and will handle thick metal, but it sure is messy. I decided to pick up a decent MIG because of it's speed...the problem I've seen most often is just not having enough power to actually get sufficient penetration. I believe 250 amps will definitely do the trick! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Dave
I was considering a Hobart Handler 175 (which should be sufficient for doing things like wrought-iron furniture), but thinking that an Ironman 210 would probably give me more capability (for doing things like tractor attachments, etc. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). However, it was hard to justify paying twice as much for the capability to weld an extra 1/16" of an inch (according to the specs, 5/16" max for the 175, 3/8" max for the 210), even though the duty cycle is much better on the 210. However, getting a 250 (specs say 1/2" max!) for less than the normal price for a 210 sure makes it seem worth the expenditure. I should never have to buy another MIG welder (I hope). The particular Ebay seller hasn't sold anything else, so the only possible concern would be the person's credibility...let's hope this is an honest person and not some scammer (not likely, but certainly possible).
For all the praise the 175 gets on Hobart's Welding Talk forum, I'd assume the 250 should be quite a fantastic machine. Any comments or opinions to confirm this?
(Just as an FYI...I started out with a cheap $150 85 amp flux-cored wirefeed welder from Harbor Freight several years ago. I decided it was crap after doing a few projects. I studied and experimented with MIG and TIG, and decided on TIG. I've gotten halfway decent at TIG on steel, and I've gotten at least halfway proficient with stick on mild steel as well. As far as learning curve, I'd expect this 250 to be pretty much a breeze to use, with the hardest part being getting the heat and wire-feed speed set right. Any suggestions or comments particular to this machine along these lines would be really appreciated!)
Although I really like TIG for very detailed stuff, it's very slow. Stick moves faster and will handle thick metal, but it sure is messy. I decided to pick up a decent MIG because of it's speed...the problem I've seen most often is just not having enough power to actually get sufficient penetration. I believe 250 amps will definitely do the trick! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Dave
