If you are struggling to choose between Hobart 140 and Lincoln 140, you have stumbled upon the right page. Both 140 amp models are specifically designed for light MIG and Flux-cored welding. They belong to the lower side of the price spectrum, which obviously means both come with a number of limitations. But it also means they are equipped with all the basic requirements for small-scale jobs around your home.
To help you end up with the right model for your needs and budget, I have divided this Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140 comparison saga into two main sections: reviews and comparison.
I’ll start off with the individual and in-depth reviews of these two welders. This should give you valuable insights into their performance, features, and reliability. Then I will make a side-by-side comparison of the defining characteristic of the two units. Sounds good enough?
Let’s cut to the chase then:
Contents
Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140 Comparison Chart
| Features | Hobart 140 | Lincoln 140 |
|---|---|---|
| Process Type | Mig | Mig |
| Max Amp | 25–140 | 25–140 |
| Voltage | 115 v | 120 v |
| Dimensions | 19 x 11 x 13 | 18 x 15 x 16 |
| Polarity | Dc | Dc |
| Weight | 65 pounds | 71 pounds |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
A Detailed Review of Hobart Handler 140
If you are a DIY-er in the market for a 115v MIG/Flux-core welder for exhaust pipe, plumbing or small repairs jobs around the house or garage, Hobart 140 has got you covered. It is the third and cheapest welding machine in my arsenal.
Despite being the least-priced machine, Hobart Handler 140 is considerably more well-made and functional than the other two. You can tell that this bad boy is engineered to last from the solid thick steel casing of the welder. The wire feed drive is made from cast metal which further solidifies its functionality and durability.
I love the fact that everything you need to get started right out of the box comes with the unit. You will get a 10” MIG gun, 10” robust ground clamp, a very reliable dual gauge gas regulator, gas hookups, and a sample spool of flux-core wire with it.
Just plug it to your domestic power outlet or portable generator and off you go! The max amp output is 140 amp while the lowest being 25 amp. With this power output range and 5-position voltage control switch, you’ll have a decent control over the arc length for small-scale welding tasks.
The duty cycle is 20% at 90 amps, which might not be enough if you are aiming to lay continuous beads or work on bulk projects. But then again, Hobart 140 isn’t intended for such demanding tasks.
Also, mind you, the duty cycle (i.e the actual welding time before the machine begins to overheat) will increase if you weld on a lower amp. Plus, a lot of time goes into reclamping, repositioning, cleaning and stuff like that which allows the unit enough time to cool off without wasting too much of your valuable time.
From ¼” square tubing, mild steel to material as thin as 24 gauge steel. I mostly use it for flux-core MIG-ing 3/16 inch with a .035 wire and 75/25 gas mix. Welding ⅛” angles won’t be an issue for this tough little welder.
Note that this machine cannot be hooked up with a spool gun. However, you can still weld light aluminum by putting a Teflon Liner in the hose of the MIG gun to feed. You will need to use soft aluminum wire and 100% pure argon gas for the purpose. The whole thing takes skill, patience and practice. Personally, if I want to weld aluminum, I would get a welder like Lincoln 140 that supports a spool gun.
To sum up, it handles both super-thin and thick metals up to ¼” really well. Sadly, I can’t say the same for aluminum welding, although it’s very much possible to weld aluminum with Hobart 140 without a spool gun by following YouTube tutorials.
If you are a first-timer, this machine would be a great starting point as it allows you the option to fiddle with different volt and wire speed, an extremely important skill to master for quality welds. To weld thicker metals, you just have to make more passes. This is not an ordinary feat for a 140 welding machine.
Apart from robust build quality, versatility and ability to perform like a beast on a rampage, this machine is also super lightweight and easy to carry. Professionals looking for a portable unit mainly for welding thin material for outdoor projects will also get a lot of use out of this machine.
All in all, no matter whether it’s your first ever welder purchase or you are a pro working in a mechanic shop, Hobart 140 is worth a shot if your applications are limited to small-scale steel and mild steel welding.
The operation and setup are a cakewalk. I won’t say it’s the perfect entry-level model in the market, especially if you are into aluminum welding. But when it comes to 115v 140 amp lightweight MIG/Flux-core welders, Hobart 140 is very hard to contest.
Potential Drawbacks
Despite being one of the finest in its league, Hobart Handler 140 isn’t perfect. First of all, it’s a shame that such a well-built machine doesn’t support a spool gun. Moreover, the highest amp output of 140 won’t simply cut it for metals thicker than ¼’ in one pass. Lastly, the plug provided with the welder runs quite short.
A Detailed Review of Lincoln Weld Pak 140 HD
Never have I ever been disappointed by any of the Lincoln welders I have had the opportunity to use in my whole career as a professional fabricator. Weld Pak 140 HD, despite its limitations, is a very capable MIG/Flux-cored welder if you want a basic machine for welding aluminum and light steel sheets.
As you can guess from the price tag, it’s an entry-level 140 amp model designed to work on domestic 115 v on a 20 amp circuit. Mind you that it offers the output amp range of 30-140 amp. So if you want to utilize the full potential of this welder, I’d strongly advise installing a 30-amp circuit.
