Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi guys,
I’ve sent a similar email to Jody and I thought it was a good idea to ask also your opinion to help me in buying a new TIG welder.
I already have a very basic DC plasma-stick-tig welder, but I’d like something with more amps and with AC capabilities, to give aluminum a shot. Searching on ebay I’ve found these three that seem interesting:

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 2759.l1259
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0439476235


http://cgi.ebay.it/IGBT-200Amp-AC-DC-TI ... BI_Welders

Actually the first two are very similar, probably the difference will just be in the shipping price and the foot pedal included in the second one…
The third one has got AC frequency regulation and up slope, which the other two don’t have, and post-flow is longer (0-25s vs. 0-10s)but its pulse frequency is lower, only 25Hz compared to 300Hz of the others and it doesn’t have pre-flow time regulation.
I know you are not magicians and you can’t tell if one will broke and the other not but, which one do you think is better “on paper”, just from looking to the specs ?

Basically my question is: do you think that’s is better to have more pulse frequency but no control over AC frequency, as in the first two welders, or is better to have an option to control the AC frequency, at the expense of pulse frequency and pre-flow?

Ah, just for a frame of reference: I perfectly know where these welders come from. I know that Fronius, CEA, Miller, Kemppi, Lincoln is the way to go, but I’m not a professional, and I simply can’t afford them, please understand me.

Thank you very much in advance,
massimo

Those first two welders are basically like the one I've got, minus a plasma cutter (which is a pain to switch between so IMO, not a bad choice to have it as a separate box anyway, if you do need one.) Mine is an older Everlast "Super200P". Its proven itself to be a very nice welder! You're dead on right that the main missing "feature" about it is adjustable AC frequency. However, turning the pulse up to 300 Hz (which you can do in A/C mode) does really help "stiffen" the arc! (Making it more directional, focused, etc - all the same benefits from what I understand of being able to turn up the A/C frequency.)

Just keep in mind that to use the pulsing, you can't run the unit "flat out" 200 AMPs constant average (because the pulsing to function, will need to drop down to a lower current to work right.) However, I've been able to get a noticeable pulsing arc focusing benefit while running the average current as high as 150-175 amps. If I really need to put the coals to some thick aluminum, I turn the pulsing off, run 200 AMPs, and as little DCEP as possible (20% I think is what this machine does on the low end.)

Does the bottom choice offer a wider range of A/C balance? That would be the only other feature that really might be nice. The one I have (same as top two I think) has adjustability from 20%-80% DCEP. It'd be nice to be able to adjust the DCEP down to 10% DCEP, or ever lower, I think. Can help reduce the etched zone on aluminum, and get yet more power into the work and less on the tungsten.

You'll definitely want a footpedal. I've had bad luck with those Chinese argon regulators though (they leak.) So don't feel bad skipping out on an argon regulator. I've had much better luck with a $40 one from HTP. Hope this helps!

PS - you can do a lot with 200 Amps. And its really great to be able to work it off a 30 amp household circuit (such as clothes dryer.) However a little more juice is the only other feature that might be desirable. Like 225 or 250 amps.

Edit - just noticed the bottom welder only goes down to 30% DCEP. I think I'd rather have one of the top two, since they go down to 20% DCEP. Also, before buying either of these on e-bay, at least giving Everlast a call and ask them what they are selling one of these older machines ("Mosfet"). They have really good customer service, support, warranty, etc.

Yeah, having a combo unit looks great on paper, but it's really a pain in the bottom to switch every time, and that's one of the reasons why I'm upgrading from my DC combo unit to a dedicate AC/DC tig welder..
I think that I will go with the second one, even though is MOSFET instead of IGBT but which maybe, has the higher quality/price ratio and the guy also throws in a foot pedal, which is always nice to have, even if I already have one, but it's not fantastic.
I would have liked Everlast but I would have spent more for the shipping and the custom taxes than for the welder..

Let me know if you have other points that you think I should take care of!

Hello from the sunny UK!
By the best you can afford, the old addage "you get what you pay for" has really rung true I've found when buying tools, especially if they're gonna have a hard life!.
If your going to buy an inverter thats capable of stick welding also, check the OCV, if you want to run Lo Hi's make sure its is high enough, around 70volts min.
A pedal is a must as far as I'm concerned.
When I was looking to buy I ended up waiting & saving some more money to put towards the welder.
Ended up buying an EWM Triton 220amp, AC/DC, with matching cooler. This is a german machine, has many features & really is a joy to use, & came with a 3 year warranty.
Of course it depends how often you're going to use the kit, & to what extreme. For light, intermittent use the cheaper models may suffice, & indeed last you well. Once you get in to it you may find a better machine is what you need.

We have 160amp AC/DC Kemppi unit where I work, this has been used almost daily for the last 10 years for stick & tig welding during the repair of airport ground service equipment & heavey trucks, it has stood up pretty well with only the main power switch failing during that time.
All depends on your the work you have in mind, & of course your bank balance!

When you start pricin new tig welders, that whole "buy all you can afford" addage really rings true if you ask me. I found myself at first wanting to buy a very basic machine, but as you start to get more into it, you really need things like a good range on pre/post flow, pulse frequency, and High Frequency. So I'm saving and saving and saving (which is hard to do when your unemployed) to buy a decent quality machine. BUT, like was stated above, whats it gonna be used for? If all your -ever- going to weld is mild steel, you dont need alot of the fancier stuff. But you also dont wanna spend a grand or more on a machine and then not be able to do something you want to do with it in the future and have to go buy a better machine.

