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So I'm looking to get my first TIG/ARC machine to learn on and use around the home shop. This is not for professional work - only to support my fabrication hobbies at home. I've never TIG welded anything, and have only tinkered with an arc welder and a MIG machine for a few hours about 10 years ago... I'm about as new as it gets. I am an engineer and have machining skills as well my own lathe and mill... just no ability or equipment to weld.My budget is limited to $700 before getting gas. I'd really rather spend closer to $500, but once again this is just for home shop use. I've done alot of self education on the subject and feel like a TIG/Stick unit will give me the most versatility in what I can work on and do. Given my max budget, and taking into account the additional cost of accessories I've done alot of research and distilled my choices down to three. I need some help deciding. i'm leaning towards the getting a Hobart off the used market, but that Everlast looks like a whole lot of welder for <$500. Also let me know any other strong options. Here's what I'm thinking about the comparisons:Razorweld Razor 170 ($688 new with Mr.TIG kit)PROS: Mr.Tig kit has Flex Torch and plenty of nozzles/accessories. Highest Amp output. Lift-start. VERY portable. Runs on 120V/240V dual input. CONS: Very Basic functionality. Manual Gas Control, DC-Only. No Foot Pedal (is pedal even an option?)EVERLAST PowerARC 160STH ($489 New)PROS: HF & Lift Start, Least Expensive, Post Flow Gas control, Portable, Runs on 120V/240V dual input, Foot Pedal CapableCONS: Foot Pedal Not Included, DC-OnlyHobart TIGMATE or Miller EconoTIG ($600-$750 used)So from what I gather, these are essentially the same unit with a different paintjob. I am of course looking at these on the used market where they seem to pop up around $700 on craigslist with good accessories. Obviously, accessory related comparisons are going to be highly dependent on the deal I find. But there are a quite few differences in this unit compared to the other two above... the biggest being that it can output AC (sinewave, not squarewave) and can do aluminum. PROS: HV start arc assist, Automatic Gas Control, Uses Miller Foot Pedals, American Made!!, DC/AC!!!CONS: only affordable used, 240V/50A input, 20% Duty Cycle, semi-portable 140 LB, lowest Amp output, preset postflow @ 15secLast edited by joeymac; 03-12-2016 at 02:27 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by joeymacSo I'm looking to get my first TIG/ARC machine to learn on and use around the home shop. This is not for professional work - only to support my fabrication hobbies at home. I've never TIG welded anything, and have only tinkered with an arc welder and a MIG machine for a few hours about 10 years ago... I'm about as new as it gets. I am an engineer and have machining skills as well my own lathe and mill... just no ability or equipment to weld.My budget is limited to $700 before getting gas. I'd really rather spend closer to $500, but once again this is just for home shop use. I've done alot of self education on the subject and feel like a TIG/Stick unit will give me the most versatility in what I can work on and do. Given my max budget, and taking into account the additional cost of accessories I've done alot of research and distilled my choices down to three. I need some help deciding. i'm leaning towards the getting a Hobart off the used market, but that Everlast looks like a whole lot of welder for <$500. Also let me know any other strong options. Here's what I'm thinking about the comparisons:Razorweld Razor 170 ($688 new with Mr.TIG kit)PROS: Mr.Tig kit has Flex Torch and plenty of nozzles/accessories. Highest Amp output. Lift-start. VERY portable. Runs on 120V/240V dual input. CONS: Very Basic functionality. Manual Gas Control, DC-Only. No Foot Pedal (is pedal even an option?)EVERLAST PowerARC 160STH ($489 New)PROS: HF & Lift Start, Least Expensive, Post Flow Gas control, Portable, Runs on 120V/240V dual input, Foot Pedal CapableCONS: Foot Pedal Not Included, DC-OnlyHobart TIGMATE or Miller EconoTIG ($600-$750 used)So from what I gather, these are essentially the same unit with a different paintjob. I am of course looking at these on the used market where they seem to pop up around $700 on craigslist with good accessories. Obviously, accessory related comparisons are going to be highly dependent on the deal I find. But there are a quite few differences in this unit compared to the other two above... the biggest being that it can output AC (sinewave, not squarewave) and can do aluminum. PROS: HV start arc assist, Automatic Gas Control, Uses Miller Foot Pedals, American Made!!, DC/AC!!!CONS: only affordable used, 240V/50A input, 20% Duty Cycle, semi-portable 140 LB, lowest Amp output, preset postflow @ 15sec
Reply:None of the machines you mentioned will really weld aluminum. Even the econotig, really. Just not enough juice. If your budget is very firm, and you want to weld aluminum, my suggestion would be to watch the paper and Craigslist. You can frequently find old Miller 330's, Miller Dialarc HFs, Lincoln Idealarc 300's, Airco squarewaves or old ESAB TIG welders for as low as a couple of hundred dollars. They are usually very large and heavy machines, but if they are operable, they are a great way to get into TIG welding on the cheap. Sometimes you can even find a setup that will come with the argon cylinder, filler rods, and torch parts for that price. But you have to really look and you have to be patient. Some people will tell you they are power hogs, but that's not really as bad as some make it out. First off for the amount of welding you will do, the cost of electricity