In searching for a welding machine to use for various applications, MIG welders, with 230V would be perfect findings. And probabilities are you would stand in a front of Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 comparison as a part of your search. Congratulations, you have done great work searching. Yes, Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180 are two of the most valuable dual-process welders today at their price range. They can weld different thicknesses of Mild Steel, Stainless, Aluminum with an outstanding performance. And now, it’s our turn to help you know which one would be perfect for you.
This is what you are about to know in the next lines of this Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 in-depth comparison.
Hobart 190 | 1st Competitor
Hobart brand has been in the welding machines market since 1917. They have built a well-known reputation in the US market over time, and today they are one of the leaders in this field.
Hobart 190 is a powerful welding machine that comes with a splendid set of benefits, including:
- Up to 0.25-inch metal thickness welding capacity
- It is a robust, sturdy, versatile welding machine.
- You can customize its voltage, spool gun speed, and Amps count.
- Although it is mainly made for light and medium tasks, its power and capabilities make it good to use from time to time in heavy tasks.
- It is a budget option.
- You can use it in construction, maintenance works, on the metal workshops, and for many other purposes.
- It is a proper choice for entry-level welders who developing their welding skills.
Hobart 190 Package Components
- 10 ft. H100S4-10 gun
- 10 ft. cable with clamp
- 10 ft. HR-100 gun
- Built-in gas solenoid valve
- Dual-gauge regulator
- Gas hose.
- Spool hub assembly accommodates 4 or 8 inches of spools
- .030-inch sample spool
- 0.031-inch self-shielding flux-cored wire
- .030-inch contact tips
- Drive roll for .024 inches or .030/.035 inch (Quick Select™)
- Solid wire
- .030/.035-inch flux-cored wire
- Power cord with plug
- Material thickness guide
- Welding usages guide
- Detailed User’s manual
Hobart 190 Video Review
https://www.youtube.com/embed/utA9Ip6DU7s?autoplay=1&feature=oembedHobart 500554 Handler 190 MIG Welder 230V review
Hobart 190 Pros & Cons
Positives
- Great value for the price
- Excellent results for the two types of welding, MIG and Flux Core Arc.
- Various metal welding
- Welding thickness is higher than Lincoln 180
- Has multiple customization options
- High level of safety
- Easy to set up and use
- Great warranty terms
Negatives
- Slightly heavier than Lincoln 180
- Doesn’t support the use of, the more affordable compared to argon, CO2
Lincoln 180 | The 2nd Competitor
Lincoln offers its popular MIG series of welders that contains products from the top machines available in the market. Lincoln 180 is one of these top-performing welders in the MIG series.
It is a perfect fit for beginners and mid-level welders because Lincoln 180 has lots of advantages, including:
- A dual voltage option
- It comes with Both MIG and Flux-core welding, suitable for numerous welding applications.
- You can fine-tune different spool mechanisms.
- It is a budget option
- You can use it at home tasks, automotive work or DIY projects, and even on your metal workshop but for light to middle work
- Makes great saving using CO2 gas.
- It is best suits entry-level or mid-level welders.
Lincoln 180 Package Components
- MAGNUM® 100L Welding Gun 10 ft. cable assembly
- Brass gun connection and 4-pin MS-Type connection for trigger control
- .025-inch sample spool SuperArc L-56® Premium MIG wire
- .035-inch sample spool Innershield NR®-211-MP flux-cored wire
- 0.025-inch contact tips (Qty. 3)
- 0.035-inch contact tips (Qty. 3)
- Gasless nozzle for Inner shield welding
- Gas nozzle for MIG welding
- Work clamp
- 10 ft.cable
- Spindle adapter for 8 inches diameter spools
- Gas Regulator
- 52 inches gas hose for use with Ar/CO2 or CO2 gases.
- Learn-To-Weld guide (DVD)
Lincoln 180 Pros & Cons
Positives
- Dual voltage, 208V, and 230V for wider usages
- Easy to use, suitable for welding beginners
- Can use carbon dioxide with its regulator as a cheaper option than argon.
- Lighter than Hobart 190
- Comes with a set of valuable additions
- Good warranty terms
Negatives
- Just 5 Voltage options compared to 7.
- Its user’s manual needs some improvements
A Quick Comparison | Bird’s-eye View on Specifications
Welding Type
Weldable Metals
Metal Thickness
(For a single pass)
Spec
Best welding thickness
Hobart 190
MIG and Flux Core
Aluminum, Mild Steel, and Stainless Steel
Aluminum: up to 0.25-inch
Mild Steel: up to 0.3-inch
Stainless Steel: up to 0.25-inch
Voltage
230V
Voltage Options
7 Options
Duty Cycle
30% at 130A
Amperage
25 – 190A
Wire Feed Speed
40-740 ipm
Wire Feed Speed Control
Infinite
Wire Spool Sizes
4-inches.& 8-inches
Dimensions (H x W x L)
12.3 x 10.6 x 19.5 inches
Weight
68 lbs.