I picked up an Everlast Power Tig 250EX, and cannot put enough praise on the capabilities of the machine, and the quality of the arc! Truly one of the finest, most stable arcs ive used in over 30 some years of Tig welding. Let alone the value for your dollar. You can pick one up from Everlast for around or under $1500.00 and it WILL compete directly with a $4000 Miller Dynasty. I will be honest that there is a fair chance that you could have a few wrinkles along the way as they are assembled in china, and they are still having a few fit and finish issues here and there. But the company is phenominal as far as backing up there products ...... and promtly! They are in the game to stay and they will make it right, .... and quickly. So for me it was a no brainer. Siemens IGBT power rails, and many name brand components assembeled to Everlasts design, (not another rehashed chinese design like so many on EBAY). So for me it was worth a little head ache till It got all dialed in. Plus a 5 year warranty. Hard to beat. Just my 2 cents on the issue. I totally understand not having the money for a "name brand" miller, lincoln, Thermal arc, esab, etc. But i think I would save a little more and definately get the Everlast over one of the minions of ebay chinese machines. Best luck to ya!

Here's the way I feel about it. One, I'll buy U.S. whenever I can because I love to wave our flag. Put that aside and the Everlast looks pretty good. I was really thinking hard about it when I saw the price difference between the Lincolns and the Millers. Lincoln didn't really have a lot to offer in my opinion and the Dynasty, had a lot more but who's to say it is just a Chinese welder painted blue. Gets a little scary when you think about it that way.

I ended up with a conventional Lincoln because I got a heck of a deal on it. I had to re-wire my shop to make it work for me but that had a lot of added benefits too.

One of the thing that made me hesitant in buying the Everlast was the number of problems that folks had. I don't really care how good their support is when I need to weld something now and my machine breaks. I'm not a professional welder so a good portion of my welding is fix-it's, call it barn yard welding if you want but that's when it's important to have a good reliable welder at your side and for my money, it was either Lincoln or Miller. Actually, Miller would have won out had it not been for the great deal I got on the Lincoln.

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but not to welding. There are 2 things that I believe in that apply here: One is that I buy North American made whenever possible (I'm Canadian), and the other is that I buy from a local dealer whenever possible. I've found that, although I can get something cheaper over the internet, the relationship developed from buying from my local dealership has been invaluable in the form of their help in knowledge and expertise, as well as better deals on both the large purchases and the day-to-day needs. I also like helping local people stay employed.
Having said that, after much research, I've ordered a Miller dynasty 200dx with the watercooled setup, as well as an extra aircooled torch for small mobile work. I had the opportunity to try one out a couple of weeks ago when my local welding supply store hosted the Miller demo truck with a BBQ. I was very impressed. I have worked with the Lincolns and Esabs before. The deal they gave me was less than the US list price, and things tend to cost quite a bit more here.

Just curious Peter, how much did you end up spending for your rig? ( 200 DX + cooler ). I'm not savy to the conversion to Canadian $$, so U.S. if you could estimate would be great.

Yeah I think it's great also to buy american made products, I try to any time I can. But I simply could not throw down $4000.00 right now! I hear your rational over and over, and I won't say that it's wrong for YOU, but there are many many folks who want to experience an Inverter unit with high level functions that cannot just "buck up" for another few grand! I give Everlast a ton of credit for trying to establish a middle ground, ..... somebody needs to fill the demand, and if miller or Lincoln won't do it then let the market prevail. The technology is not rocket science, and it should be availible cheaper. My Everlast 250 EX is performing FLAWLESSLY on a daily basis. I don't anticipate nor do I fear ANY issues with it at this point that i wouldn't with a blue or red. It is NOT your run of the mill chinese knock off welder! It is very beefy, ...... 60% duty cycle at full rated power! Many critical parts are the same as they are putting in the us built machines. I have been very critical and honest about any issues ive had with it, and when you wheigh it all out, it is an EXCELLENT welder and an excellent value! Yes ..... as I mentioned the initial trade off may (probably may not!) be a few minor hassles, but if it saves me $3000, .... uh, .... yeah no problem! They are not a fly by night company, as far as I can see. Committed to be in the welding game, I am willing to watch them grow and work out the same issues that any other company has gone thru at some point in their history. A little human factoring may be in order here, ..... remember typicaly only the people with some problem or another post on a web site. The vast majority are just goin about their daily business without fanfare. That is a marketing fact. So in conclusion would I rather have a Miller Dynasty 200 DX? ....... yes. But if I just could not come up with or justify the $$, would I just go back and purchase a very basic, old technology machine only for the reason that it was built in the US, (probably with any number of foreign parts in it)? ...... NO, at least at face value all things considered. I'll be the first to let anybody know if it craps out, ..... but I just feel that I will also be right there to defend it fairly if it continues to perform!

Hi, Trackmaster. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound as if I think that I'm better than others, and I agree that there does need to be a middle ground. I believe that a large part of the reason for North American manufacturing going down the tube is that they've ignored or just missed large market segments. I lost my last job because of that.
To let you know the pricing up here, the US list price for the set-up that I bought is $5,665 for the complete watercooled package (machine, cooler, coolant, tig torch, stick holder, cables, hose,connectors, regulator/flowmeter, and torch accessory kit). The Canadian distributors don't quote a list price, as they change the prices with the exchange rates. But when I was shopping, they told me that they were using a 5% rate. that would have put the Canadian list at about $5,949 Cdn. I bought mine for $5000 Cdn., which was a stretch for me financially. I've seen the Powertig 225LX advertised here for $1299 Cdn.
I looked at the Everlast, because I liked what I've read, including Jody's review, but they aren't well represented here. And because I'm lining up mobile work where I need to use the customer's power, I needed the ability to ability to plug into just about anything, incluuding 110V. The only other machine that seemed to come close was Lincoln's Invertec V205T Ac/Dc, and it was even more expensive, and didn't seem to have the versatility or features of the Dynasty.
Best regards, Peter.