Considering HH210- Aluminum?

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Hey guys, I just sold my beloved Miller 130XP to help fund an upgrade. The major reason for this is that I need to weld aluminum here and there. Just the odd broken bracket, etc. I already have a Thermal arc DC Tig but have a hard time justifying the expense to upgrade. So my question is what are my chances of being able to do this without the spoolgun unsing a Hobart Handler 210? The spoolgun drives the price up to close to what a TA185 costs, so this is a significant issue.  I could buy a TA185 and sell the DC TIG for a half decent MIG without spoolgun. Any thoughts
Reply:The HH210 runs alu great. IMO it is the best part of that package.  I've done a very good bit of alu with mine and always grap it before I go to the MM210. Matter of fact, I rarely use the MM since the HH showed up. I say do it, you'll like it.Crud...my ISP dumped me off before I finished. Drives me nuts.I would get the spoolgun. You will do much better with it. You could do it, but it would be bird nest city and you would either have to switch liners back and forth or get another gun and dedicate it to alu only. The spoolgun eliminates a bunch of the birdnesting and just makes it easier in all aspects.Last edited by DDA52; 11-14-2007 at 12:40 AM.
Reply:Get the HH210 and try it.  The nice thing is that the spoolgun hooks right up any time later.  BUT, you'll probably save a bit buying them as a package, but that should be significantly cheaper than a T/A 185.  Where are you shopping?I don't GMAW aluminum without the spoolgun.  It's just not worth it unless it's an emergency.
Reply:Thanks guys!MAC, glad you chipped in, I had read some of your other posts regarding the HH210. I'm in Vancouver, Canada. However, prices just aren't competitive up here.Regular prices in the 'states are cheaper than sale prices here, especially with the exchange. I usually go across the border and buy from Central Welding Supply in Everett (about an hour's drive). Their sales site is www.welders-direct.com, current price for the HH210 is $851The other thing I realized last night is that in reality I could feed a transformer TIG machine. A Lincoln PT225 is about $1900, so if I sold/traded my DC Thermal Arc as well I could easily go that route. This would mean I'd be temporarlily down to a single machine, but I could probably live until a good deal was to be found on a basic 220v mig- if I had the PT 225 I wouldn't need anything very fancy for a MIG. It would become a body work/general pupose glue gun for stuff I' too lazy to TIG.  And yes I'm always this schozophrenic when it comes to buying welders. That's why I need you guys.  How does the trans tig theory sound? I would think ultimately TIGging aluminum is going to be preferable yes?