Ready to Buy - Which Tig Would You Recommend?

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I imagine this is a tiresome question around here but thought I would try anyway. I'm ready to buy a tig welder and have about $3500 to spend. I've done a bit of mig and stick welding for the last 20 years or so, but have a laundry list of projects that call for tig so I'm committed to learning.I've probably spent too much time researching welders. I know what's good and what to avoid but there's a lot inbetween that I can't quite settle on. A Miller Dynasty 200 or 350 with a water-cooled torch would be awesome but that's well outside my budget. The Diversion 180 seems nice but I like the idea of growing into a welder and eventually being proficient with all the settings, so the preset thing is offputting.Most of my projects involve mild steel tubing - motorcycle exhaust, frame fabrication, furniture, etc... the usual hobbyist stuff. So... you've got $3500 to spend this weekend. What tig welder would you look for and bring home?
Reply:For around $3000 you could get a HTP Invertig 221 w/ 220A AC/DC, watercooled, and even dual-voltage.  It's a pretty sweet setup.  That's what I would get anyways.
Reply:$3500 would certainly get you a used Dynasty 200 if you wanted to go that route. A used Syncrowave 250 would leave you with a nice sized chunk of change left over. $2300 would get you a new Syncrowave 200, and you can usually find a lightly used one for 1/2 of that price... so you have a lot of options to think about.If you didn't need AC for alum, your selection grows even larger. You could get a new Maxstar 200 for that kind of money and have almost all the  options of the Dynasty, less the AC options.Any of those would give you a very nice machine to work with, It really comes down to what you want to do... Power wise, the Syncrowave 250 would top the list, portability wise it would either be the Dynasty or the Maxstar and you wouldn't loose much power wise. I don't see the average home hobbyist needing more power than a Syncrowave 200 puts out unless you want to do alum thicker than say 3/16", and a used Syncro 200 would leave you loads of money for other tools, a cooler, consumables, gas cylinder, purge regs etc...Tough call. For me it would be a toss up between a used Dynasty or a used Syncrowave 250. I can see where the portability and compactness of the Dynasty would be a benift, but also wouldn't mind having the extra output of the Syncrowave 250 occasionally over my Syncro 200.For the record I've got both the Syncro 200 and Maxstar 200 at the house..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:Thanks a lot for the feedback. I found what appear to be a couple good used Syncrowave 250s near where I live. I'll get in touch with the sellers to see if they're still available. Both units are under $4K and come fully equipped. One unit is $2500.I've been racing and riding motorcycles for 15 years. I know what to look for in a used motorcycle. I don't necessarily know what to look for in a used welder. Do you have any tips and obvious things to look for and check?Thanks again!
Reply:Definitely use the search function of the forum.  There have been a ton of posts recently on the subject.You can completely get a great setup in your budget range.  Watercooled 20 series torches are great.  Very light and easy to maneuver.  The 17 series air cooled torch feels like welding with a broomstick compared to it.If you have the power output, I'd personally go with a clean used Syncro 250.  You'll need around an 80 amp breaker for it to be happy.  It's a square wave machine and all you'll ever need.  It lacks pulse though.  I had a total cream puff that I bought from the original owner for $1600.  I prefer the older ones with less circuitry.  I feel that the late 80's and early 90's were the best ones, others may disagree.For inverters, stick with Miller or Thermal Arc.  The Dynasty 200 can be had in your range if you cobble together the setup on eBay.  You could definitely get a clean barely used unit for under $3000.  There may be a glut of them if Miller ever actually starts sales on the Dynasty 280.  The dynastys have a feature where you can check how many arc starts and arc time it's been used for.  Also, Miller SNs are related to production date.  So if you get the SN, you can go on their website to check out how old the machine really is.  It's desirable to get the "blue lightning" feature for arc starts.  That started around 2008 IIRC.  If the machine have adjustable AC waveform, it has BL.TA just came out with the 186 Arcmaster.  Too young to get alot of reviews on, but it's $1600 for a 200 amp ACDC Tig with pulse and AC frequency adjustment from a solid company.   Alot of us here have had the 185 which proved to be a reliable good machine.  You can find 185's used on eBay.  One recently went for $1550.  My cousin bought a brand new in the box one off the bay for $1280.If you go used, always try the machine out and put it through all of its functions.  Use some common sense about the integrity of the seller.  Post any questions here and you will generally get a quick response from people with alot of knowlege.  Good things come to those who wait, so keep looking on CL and eBay until what's right for you comes up.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:As far as the used 250 goes, get the serial number from them to see how old it is. We had a OLDER model at work that had issues. It worked different every day. Maybe it was a female model. Here's the Miller serial chart. http://www.millerwelds.com/service/s...reference.html If you don't need that much power, a new 200 with warranty would be my choice.I got a older 180 SD for 800.00 complete. Best buy I ever made.
Reply:If i had that much to spend it would be HTPTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I really appreciate everyone's advice. After a lot of consideration (perhaps too much) and all your input, I decided to get the Thermal Dynamics 186. For the money and considering this is my entry into tig, it seemed like the best value. I hope to grow into a Miller one day but this should be more than adequate to get started and learn. Thanks again.
Reply:unless you already bought one, wouldn't hurt to give HTP a call.  i love my inverter 221, had it for about a year now.  $3500 would get you a water cooled setup and all too.
Reply:$3500?   Lincoln Precison Tig 225  no question.I have one here at home, and we use them at work.  Great welders, super reliable.http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca...ision-tig.aspx"A winner isn't someone who doesn't lose, a winner is someone who doesn't quit."
Reply:Originally Posted by manchaI really appreciate everyone's advice. After a lot of consideration (perhaps too much) and all your input, I decided to get the Thermal Dynamics 186. For the money and considering this is my entry into tig, it seemed like the best value. I hope to grow into a Miller one day but this should be more than adequate to get started and learn. Thanks again.
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