Any good 110v TIG?

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Hi all - was wondering if there are any decent TIG welders capable of welding stainless steel at about 1/10"?  Just curious right now, but wondering none the less.
Reply:Several small DC tig units are very good. Miller Maxstar 150, Lincolnprecision tig 150?? HTP has one, and there are some others, maybe Everlast or Longevity. I know for a fact the Miller is a very good small machine, and sets the standard for 110V tiggy's.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:I have a Esab 150 with foot pedal.  I rarely use the foot pedal.  I have been satisfied with the welder.  Other things you might want to consider is duty cycle at the amperage you will be welding 1/10 steel. Also, what amperage will you be inputting.  Hence, at 110 if duty cycle doesn't slow you then the circuit  breaker might.  It will run better of a 20 amps or greater setup. I had a thermalarc 80.  I really liked the way it welded.  However, duty cycle was too short at max output.  ...very smooth and great for field repairs.
Reply:Miller Dynasty 200 DX is the king of the heap when it comes to a tig machine capable of operating on 120V.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I might try out the Thermal Arc 95S, if you are not going over 1/10 inch.  They're about the size of a small shoebox and they only cost $400 or so with the full Tig setup - just need some gas.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIIIMiller Dynasty 200 DX is the king of the heap when it comes to a tig machine capable of operating on 120V.
Reply:For DC tig on 110v power, the Maxstar 150STH would be my choice.  I would probly look at the Lincoln 155 or 160 tig welder as well, just to compare it with the Maxstar.  I don't know if Thermal Arc makes anything in the same class as the 150's from Miller and Lincoln but it would be worth it to investigate since TA makes good machines at good pricing.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Rojo,I didn't see where the OP set any price constraints.What did you expect from a guy who wears blue underware?I think some of that has to do with the part of the country and what industry you're in.  Here on the east coast, the comment's always been, "if it's used in the shop it better be blue.  if it has an engine attached then you're better off red".Last edited by SundownIII; 05-25-2010 at 11:58 AM.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Another vote for the maxstar, I just used one to do about 60ft of welds on 14ga stainless with no issues.  It would be nice to have a pulse option like the dynasty, but really not necessary.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:The Maxstar 150STH & 200DX models both have pulse.  Personally, I've never used pulse/slope tig, even though my TA 185 has that feature.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I'm a big fan of the thermal arc 95s myself. I have a thermal arc 160t as well, but the 95s gets more use since I can plug it in anywhere. It'll do 85 amps on a regular 15 amp fuse. I've welded 1/8" stainless, no problem.
Reply:Where is the Thermal Arc 95S made?I've got a Forney AT-100 which was made in Italy,but they sure look alike.
Reply:I don't see how the Forney and the TA 95s look alike other than that they are small boxes. I don't have any experience with Forney brand equipment. I see the Forneys are dirt cheap on ebay, though they don't have the tig accessories.
Reply:The TA 95Shttp://www.thermalarc95s.com/95S_Tech_Sheet.pdfThe Forney AT-100http://www.hardwaresales.com/Equipme...-p8439034.htmlThey both come in briefcases with similar output...The cases don't look the same,but otherwise similar machines.No extra knobs or controls... on/off switch and the amp knob and a few lights that's all on both machines. The TA 95S can be bought with or without the Tig torch.I'm not degrading the TA 95s in any way..I've heard several people speak highly of them.I think the TA 95s is made in china,but I'm not positive which was why I asked. Any confirmation on that?The Forney AT-100 can be bought on ebay for a couple more days for $100 shipped in case anyone is interested.I haven't had time to try it at tig since I still haven't drug the argon to the shop yet. I did tote the little bugger to a friends to stick weld a railing the other day. It was nice to pickup the briefcase a hood and gloves and that's all ....case and all less than 15 pounds...beats draging the HH140 around for a little tack job.Last edited by mudbugone; 05-26-2010 at 01:19 AM.
Reply:Oh yeah, tech specs wise, I thought you ment physically.  There are some other off brand small tigs like the Forney and TA 95s out there as well.
