lincoln pro 175

is this a fairly decent welder? they have it at lowes for 594 and my friend works there so i can get 20% off. they also have a pro 140, which i cant seem to find anything about, for 450 and it wouldnt need a 220v plug. so pretty much looking at 470+ cost of electrician or 360. any opinions on which i should go with or if either are worth a damn. trying to learn with it and then build some rock rails bumpers and that sort of thing. i've about convinced myself to just get the 220v. can a better one be had for the 470 it would cost me?

Lincoln makes good stuff and 175 is a great size for what we do, so I'm apt to say that would be the way to go, though I have no direct experience with that particular welder.

I have used the Lincoln 135 pro a fair bit, and it's a great little welder for up to 3/16. It does 1/4" fairly well, but I am still just a bit hesitant on critical parts. However this is all with using flux core which gets more penetration. Another advantage of a larger welder like the 175 is the ability to weld 1/4" with 25/75 gas which gives very clean welds, basically no cleanup required.

Ramsey said:

is this a fairly decent welder? they have it at lowes for 594 and my friend works there so i can get 20% off. they also have a pro 140, which i cant seem to find anything about, for 450 and it wouldnt need a 220v plug. so pretty much looking at 470+ cost of electrician or 360. any opinions on which i should go with or if either are worth a damn. trying to learn with it and then build some rock rails bumpers and that sort of thing. i've about convinced myself to just get the 220v. can a better one be had for the 470 it would cost me?

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Are you sure its not a pro 135? I dont think they make a 140...

Ive got the 135 pro and its a fantastic little unit. Ive used it on plate steel a little heavier than 1/4 inch and it does great if you go slow with lots of heat and flux core. I weld 3/16 using it with 75/25 argon/co2 and it makes some great welds. For the average garage mechanic, a 110V unit is all youll ever need really. Ive done bumpers, roll cages, driveshafts, floor pans, axles, lincoln locks and tons of other stuff with mine and it performs every time!! If you going to be doing alot of fab work with 1/4 inch or heavier, go 220V...otherwise, 110V with the proper setup and technique works fine.

Jeffro600 said:

it does great if you go slow with lots of heat and flux core.

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that's another thing I forgot to mention, you have to go slow with the 135. on 1/8-3/16 I turn the heat all the way up and put the wire speed at about 40%. with a 175 or 250 you can move a lot faster with a higher heat and wire speed. going slow is good if you're learning as you will learn better puddle control, but it can be a mild hindrance on a large project.

I also never managed to hit the duty cycle on the 135 pro, I was surprised.

the box says 140 pro and their display is a 135, not really sure. good to hear about the duty cycle of the 135, was a bit concerned about that. still about have myself convinced to go with 220 though. anyone have any experience with the 175?

Hobart recently changed their 135 to a 140 and their 175 to a 180, though I suspect the welders remained 99% the same. I would guess the Lincoln 140 is just a response to that.

A guy i work with has the 175...its definetly a little faster than the 135 with thick materials, but anything 3/16" or under(most of what i weld) you wont see much of a speed difference. You just gotta ask yourself if you want to bother with wiring up 220 and if you are going to be welding much over 3/16 thickness...if its easily accessable for you(it was not for me), id go with the 175 as its only a little bit more money but will weld a little faster and a little thicker.

The Home Depot/Lowes units are typically "badged" different for a couple of marketing ploys.They usually dont come with any of the "inert gas" hook-ups,so thats an extra you will have to pay for later.Go 220volt/175amp if you can,you wont regret it!

the price difference is small and i dont want to be kicking myself later for buying too small of a machine. definetly going 220. the lincoln only has 5-6 heat adjustments on it, is that going to be a problem?

My 8 yr old Miller 175 only has 4 settings for heat,you make up the rest in wire speed(and gas selection).Although I miss access to the 220+amp units is has never been a problem.

Ramsey said:

the lincoln only has 5-6 heat adjustments on it, is that going to be a problem?

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Nope...different wire diameters and speeds are what make up the difference.