The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD might be the right welding tool for you if your welding needs are casual and you’re not the most experienced welder.
Short Summary
Overall Rating
If you’re not sure which welder is right for your personal or business use, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll review the Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD so that you’ll know how it stands up to other pieces of welding equipment, though the 92/100 really speaks for itself.
If you’re not sure whether a light-duty and dually capable MIG or flux-core welder intended for use with aluminum and sheet metal is right for you, you’ll know by the time you’re done reading.
What Is the Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD Best For?
To start, let’s talk about the specs on the Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD.
Aside from its spunky red exterior and heavy-duty carrying handle, the Weld Pak 140 HD has a two-knob control system and comes with the appropriate set of gauges, spool guns, and wires for operation right out of the box.
It has a rated output current, or duty cycle at 90A/19.5V at 20%. If you have no idea what that means just know that it contributes it to being a good choice for amateur welders.
The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD handles 120V input, with a welding capacity of 3/16th inch per pass or 5/16th inches with multiple passes.
This makes for a quick and easy weld. The Weld Pak 140 HD has a range of 30 to 140 amps of welding output, which is more than sufficient for light-to-moderate welding tasks.
The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD welding machine is best for basic welding tasks that don’t require an abundance of precision or technical welding ability to complete. Many users find that the Weld Pak 140 HD can fit their welding needs because of its versatility and ease of use.
If you’re an infrequent welder who needs a simple but powerful MIG welding tool that can get the job done right, the Weld Pak 140 HD is probably the right tool for you.
If you’re a total novice welder, the Weld Pak 140 HD comes with a DVD that will teach you basic welding techniques and how to use the machine properly and safely, although protective equipment is not included with the unit.
Weld Pak 140 HD Video Review
As an additional precaution, there’s a table which displays the correct settings for welding painted onto the side of the unit, so you should never be confused about the settings that the Weld Pak 140 HD operates under.
Due to its wide range of welding power output, you can perform flux-core welding or gasless welding without a problem.
The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD also comes with a few safety features designed for users who aren’t the most familiar with welding. Its 71-pound weight means that you’ll still have to have some basic understanding of how to truck around a welding machine and set it up properly.
The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD is a decent welding setup for novice welders, and the flux core wire welds smoothly but tends to be dirty, unlike other welders. Despite its dirtiness, you won’t have to worry too much about spattering or sticking, as it’s still cleaner than gas.
For aluminum welding, the Weld Pak 140 HD’s high wire speeds can be a blessing that’s made possible by the unit’s spool gun.
The spool gun itself is of high quality and has a forgiving fit, which is important because you’ll need to use the appropriate protective gloves while using this unit, just like with any other welding machine.
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD Pros
This machine has a good chance of working well with whatever materials you have on hand, be it flux core wire, solid wire with gas, or flux core with gas. It'll definitely beat out sticks.
Awesome for Light Projects
The primary materials this welding machine is intended for are aluminum and other light sheet metals, which is where its strengths shine the most.
Move it Wherever You Want
You won’t need to struggle too much to get decent results, and even though the unit is over 70 pounds, it’s small and limber as far as welding machines go.
Easy to Adjust
Apprentice welders will find setting the proper voltage and amperage very easy, which is good because it minimizes the chances of making a mistake that could be dangerous.
Safety Features
This plays well with other safety features like the tangle-resistant wiring and high conductivity brass-to-brass connection at the point of the gun to the unit. These features make it a great choice for beginners or hobbyists who are likely less experienced with safe welding practices.
You can perform tool-free polarity changes for MIG or flux-cored welding, which isn’t a feature that most users will make use of but could be essential for certain crowds.
awesome Customer Support
Lincoln also has great customer support. If there are broken issues, they'll ship out replacements pretty fast - sometimes as fast as overnight and they might even include questions. Support is very patient in that they even answer beginner questions in addition to the more complex ones.
To summarize:
- Great for light projects
- Portable
- Easy to Adjust
- Built-In safety features
- Great customer support
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD Cons
Needs a Break
The Weld Pak 140 HD isn’t a machine for extended weld times.
It’s rated for a 20% duty cycle, which means that it’ll automatically shut down to protect itself if you weld for a long enough time beyond a certain threshold of power. You'll need to take frequent breaks to avoid this, which is why the Weld Pak 140 excels with light projects such as working with sheet metal.
This tends to cause issues with the wire feed motor, as frequent halting stops aren’t great. The good news is that Lincoln-approved repair outlets are relatively common, and this kind of repair is a snap under the basic and the extended warranty.
Warranty Information
Lincoln offers a three-year warranty on all their welding machines. Keep in mind that if you want your welding unit to be covered for its entire three-year lifetime, you have to have your welding machine serviced by a manufacturer-approved facility.
The warranty won’t cover damages due to improper use, nor will it cover damage to objects other than the welding machine. If you want to extend your warranty by two years, it’ll cost you $85.
Wrapping Up
The Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 140 HD might be the right welding tool for you if your welding needs are casual and you’re not the most experienced welder.
More experienced welders will probably want a welding machine that offers a wider range of control, but for basic tasks, the Weld Pak 140 HD is more than sufficient.
If you see yourself making sheet metal welds every once in awhile, the Weld Pak 140 HD is probably a good welder to purchase, and with the addition of the extended warranty, should last you a very long time.
FAQs
1. How thick can a Lincoln 140 Weld?
Weld up to 5/16 in. (7.9 mm) steel using self-shielded Lincoln Electric Innershield® (FCAW-S) wires.
2. What can you weld with 140?
A 140-amp unit is capable of welding steel up to about 1/4 inch thick. A 180-amp unit can weld steel with a thickness of 3/8" to 5/16". Between 5/16" steel plates, a 200-amp unit is capable of welding. A 250-amp unit can weld up to 1/2" steel.
3. What size breaker do I need for a Lincoln 140 welder?
The manual specifies a maximum input size of 20 Amps and a maximum input power of 20 Amps.
4. Are Lincoln Electric welders any good?
Lincoln Electric is the market leader in high-quality welder manufacturing. Additionally, advanced process welding, submerged arc welding, and multi-operator welding are all available. If you are looking for the best, consider Lincoln Electric.
5. Which is better Lincoln or Hobart Welders?
Both welders are lightweight, dependable, and simple to operate — even for beginners. On the other hand, the Hobart 140 is more user-friendly, has a superior wire drive (the beating heart of a welder), and comes with a more extended warranty than the Lincoln 140.
