Selecting a TIG welder

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In the near future, I would like to purchase a TIG welder. I currently have a Hobart 210 MIG welder with spoolgun but would like something mainly for welding aluminum up to 1/4" thick as well as sheet metal on occasion. Looks like Hobart has 165i for $1400 shipped with foot pedal. I won't be using it that much so I'm open to cheaper alternatives.
Reply:You really aren't going to find a tig capable of 1/4" alum cheap, unless you find an older industrial tig used. You need to be looking at a minimum of a 250 to 300 amps AC capable tig to do 1/4" alum. That Hobart will do 1/8" tops and even then duty cycle will be very limited. Also if you want to do more than very short runs on 1/8", figure you'll need to add a cooler and water cooled torch to the rig.If you are serious look for an older Miller like a 330AB/P, Dialarc HF, Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 set up to do tig etc. Price wise you can probably find one in the $500-900 range if you hunt a bit. Note these are big, heavy machines that will draw a good deal of power. You could also get away with a newer machine like a Syncrowave 250 or 300, but chances are they will cost  what that Hobart will,  up to possibly as much as $2500 used. To do 1/4" expect to need at least a 100 amp service to the machine.If you can live with 1/8" there are a lot of nicer used tigs in the same price range as that Hobart is. Used Syncrowave 180's and 200's will run $900-1500, so will comparable Lincolns. The older TA 185 is also a nice machine that you can find roughly in about that price range. All of these have a much better duty cycle and more options than the Hobart has.Last edited by DSW; 03-28-2013 at 04:44 PM..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:That's what I figured I was going to here. Guess I'll just stick with my MIG for now...
Reply:If you've got 100A of input power, you can get I to a used TIG for short money. I put my sync rows e together for under a grand including a chiller and new torch. Just last month my buddy bought one for $1200 soup to nuts. Makes it hard for me to fathom why folks buy new junk. Keep yor eyes open and be patient.Syncrowave 300Maxtron 450, S-52E, 30A
Reply:Forgive me if I'm sounding dumb, but when you say 100A of input power, are you talking about the size of my breaker it's running off of? The 220V outlet I use is run off a 30A breaker.
Reply:Yes, the breaker.  We have a Syncrowave 250 on a 70A breaker, but can't run too high."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Correct, you'd need a 100 amp breaker and wire heavy enough to support that much current.30 amps of 230v power is too small for most transformer tigs except at very low output. However if you want an inexpensive quality machine, you have to deal with the fact it's going to use a lot of power. A quality inverter that has the output to do 1/4" alum is at least 2 to 3 times your budget, if not more..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