Which would be a better choice-wire welder

Lincoln because of parts availability, warranty, and quality.

Just MHO, but I am a Lincoln and Miller Man.

Steve

I bought the Lincoln. It seemed to be of sturdier construction as more folks seemed willing to help with it.

It has been working flawlessly for 11 months so far.

The Hobarts and Millers are now made in the same factory, and most of the parts on the Hobart 140 are the same as the Miller MM135, so you can get parts for your Hobart machine at any Miller dealer, in particular the tips, rollers and other consumables.

I looked closely at all 3 of the 135/140 machines (Lincoln, Hobart, Miller) and ended up going with the Hobart 140, but you can't go wrong with any of the 3, so pick the one that has the features you like best for the money. Don't go any cheaper than those brands though, and stay away from any Lincoln machines less than 135 amps, those are import ones and should be avoided. The tapped Lincoln machine, their SP135T, is also sold in many "big box" stores under different model numbers (Pro Mig 135, Weld Pack 3200 and probably other names also), but its the same machine and sometimes you can find it on sale. The continuous voltage Lincoln 135 (SP135) machine is only sold at welding dealers, and it cost more. They're both good machines, the continuous one gives you more fine tuning ability, but the tapped model works well. If you're tight on $, the 135 Lincolns often show up on the used market, generally hardly used at all. I think a lot of people buy them on impulse at the big box stores without really having much to use them for, and often you can find good deals on these in "advertiser" type flyers and listings. I've seen hardly used systems with the regulator and a mask as low as $300.

You'll find these machines discussed pretty thoughroughly at:

Go to that forum and search under MM135, SP135, HH140 and Hobart 140 and you'll get lots of feedback on the machines.

Good luck-

Paul T.