HH and MM

[SundownIII]

TS-Off-Road,

I took exception with your comment about the Hobart's being "all" plastic. I do not own a HH210 nor have I welded with one, however, I do own a HH187 and the case is metal, the door is metal, the drive rollers are metal, and on and on. The front of the machine is a high impact plastic (similar to the dashboard on your car, I suspect) but it is in no way "cheaply made".

If you have not welded with a Hobart machine (187,210) I would suggest that you reserve judgement on their capabilities. I have both a Miller and a Hobart mig, and as I stated previously, within it's capabilities, I prefer the Hobart over the Miller.

A resident expert on Mig's (mig welds daily, photos of his work are posted) is a poster named Dan on the Hobart boards. Read his evaluations on the HH187 and the MM180. You'll find that he ranks the HH187 tops in the 180A mig range.

Sorry you don't like plastic. That's your choice. I guess you wouldn't like the Miller MM251 either since the front panel is molded plastic, just as the Hobart.

I also think it an unfair assessment to call the Hobart a hobby machine and the Miller a professional machine. Check out the warranty for both. Interestingly, both (HH187, MM180) both use the M10 gun, which is the most abused piece of equipment on any mig machine.

Just my .02.

[tacmig]

I in no way want to pick on one's welder, one's ego or anything else for that matter. So please take this with whatever salt you can. I don't have a Hobart, never did and perhaps never will. To much negative info out there within the pro-community to get me interested. True or false it's there! Maybe kinda like when the news wants you to believe what they are peddling so they just keep rehashing it to the point you feel "it must be true". With that said and holding on the 26 years of mig'n, I'll stick with my Millers thank you.

No harm, no insult or otherwise intended to you Hobart guys!

TacMig

[MAC702]

...I was referring to the rated output, ...
HH210 150A @ 30%
MM180 135A @ 30%...

I thought you might be, but that's just for rating purposes. We really need to go by what the machine's output at their top end. And that 30A at the top end puts the HH210 in a whole different class of machine, even if we don't look at the much easier spoolgun hookup.

That 30A especially makes a difference if you're thinking about welding aluminum, and it also allows the machine to break into spray arc with the right gas.

[EdZep]

Mac702, having just bought my MM180, I was pleased to see the hangtag (and later, the product blurb on Miller site) about the direct connect Series 100 spoolgun for the 180. Unless I'm missing something, it looks like a great option for aluminum welding.

I'm new here. Been wanting a big-little MM for a couple of years. Have taken a class, but am still a total amateur.

[wireburner]

well here is my Opinion (may differ from y`all`s but it is mine) I have welded with the hh 180 and a mm180 I think they are both great machines . So i think I would buy which one I could buy cheapest for hobby(home) use.
but remeber thats my opinion on it

[MAC702]

Oh yeah, and I don't have the time or budget to download them here, but look at the rated voltages for the two. The HH210 has a significant edge here as well, which is what let's it get into spray transfer at those 30 higher amps.

[TS-Off-Road]

Why exactly does anyone "need" spray transfer???

[tacmig]

Power baby! A lot of welders are doing it, they just don't know it! At a certain point you're no longer mig'n and the only thing left is SAP.

TacMig

[justinp61]

I thought you might be, but that's just for rating purposes. We really need to go by what the machine's output at their top end. And that 30A at the top end puts the HH210 in a whole different class of machine, even if we don't look at the much easier spoolgun hookup.

That 30A especially makes a difference if you're thinking about welding aluminum, and it also allows the machine to break into spray arc with the right gas.

Why not compare it to the MM212. I have a MM210 and love it, the spool gun is a plug in deal and which ever gun I pick up is hot, no switches. Apples to oranges IMHO.

[DDA52]

Well, for one thing, the HH wasn't made to actually compete with the MM212/212. Duty cycle alone precludes that. I run the two side by side all the time and like both. I used the MM210 all day today and yesterday. I prefer the HH due to its smoothness and it will actually dial in better. It just isn't quite as powerful as the MM210, though, mainly because they are in different classes of machines. The HH runs alu better than the MM anyway...been there way too many times.

Spray transfer is spec'd on many of the jobs I do. It is spray or nothing. Besides, spray is the prefered alu transfer anyway. I do not use the HH to spray though...the MM gets the nod for that one.