Hobart Handler 140 Review

Hobart Handler 140 Review

Hobart Handler 140 Review Have you ever broken a shovel? Or maybe a wind chime? Or wanted to start a little fabrication project but didn't want to have to take out a 2nd mortgage your house just to start welding? Well if you want a reliable welder that offers the most power in its class, while only plugging into a regular 110-volt household outlet the Hobart Handler 140 is for you! It is not a cheap import welder that will last you two days, it is manufactured in the USA and owned by the same company that owns Miller Electric, a world-renown welder manufacturing company. The Hobart Handler is a fantastic MIG welder for the price. With 115 volts, you can build many, really cool projects.

I am not a professional welder by any means but I have had the welder for almost two years, however, I have had very few, insignificant, problems. The package comes complete with the power supply and integrated wire feeder. It also comes with a CGA580 gas regular meant for the flow of the common MIG shielding gas, 75/25. The gas is composed of 75% argon and 25% CO2. Another commonly used gas is pure CO2. It is typically cheaper than 75/25 and it delivers more penetration. However, the final welds typically do not deliver the same appearance that 75/25 offers. The major project that I used it for was “Roberto”, the robot that looks like a table with wheels. However, it is a very heavy table, it weighs in at about 200lbs. More information about it can be found on the robot page of this website. When I started with it I used the Hobart .030 flux core wire. It lasted about two days until I had to go to Home Depot to get another 2lb spool. The second spool was Lincoln Innershield wire and it has worked just as well as the Hobart wire. Since then I have gone through quite a bit of a 10lb spool of flux core wire as well as another 10lb spool of solid-core .030 wire.

 

Talking about solid wire brings me to my other topic which is using the welder as a true MIG welder, not a flux core welder. Once a started welding I knew that I wanted to upgrade to a gas setup at some point. However, looking at the prices for a new gas cylinder online always deterred me. They would be over $200 for a medium-sized 125cf welding cylinder. I was hesitant to purchase a smaller cylinder because I knew that I would get more “bang for my buck” I if a bought a bigger cylinder. However, if you look at Craigslist sometimes you can find some pretty good deals on cylinders. However, when buying cylinders it is important to make sure that the welding cylinder doesn't have the name of any welding supply company on it. These cylinders were probably part of a lease and were never returned to the supply company. Therefore, buying cylinders from the individual selling them could very likely be illegal. Therefore, when buying cylinders be sure that there is not name extruded on it. If there is a name that is engraved into it the cylinder is probably fine but if at all possible it would be best to find a cylinder that has no markings on it. If there are no markings on it then there should be no dispute between you and the welding supply company regarding the ownership of the cylinder.

 

 

When welding with flux core wire the weld puddle is normally a little bit harder. So, if you have a thicker piece of material that is going to need more amps, flux core wire might solve that problem. However, If the part that you are welding is structural, and you do not feel confident in your welds, it would be very advisable to have the welds done by a professional welder with the right equipment. Or, if that is not a feasible option it would probably be a good idea to stop the project, or even better, don't start it! The reason why I mention this is because if you are making a trailer and your welds are cold, possibly due to inadequate power settings or some other issue, and they fall apart on the highway at 55 MPH and cause damage to other cars, or even worse, people you will be liable. Even if you manage to escape legally, it would be hard for many people to live with the fact that a project they made caused injury or even death to someone else do to something so silly as cold welds or some other issue.

 

The Hobart Handler 140 gives you a very nice “bang for your buck”. From little fixes around the house to light fabrication projects the Hobart handler is truly a very versatile welder. With gas, the welder is even better, gas gives you the chance for much cleaner welds, and far less spatter. However, even if welding with gas is not in the near future, the Hobart Handler 140 will give you the chance to fix many little projects around the house and even start some light fabrication projects.

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