Hobart 190 VS 210; Who Has Got Balls?

Hobart is a leading manufacturer and a trustworthy one at that whenever it comes to engineering good quality welding equipment for metal workers, hobbyists, DIYers, and the experienced welder operators alike. Some of their widely recognized products are Hobart 190 and Hobart 210, with each of the MIGs topping their respective series. And if you’re looking to shop around soon or later and want to avoid getting stuck between which of the two series to go for, this post is for you. Right here, in this Hobart 190 vs 210 posts, I make a clear comparison between the two MIG welders and highlight the features, the pros, and the cons unique to each. Drill in.

Comparing Their Welding Capacities

Though these MIG-ready units look the same from a distance, there’s a huge gap between their welding capacities. On one side, you have Hobart 210 boasting a maximum welding capacity of ⅜ inches and a minimum of ¼ inches. Hobart 190, on the other hand, offers a maximum of 5/16 inches welding capacity whilst offering a minimum of 24-gauges. Now if one is to pass judgment over which has the maximum capacity, it’s obvious that the 210 series member takes the upper hand.

But when it comes down to deciding which is best for you out of the two, judging by welding capacity, it depends on your welding operations. First, you need to answer the question “what is the maximum thickness of the metal that I mold with more often?”. If you’re that welder who welds thin sheets and mild steels of medium thickness, say the maximum of ⅜”, you would be better off with the 190 series member. The 210-model, on the flip side, may wrap your 24-gauge material or cause Burnthroughs and is thus ideal for welding thicker materials.

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Comparing Their Wire Feed Speed

Being able to bounce off a lot of speed from your welding unit is important. But again, choosing which speed range is best for you is a decision that should be guided by your level and experience as a MIG welder operator. Now to the bottom line. Though both units are of different series, they share the same minimum wire feed speed whilst varying in large numbers on their respective maximum wire feed speed.

The model 210 for an instance has a max of 770 IPM wire feed speed and is therefore ideal for the expert. Also, if you’re deciding upon which is the best for your assembly line welding tasks or your industrial operations, the model 210 is most ideal. Meanwhile, since our 190 series guy can churn out consumables at a maximum speed of 740 IPM it could also be used for the same purpose but at a lesser speed. Otherwise, I’d rather relegate the 190-model to the welder operators who need less speed to hone in on their skills at their own pace or for anyone looking to make quality weld at low wire feed speed.

Operation Time

If you’re looking to get the most of your welding time and cutback downtime, you may be leaning more on the higher series. Otherwise, Hobart 190 would be the best for you. And here’s why. With Hobart 210, you get to operate at 150amps welding current with a downtime of 3 minutes in every 10 minutes of operation. For the lower series, however, you get to have a downtime of 3 minutes in every 10 minutes of operation only when welding at a lower welding current of 130amps. In other words, Hobart 210 offers a duty cycle of 30% @ 150amps and a duty cycle of 20% @ 90amps. On the flip side, Hobart 190 has a duty cycle of 30% @ 130amps. In my opinion, deciding which is the best based on their duty cycles is determined by the nature of your material. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is that the more time a type of metal requires to cool, the greater the duty cycle you need from your welder. So, for instance, if you are looking to fry more aluminum than steel, Hobart 190 is ideal to buy you all the time needed to cool your first pass before making another pass. And for steel which solidifies faster, Hobart 190 would be great.

Ease Of Use

When it comes down to setting the two units up, Hobart 190 is much easier to set up. And that is why I recommend it to MIG beginners over the high series member Hobart 210. The fact that you can intuitively set it up, Hobart provides set up resources in the form of videos and eBooks that a beginner can easily follow up. Nevertheless, both units are easy to operate and use. Whether you’re looking to make a self-shielded setup for your indoor tasks in the garage or you want a gas shielded unit for your outdoor MIG welding tasks, both units are awesome. In each system, there’s a dual QuickSelect technology drive roll that allows you to set up your solid wire and your flux core wire at the same time. And once set up that way, you can automatically switch between flux and solid at a single press of a button without having to bend over to the power inverter again. Also, you can control welding amperage directly from the MIG gun of each and avoid the hassles of pedal controls.

Versatility

Judging by versatility, Hobart 210 beats the lower series guy to the dust in all ways. For one, the greater series model can be used anywhere since it offers both 115V and 230V, a dual-voltage capability. The lower series model, on the flip side, is 230V only and is therefore considered less versatile and pickier. Also, where Hobart 210 allows 7 voltage selections when connected to a 230V power source and 4 voltage selections when connected to 115V power source, Hobart 190 offers a total of 7 voltage selection. Overall, Hobart 210 has more voltage range.

