Best value DC only High Frequency Inverter Tig- Miller Maxstar STH?

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Hey all,As I am having a hard time finding a used Thermal ARC 185 and I really do not plan on welding any aluminum anytime soon- is the Miller Maxstar 150 STH the second best bang for the buck?  I want to spend about 1000-1500 used or new, want inverter technology to carry it between my garage and my dad's farm and I am mainly interested in welding steel tubing for race car frame/go-karts/motorcycles/general steel repair work/custom header fabrication/welding automobile frame reinforcements/ light automobile body work/etc-  you can weld stainless with dc only correct?  I do not want a mig welder even though alot of these are typical mig applications.THANKS in advance,AndrewLast edited by hpfiend; 06-01-2008 at 06:17 PM.
Reply:Yes you can weld ss with DC and the Miller will do the job well, but for farm repairs you may want something with a bit more grunt.I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:Thanks guy- well we do have a big lincoln ac/dc stick welder for the really big stuff but I despise that thing and that technique... we have a oxy setup as well with some portable tanks but its tough not to catch stuff on fire...do you think the extra capacity of the TA 185 would close the gap better?
Reply:check one thing out- i have the ta185, it seems it will only let you set  stick for 160 amps.you can set tig for 185. not sure how high it actually will go on stick..i.ve burned 5/32   7014/6013 rod with no problem.
Reply:You might consider a used powcon 300st.  These can be had in the $400-$600 range and do a great job tigging steel.  In single phase, they will do 200 amps.  These are getting older, but they are still goodies and have a lot of life left in them.  They are about 80 pounds, so they aren't quite as portable, but I'll tote 80 pounds a pretty long distance for $1000 bucks.  If you decide to go for the ac/dc TA185 later, you can re-sell your powcon for practically what you paid...just a thought.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:^^^ now this is a person that speaks my language!!!   I assume powcon is the manufacturer?I will check the stick ratings of all the machines I look at... out of curiousity with a tig/stick machine can you high frequency start stick weld? The most frustrating part for me is scratching the arc and getting it stuck and then it gets smoking hot--.
Reply:Learn to strike an arc.  It will come to you in time.  I bought the Lincoln Invertec V155-S for 670.00 delivered to my door.  Its a nice machine, welds well except the rod does stick some times on the first strike.  It has lift start tig, but does NOT take a foot pedal.  Good machine.  I did  a review on it.  Had it a couple of weeks and its almost paid for its self.Never used the miller, but I bet its close, the specs are.EDIT:  I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago. Its an awesome machine.  http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-INVERTEC...QQcmdZViewItemTouch start tig, remote capable, Absolutely great stick welder, adjustable arc force and hot start.  I bought one from the same company for the same $s.DavidLast edited by David R; 06-03-2008 at 07:35 PM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.