The comparison of Hobart 190 vs. Lincoln 180 is an actual head-scratcher because they are both perfect in their own ways. Besides, they are soo familiar that distinguishing one from the other requires an expert level of knowledge between the features of the two. If you are a welder freak, you must have heard some crazy nice things about these two hot babies, which must have confused you about deciding which one to buy. Right?
I am 99.99% sure that this is precisely the dilemma that brought you here to my article. And believe me, I feel you. I have been in your shoes and know exactly how frustrating making a decision can get where your passions and feelings are involved. In high school, I got this bug in my head to learn the art of welding for an extra skill set and to earn some side income. So, naturally, I asked around to gather information about the subject matter, but to my disgust, I got differing opinions from every person.
Just when I was about to give up entirely on the idea of learning how to weld, I decided to give it one shot to the internet. I dug into the specifications and features of both of these welders, and surprisingly, I found quite a lot of information. I became finally familiar with the differences and the worth and extra features each welder brought to the table. And now, years later, I finally feel like my knowledge about these two welders is sufficient enough to deliver to you guys.
Hobart 190 vs. Lincoln 180 Reviews
The difference between hobart 190 vs lincoln 180 is detailed below
Hobart 190
9.8
PROS
- Highly durable
- Easy to carry
- Easy to use
- An excellent welder for beginners
- Lightweight
- Compact and has a stylish exterior
CONS
- Requires high voltage
- Not ideal for industrial work
Hobert 190 is one of the best welders that you will ever encounter. Besides being easy to use, it is fast, smooth, and reliable. It has a total weight of 68 pounds and measures 12.3 x 10.6 x 19.5 inches. It is based on the MIG welding style. Plus, it has a ten feet long work cable with a clamp attached to it. It also has 0.030” contact tips and a six feet power cord with a plug at one end. Moreover, it has a maximum spool capacity of 11 lbs. Apart from that, it gives a heavy-duty cycle of 30% at 130 amperes.
Moving on to more interesting facts, Hobart 190 has perfect usability as you can use it to weld several different materials including, Stainless steel, Mild Steel, Aluminium, etc. Besides, it has seven voltage sections and enhanced magnetics as well as comes with a detailed instructions manual. This instructions manual is so well written that you will never require any professional help to get it all setup and ready to use. Besides, the settings are easily understandable without even using the instructions manual.
You can use this welder for many different projects ranging from small home-based to large ones for commercial purposes. The ease of use and low maintenance costs makes it a dynamic piece of art. For such a handy machine, it is surprisingly lightweight. It means that you can easily carry it around on your own without needing a second person to hold it with you. However, it is always recommended that you put it on a wheel borrowed to eliminate the risk of any damage to the machine en route.
Summing it all up, it is safe to say that Hobart 190 is hands down an excellent welder for all DIY projects and some commercial projects. The ease of use and the handy instructions manual make it one of the best welders for absolute beginners. Besides, the features and durability that accompany this welder justify the price tag that comes along. So, this welder will give you the most blissfully satisfying welding experience ever. You can also have a look at Hobart 190 vs 120 comparisons.
Lincoln 180
9.8
PROS
- Enhanced conductivity
- Durable and lightweight
- Excellent performance
- An efficient and adjustable wire system
- Easy to use
- Easily portable
CONS
- Expensive
- Not best for large scale commercial purposes
Lincoln 180 is yet another powerful welder machine that will take your welding experience up to the next level. Weighing 66 pounds in total and measuring 14 x 18.6 x 10.15 inches, this incredible machine packs enough power to accompany you in all sorts of projects. Made of Flux-Cored Wire Feed, it requires 240 Volts of electric power to run, which means this welder can run smoothly on residential electric service. Besides, Lincoln 180 operates on the MIG installation method.
This item uses the best possible technology, widely known as the Diamond Core Technology, which is hailed for providing the most extraordinary arc filtering resulting in a neat welding curve. Moreover, it gives a low splatter action apart from its ease of use. You will be surprised at how convenient and easily manageable this welding machine is. The instructions manual that accompanies it is also very detailed and helpful in understanding all the necessary functioning.
You won’t even need any extra tools to run this welder machine. On the other hand, you can also use it as a spool gun. For that purpose, all you have to do is take off the MIG gun and attach the Magnum spool gun, thus giving you the most spectacular feed performance. Furthermore, Lincoln 180 has a strong Protection Circuit Board (PCB), increasing reliability and reducing cost. The PC board also packs a lot of components in a compact form, thus saving space as well.
Coming to conclusion, I guarantee you the highest levels of satisfaction. The ease of use and easy portability will have you in its clutches in no time at all. It will enable you to get delicate welding projects done with the neatest welding finishing possible. Besides, the greatest perk of this welding machine is that you can use it at your small-sized welding shop as well, as long as you are not a commercial manufacturer with large-scale projects to complete.
Differences Between Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180
The first thing that a person is interested in when trying to decide which product to settle for is the differences. Everybody wants to get the best value for money; nobody has any extra money to throw away. So the differences in the features and specifications give you the chance to evaluate which product would help you best in the long run. So here is a list of some of the most noticeable differences that, in my opinion, everybody should know before settling for one welder.
1. Varying Thickness For Cutting Metals
Every machine has a different capacity to make the cut. Some machines pack enough power to cut the thickest metals, whereas some can barely cut a sliver of a metal sheet. The same is the case with Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180. Hobart 190 cuts 24 ga 5/16-inch-deep in one pass. This is deep enough for most metals, but if you want an even thicker cut, you can run the standard gun over the same spot one more time. You can repeat this step as many times as you want.
