I've owned my Hobart 140 for almost a year now and could not possibly be happier. The pictures here are of the final welds on my 2nd utility trailer. The welder itself simply cannot be beat for the light to medium welding. It has handled everything I've put in front of it, including 1/4" fillet welds in one pass without even a whimper. My first trailer was built using flux core wire which is a dirty, smokey, process (very similar to stick welding) requiring a considerable amount of cleanup, plus the visual appearance of the welds was not much to look at. The 2nd trailer (in the pics) was done using .030" wire and 75-25 argon/Co2 mix. Night and day difference in the welds, much more enjoyable to do, and virtually no cleanup before painting. I'll never use flux core again. Two common issues that can cause you headaches if you've never welded with this welder before: 1) Wiring. Because this welder operates on only 120v, a dedicated circuit with 12 gauge wire and a new receptacle works best. Many homes are wired using 14 gauge wired (which is not as heavy), and might have lights and other current draws on the same circuit. Likewise, if you absolutely must use an extension cord, get a heavy duty one, not some cheapo used for holiday decorations. 2) A good solid ground. The ground clamp that comes with the machine is not the best in the world, but it works. If you have trouble getting off to a quick/clean start to your weld, it could be that you're not getting the ground you need. Clean the metal where the ground clamp is placed and maximize your connection using a star washer between the clamp and the base metal which provides multiple points of tight contact. You can also clamp the ground cable directly to the base metal using a C-clamp which will provide a much tighter fool-proof connection. I don't see myself ever needing another welder in this lifetime, but if I did, it would be another Hobart 140.

I'm disappointed. The box says up to 1/4 inch mild steal with a single pass. So I thought was sufficient. I was welding 6 inch channel, to 4 inch channel, to build a lift for RV trailer. To have sufficient penetration and heat, you should see a visible discoloration on the back side of the weld, meaning that the metal was sufficiently heated, to have sufficient penetration. In this particular case, the welds don't need to be that strong, but this should NOT say welds 1/4 inch on single pass, I'd say maximum 1/8 inche mild steal. I had the voltage turned up all the way, and dialed in the wire speed. Was welding with solid wire, and CO2 and Argon mix gas. I was a welder for 10 years at a local trailer shop, so I know what I'm talking about. if the box says 1/4 inch, it should weld 1/4 inch. I am not happy. I hope to exchange it for the Hobart Handler 190 MIG Welder, 190A, 230V, 500554, and hope that the 230 will have better penetration.