If you want to know how the welding supply industry is reacting to the cordless market, take a gander at the Trek 180 battery-powered MIG Welder. It’s awesomeness in a 52-lb. box.

We’re not saying this is meant to replace a larger shop model, and neither is Hobart. What the Trek 180 is designed to do is take care of small jobs when you are away from anything resembling civilization. The rig can run off its own 120 amp 17VDC battery or from an 115V power outlet with a 20 percent duty cycle.

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I dunno; it’s just something about seeing monster versions of standard kitchen tools that I find fascinating. Every so often, while channel surfing, I catch some show with people either using or making commercial or industrial sized things like mixers, and I think how neat it would be to have one of them. I don’t know what the heck I would do with it — except maybe make enough pizza dough for a year — but the idea still appeals. Part of it is that they somehow take me back to my early youth and watching Industry On Parade on Sundays.

This post was triggered by seeing a reference to the KitchenAid time line, and its note about the early (1908!) development of the stand mixer including being listed as “regular equipment” on all U.S. Navy ships by 1917.

Admit it — isn’t there a little voice in your head telling you how cool it would be to have a 140-quart floor mixer in the kitchen — or even the garage — to mix up a big batch of something?

Industry On Parade Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Hobart [Manufacturer's Site]

Hobart is reskinning their OpticArmor auto-darkening hoods to appeal to the off-roading crowd. The new welding hood provides the same protection as the rest of the OpticArmor line but now sports some sweet new graphics as well.

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We mentioned a while back that the Hobart Handler 210 was going to be available soon, and now it is. One the newest models in the Hobart line, it looks like a sweet unit.

The 210 plugs into a standard 230V outlet and delivers up to 210A of power, which will weld 3/8″ mild steel and up to 1/4″ thick aluminum. It sports a 30 percent duty cycle — which means for every 10 minute period, the welder can weld for three minutes of it without stopping to cool down. This may seem like a limitation at first, but it’s actually not bad if you’re on location. Plus, the 210 comes loaded with flux-core, so no bottles are needed straight out of the box.

At around $850, it’s more expensive than some of the other models in the line — but the extra MIG capabilities do set it apart.

Handler 210 [Hobart]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

For all those steer-raising, cow-punching folk that learned to weld in the FFA, Hobart has got your welding helmet — auto-darkening, metal flake blue, with FFA spirit literally scrawled all over it.

Hobart loads this special edition with all the sweet features of their regular auto-darkening helmet: solar-powered, auto-darkening, fixed-shade, #10 lens; two independent arc sensors; and a lithium battery. The down side that goes with the FFA emblem on the chin is the mammoth $120 price tag, which’ll put off almost anyone actually in the FFA.

FFA Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet [Hobart]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

You may notice that my Hobart welding gloves, pictured above, look like they’ve been through hell. That’s because that’s exactly where I put them (instead of my bare hands) damn near every time I use ‘em. I’ve burned ‘em, ground ‘em, scuffed ‘em, and otherwise treated ‘em like crap for a year now, and they’re still just as protective and comfy as the second week I wore ‘em. Read on past the jump to find out why they’re one of our favorite tools of 2007.

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Hobart just launched their new, redesigned website. Their press release says, “The re-design improves navigation, offers enhanced product information and enables viewing in a wide-screen format with resolutions of 1024 X 768, presenting more information with less scrolling.” Which means Hobart has managed to arrive in the 21st century and realized people would like to know more about their products than just the name, rank, and serial number the old site listed.

We’re glad to see the improvement. They make some great products, and their old web presence didn’t reflect the thought and quality they put into their welding units and gear.

Hobart Welders [Official Website]

The newest model in Hobart’s ever-bigger Handler line, the 210 plugs into a standard 230V outlet and delivers up to 210A of power — enough to successfully weld 3/8″ mild steel and up to 1/4″ thick aluminum.  Hobart claims that with the right wire, it offers enough control to join 24-gauge material without burning through.

