Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

You know, I open a lot of foreign made junk. From simple brass fittings, to complex electrical components like TVs. You learn to recognize what is junk and what is not. For example; if you got to Lowes, Home Depot, Menards or other similar box stores and look at their plumbing supplies, you will see an awful lot of junk. How can you get a brass fitting 'wrong'? If it's made of brass, it should be good for certain applications, right? No... not right. Even among simple things like brass fittings, you can see a huge disparity between what you buy at Lowes or WallMart, vs what you might buy at a plumbing supply store. This welder is JUST LIKE THAT. When comparing this welder to 'similar' welders at the local box stores, the differences start to become clear as soon as you open the box. This Hobart welder is much more solidly constructed that a 'similar' (name brand) welder that I recently purchased at one of the box stores, in every respect. The packaging was solid two-layer thick cardboard, stapled together. Not the simple, single layered junk my (name brand) came in. The outside shell is made of stronger, thicker steel, compared to the thinner outside shell of the (name brand). The wire feed assembly is all metal, compared to mostly plastic components of my (name brand). The Hobart came with a 10' mig gun and a 10' clamp, where the (name brand) came with a 6' and 10' clamp cable. Every component of the Hobart was just sturdier than the (name brand). This was most apparent ... well ... everywhere, really. The gas regulator was MUCH nicer than the one that came with the (name brand). Actually, the regulator was Miller branded, which explains my previous statement. The manual was very well done. Everything about the 'fit and finish' of this machine was solid; From the mig gun to the outer shell of the unit, every component seemed to be top-notch. Hobart/Miller did not spare pennies to put this together. Even the packaging was very well done, and obviously not sacrificed to save a buck. I was really concerned about the regulator... The (name brand) welder I purchased came with a ...sub-standard... regulator, but this Hobart shipped with a much higher quality regulator. I was impressed by much more than the 'Miller' brand on the brass. It was just a far superior product than what I had seen before. All of that said, there were a few things I wasn't so happy with. Namely; The Hobart came with a 'sample' spool of wire. Not so bad since I already had wire, but disappointing. The adjustment for the wire spool required a wrench, but should not have. A wing nut would have been preferable. When assembling the Hobart, you will need both a 10mm wrench, and a 1/2" wrench. Pick a standard and stick with it. But it all really comes down to the weld... and here the Hobart really shined. I don't know if it's because the the clamp on the Hobart was superior, or the tip was better designed, or ... maybe it was just me being happier with the apparently better equipment and so doing a better job, but the Hobart was easier to work with. Whether pushing or pulling my beads, the Hobart just seemed easier to work with than my (name brand) welder. All in all, if I were to recommend a MIG welder for 'the hobbyist', or ... more like myself, the average user; it would be this welder. It has so far been fabulous.