Portability And Price

If you’re judging by portability and price, you’d go for the 190 series over the 210 series. Speaking of portability. Hobart 190 is lighter in weight, almost half the weight of its competitor. You can easily push it around and even travel with it without having so much load in the truck. Hobart 210, on the other hand, is ideal for a static MIG welder for your auto repair store and your assembly line operations. Nevertheless, if 79lbs is not a lot of weight for you, you might as well make Hobart 210 a unit to travel with.

About the price, the 190 series is way lower in price compared to the high-end series model. (I wouldn’t guide my welding unit, not even my plasma cutter, by the price though. As long as a unit offers value and does the job that I want it to do, I will go out of my way.)

Finally, before going into what these two units share in common, below is a list of each where I highlight the features unique to the two MIG welders. Also, I highlight a few reasons you may or may not by either of the units.

Hobart 500554 Handler 190 MIG Welder 230V

Hobart 190 Features

  • Maximum welding capacity; 3/16 inches
  • Minimum welding capacity; 16 gauges
  • HR-100 MIG gun
  • MIG gun cable length; 10ft
  • Ground clamp cable; 10ft
  • Welding amperage range; 25amp to 190amp
  • Duty cycle; 30% @ 130amps
  • QuickSelect drive roll
  • Spool hub accommodation capacity; 4 to 8inch
  • Wire feed speed; 40 to 740IPM
  • 230 voltage
  • Spool type; 0.030inch
  • Number of voltage positions; 7
  • Weight; 68lbs
  • Input phase; single phase
  • Current type; direct current (DC)
Pros
  • Great unit for both flux-core and gas-shielded operations
  • Portable MIG welder for traveler welder operators
  • Packs enough MIG power
  • Extended cables allow more movement
  • Quality welds
  • Lightweight unit with comfy handle
  • Low price
  • Convenient polarity change
  • Comes with a built-in wire feeder
  • Spool gun ready
  • Quick setup
  • Best MIG welder for beginners
  • Ideal for hobbyists, DIYers and for lightweight tasks

Cons

  • Not a standard duty cycle
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Hobart 210 Features

  • Maximum welding capacity; ⅜ inches
  • Minimum welding capacity; ¼ inches
  • Spool hub accommodation capacity; 4 to 8 inches
  • Maximum duty cycle; 20% @ 90amps
  • Minimum duty cycle’ 30% @ 150amps
  • Maximum wire feed speed; 770 IPM
  • Minimum wire feed speed; 40 IPM
  • Spool size capacity; 0.030inch and 0.035inch
  • MIG gun-type; HR100
  • Dual-voltage; 115/230V power receptacle
  • QuickSelect drive roll
  • Gun cable length; 10ft
  • Ground clamp cable length; 10ft
  • Weight; 79lbs
  • Output range for 115v; 7
  • Output range for 230v; 4
  • Current type; direct current (DC)
Hobart - 500553 Handler 210 MVP MIG Welder
Pros
  • A highly versatile unit can be used anywhere
  • Packs a wider range of output parameters
  • Automatically feeds wire
  • Manual wire feed option
  • Maximum wire feed speed
  • Ideal unit for heavy-duty tasks
  • High-quality welds
  • Can be used for both gas -shielded and flux-core MIG weld
  • Tough body construction, built to last
  • Packs a lot of functions
  • Great welding performance on thick material
  • Doesn’t blow a hole in your power bill
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Now to the part where I highlight what the two units share in common.

Safety And Security

Both units are safety-wise and integrate self-security technology of the same type. For one, they both have a built-in contractor that keeps your consumables cold when you stop welding in between so that you can avoid burning yourself or wasting away your consumables. Also, there’s an automatic self-resetting thermal overload protection built into the power inverter to secure your investment from destructive voltages and ensure reliability. Finally, they both integrate short circuit protection together with current-limited motor protection for the same purpose.

Convenience And Application

The two systems are convenient to use for the same purposes. They can do both gas-shielded MIG welding and flux-core operations. They both offer a convenient polarity changeover that lets you switch between flux-core and solid wire at the click of a button. And finally, you set up your solid wire and your hollow wire at once into the drive roll that functions both on autopilot and manually. Overall, Hobart 210 and Hobart 190 are both convenient to use. Did I mention that you have access to a door chart on the power inverter that provides you with a quick starting point of operation configuration?

Weldable Metals

Finally, the two MIG systems find application in welding steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. The major difference here is how thick your materials are.

Appearance

At a distance, you’d take Hobart 210 for Hobart 190. The thing is that they share the same solid-body construction, same lifting handles, and the same body coating. But by comparing the weight and the spec, you can easily separate the two.

Conclusion

In this post, I have given you the big picture that shows the differences and similarities between Hobart 190 vs 210. I hope you’re able to decide on which best satisfies your needs.