Which to buy Dynasty 280dx or Esab 280i

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Hi, This is my first post so I hope it goes well and thanks in advance for some advice.I'm getting ready to purchase a new inverter Tig welder to replace my lincoln square wave 175 and have narrowed it down to those two machines.I Cant really make up my mind. Im going to use it at home in my pole barn that I already have wired with two 230 volt 60 amp welder plugs. I also already have a millermatic 185 that I bought years ago and its been a good machine and covers my Mig welding needs.Im going to using it on various aluminum projects for my jeep wrangler that sits on 40 inch tires with dana 60 axles and my polaris rzr 900. Im going to build new aluminum bumpers, rock sliders, and skid plates for my jeep and also for my RZR. Plus do the same for some friends. I was all set to get the new Esab 280 as the dynasty 200 seemed a little lite for the thickness that I was going to be using. Then Miller screwed me all up and released the new 280 and now I can make up my mind. I can get the Esab for around 5000.00 otd water cooled and ready to weld but the dynasty would cost me a couple thousand more by the time it get it all set up. The down side to the Esab is it only can be turned up to 200 on the ac frequency and the dynasty can go all the way to 400. Also the Dynasty I can get better support if it needs to be fixed because we have a very good factory authorized service center in my town for miller and lincoln also. The LWS said that he would just ship the ESAB back to them and have them fix it if need be.  Also ESAB has a 100 day guarantee time period it can be returned if you dont like it but im not sure if its a no questions asked kinda deal.Anyways if it were you what machine would you choose and why?Thanks SteveLast edited by ssmoore; 10-11-2013 at 03:29 PM.
Reply:Having the experience with Dynastys, and knowing the money I make with them I am biased towards Miller. I also have had the pleasure of demoing the 280, and would choose the DX version since you know how to use a tig. I don't know if the ESAB uses the euro type setup features, which personally I hate. Since the ChiComs have also adopted the Euro bass-ackwards style I have some experience with them. I would certainly hope that ESAB did an american style but that may not be the case. As far as pricing, most quotes for the Miller I got are less than MSRP.I will try to elaborate further later.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:I have the Esab if you have any questions about it. Don't know what the Euro style set up vs American style set up is as I haven't used many different tigs but the Esab interface is easy for me to use.
Reply:Originally Posted by KGIORI have the Esab if you have any questions about it. Don't know what the Euro style set up vs American style set up is as I haven't used many different tigs but the Esab interface is easy for me to use.
Reply:PM Sent
Reply:I am in the same situation, will be buying a TIG in the near future and have been looking at the same models as the OP.  The thing that bothers me about the Miller is the difficulty they are having in getting it out.  I am a retired electrical engineer and have an extensive background in design.  Power electronics is the most difficult of all the electrical design areas.  The Miller 280 has been talked about for years and even after the "rollout" I still don't see it at any of the online welding supply shops.  Power converter design (i.e. inverters) is very difficult and getting the amount of power into the package size that Miller is touting is a challenge.  Instead of the old tried and true large transformer designs which do the conversions directly (and weigh 300-400 lbs.), they use very high frequency conversions with much smaller magnetics to provide the conversions.  Those oscillators can be prone to stability issues.  Power electronics only model to a certain point, and then it is in the lab to try the prototype.  Even after a prototype appears to be working, new builds can pop up with instability issues and quit working.  And so the design struggles on.  I saw this happen many times.  Whether this is what is happening at Miller I don't know, but for the amount of time it is taking, I suspect something similar.  Miller is too good to be bothered with packaging or "quality" issues.  They have been in the game too long.  When it is available, I may still wait 6 months or so before buying anything.  Electrical design issues have a way of evolving.Millermatic 252Hypertherm Powermax 45TIG in the near future
Reply:Only good thing about it is the fact that Miller did the right thing and delayed it to get it right and after all the heat they took I don't feel they would have released it now if they didn't feel it was ready for prime time.