Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello everyone, I apologize if this question is being asked in the wrong forum, but I'm new here.

I am not a welder but my girlfriend is, and I know how badly she wants her own tig welder for home. With Christmas around the corner I would really like to buy her one because at this time she can't afford one on her own. Basically my question is; is it worth the price to buy a Lincoln/Miller welder for her? Or are some of the cheaper brands not so bad? I've read a lot of mixed reviews online about a lot of the cheaper/overseas models and it has me very confused. She wouldn't be using it all the time, just for occasional fun projects, maybe make some money on the side if she could find small jobs to do on her spare time. I don't mind spending the money on a good one, but if there are some brands people recommend that are cheaper then that's all the better.

I'm sorry if that isn't enough information or my question is too vague. Also I live in Ontario. Any responses will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

depending on your budget and if you can get them look at a everlast i have heard good things about there smaller machines ie 110/220v stuff i have a AHP stick/tig machine but its not fully set up for tig though.. http://www.everlastgenerators.com/ there are some videos on the everlast 160 out there and i think Mr Tig from weld.com has done videos on this and the AHP big boy..
with that said the Miller, hobart, lincon machines are good.. if you could spring for it i would get her a Lincon 210MP or the miller like it.. as its srt up to do Mig, tig, flux core, stick.. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Eq ... nElectric)

AHP machine http://www.ahpwelds.com/welders/tig-wel ... -200v.html probaly the best for the money though if size is not a concern.. its duty cycle makes it quite awsome in my opnion.

I bought a Thermal Arc 186 it's 220 volt power only. But it tigs AC or DC and it stick welds real nice. I've had it about two years now and don't have any complaints. I use miller and Lincon stuff at work but I'm happy with all three of those brands. I've also herd some good things about the diferent Everlast equipment. I think you may need to answer a few questions to get good info. 1. What kind of power do you have available to plug into? 2. Does she want to Tig weld Aluminum? 3 Is she just learning to tig or is she more experienced with tig and in need of extended features and accessories?

It depends in what she would do with it and what on. If she wants to tig aluminum then probably not the multiprocess machine since it is only DC current or anything but aluminum. A Lincoln squarewave 200 is a good tig welder. Or as others have mentioned look at a good 200 amp or so ever last tig with multi voltage plug. And make sure she has he ability to get argon because without argon tig is useless.

I'm in Ontario as well (if you mean Canada). Bought an Everlast powertig 250ex. Have had zero problems with it, shipped very fast (the Canadian dealer is located in Ontario). All questions were answered without problems or any "uh uh, uhm" (knowledgeable staff). I did a fair amount of research asking numerous people about everlast, people that have owned them for years and not just those who get them to endorse on youtube. Definitely worth looking at. What miller and lincoln have going for them is history. They have been around and proved they won't be going away. So parts will be available. Don't kid yourself, lincoln and miller use parts that are not from north america as well in some machines (they have cost to worry about as well). All this said, if I had the money and was running an actual shop, I'd go lincoln or miller. But I don't have a shop. I do side jobs in my work shed, and projects of my own. So the choice was easy.

I second the PowerTig250Ex!

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First of all I'd like to thank everyone for the responses.
To answer a few questions, I'm not entirely sure what the majority of her welding materials would be, I know at work she does about 90% stainless steel, and she just learned to aluminum weld recently, so I would imagine that she would like to be able to at least have the option to do aluminum at home, along with stainless and mild steel. Right now in my basement shop as far as I know I only have standard 110 plugs, but I would have an electrician over to install whichever power I need.

Drunken Moose wrote:I'm in Ontario as well (if you mean Canada). Bought an Everlast powertig 250ex. Have had zero problems with it, shipped very fast (the Canadian dealer is located in Ontario). All questions were answered without problems or any "uh uh, uhm" (knowledgeable staff). I did a fair amount of research asking numerous people about everlast, people that have owned them for years and not just those who get them to endorse on youtube. Definitely worth looking at. What miller and lincoln have going for them is history. They have been around and proved they won't be going away. So parts will be available. Don't kid yourself, lincoln and miller use parts that are not from north america as well in some machines (they have cost to worry about as well). All this said, if I had the money and was running an actual shop, I'd go lincoln or miller. But I don't have a shop. I do side jobs in my work shed, and projects of my own. So the choice was easy.

