Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm having a very hard time deciding which ac/dv tig machine to get. Looking at maybe no more than $2000. I have looked at who, everlast, weld pro, lincoln, Miller, esab, Hobart, razor and maybe some others but cant decide.

Biggest thing that worries me about getting ones like the everlast is availability on parts and service if I need it fixed. That's why I looked at lincoln tig 200 or the miller diversion 180. Both lincoln and Miller lack in duty cycle compared to everlast. I like the everlast 200dv but still I'm worried about service down the road

My main use is the occasional hobby welder. Would like to weld aluminum which is why I want tig. I've read great reviews on all the welders and the occasional bad review more with brands like everlast due to parts being hard to get since you cant go to your welding supply store and get what you need. Any help?

Forget Neverlast. HTP Invertig 221. Over-budget, but it comes from somewhere you can actually get service.

I would recommend the Lincoln Squarewave. It has more amps than the Miller Diversion. I had the Diversion at one time, it's a good machine, but you can't change the torch without a major hassle. If you are only using the machine for hobby welding-then you shouldn't have a problem with the duty cycle on the Lincoln.

As a hobby welder, you'll never hit the duty cycle when running TIG. Every time you stop to reposition, get a new piece of filler, let a part cool, that introduces "rest time" to the machine. You would melt your arms and hands running a 200 amp machine non-stop to trip the duty cycle, not to mention the part.

So don't get hung up on that specification. Focus on your budget, service/warranty convenience (every machine can break), and the feature set you really need.

I would make 1 recommendation: for a hobby/home welder, having a multi-process box is a VERY NICE feature. TIG boxes will also Stick (and there are many times when Stick is the best process), but having a MIG capable box too is super convenient and handy. They can be faster to knock out a project, some materials are easier (thin sheet) to weld with MIG, and you can also get an aluminum Spool Gun for many of these multi-process boxes.

Convenience, process selection, and features. Esab, Miller and Lincoln all have good choices, Esab and Miller now have AC/DC TIG multi-process boxes too. $3,000, but you're getting almost 3 welders in one. Who said making a decision is easy???

I do second the HTP Invertig 221 suggestion. High-quality machine, with an excellent CK torch, a quality pedal, and you can easily add a water cooler to it, which is what I did.

If I remember correctly, you can also do stick, although I am not currently interested in that feature.

Goes down as low as 4 or 5 Amps, Although I never use that thin of a material. The lowest I have used it that is at 1/16” and mostly stay in the 1/16 - 3/16” range.

Very nice welder. Never needed support, but there is a real company behind it with great reputation.




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I agree with Cj I’ve yet to max out the duty cycle on my tig200. I’ve had the torch get so hot I had to put on a thicker stick welding glove to keep going (I wanted to see what it takes to trip the overheat lol) and even with then it got too hot to hold before the over temp kicked in. I then tried to with smaw, hardfacing a skid steer bucket. 15 sticks @ 130 amps later it was still going.


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I would also recommend an HTP, it is what I WANT!

However, there is something to be said for some of the inexpensive inverters. Neverlast does take a good beating from many people, and I will be the first to admit their customer service is not very good, in fact it can be downright insulting to the intelligence of the customer.

I bought a Neverlast DC inverter that will do tig and stick (i-Tig 201) and it's actually been pretty good. It has helped me learn how to use both tig and stick. I have replaced all of the consumables with decent products. That included a USA electrode holder (2 actually), Tweco ground clamp, Victor flowmeter, new crimped gas hose, ck worldwide torch, etc...the unit itself if not too bad, but when I opened the inside and started to look around, I saw the poor workmanship in the unit. Then Everlast told me I voided my warranty by opening it up...WTF? I simply told them if there is a problem they will need to take care of it. I wouldn't ask them to warranty a problem I caused, but if the problem is something that was caused by the unit itself I would hold them to repair it under the warranty. I think I have exceeded the warranty.

If I was considering an imported inverter, I would probably take a look at the PrimeWeld 225, it actually comes with a genuine ck worldwide torch and gets great reviews. At $775 w/free shipping and a 3 year warranty, and will do both AC and DC, a lot for the money.

If you have the cash on hand, don't even think, just buy the HTP, IMO, it is one of the best units on the market. I've used a friends and they are really nice welders. But if you're like me and want to weld and don't have $3000 laying around (believe me, I sympathize with you if that is the case), I would think about getting something less expensive like the PrimeWeld 225. I'm trying to hold out and get the HTP myself, I like quality tools.

Cheers,
Alan

The Everlast products use to have great customer service but not so much anymore. I had one a few years ago and the HF start failed often and required cleaning and regapping the contacts. Other than that it was decent except the foot pedal sucked. I replaced that with a SSC. The Euro style torch was terrible for most anything but it did shine doing uphill out of position welds where I couldn't use the foot pedal.

That said, I just ordered the AHP alphatig 201xd. This is the 4th generation of the welder and if the picture on the website Is correct, the big complaint about the foot pedal has been fixed with a SSC/Lincoln style pedal. All the connectors are now standard also. I run CK torches so I could care less what it comes with.

The reason I don't have the Everlast today is because I sold it after my Eye doc told me I had to stop welding. I recently got a new Eye doc who laughed at that and said as long as I use a good helmet I'll be fine.

As a side note: I also bought a Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP with the spool gun and then added an aftermarket TIG kit. It's DC only and is one sweet little welder. I got the AHP just so I can do precise A/C tig on thin aluminum and from what I've heard it does a really good job considering the cost. I could have bought a bottle of Helium and used the Lincoln in DC but 99.999% pure helium is hard for me to find and the cost is half or more than that of the AHP welder.

I can't say for sure if the AHP is a decent home/hobby welder yet but I can vouge for the Lincoln.