thoughts on hh210 mig

brianMO · Aug 19, 2011

I have found myself welding alot lately. I have pushed my hh135 to the limits. I can stick weld but that machine is in my barn. I do not have the power in my garage to support that tank. So I have relied on my trusted 110 volt system. Don't get me wrong, I can do alot with this thing. I have the itch to sell it though and buy a 200amp mig. The input amps fall well within reason of my power limitation. I am slobbering over the new HH210 w/ a spool gun. Anybody lay a bead with one of these yet? I am about to pull the trigger. Somebody has a Lincoln pro-mig 180 on CL that is brand new in the box for $400 dollars. I am leary of CL though. This would get me closer to my wants, without the spool gun. I do not know what a spool gun for a lincoln would run me. Could be a better deal then the 899.00 with free shipping Northern tool is offering for the hh210. Any thoughts?

dstig1 · Aug 19, 2011

You will need a 220 circuit to use that welder. I don't think that one is dual voltage, so you can't run it on 110. If not having a 220V circuit is your limitation, this will not solve it. You just can't draw enough power from a 110V circuit for serious welding. Even a 20A 110V circuit doesn't have enough juice for serious welding, and that is about the biggest 110V circuit you commonly find.

Those welders (Hobart 210 and 230)are a pretty good deal, especially with the spool gun, but remember you need pure argon to run AL and Tri-Mix gas to run SS. Both are different from the usual 25% CO2/Ar mix for steel. That adds expense.

You need to get a big 220V circuit in your welding work area to move up.

deereman75 · Aug 20, 2011

Unless you want to do your mig welding in the barn, or put 220 in the garage, there is no point. The hh210 is a dual voltage machine, but it wont get any more power on 110 then the hh135.

brianMO · Aug 24, 2011

I downloaded the maual and it only needs a 24 amp input. It recommended a minimum of 14 awg wire and 220vac. I do have that. I have a 30amp circuit. My stick welder out in my barn has a 70 amp input. So I could do a 220v mig as in the hh210. I am also looking a lincoln. Only have experience with hobart.

yankeerider · Aug 24, 2011

I love my HH210! I've used it in both flux core and MIG modes, and it is a sweet machine. Hobart is owned by Miller, and the gun that was supplied with it is actually branded Miller. I don't see how you'd regret it.

This was my first Mig- my previous experience was all AC stick.

deereman75 · Aug 24, 2011

I am kind of a lincoln fan, so that is probably what I would get, but the hobart (so I have read) is a very good machine. You could run your stick welder in the garage, just dont turn it up all the way. I have a lincoln ac225s, that draws 50 amps at max output, I run it on a 30 amp circut, and just dont turn it up all the way. (the highest I have used is 130 amps, and it worked great)

stub · Aug 31, 2011

I've had the hh210 on the NT deal for about a year. It is my first MIG so my opinion is limited to comparing it to AC stick. I've only used it with unshielded wire and 25% co2/ar. First try was with some thin guage tubing building a cart for it - not so good - burn through. I think I was moving too slow. Since then I've refined my technique and my welds now look pretty good and nothing's fell apart. I've welded up to 3/8 plate. The last thing I did was some more thin tubing and I had better luck with .035 wire than the 023 I used at first. I just follow the settings inside the door. It's much easier than stick I can tell you that. Metal does need to be cleaner than with stick you can get away with going through rust and stuff. Another think that improved my work about 1000% was an auto-darkening helmet. I think you'll like it.

wstf2 · Sep 5, 2011

The HH210 has been phasing out for the past several months so if you can still find one you should be able to get a far better (lesser) price than $899.00. Try TSC as they carry the Hobart line.
The Hobart replacement MIG welder is the HH210MVP which is a dual volt 210 and 110 machine.

davygp38 · Sep 9, 2011

yankeerider said:
I love my HH210! I've used it in both flux core and MIG modes, and it is a sweet machine. Hobart is owned by Miller, and the gun that was supplied with it is actually branded Miller. I don't see how you'd regret it.

This was my first Mig- my previous experience was all AC stick.

well that explains the roll of Hobart wire that was included with my Millermatic.

PoorPlowboy · Sep 11, 2011

davygp38 said:
well that explains the roll of Hobart wire that was included with my Millermatic.

Neither one owns the other. They are sibling companies owned by the same parent company. They actually compete against each other with each having their own design/engineering teams. This works out in our favor tremendously. Obviously the bean counters in the parent company make them do things occasionally like send a miller mig gun with a Hobart box.