is negligible. Second, you can run most of these welder up to 200-225 amps or so on a 50 amp circuit. The nice thing about an old machine aside from the fact they are cheap is they usually have enough horsepower to weld aluminum and they almost always make superb stick welders. Probably the best TIG welder on this board is Zapster, and he does all of his welding on an old Miller 330 A/Bp. They are big heavy machines, but I have seen entire setups sell around here for $300, ready to weld, gas filler, rod, and cooler included.If you can give up on aluminum, then any inverter would work. Or you can get an old stick welder on the cheap and add a gas valve TIG torch and do scratch start TIG. You can find old DC stick welders for under $200 if you look and scratch TIG setup can be had for about another hundred.Last edited by Louie1961; 03-12-2016 at 07:50 AM.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:If you want AC (Aluminum) capability in a price range well under 1k...Lanse has just posted a video on the new Everlast PT 185DV. Last edited by lugweld; 03-12-2016 at 08:32 AM.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Northern tool has a 200 amp inverter stick welder with lift start for less than $250.00, the tig torch is less than a hundred more. They also have extended warranties and told me they do in house repairs on all their welders. It won't do aluminum. I bought one on sale for $239.00 for occasional tig jobs and so far it's worked out well for me. If you want outstanding customer service you might think about miller , Hobart or Lincoln. Watch craigslist because often times big heavy transformer tig welders will come up with high frequency for less than $500.00, they are monster machines that are heavy and take up lots of room. I can't comment on any foriegn welders because the only over seas welder I have is the NT tig welder. Good luck!
Reply:the best part in newer inverter welding machines is they are small and light and can carry easily one handed and can easily put many of them on a shelf when not needed..i have a 4 drawer tool box cart and the bottom shelf i have 2ea inverter welders (120 volt and other is 240 volt inverter), plus 4ea 10lb plastic rod containers, plus 4-1/2 grinder, plus so air tools, plus hanging on the side is 50 foot 10 ga extension cord that machine easily runs off of as it easily runs off a 30 amp circuit..so tool box cart with most used tools AND welding machines easily rolls around where needed AND since it is ALL not heavy i can easily roll outside AND if needed i can one handed carry inverter welder to back yard fence. AND i have often one handed carried welding machine to truck put on seat with extension cord and did welding jobs at other houses. takes roughly 2 minutes to take plug off extension cord and directly wire to basement electrical panel if needed. i also have 30 amp dryer plug to normal 50 amp outlet adapter to plug in common dryer outlet if needed.i find small machines not taking up much space is better so there is space in garage to actually do work rather than have garage so full there is no room to do any work
Reply:Originally Posted by Louie1961None of the machines you mentioned will really weld aluminum. Even the econotig, really. Just not enough juice. If your budget is very firm, and you want to weld aluminum, my suggestion would be to watch the paper and Craigslist. You can frequently find old Miller 330's, Miller Dialarc HFs, Lincoln Idealarc 300's, Airco squarewaves or old ESAB TIG welders for as low as a couple of hundred dollars. They are usually very large and heavy machines, but if they are operable, they are a great way to get into TIG welding on the cheap. Sometimes you can even find a setup that will come with the argon cylinder, filler rods, and torch parts for that price. But you have to really look and you have to be patient. Some people will tell you they are power hogs, but that's not really as bad as some make it out. First off for the amount of welding you will do, the cost of electricity is negligible. Second, you can run most of these welder up to 200-225 amps or so on a 50 amp circuit. The nice thing about an old machine aside from the fact they are cheap is they usually have enough horsepower to weld aluminum and they almost always make superb stick welders. Probably the best TIG welder on this board is Zapster, and he does all of his welding on an old Miller 330 A/Bp. They are big heavy machines, but I have seen entire setups sell around here for $300, ready to weld, gas filler, rod, and cooler included.If you can give up on aluminum, then any inverter would work. Or you can get an old stick welder on the cheap and add a gas valve TIG torch and do scratch start TIG. You can find old DC stick welders for under $200 if you look and scratch TIG setup can be had for about another hundred.
Reply:Originally Posted by joeymacThanks for the heads up. I guess that kind of rules out the econotig/tigmate style unit, as AC aluminum welding was really the big advantage there. So after a bit more of searching, I think i'm going to settle on a JASIC Razorweld 160P instead of the Razor 170 or PowerARC 160 STH. It still has the HF start and gas flow control, but also pulse capability with digital control and 2T/4T with weld program control. The 160P comes with everything but the bottle for about $600 too, so it's about $150 more than the Everlast 160STH (but with alot more features) but still in my pricerange.
Reply:Wow, that AHP 200 looks like a hell of a welder for <$700I'll have to consider it too.
Reply:You don't want anything with a preset post flow. Keep saving your money and watch for a syncrowave 250 |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:12:42