Lincoln 180 cuts 24 ga to 3/16-inch thickness in one pass. The same repetition step goes for this welder, which is to go over the same spot with the welder as many times as necessary until you get the desired cut. Now keeping that information in mind, you can select the welder machine that will give you the cut you need on a regular basis.
2. Difference In Input Power
Moving on to the differences in input power, you will see a striking difference between the two welders. The Hobart 190 requires a minimum of 230 Volts, and I mean it. This means that this welder will not run on a voltage any lower than that. It is a significant limitation for such a great machine because you will face difficulties running this machine in a household where voltage varies between 120 to 240 volts. This rapidly fluctuating voltage may burn off the motor of the Hobart 190.
However, Lincoln 180 has no such stringent limitation and has an input power range between 208 to 230 Volts. This characteristic enables it to run on a residential source of electricity efficiently. So, if you are looking for a welder that will prove to be more beneficial in carrying out welding projects at home, then the best possible choice for you is the Lincoln 180.
3. Differences in Power Output
Hobart 190 gives a total power output of 25 Amps, whereas Lincoln 180 gives 30 Amps output. This difference might not seem too much to a non-specialist, but this is a pretty big deal to a professional welder. Do you want to know why? This is because the greater the output, the more capability a welder has to weld thinner materials which means that Hobart has a more extraordinary ability to weld thinner materials such as Aluminium.
This range of amperage goes up to 190 Amps for Hobart 190 and 180 for Lincoln 180. The concept that applies here is that the higher the amperage, the greater the ability to cut thicker materials. This information can be construed as Hobart 190 has a greater ability to cut through thicker metals than Lincoln 180.
4. Differences in in-built safety
You must have heard times and times again that safety comes first. This is because there is no compromise when it comes to human health. It is a first and foremost thing. So whenever you are working with welders, it is a given thing that you should wear proper head-to-toe protective gear. But other than all that, the manufacturers induce certain safety features in the machine to reduce the risks of possible damage to the machine itself and the person handling it.
Hobart 190 has an in-built Overload Protection System. This feature comes in handy when you are performing a task that is beyond the potential power of the machine. The overload light starts blinking, and the machine shuts down. It may feel very annoying to you at first but believe me; it is for the best because the machine runs at the risk of burning off and causing you a significant investment loss in the form of cash and resources.
On the other hand, the manufacturers of Lincoln 180 tried to be more innovative with their products. This welder gives electricity in the form of a Sine wave to minimize the electricity fluctuations and can also run on inverter generators. Besides, Lincoln 180 also comes with an inbuilt Shortcut Protection System which shuts down the machine when there is an abnormal surge of electricity. This happens by breaking the circuit.

Similarities In The Hobart 190 And Lincoln 180
Now that we are all familiar with the differences between the Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180, it is time that I enlighten you on certain similarities between the two. I know what you are thinking. The idea of explaining the similarities between two welders who perform the exact same tasks may feel very stupid to you but bear with me—the point of explaining the similarities to enable you better to know what you are getting yourself into. Knowing the similarities will sharpen your focus on the differences.
1. Similar weight
Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180 are more or less of the same size and weight. Hobart 190 weighs 78 pounds, whereas Lincoln 180 weighs 66 pounds. This makes both of them a little heavy to carry around freely. So, there are two things that you can do to be able to move these welders easily. One way is to lift it up and put it on a wheelbarrow. The second method is to dismantle the machine into its parts and then carry each part separately.
You can choose the method that suits you best. I personally prefer wheelbarrows because dismantling a machine is a long and tricky job. Besides, you also run at the risk of unwittingly damaging the machine or misplacing the parts. Other than the fact that you will actually have to sit your but down and assemble the machine again. But if that is not a problem for you, then feel free to opt for this method.
2. Works Perfectly Well On Almost All Kinds Of Metals
Since Lincoln 180 and Hobart 190 are both welding machines thus, they both weld almost all kinds of metals ranging from stainless steel, aluminum, mild steel, and copper. Although the amperage and thickness of the cut are different in both of these machines, there is still no significant difference in the duty cycle and ARC performance.
3. Dual Voltage Support
Another similarity between Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180 is that they both have dual voltage support. This means that they can both perform multiple tasks for you. They have a two-step voltage option process, thus enabling you to make them work in a dynamic environment. For example, you can use the same machine at home to weld small items such as pipes and furniture simultaneously; you can also use that very same machine to carry out industrial projects as well.
FAQs
Final Thoughts
Now that you are familiar with all the fabulous features of both of the welders the Hobart 190 and Lincoln 180, you must be wondering which one you should purchase for yourself, right? So to answer this question, I would say that it all depends upon your requirement. If you just need a welder for a home that you can run on lower household voltages, then you must go for Lincoln 180. It also comes with the additional benefit of adjusting voltages to lower electricity bills.
Moving on to the budget constraints, Lincoln 180 is relatively more affordable than Hobart 190. It means that a mango man running on a tight budget can easily afford this welder whereas, Hobart 190 is a little demanding in that field. The extra benefits that come along with this welder are directly related to the price. But it is more suitable for professional tasks. You will get a variety of cuts and voltage adjustments to suit the metals you are trying to weld together.
So, the next time you go out shopping for a welder, first consider your need and your budget limitations. It is imperative because sometimes you buy something with features that are not suitable for your needs. This will turn out to be a significant loss of resources and technology. So first, check your need and then search for the features that best complement your needs. After that, you can proceed to make the purchase.
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