Reply:I don't know anything about Forney.So far as I know, TA inverter welding machines are made in Japan.  My TA185 says 'made in Japan' right on it.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:That would make it better than Made in China I'm sure.The Forney is Made in Italy ... That said it might be better than Made in ChinaAt least Forney has been around for a long time and should stand behind their products.I haven't seen the TA 95s unit in operation so can't give any opinion on it's function.The Forney seems to be pretty hot in stick mode and I did attach a tig torch to it to test that function when I first got it.It's scratch start and it fired right up as soon as I touched the metal... I didn't have argon attached to the torch and didn't go any farther than that,but it seemed to function as it should have for that short test.The TA may be a better machine than the Forney or they may be equal. I'm not a Tig welder...just wanted the ability to do some SS eguipment repairs with Tig rather than the Mig. Actually I wanted to learn the process and fix some things too...At $116 that I've got in this setup I won't get hurt $$$$ wise...I've blown way more than that on stupid stuff....At least I might learn something new from this expenditure.Anyone that's played around with this unit lately was shocked (not Literally) at how well the little devil works considering it fits in your hand.I've been reading this thread since day one & wasn't going to jump in,but thought someone might be interested in the price of the Forney...Not only the original poster.
Reply:I just used a Thermal ARC 150 the other day, without the foot pedal that it does support. But we did not have. I was doing some bow rails. Mounting the bow rails back to the plates that are screwed into the fiberglass decks.I am not used to lift ARC but other then trying to un-jam the foot pedal that I did not even have, to shut off the welder. It went amazingly well. I also forgot to turn on the Argon at the torch a few times. I never do that kind of welding.  Ha-ha. It is totally silent, and I was running them off rusty ground fault breakers out on a floating dock. I do not recommend that, but it beat carrying the big welder and Generator out there. My son just turned down the unit to five amps for me, and it breaks without marking the stainless. You have to run it in the stick mode if you do not have the pedal. But it TIGed sweetly. I am looking at the ESAB Caddy TIG 2200i AC DC unit. Ten pounds and it goes to 220 amps for hot water circulating heated aluminum handrails on fishing boats. It is 220 volts though. But that is ok. Ten pounds is very good. And it takes a 16 amp slow blow fuse.        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Rockin my little Miller Maxstar 140...Which can also run 208/230/240 1 PH.Your not building a roll-cage with it, but it sure is fun to mess with...Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:Have any of you worked with the Longevity Weldmax 520D?  That has a 110 TIG option, amongst other things, as a multi-purpose unit.  I'd love to hear if anyone has worked with these.
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormick JrI am looking at the ESAB Caddy TIG 2200i AC DC unit. Ten pounds and it goes to 220 amps for hot water circulating heated aluminum handrails on fishing boats. It is 220 volts though. But that is ok. Ten pounds is very good.
Reply:I suppose it could be a misprint. However I was told by the ESAB representative it weighed ten pounds.What you are going to see, with working off 110 volts is that the number of ground failures is going to be much higher for 110 volt power supplies then it will be for 220 volt power supplies. Where you might be working off of a #14 AWG ground or BX greenfeild ground of a #14 AWG BX cable this could cause some accidents. That won't occur with a 220 volt supply.Especially where high frequency is involved the smaller ground could cause you some funny accidents. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of working off 110 volt power, especially out on a floating dock. Where a big welder is a nightmare to get out there. But I saw it as soon as I got there, how when I went to plug up, only one of the two rusted ground fault breakers even worked. It is inviting trouble. Meanwhile the 220 volt specially sealed dock power for the boats was in great shape, if I had known I would have used that.        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:The guys at Coast Welding gave me a great package price for everything I need to just start welding, AC, DC TIG without bastardizing the rest of my stuff. The only other thing they had that does weigh in at 35 pounds was the Thermal ARC 300 TIG machine. That was almost $800 less for the similar package. To be honest, even when you weld 3/16" aluminum, you are never at 220 amps. You run around 120 amps and just pump it a little to flatten the weld. So the duty cycle on the ESAB should be fine. For continuous welding on heavy aluminum sheet. To be honest I would get a cooler with the ESAB and go water cooled. Heck another ten pounds isn't going to kill me.        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:I use 240v when it is handy. You find most 120v is on a 15A breaker. I can run at 125Amps all day long doing AC tig on a 20Amp breaker using 125v tho....I do it constantly. In many different locations with all sorts of different extention cord lengths.Until more people come out with something to run AC/DC on multi-voltage I am reasonably certain the 200 Dynasty will be at the top of the list.(of 110v tigs)BTW just look at the pic of that esab....for it to be 10# and that big it would have to be an empty box. I am sceptical of the 35# figure. It makes me wonder...what did they leave out?And that pic is with the cooler on it.I see they claim you can use it in the RAIN!I see hundreds of endorsments for the Dynasty and the TA185, a few for the Invertig and nothing but brochures on the Caddytig. Not one single review EVER.But it does look on paper to be really a sweet package.Miller Dynasty 700Miller 350P with Aluma-pro push-pullMiller 280 Dynasty with expansion card Dynasty 200 DXMigMax 215 Enuff power and hand tools to create one of anything..... but mass produce nothing!!!