Warranty
5 years on the transformer,
3 years on the regulator, wire drive system, and control boards
1 year on contactors, MIG gun, and relays.
Origin
USA
Best for long-term savings
Lincoln 180 (K2698-1 Easy MIG)
MIG and Flux Core
Aluminum, Mild Steel, and Stainless Steel
Aluminum: up to 0.18-inch
Mild Steel: up to 0.19-inch
Stainless Steel: up to 0.18-inch
Voltage
Dual voltage 208/230 V
Voltage Options
5 Options
Duty Cycle
30% at 130A
Amperage
30 – 180A
Wire Feed Speed
50-500 ipm
Wire Feed Speed Control
Infinite
Wire Spool Sizes
4-inches.& 8-inches
Dimensions (H x W x L)
20 x 15 x 16 inches
Weight
66 lbs.
Warranty
3 years on all parts
1 year for gas regulator
90 days for the MIG gun.
Origin
Mexico
Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 | Feature by Feature Comparison
Weldable Materials | 3 Main Metals | 1st Round
- MIG and Flux Core welding: As these two machines mainly weld using MIG and Flux Core welding types, they are suitable for a wide range of applications
- Works on Stainless Steel, Mild Steel, Aluminum. The two welding types MIG and Flux Core give the two machines Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180 the ability to weld these 3 types of metals. They do amazing work, as aluminum requires very complex welding machines.
The Result: Draw
Metal Thickness of Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 | 2nd Round
Metals thickness that your welder can deal with properly has a tremendous impact on your work. Let’s take a look at both machines’ maximum thickness:
Hobart 190 Welding Thickness:
- For Mild Steel: It can weld up to 0.3-inch thickness in a single pass.
- For Stainless Steel: It can weld up to 0.25-inch thickness in a single pass.
- For Aluminum: Itcan weld up to 0.25-inch thickness in a single pass.
Lincoln 180 Welding Thickness
- For Mild Steel: It can weld up to 0.19-inch thickness in a single pass
- For Stainless Steel: it can weld up to 0.18-inch thickness n a single pass
- For Aluminum: Itcan weld up to 0.18-inch thickness in a single pass.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Voltage Options of Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 | 7 VS 5 Position | 3rd Round
- Both machines come with a voltage input of 230V, and there is no 110/120V in one of them. So the first thing to know is that both of them are not compatible with the regular household power outlet.
- 7 Voltage options for Hobart 190 vs 5 options for Lincoln 180. The 7 options of voltage included in Handler 190 give you more control for the arc and smoother performance than the 5 voltage options of Lincoln 180. In addition, Lincoln 180 comes with slight advancement in amperage range.
- Hobart 190 requires a 7000 watts generator to work, vs. 6900 watts required by Lincoln 180.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Usage and Control of Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 | 4th Round
- Control panel options are straightforward: thetwo control panels of both machines are pretty simple. They consist of an On/Off button, two control knobs, voltage options selection knob, and a WFS controller.
- Minor differences in control: There is no major difference in the control, the only difference is in the locations of buttons and dials design. This doesn’t make any significant distinction in performance or even convenience.
- User’s manual: Hobart 190 provides a simple yet informative and very helpful user manual that you can follow its instructions with ease. On the other hand, the Lincoln 180 user’s manual addresses lots of information in a surface way that doesn’t give real value to the reader. It is a little point of difference, but it seems that it would determine the winner of the usage aspect here.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Gas Regulator | Single Option vs Dual Option | 5th Round
Each one of the two machines comes with a different type of gas regulator:
- Hobart 190 with a miller regulator. It is compatible only with Argon and doesn’t support carbon dioxide.
- Lincoln 180 with a Harris regulator. It is compatible with argon. In addition, it can use carbon dioxide if you purchased a CO2 tank adapter for it.
What gives Lincoln 180 an edge here is that carbon dioxide is cheaper than argon. So if you use it, you will make a good saving
The Winner: Lincoln 180
Wire Feed Speed | Which One Gives More Speed Control | 6th Round
Simply put, wire feed speed or as known as “WFS” is the speed of wire coming out of the gun (inch per minute).
The range of wire feed speed reflects how much control over the speed the user has.
- Hobart 190 comes with 40-740 ipm speed, offering a wide control over speed
- Lincoln 180 comes with 50-500 ipm speed, providing slightly less control.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Safety Procedures | 3-Pillars System | 7th round
Both machines come with a highly effective safety system that consists of 3 main pillars, ensuring the ultimate protection for both the machine and its user. These 3 pillars are:
- Output Overload Protection: if you surpass the highest level of these machines’ Amperage output, the circuit breaker will switch the current off. When this happens, you have to reset it manually.
- Thermal Overload Protection: The power supply temperature over increase could lead to severe damage to the machine, that’s why Hobart and Lincoln machines measure the temperature and switch off when it reaches a level that could be dangerous to them. After shutting down because of over-temperature, you have to wait for some minutes while the internal fans cooling the inside of the welder.