This does look like a nice machine, however it appears to be $1900 on their website, as opposed to the Everlasting 160 someone else mentioned, which is a fraction of the price. Is the 160 not a good enough machine? I really know almost nothing about welding, so if there is a huge difference please let me know thank you

I've also heard good things about Everlast Canada, located in Burlington ON. A guy called Duncan and his wife Jean run the operation; Duncan is also involved in Everlast to the extent that he travels to China to oversee production there. Everything I've heard is they are knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly, so you may want to check them out as a resource. The additional plus is, if you're close enough you can pick up the machine rather than have it shipped (thereby removing the possibility of damage in transit), maybe even bring it home with you that day if you decide to buy. Plus you'd get to see and touch the machine before buying, which many of us internet buyers did not get to do!

You can get the AHP AlphaTIG 200x for about $900. It's AC/DC TIG + stick. Mine's a 2015 model, and for 2016 they've expanded the capabilities. Wider range on frequency and pulse IIRC. I like mine, had no trouble with it.

NotAWelder24 wrote:First of all I'd like to thank everyone for the responses.
To answer a few questions, I'm not entirely sure what the majority of her welding materials would be, I know at work she does about 90% stainless steel, and she just learned to aluminum weld recently, so I would imagine that she would like to be able to at least have the option to do aluminum at home, along with stainless and mild steel. Right now in my basement shop as far as I know I only have standard 110 plugs, but I would have an electrician over to install whichever power I need.

Drunken Moose wrote:I'm in Ontario as well (if you mean Canada). Bought an Everlast powertig 250ex. Have had zero problems with it, shipped very fast (the Canadian dealer is located in Ontario). All questions were answered without problems or any "uh uh, uhm" (knowledgeable staff). I did a fair amount of research asking numerous people about everlast, people that have owned them for years and not just those who get them to endorse on youtube. Definitely worth looking at. What miller and lincoln have going for them is history. They have been around and proved they won't be going away. So parts will be available. Don't kid yourself, lincoln and miller use parts that are not from north america as well in some machines (they have cost to worry about as well). All this said, if I had the money and was running an actual shop, I'd go lincoln or miller. But I don't have a shop. I do side jobs in my work shed, and projects of my own. So the choice was easy.

This does look like a nice machine, however it appears to be $1900 on their website, as opposed to the Everlasting 160 someone else mentioned, which is a fraction of the price. Is the 160 not a good enough machine? I really know almost nothing about welding, so if there is a huge difference please let me know thank you

Yeah, it's a little more on the price than some of the smaller units. The only 160 I see is the powerarc, which is a DC only machine, so it will limit here and she won't be able to do aluminum. What you need to look at no matter the brand is a few things. What she'll be using it for. For aluminum you'll need a machine that does AC, for most other materials DC. Another thing is duty cycle. This determines how long a machine can be run before having to "cool off". If you can find one that has 100% duty cycle for the range of amps she'll be welding in most, that would be optimal. You also mentioned you don't currently have 220 . . . there are machines that will do both like the powertig 200DX, and slightly lower cost than the 250ex, but also less amps, lower duty cycle, etc. I'm only quoting everlast simply because that's what I currently own . . . don't be afraid to shop around and ask questions. There are machines to definitely steer clear from. Oh, the Canadian site for everlast is http://www.everlastwelders.ca/ if you haven't found that out already.

If you find a "cheap" machine, ask the guys here first, most of them will tell you if it's worth getting or turning away from. Prod your SOH for a bit of info . . . just act like interest if you want to keep it a secret . . . like "what are amps?" and "oh, so how high do you use for your stuff you want to do?" and "oh wow, is that lots?" . . . unless you have knowledge of this already. Plus taking an interest in her interest gets you bonus points lol.

My earlier post got interrupted and I thought I lost it- as ldbtx says, look into the AHP 200 also. Heard good things about it.

Many machines are dual voltage, meaning they'll run off both 110v and 220v. Everlast has a couple dual voltage machines- is the AHP dual? Depending on the layout of the house, you may be able to use existing 220v outlets with an extension cord leading to a welding site. I made an extension to use my clothes dryer, and I've heard others using the 220v stove outlet in the kitchen.

Good idea from DrunkenMoose: ask here if you get close to a decision on a machine, especially about cheap ones.

Artie F. Emm wrote:My earlier post got interrupted and I thought I lost it- as ldbtx says, look into the AHP 200 also. Heard good things about it.

Many machines are dual voltage, meaning they'll run off both 110v and 220v. Everlast has a couple dual voltage machines- is the AHP dual? Depending on the layout of the house, you may be able to use existing 220v outlets with an extension cord leading to a welding site. I made an extension to use my clothes dryer, and I've heard others using the 220v stove outlet in the kitchen.

Good idea from DrunkenMoose: ask here if you get close to a decision on a machine, especially about cheap ones.