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We’ve written quite a bit about Hobart’s AirForce 250, and it’s a formidable addition to any shop.  But this week Hobart announced its new replacement – the AirForce 250ci — that weighs half as much and includes some exciting new features.

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If you picked up one of Hobart’s portable “Handler” series welders a while back to try some projects of your own, you might want to consider protecting it with a custom-fitted cover.  Sawdust, bugs, and shop grunge don’t make for a well-functioning welder.

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So you’ve set up shop at home, but for some reason the home owners association won’t let you keep a tank of acetylene (next to a big tank of oxygen) big enough to turn the neighborhood into a crater.

This may be the one time the HOA is right, but don’t tell ‘em I said so.

What you really need is a plasma cutter.  Yeah, they’re a little expensive, but once you see what you can do with one, you’ll be ready to raid the kids’ college money.  We tried out Hobart’s entry level AirForce 250A, and we’d have a hard time without one now.  Thankfully, it’s part of our long-term test group, so you’ll see lots more about it in future posts.

Read past the jump to find out more about our experiences with the 250A along with lots of pictures.

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When it comes to welding helmet decorations, we live by a simple credo: flames = good.  So when we heard about Hobart’s XTV-series auto-darkening helmets, our first question was, “Do they come in flames?”

Yes.  Yes, they do.

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Most starter MIG rigs offer tapped voltage settings instead of continuous adjustment, both because it’s less expensive and because it simplifies things for beginner and intermediate welders.  But while most units offer a five-tap system, Hobart’s new Handler 187 has seven settings, which gives you better control.

Hobart also says the 187’s improved inductor keeps a tighter reign on amperage, which in turn “smoothes out the arc” and improves metal flow.

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Back when we originally wrote about them, we promised to check in with Hobart and let you know where you can find these great gloves.  Well, we’re a bit late in doing so, but here ’tis:

You can buy these gloves at most farm supply stores, such as Northern Tool and Tractor Supply, as well as through a variety of other retailers.  We didn’t see them listed online, but Hobart assures us that they carry them.  If you aboslutely, positively can’t find them locally, try giving Hobart a call at 1-800-626-9420 (their customer service line) for help locating them.

It’s rare that we really gush about a product, but this is going to be one of those times.  We’ll probably be embarassed about it in the morning, but tonight we’re gonna unabashedly tell you: these gloves rock the house.  They’re easily the most comfortable and useful welding gloves we’ve ever used.  We think our name (in the post title) is better, but Hobart calls them their “Premium Form-Fitted Welding Gloves.”

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In yesterday’s comparison post we gave you the information you need to select an entry-level flux-core/MIG welder for your shop.   In today’s follow-up, we’ll walk you through using one of the welders from the comparison to build an inexpensive game chair to make playing GT4 or Forza a lot more fun. 

This project was completed entirely using Hobart’s Handler 125 EZ, which sells for around $380 on the street and is targeted at novice welders (and people who just want to get the job done).  With a project materials cost of around $80 (and considering the $40 rebate Hobart’s currently offering on the unit) you could buy the welder and build the chair for around $400 — about what you pay for much lesser chairs out of the back of magazines. 

Or, if you just want a game chair, you can win ours.  Click for details.  (Much, much more after the jump.)

[Digg This Post]

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In order to encourage you to consider their new Handler 125 EZ as your “big” present for Dad this Father’s Day, Hobart’s offering a $40 mail-in rebate on the unit through June 30, 2006.

The EZ, released earlier this year, is a small 120V flux-core wire welder featuring a single control knob (as opposed to the two on most welders), which is designed to make it easy for novice welders.  Dave Enneking, Hobart’s product manager says:

Using the Handler 125 EZ is like using a glue gun, except that you’re using the nozzle to direct the welding wire.

Look for more about the Handler 125 EZ and other entry level welders from us soon.

The Handler 125 EZ [Hobart]
Rebate Details & Instructions [Hobart]