The machine is small but weighs 71 pounds, so it’s certainly not lightweight. It is equipped with 2 drives wheels, one upper and one lower, made of all metal which speaks volume about Lincoln’s attention to ergonomics.
It also comes with 2-piece wire guides to make switching between different wire diameters a breeze. Brownie points for super quick and reliable wire feed system. A quality wire feed system is an area where most low-budget welders flop badly. There are very few exceptions and Lincoln 140, fortunately, is one of them.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the length of the power cord (6 ft.) and gun hose 910 ft). Honestly, I was mentally prepared to see a short and poor quality cable before unboxing the model. The ground lead is about 8-10 ft. long which should work fine in most home, garden or small garage setups.
The box includes a .025” 2 lbs. spool of wire to help you start welding right away. Sadly, there are no amp settings, only 4 heat settings. It might take you a while to figure out how to use the wire speed to dial in your welder for the type of base metal you’re working with.
Lincoln also provides a fairly accurate guide sheet of weld settings for various material types and thicknesses. If you are a beginner who really wants to commit to the art of welding, follow the chart, watch YouTube videos, and keep practicing.
Lincoln 140 makes a great welder to practice with and once you learn the fundamentals of welding, you can weld up to ½” steel with multiple passes, even though the description says it can only handle up to 3/16”.
I have also welded 16 ga to 20 ga aluminum sheet metal with ease using a spool gun and aluminum wire. Flux-core welding on stainless steel yields very smooth welds but gasless welding is inevitably, quite messy. If your goal is to produce cleaner welds with less spatter and cleanup, it’s a no-brainer that you should opt for MIG welding with a solid wire and shielding gas.
Potential Drawbacks
It offers only 4 voltage settings and no amp settings. If you are planning to use this welder for demanding projects, it won’t be up to the task.
Hobart 140 vs Lincoln 140: Feature Comparisons
| Features | Hobart 140 | Lincoln 140 |
|---|---|---|
| Process Type | Mig | Mig |
| Max Amp | 25–140 | 25–140 |
| Voltage | 115 v | 120 v |
| Dimensions | 19 x 11 x 13 | 18 x 15 x 16 |
| Polarity | Dc | Dc |
| Weight | 65 pounds | 71 pounds |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Which welder is better? Hobart 140 or Lincoln 140? That’s the question we will be addressing in the following section.
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Weight of the Units
Hobart 140 weighs 50 pounds compared to Lincoln K2514-1 140 that weighs a whopping 71 pounds. So if you are a professional welder looking for an extra MIG welder to carry in your car or RV, Hobart 140 would be the obvious choice. However, if you are going to use the welder only around your home, the weight of Lincoln shouldn’t be an issue.
The winner of this round, no points for guessing, is Hobart 140.
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Input Voltage and Output Amperage
Both models are designed for standard U.S household 120 v 20 amp circuits. The output amp of Hobart 140 ranges from 25-140 amp while Lincoln provides 30-140 amp output. The margin of difference is very small and honestly, doesn’t make much of a difference. To get the most out of both models, call an electrician and get yourself a 30 amp circuit.
To sum up, this round is a tie.
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Supported Wire Sizes
Both Hobart and Lincoln models come with a sample flux-core wire to give you a quick and fuss-free start. For flux-core welding, you can fit .030-.035” wires on both units’ wire feed drive system. If you want to weld aluminum, you have the option to use .030” aluminum wire on the two units.
Also, both units offer adapters to let you quickly switch between 2 lbs and 10 lbs. Spool of wire. Despite being low budget models, Hobart and Lincoln have equipped their welders with all-metal wire feed drive rollers instead of cheaper and less durable plastic ones.
However, there’s one difference to take note of if you’re buying the welder for the sole purpose of welding steel or mild steel. Hobart 140 can fit .023- .035” solid wires while Lincoln’s range is .025-.035 inch.
Smaller wire diameter is better suited for thinner materials. Hence, the range offered by Hobart lends it an upper hand in this regard.
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Contact Tips
Another important point to consider if you want to expand your welding skills in future. Lincoln 140 offers more room for upgrade as its box includes three .025” and three .035” tips.
The Hobart Handler, on the other hand, comes with only two .030” tips. While you can easily purchase additional contact tips of various sizes, it’s always great to receive extra freebies.
For this reason, the winner of this round is Lincoln 140.
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Wire Feed Speed Range
Another identical feature shared by these two units is the infinite wire feed speed control. This is a very significant feature to look into while purchasing a welder. With infinite variable wire speed, you can strike a long and steady arc with greater control.
However, the max wire feed speed of the two models differs. Hobart has a speed range of 40-700 IPM while Lincoln provides 50-500 IMP. The wider speed range will simply help you fine-tune your weld more easily according to the thickness of the base material.
Hence, the winner of this round is undoubtedly Hobart Handler 140.
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Duty Cycle
Duty cycle of 20% @90 amps is another major similarity to take into account before making up your mind. Rookies who don’t know what a duty cycle means, let me explain it briefly.
