There are not many welder brands out there that can satisfy both professional and amateur needs. And Hobart is one of those few names that is loved and appreciated by DIY enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. You will get a complete understanding of the great features and a few limitations from this Hobart Handler 140 MIG welder review. And I can assure you one thing is the benefits insanely outnumbered the limits.
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Who Should Choose Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder?
When you are onto frequent DIY projects, all you need is an easy-to-use welder that will do justice to your budget. And believe me; the Hobart Handler 140 will do both with equal greatness.
The lightweight welder can handle any light to medium welding work that includes home, auto, and business maintenance repair. If you are a hands-on person like me who loves to do all the welding repair personally, there is no better choice than Hobart 140.
The welder is affordable to anyone with a limited budget but an unlimited desire to be a master welder. And the machine will serve you for a long time. How cool is that?
Let’s not drag things too long and dig into the Hobart Handler 140 review.
Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder Review: Features & Specifications
Arc Performance
If the wire drive is the heart then the arc is the face of any welder. And the face of Hobart 140 is both assuring and ace in performance. The arc is smooth and can work on any metal surface. If you tweak the voltage settings, the arc can penetrate a diverse thickness. Wait for a moment to learn about this diversity in action.
The 10-feet cable with adequate covering makes it easy to use everywhere. You will find them flexible up to 30-degree without being stiff.
Weight
You will love the 57-lbs weight of the machine. Carrying it, grabbing the handle is easy and setting it up on any rack is also effortless. Straightforward functions cut down all the unnecessary features for this DIY welder. And the weight becomes super convenient.
Ease of Use
One of the best things about this MIG welder is the slopped control panel. Now you have increased visibility that allows you to pick the right settings for appropriate actions. You can select the wire feed speed (WFS) from 10 to 100.
The speed is adjustable between 40 to 700 ipm (inches per minute). Higher WFS is an excellent advantage to weld Aluminum along with the other metals.
Wire Drive System
The wire drive system is fast and reliable. And it can deal with both soft aluminum wire and hard metal wires. The Quick Select System will instantly align with the wire diameter and give you the best result.
Two smooth grooves are for solid or flux wire. They can accommodate 0.024 and 0.03/0.035-inch solid or flux core. And the knurled groove of 0.03/0.035-inch diameter is there to deal with softer wire with lighter roller tension. Soft wires run smoothly on the gripping tracks without facing any feeding issues.
You can use the ultra-soft aluminum wire with the calibrated feed tension control. It ensures precision pressure to prevent crushing or slippage.
Voltage Control
This 115-V machine gives excellent welding of the thin sheets at a 140-amp setting. You can easily weld steel plates of up to 3/16 inch thickness. All you need is a 20-amp electrical circuit and multiple passes will do the magic.
You will find heat settings between 1 and 5 that match the output range between 25 to 140-amps. Check the welding wire user manual to get an idea about the perfect duo of WFS and Heat Setting.
Overload Protection
It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie welder; the Hobart 140 comes with multiple overload protection systems to safeguard your investment.
Self-resetting thermal overload protection prevents thermal overloading due to power transformation. It also ensures the durability of the machine even if you exceed the duty cycle. It won’t allow you to weld anything unless the machine is cooled enough.
Wire overloading will not be an issue as the Handler 140 comes with self-resetting motor protection. This protection mechanism ensures the optimum stress on the wire feeder without changing or resetting the circuit breaker.
Last but not least in the Hobart handler 140 welder review is the Output Overload protection. It prevents exceeding the maximum output, aka Maximum Open Circuit Voltage (OCV). And the number is 28 VDC.
Duty Cycle
The rated output is 20% duty cycle at 90-amp. For 90 amps of output, the machine needs to cool down for 8-minutes after 2-minutes (20%) of the welding operation. And you know it very well that the duty cycle changes inversely with the output power.
It means if you use more power, the machine will require more time to cool down. So it will eventually cut down the operation time.
Durability
A heavy cast aluminum casing keeps the machine’s electronics safe from dust, dents, or other accidents. Besides, it gives the welder a cool look in any condition. You can have peace of mind along with the highest satisfaction. Thanks to the 3-years warranty.
Great Things about Hobart Handler Welder
- Affordable
- Great for DIY projects
- Lightweight
- Easy to use control panel
- Works on 115V standard rating
- Easy change grooves for different core types
- No separate spool is required for soft metals like aluminum
- 3-years warranty
Limitations of Hobart Handler 140
- It requires an extra gas cylinder during MIG welding.
- The gas regulator is not suitable for CO2
- Wire clamp is not suitable for heavy-duty functions.
- Not a great option for heavy-duty professional welding.
- Do not work without AC current.
Flux Core vs MIG Welder: Which one is the Best?
The difference lies in the wire. Flux core uses hollow wire with a metal outer shell and flux material in the center. Contrarily, MIG welding relies on solid wire. But it will be almost impossible to say which one is the best. If you consider welding finish, penetration depth, and power efficiency, the two welding processes will come out differently.
However, if you care more about a welding job outlook, MIG will be the best option with a smooth finish. Otherwise, it will be a draw between these two.
Conclusion
Any DIY or home welding project will come with flying colors with the best MIG welder for home use like Hobart 140. All you have to do is to go over the Hobart Handler 140 MIG welder review to know the features that will leverage the project.
There are not many options if you want to get a combination of affordability, ease of use, and durability from one welder. And it’s definitely Hobart Handler MIG 140 Welder.
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