Product review: Lincoln 140 HD Welder

Among my resume of skills, welder/fabricator happens to be one of my favorites. I Truly enjoy metal work, the ability to take pieces of metal and create a structure with a weld that is stronger than fasteners is nothing short of amazing. It is a combination of both skill and technology.

Some even refer to welding as a "art" with some quoting strange statistics that only "2%" of the world's population can actually do it...

Well that 2% thing sounds like a heap to me, especially with the introduction of this ultra budget friendly FCAW/MIG welder.

They retail for around $550-$700 with everything you see in the photo above. It may not be as inexpensive as the Harbor Freight welders, or even Hobart, but...this is like comparing a fisher price plastic tricycle to a Ferrari, they both have wheels, and a steering system and that's when the similarities end.

I (was) a Miller fan, and while they are excellent machines, this Lincoln can do EVERYTHING that a much more expensive and large machine can do AND the Lincoln can fit in the back seat of my pick-up truck.

I have also used a few Harbor Freight welders, and while they are the rock bottom price, they also tend to be of rock bottom quality. I used a small FACW only (flux core arc welding) set up a few years back, it made spectacularly horrible welds, I may have had a defective machine, and/or it may have been set up improperly since it was not mine, but it did really turn me off.

I purchased my Lincoln second hand through Minnesota Home Outlet for under $200 out the door! It was missing the extras from the stock photo above, so I contacted Lincoln Electric.

I told them everything,

A. I bought the welder second hand.

B. I wanted a list of the components so I could purchase them separately.

And this is what I found on my doorstep two days later...

Instead of an E-mail reply, I received all of this in a neatly packed box. FOR. FREE.

Now I don't know about everyone's dealings with the customer service for Miller, Harbor Freight, Hobart, etc. But, I challenge anyone to tell me a better (true) story of customer service from a welding supply company. Maybe any company, for that matter.

I never mentioned to Lincoln Electric that I wrote reviews, and I have received $0.00 in compensation from them unless you count the $150.00+ worth of extras they mailed to me.

My machine works perfectly, and if it didn't, I would bet they would honor the "3 year" warranty on my welder in about 10 years from now. What a great product, and what an amazing company.

If you need a welder, you will not be disappointed with the 140 HD.

Power:

Never increased the "heat" or speed over half way, Welding a FCAW bead on 1/4" steel has not been any problem , my welder could easily handle much thicker material, even though I am welding out of 120v household power.

Ease of use and set up:

-Ultra simple button layout and controls, the knobs are not rheostat for precise adjustment, but that would be the only drawback.

-No digital read out for temp and speed, but that has not been an issue, and seems to be a feature only found on large scale production equipment anyway.

-All the components are marked, and allow easy switching to different wire size without tools, or FCAW to Mig operation with only a crescent wrench.

All in all, for buying it second hand at $200.00, it may be one of the greatest investments in tools I have ever made.

If I wouldn't recommend to a friend, I'd never recommend it to you.