Reply:There is no water cooler pictured with the Caddy TIG. That is just the machine, and it weighs ten pounds.I figure at ten pounds, I will get a water cooler for it. The ESAB representative was in the store at the time I was there getting information. I was looking at the ESAB 161 and he said get the 2200i it only weighs ten pounds. And is a lot more machine. I like it actually. I mean if you are not going to have a hundred or more pounds of machine to act as a stabilizing force to deter high frequency. You may as well go all the way with tiny.       Sincerely,             William McCormickOriginally Posted by William McCormick JrThere is no water cooler pictured with the Caddy TIG. That is just the machine, and it weighs ten pounds.I figure at ten pounds, I will get a water cooler for it. The ESAB representative was in the store at the time I was there getting information. I was looking at the ESAB 161 and he said get the 2200i it only weighs ten pounds. And is a lot more machine. I like it actually. I mean if you are not going to have a hundred or more pounds of machine to act as a stabilizing force to deter high frequency. You may as well go all the way with tiny.       Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Originally Posted by FusionKingWell I will give you an "a" for enthusiasum But you really should research a bit more William, so I will help you out a bit with a link. It has the correct information.Your Esab rep. could have been referring to the Caddy Arc 201i ... but it is still like 18# so either way he is dead wrong and should have known that it is simply not possible to make a 220 amp AC/DC tig welder that wieghs 10#. He is a dreamer and you should not take his word for much of anything. Had he even SEEN a caddytig he would have KNOWN it wieghed more than 10lbs!As for your crappy pic even a blind man can see the lid for pouring the coolant into it down on the lower left. The cooler is bolted right on the machine plain as day!!! Not to mention all the fittings for the water.Chances are after you purchase this machine you will know more than most any Esab rep. I have met so far. Here is the link you needhttp://products.esabna.com/index.php...2200i_acdc.pdfHopefully you will not take my attempt to steer you in the correct direction as meanspirited because I am merely trying to clear up a misprint on your esab brochure and the oversight of not seeing the cooler correctly....HTH
Reply:WHAT IS ALL THIS 1/10" stuff?????/ How thick is the metal??1/10 ....do you mean .100 ONE hundred thousandth of an inch?That is almost 3/16 (.186) of an inch. No challenge at all for almost any TIG machine.Not too thin and not too thick.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:I see 0.100" and I think one hundred thousandths too. If I see 0.090 I think 90 thousandths. But I know a lot of other people see it as 1/10 of an inch. Or see it as 9 hundredths of an inch. I have had someone give me a size in hundredths of an inch and I could not even guess what it meant until I thought about it, after I wrote it down. But it is a legitimate way to communicate if not totally socially accepted in my circles. 0.100 is under 1/8 of an inch, an eighth inch is 0.125"        Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:bringing this back up - I was wondering if there was a capable 110v tig welder that can DC/AC(alu) with a reasonable price tag.I'm not looking to to do some major welding, just some piping, exhaust, cages etc.Thanks!
Reply:Originally Posted by TeckniXbringing this back up - I was wondering if there was a capable 110v tig welder that can DC/AC(alu) with a reasonable price tag.I'm not looking to to do some major welding, just some piping, exhaust, cages etc.Thanks!
Reply:Miller's new Diversion 180 fits the bill as an AC/DC 110v-capable TIG machine:http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/diversion_180/Here are its capabilities when running on 110V:60 A at 12.4 V, 100% Duty Cycle, at 11.3 amps input125 A at 15 V, 35% Duty Cycle, at 26.5 amps inputNo import AC/DC TIGs come to mind as being 110-v capable.  However, I do wonder if some might work on it, without it being advertised.  I'm not going to be the guinea pig to try testing that on my Everlast though.
Reply:How short my memory is!  I forgot about the new Diversion 180 running on 110 volts!MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Lincoln Invertec V155
Reply:Originally Posted by PickWelderI am sure Miller maxstar 150. However, this machine is small welder, it is very weak.!
Reply:Originally Posted by PickWelderI am sure Miller maxstar 150. However, this machine is small welder, it is very weak.!
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawYou know this is a 5 YEAR OLD thread
Reply:Originally Posted by DrooopyHe has been bringing back several old threads today.  Probably trying to advertise the link in his sig.
Reply:Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawGood point,    might end up in the penalty box if Zapster sees this.
Reply:That peckerhead spamed my web site www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's