WELDERS a topic about what welder you use and whats hot

I am looking to replace my hobby welder a chicago stick hot wired to 220. I am looking at the hobart 190 handler mvp. Any one own one or know any info on this model hobart. From what I've read it is a killer model. I am ready for more professional quicker welds. My stick on 220 will weld anything it seems like but is not laying attractive beads. It is a great learning welder, and I built my rock rails for my cherokee with it. Rock solid. I need a more professional unit. Any input even about other welders under the 1,000 dollar range.

Miller makes several great models under 1000.00 I like the miller models more over hobart because of the prices in getting miller parts for repair.

dont sell any of the smaller welders from Miller or Lincoln short...the ones you can buy at lowes or home depot...im not at all saying that they are the best..what im saying is that you can pretty much weld anything with these welders...hobby welders they are...but theoretically you can weld with a wire stuck in a wall socket and a ground...the beads are NOT the fault of the welding machine...that comes down to welder skill...the more you weld the better your skill...i weld at home witha Lincoln 180 MIG with of course Gas...single pass as small as 20 gage and multi pass well as thick as you wanna go...as long as there is good penetration and no imperfections you can do anything you want..
Stick or SMAW is inherently "ugly" compared to MIG and even more so than TIG...but with the proper electrode and good welder skill SMAW can yield very attractive beads whether laying a stringer or a weave. stringers are hard to "make pretty" as consistency in your steady rest is the telling factor. MIG is certainly the most popular type of welding when it comes to hobbyists and small fab shops. There is so much to have to have perfect when it comes to TIG and there is much much more welder skill involved with TIG that it is not as popular as the previous processes...
not trying to be rude but dont blame the welding machine...it boils down to welder skill...the more you weld the better you become...understanding your welding machine; knowing its limitations; and proper set up and knowledge of "what" your welding is the key to good quality welds

just my $.02 worth

Yeah been welding for years and get pretty welds with a decent mig, or my buddies more expensive larger lincoln stick. The welder I've got is a chicago so even getting it to weld anything took me wiring it to the 230 for my dryer. It is hard to start a bead and occasionally it will rip some real nice beads. With other welders I've used I have no problems doing nice single pass welds. Nice dime rolls

isnt Chicago one of the Harbor Freight models? sounds like it doesnt convert alot of the electricity if any...must not be producing high enough amps...

Yeah it is a harbor freight model. I bought it to do my rock rails on my xj. It worked well enough but had to do a bunch of grinding, and slag clean up. (more than actual welding) I ended up with a good chore welder, but not something I want to be working with much. At 100 bucks the chicago kept me buusy that winter when we were broke. I am looking at the hobart 190 mvp handler.

I like welding hot and fast. With 7018 rod I'm usually burning at 230 amps. I'm watching this thread, hoping to find a decently affordable home welder that can do this.

My welder is directly wired to the breaker with a 230 amp lead.