- Wire Drive Motor Protection: the automatic overload circuit included in the wire drive motors of the two machines works on protecting them from the overload circuits.
The Result: Draw
| 3 Minutes of Continuous Work, What Else? | 8th Round
Both welders come with 30% at 130Amp duty cycle. This means that the machine would work for 3 minutes of continuous welding at 130Amp input, then it needs to cool for 7 minutes before welding again.
Overload light:There is a little difference here between the two machines. The difference is that Handler 190 has a light dedicated to showing you the overload state of the machine and lets you know when the machine is cool. On the opposite side, Lincoln 180 does not have one.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Portability and Weight | 2 Pounds Makes the Difference | 9th Round
For the attribute of portability, it’s extremely hard to describe one of them as a portable machine. We are talking here about Hobart 190, which weighs 68 lbs. vs Lincoln 180 that weighs 66 lbs. It seems obvious that none of them could be portable or easy to carry.
- Hobart Handler 190 comes at a weight of 68 lbs.
- Lincoln 180 comes at a weight of 66 lbs.
In the end, the 2 lbs. Weight difference gives an advantage to Lincoln 180 regarding this aspect.
The Winner: Lincoln 180
Additional Components | Extras Adds Tons of Value | 10th Round
Both of the machines come with additional components in the package along with the main parts of the welders.
Lincoln 180 Package includes the following extras:
- 2 wire spools
- 6 contact tips (3 x 0.025 inch contact tips & 3 x 0.035 inch contact tips)
- Learn-to-Weld DVD
- Flux-cored nozzle
Hobart 190 Package includes the following extras:
- 3 contact tips (In one size)
- 1 flux-cored wire roll
- 1 Handy material thickness gauge
The Winner: Lincoln 180
Warranty of Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 | 5 vs 3 Years | Final Round
Both welders come with good and respectful warranty terms. Let’s take a look:
Hobart 190 Warranty Terms
- 5 years on the transformer,
- 3 years on the regulator, wire drive system, and control boards
- 1 year on contactors, MIG gun, and relays.
Lincoln 180 warranty
- 3 years on all parts
- 1 year for gas regulator
- 90 days for the MIG gun.
The Winner: Hobart 190
Quick Analysis | What is the Difference?
As the in-depth comparison reveals, there are some common features between the two welders as well as some differences. This is a quick analysis of commonalities and differences:
What is the same?
Weldable Materials
The two welders work on the same three kinds of metals. The three are Stainless Steel, Mild Steel, and aluminum.
Safety Procedures
Both welders have three safety procedures: output overload protection, thermal overload protection, and wire drive motor protection.
What is Better in Hobart 190?
Metal Thickness
Hobart 190 shows an obvious advantage over Lincoln 180 regarding the thickness of metals it welds. This is because of the better result on the three metals: stainless steel, mild steel, Aluminum.
Voltage Options
With 7 voltage options compared to 5 voltage options, Hobart 190 provides more control for you.
Usage and Control
Honestly, the difference here is minor. The user’s manual clarity of Hobart 190 compared to that of Lincoln 180 makes Hobart 190 better in this aspect. If we neglect the user’s manual, both welders are the same regarding control options and panel.
Wire Feed Speed
A slight improvement in the Wire Feed Speed range of Hobart 190 makes it the winner regarding this aspect.
Cycle Duty
The duty cycle of the two welders is the same, but the little overload light in Hobart 190 makes it the winner here.
Warranty
Although both welders’ warranty terms are adequate, Hobart 190 give themselves an edge providing more reliable warranty terms including 5 years on the transformer,3 years on the regulator, wire drive system, and control boards, and 1 year on contactors, MIG gun, and relays.
What is Better in Lincoln 180?
Gas Regulator
If you purchased a CO2 tank adapter for it, Lincoln 180 will operate using Carbon Dioxide. Since CO2 is cheaper than argon, you would make great savings using it.
Portability and Weight
A 2 pounds difference in the weight of Lincoln 180 makes it better at weight comparison. But in real life, these 2 pounds don’t make obvious value.
Additional Components
For the extras that come with the welders. Lincoln 180 extras are great. 2 wire spools, 6 contact tips, Learn-to-Weld DVD, and a Flux-cored nozzle are an exceptional extra package with a welder.
Which Welder is For You? | The Takeaways
No doubt, Hobart 190 vs Lincoln 180 is a comparison between two outstanding welders. Here are the takeaways:
Hobart 190 is better if you:
1. Seeking more welding thickness for your metals
2. Value the extra control a 7 voltage options could provide.
3. Looking for the longest warranty term.
If this welder is your choice, claim the best price of Hobart 190 MIG Welder now.
Lincoln 180 is better if you:
1. Looking for long-term savings by using CO2 that the Lincoln 180’s gas regulator supports (you should buy a Lincoln Electric CO2 shielding gas bottle adapter to use carbon dioxide).
2. Value the 2 pounds less weight of this welder.
If this welder is your choice, claim the best price of Lincoln 180 Easy MIG K2698-1 now.
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