It is simply the duration for which a welder welds (within a 10 minutes period) before it begins to overheat. A 20% duty cycle means you can weld for 2 minutes and let it cool off for 8 minutes. That’s the theory.
But in practice, both welders take about 15 minutes give or take, to cool off. The cool-off period also depends on the factors like environmental temperature and the amp setting in use.
Always remember, the lower the amp, the higher the duty cycle. Since the two models have the same duty cycle, it’s a tie again.
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Thermostatic Protection Switch
If you accidentally exceed the duty cycle, the thermostatic protection mechanism integrated in these two units will prevent the internal components from major heat damage.
In Hobart, you’ll have to press the reset button to reset the thermal overload protection. But Lincoln is one step ahead as it automatically resets its thermostatic protection when the overheat indicator light comes on.
Resetting, in this context, means switching on the built-in fans to cool off the devices.
Lincoln 140 wins this round by a small margin due to its auto thermostatic reset function.
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Voltage Setting
The voltage setting is another key feature to consider while buying a welding machine, no matter the type. Hobart Handler 140 features a 5-position tapped voltage dial while its Lincoln counterpart is equipped with a 4-position dial.
Tapped dials click and lock into a fixed position when you turn the knob, as opposed to infinite dials which allow you more options to fine-tune your voltage settings for a particular type of project. To be more precise, using an infinite voltage dial, you can set the dial between 5 and a half. You can’t do that with a tapped switch.
This is not a drawback considering both models are primarily designed for beginners who find it easier to dial in the welder using a tapped switch.
Hobart offers 1 extra voltage setting option which gives it a slight edge over Lincoln. So this round goes to Hobart 140.
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Changing Polarity
Both models have dedicated terminals to switch the polarity when you want to switch from Flux-core welding to solid wire welding with gas. As obvious as daylight, this round is a tie.
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Steel and Mild Steel Welding
When it comes to welding mild steel and steel, Hobart 140 can fuse materials as thin as 24 ga, up to ¼” in a single pass with great penetration.
Lincoln can weld up to 3/16” which means Lincoln has an edge of Hobart 140 in this round as well.
However, I want to re-emphasize the point that both units have a max output of 140 amp. So none of them are capable of handling demanding tasks such as welding thick steel or mild steel in bulk. Just use it for the intended purpose and none of them will disappoint you.
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Aluminum Welding
The only major downside to Hobart Handler is that it doesn’t support a spool gun. So if you want to weld aluminum, you will have to make some additional adjustments such as putting a Teflon Liner in the gun hose.
The setup would be quite complex, unless you are a seasoned welder. Plus, without a spool gun, you can only weld light aluminum with a 140 amp MIG welder like this one.
If you want the easy way out, go for the spool gun-ready Lincoln 140. As your skill improves with time and practice, you can produce neat welds on 10-22 ga aluminum with Lincoln.
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD takes the cake when it comes to welding aluminum.
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Shielding Gas Support
I am very fond of the quality of the dual gauge gas regulators that come with both units. The regulators support either 75/25 Argon and Carbon dioxide mix or 100% Argon. None of the regulators support 100% CO2.
Hobart 140 has an edge over Lincoln here as the former supports tri-gas mix which is essential for MIG welding stainless steel.
Of course, you can weld stainless steel with Lincoln as well but you’ll have to stick to gasless flux-core welding which would create a lot of spatter and mess.
It’s a no-brainer that this round goes to Hobart 140.
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Instruction Manual
I adore the well-worded, detailed welding charts printed on the back panel door of both units. The charts suggested ideal voltage and wire feed speed settings for the type and gauge of metal to be welded. If you are a beginner keen on learning the tricks of the trade, these charts would be a gold-mine of information for you. To sum up, it makes dialing in the welder a breeze for rookies and pros, alike.
Extra points to Hobart for including a hard copy of the chart in the box, just in case the print on the cabinet door gets damaged over time.
I really want to call it a tie but the inclusion of a hard copy of the manual earned Hobart a brownie point.
On that note, I will conclude this feature by feature comparison of Hobart 140 vs. Lincoln 140. It took me days to jot down all the information you might be looking for. I didn’t want to spare any detail. After all, buying a welding machine is no joke. I would be pretty mad if I spent a few hundred bucks on a piece of junk.
Now that we are done, it’s time for me to share my final thoughts on both models.
Hobart 140 vs. Lincoln 140: Final Verdict
I hope all the clouds of confusion are gone by now. I would put Hobart Handler 140 above Lincoln 140 for the terrific value for money, reliability, invincible construction quality and consistent performance. Honestly, I think it has set an example for its similar-priced competitors on what to be and what not to be.
Lincoln 140 would make a fantastic MIG/Flux-core welder for a trainee or a DIY-er who welds occasionally and mostly works on small stuff. There aren’t too many settings to play with. Plus, you get six contact tips for two different wire diameters compared to two .030 tips you get with Hobart.
Moreover, the Lincoln spool gun which you can purchase separately is way better at welding aluminum than Hobart 140. So if your projects involve a lot of aluminum welding (mainly 10-22 ga), Lincoln would be a considerably better option for you.
That’s pretty much it. Good luck with your purchase.
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