whats the advantage of a 230V mig compared to the 115v mig?

[s15laynrubba]

What are the big differences? I am a 33 year old rookie and know squat about mig welders.I am looking at the hobart 175, my uncle said i need to go with a millermatic 135.....I am so confused.

I really want a welder that will last, i dont want any junk to die in a year.I am on a budget of $600, I have found a HH 175 with cart shipped for $569.My uncle said he likes millers because of some kind of better heat control function. I would like to purchase a nice welder before Friday.I plan on doing some exhaust work , replacing some body panels and back halving my s10 pickup.I gues that the frame on the truck will be the thickest that i will want to weld. My son also wants me to build him a mini chopper with a briggs engine.

But back to the question. What is the advantage of the 230v over the 115v?

[morpheus]

I think your uncle likes the Miller welders better because they have an inifinite amp control knob compared to a hobart which has set voltage taps.

I have a hobart 175 that I got a couple of years ago from cyerbweld.com ... I love it. there are times when I wish I had a Miller 175 for the higher degree of control but it's not that big a deal.

the difference between 115V and 230V welders is that you can only get so much power from a 115V circuit (30 amps I think).
A miller/Hobart 135 is a 115V machine.

In the hobart/Miller lines they become 220V machines at the 175. The 220V machine has alot more welding power than a 115V machine. it all depends on what you want to do with a welder that will determine which one you want.

Myself ... the minimum welder I'd buy would be a 175 unless I needed it to be superportable for light jobs where I could use common 115V power.

- jack

[s15laynrubba]

Thanks...Thats what i needed to know...Jay

[Gary Patton]

Well, s15layinrubba, With a 220v machine, you have more room to grow into your hobby (or proffesion). With a 115v machine, you're limited on how thick the metal you're fabricating can be.
I agree that the Millermatic 135 might be just what you need, provided you don't try to go buiding a car hauling trailer or something! For the money you're looking to spend, it will be a great choice. I've built a cage in my neighbor's race car with a MM135, and it really surprised me how well it worked. The only three things I can think of to warn you about is: Duty Cycle, it's only 20 %. So if you have it turned up real hot, you'll have to give it some time to cool down in between long welds. #2, Breakers: You'll want a good 30 amp breaker 'cause this little machine is pulling some serious power. It'll trip a 20 amp breaker at about half power output. #3,Extension cords: If you ever decide to take you're machine out and hook it up to an extension cord, You'll have to use a BIG CABLE (10 gauge at least), or you'll just trip the breaker.
But if you're just gonna use it for automotive work in your garage, you can't beat it for the money. Thats my opinion.

[Al T.]

I also purchased the HH175 and love it. The extra "Ummph" that 220vac gives to a welder allows 1/4 welds to be easy. Miller also makes a MM175, but it more expensive than the HH175 due to a infinat voltage control like the MM135.

About the cart, it was the first thing I got rid of. Too small and your first project will probably be a cart anyway.

Have Fun!

[Dan]

Re: whats the advantage of a 230V mig compared to the 115v mig?

Originally posted by s15laynrubba
What are the big differences? I am a 33 year old rookie and know squat about mig welders.I am looking at the hobart 175, my uncle said i need to go with a millermatic 135.....I am so confused.

I really want a welder that will last, i dont want any junk to die in a year.I am on a budget of $600, I have found a HH 175 with cart shipped for $569.My uncle said he likes millers because of some kind of better heat control function. I would like to purchase a nice welder before Friday.I plan on doing some exhaust work , replacing some body panels and back halving my s10 pickup.I gues that the frame on the truck will be the thickest that i will want to weld. My son also wants me to build him a mini chopper with a briggs engine.

But back to the question. What is the advantage of the 230v over the 115v?

Jay

Im sorry to say, but your uncle is leading you in the wrong direction. A 230 volt 175 amp machine is going to easily out perform a 115 volt 135 amp machine. The 230 volt machine has more available output power which translates into the ability to weld thicker material. 135 amp machine are rated up to 3/16" mild steel with a fluxcore wire, however, this is at a very short duty cycle, and requires more welding skill from the operator then a 175 amp machine that will allow you to weld the3/16" with a much higher amperage. The 135 amp machine is borderline for 3/16". Realistically the 135 amp machine does best on material an 1/8" and thinner. The HH 175 can realistically multi-pass 3/8" mild steel with a self shielded fluxcore wire.

If you have 230 volt input power available to you I highly recommend that you go with the HH 175 over the MM 135. The HH 175 is a durable machine that should run trouble free for years.

I ve always felt that the tapped voltage selection that is featured on the HH 175 is the better way for the novice/beginner weldor. This tapped selection for the voltage makes tuning the machine in much easier for the inexperienced weldor.

By the way, two of my MIG machines are the HH 175 and the MM 175. I also have a HH135 and MM 210. Anyway, between the HH 175 and the MM 175 I personally like the HH 175 better. The wire speed tracking feature that is incorporated into both the 135 and 175 amp Miller and Hobart mig machines makes tuning in the variable voltage control Miller machines more difficult. The HH 175 is pretty easy though all you have to do is select the proper voltage tap between the 4 choices then just play with the wire until you achieve the optimum metal transfer for the material thickness that you are welding.

If you you happen to live anywhere near a welding supply store go in an try these machines out yourself. This way you could see the big difference between the two. also, you might even be able to negotiate a lower price then you have currently found. The price on these welding machines isnt fixed. Stores want to make a sale. Most places will try to match or beat a lower bid if you present it to them, because they are after your future business as well.

[Thomas Harris]

230 volt machines don't require enormous sized wires to handle some real amperage. I am not sure whether it is code in residential wiring to have 120 volt circuit wired for 30 amp breaker. When it gets that big if someone plugs a malfuntioning appliance in it can draw 29 amps or less into that device. Device may not dissapate the heat. Bad news. Also much less chance of votage drop with 220 volt circuit. Just my opinion. The 120 volt machines weld great within their limits.

[Roger]

Many countries don't have 110v electrical systems. So your HH135 would be almost worthless there.

[Thomas Harris]

?

[echo8287]

Wire size

You can use a 30 amp breaker(single pole) on a 120 volt circuit no problem with a 10 gauge wire feeding it. Also on 240 volt welders you DO need to size your wire to the load you are going to put on it. Don't believe that crap about putting a size larger breaker than the wire can handle that you will read in some of these posts. It is not in the NEC(national electric code) and should your building burn down your insurance will not pay if it's found that something like that was in violation.Be safe NOT sorry!

[Thomas Harris]

I would NEVER put a larger breaker than the wire ampacity. One thing I didn't consider is the "funky" plugs availible for 120 outlets. There are probably some high amp rated 120 volt recepts that have unique prong configurations. This would prevent small amperage devices from being plugged into them. Bet you most of them in home workshops have ordinary 20 amp grounded recepts on them though. It's also likely someone could extend them with other "ordinary" recept. (esp. in a home workshop). Which is the situation I mentioned in the above post. Some inverter units such as maxstar 200 can run on 120 but will easily draw 20+ amps when at full tilt.

[Big Nate]

the other advantage of 220-240 is the fact that everybody in the world DOSEN'T have an outlet whereas everybody will ask to borrow your 135 probably including your uncle

[bjdenommee]

The real answer is

More Power

Bernie

[Franz]

MORE POWER SCOTTY, we need more power. The Klingons are gaining on us.
Unless you're only making jewlry you can always use more power.