Newbie here, what about duty cycles

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So, I'm new here....  I'm in the market for a tig welder, I want an AC/DC welder so I can do alum if i need to,  found a miller in my price range but the specs say it only has a 20% duty cycle.  That doesn't seem like much, 2 minutes out of every 10?  SO in real terms, how lame is a 20% duty cycle?
Reply:I spend a lot of time preparing for a weld, then the weld, then cleaning it up.  Duty cycle never has bothered me much.  20%?  That's two minutes welding.  Sit back and watch your wrist watch for 2 solid minutes.....
Reply:Are you looking at a ac/dc tig welder or just a stick welder.  If it is just a stick welder then you will want HF for welding aluminum.  What amperage at 20% duty cycle?  Duty cycle is not linear so, it  could be "lame" if you need amperage above the 20% range.  If you build tanks are make long runs, then wait time will be frustrating.
Reply:Originally Posted by Aldo8811So, I'm new here....  I'm in the market for a tig welder, I want an AC/DC welder so I can do alum if i need to,  found a miller in my price range but the specs say it only has a 20% duty cycle.  That doesn't seem like much, 2 minutes out of every 10?  SO in real terms, how lame is a 20% duty cycle?
Reply:20% at what amperage?  Different welders are rated at different duty cycles that represent different amperages.For example, my Syncrowave 180 SD (TIG) has a 40% duty cycle at its rating of 150amps but slightly less than 35% at its maximum capacity of 180amps and 100% duty cycle at 90amps.My Millermatic 200 (MIG) however has a 60% duty cycle at its rating of 200amps but 35% at a maximum of just over 250amps and 100% at just over 150amps.BTW, welcome to the forum.DuaneMM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Everyone had the same question... so I went and looked it up..It's a Miller Diversion 165   The spec sheet is here...http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/AD1-5.pdfbasically it's 20% at 150A and 30% is 125A, 50% is 100A, 100% is 60A.