Advice on Welders

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Hello,We currently have 2 tig welders in the shop. Airco 2a/ddr and Miller 330a/bp. Looking to get something newer that has weld characteristics better than these two already have (which is already pretty good). Anyone have any experiences with machines similar to these such as the Miller Syncrowaves or other machines. Any help or questions is appreciated.
Reply:You'll find quite a few guys here with all sorts of newer tigs, Quite a few have larger syncrowaves and Dynastys as well as some of the bigger Lincolns. Tons of guys have the "mid sized" Syncrowave 180's and 200's, TA 185's and Dynasty 200's, Maxstar 150's and Maxstar 200's as well as the Lincoln's.A better idea just what sort of work you will be doing with the machine would help. Materials you plan to weld, thicknesses, options needed and so on. With what little you said, I could easily see a Syncrowave 250 or 350 or better yet a Dynasty 350 easily fitting the bill..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Lincolns PRECISION TIG® 375 TIG WELDER is such a smooth machine with the ability to control every aspect of the weld digitally. My shop has one and I love it! I weld a variety of alloys and exotic metals. You'll have to do your own research on options, features, price, etc...I was going back and forth with the Dynasty from Miller and this one. Both great machines but I really prefer lincolns customer service and support team  100% better then Miller. Plus I have a rep from Lincoln that pops in once a week. Good luck
Reply:You can tune up running aluminum on AC on the modern machines, inverters even more...HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:We do all kinds of work but for this application we are looking for machines to weld stainless. We do a lot of work on 11 gauge and lighter stainless steel for tanks, sinks, counters and shelves. Looking for good smooth weld characteristics that are also easy to clean.  It would be nice to have something that would weld the outside just as good as the inside welds.  We use an aluminum backer to sheild the backside whenever possible but for most of the jobs it is not very practical.  For the majority of our welding we run between 60 to 100 amps on our machines. The two welders we have are pretty good but we are always looking for better.Last edited by lindblom; 12-06-2011 at 10:33 AM.
Reply:I have run several different welding machines on stainless. And for the most part they are the same. Any good DC machine should work. High freq. start is handy, the lift-arc function on the inverters works pretty well too. The weld quality between my 1979 sync 300 and my 2006 maxstar are virtually identical.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:Not entirely sure with TIG welders which are good and which aren't. Hope you find what you are looking for. Usually very good advice on here!
Reply:Originally Posted by lindblomWe do all kinds of work but for this application we are looking for machines to weld stainless. We do a lot of work on 11 gauge and lighter stainless steel for tanks, sinks, counters and shelves. Looking for good smooth weld characteristics that are also easy to clean.  It would be nice to have something that would weld the outside just as good as the inside welds.  We use an aluminum backer to sheild the backside whenever possible but for most of the jobs it is not very practical.  For the majority of our welding we run between 60 to 100 amps on our machines. The two welders we have are pretty good but we are always looking for better.