Yes, the AHP is a dual voltage unit.

Larry

ldbtx wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:My earlier post got interrupted and I thought I lost it- as ldbtx says, look into the AHP 200 also. Heard good things about it.

Many machines are dual voltage, meaning they'll run off both 110v and 220v. Everlast has a couple dual voltage machines- is the AHP dual? Depending on the layout of the house, you may be able to use existing 220v outlets with an extension cord leading to a welding site. I made an extension to use my clothes dryer, and I've heard others using the 220v stove outlet in the kitchen.

Good idea from DrunkenMoose: ask here if you get close to a decision on a machine, especially about cheap ones.

Yes, the AHP is a dual voltage unit.

Larry

i think they alow upto 120 AMP output on 110/120 volt provied you got a circut to support it

ryanjames170 wrote:

ldbtx wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:My earlier post got interrupted and I thought I lost it- as ldbtx says, look into the AHP 200 also. Heard good things about it.

Many machines are dual voltage, meaning they'll run off both 110v and 220v. Everlast has a couple dual voltage machines- is the AHP dual? Depending on the layout of the house, you may be able to use existing 220v outlets with an extension cord leading to a welding site. I made an extension to use my clothes dryer, and I've heard others using the 220v stove outlet in the kitchen.

Good idea from DrunkenMoose: ask here if you get close to a decision on a machine, especially about cheap ones.

Yes, the AHP is a dual voltage unit.

Larry

i think they alow upto 120 AMP output on 110/120 volt provied you got a circut to support it

I think that's about right. The manual is in the shop at work with the welder or I'd tell you for sure.

Larry

Another vote for Lincoln square wave 200.

NotAWelder24 wrote:Hello everyone, I apologize if this question is being asked in the wrong forum, but I'm new here.

I am not a welder but my girlfriend is, and I know how badly she wants her own tig welder for home. With Christmas around the corner I would really like to buy her one because at this time she can't afford one on her own. Basically my question is; is it worth the price to buy a Lincoln/Miller welder for her? Or are some of the cheaper brands not so bad? I've read a lot of mixed reviews online about a lot of the cheaper/overseas models and it has me very confused. She wouldn't be using it all the time, just for occasional fun projects, maybe make some money on the side if she could find small jobs to do on her spare time. I don't mind spending the money on a good one, but if there are some brands people recommend that are cheaper then that's all the better.

I'm sorry if that isn't enough information or my question is too vague. Also I live in Ontario. Any responses will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

This is one of those things, I personally, would not want for a present. Because I know nobody would be able to get me what I wanted and I would only be disappointed, regardless of how well intentioned the gift is.

I will have been sitting and researching the topic and the amount of machines out there for months before a purchase and I would probably have a specific machine or two chosen in my mind and an idea of the accessories and such I'd want for it, I'd have it all planned out in my mind.

DennisCA wrote:

NotAWelder24 wrote:Hello everyone, I apologize if this question is being asked in the wrong forum, but I'm new here.

I am not a welder but my girlfriend is, and I know how badly she wants her own tig welder for home. With Christmas around the corner I would really like to buy her one because at this time she can't afford one on her own. Basically my question is; is it worth the price to buy a Lincoln/Miller welder for her? Or are some of the cheaper brands not so bad? I've read a lot of mixed reviews online about a lot of the cheaper/overseas models and it has me very confused. She wouldn't be using it all the time, just for occasional fun projects, maybe make some money on the side if she could find small jobs to do on her spare time. I don't mind spending the money on a good one, but if there are some brands people recommend that are cheaper then that's all the better.

I'm sorry if that isn't enough information or my question is too vague. Also I live in Ontario. Any responses will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

This is one of those things, I personally, would not want for a present. Because I know nobody would be able to get me what I wanted and I would only be disappointed, regardless of how well intentioned the gift is.

I will have been sitting and researching the topic and the amount of machines out there for months before a purchase and I would probably have a specific machine or two chosen in my mind and an idea of the accessories and such I'd want for it, I'd have it all planned out in my mind.

My wife knew I wanted a bike.

She bought me a Triumph Daytona 675 as a surprise gift.

I was very happy.



Kym

We don't give each other expensive gifts. Mainly because we can't afford them.

ldbtx wrote:

Artie F. Emm wrote:My earlier post got interrupted and I thought I lost

i think they alow upto 120 AMP output on 110/120 volt provied you got a circut to support it

I think that's about right. The manual is in the shop at work with the welder or I'd tell you for sure.

Larry

150 A TIG, 145 A Stick on 120 VAC. That's for my 2015 model.

Larry