Is a Precision Tig 275 too much machine for me?

[General Zod]

Edited: missed some info already in the 1st post.

The LN-25 wire feeder is meant to be used with a CV source The PT275 is crazy powerful but chugs electricity. They both have their uses, but for now the LN-25 can take a cat nap. Can't use it until you find a suitable CV power source. At least that's what I can tell from the literature on the Lincoln website.

On second thought, I should be quiet, as I don't think I was looking at the right literature, lol.

Depending on which specific model you have, you can find the manual > Here <

 

[Tankueray]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still on the fence about it, but I'm leaning toward keeping the TIG and selling the MIG, and maybe getting a nicer MIG machine down the road. If I ever become decent at it, being one of the few people in the area, and possibly the only hobbyist, that's capable of thick aluminum could be advantageous. Plus, I bet aluminum is going to be a lot of what I do on the Bridgeport, so I'm sure I'll have many mistakes to practice TIG on.
And I appreciate that so many of you got the reference, so here's a picture of my tractor.

 

[General Zod]

Capable of ≈ ½" aluminum in one pass, but can weld as thin as 0.032" as well. It's a bad mamma that unfortunately most people won't get to experience it's utter awesomeness, due it's "lofty" price tag.

Here is the list of synergic programs that it comes programmed with:. Nothing in the 300A class even comes close. It is THE MIG to have in the sub-350A class.

I'd let you give it a test drive, but even though we are both in Texas, it's quite a ways from you. I'll be in the Austin area soon and might visit a fellow acquaintance welder, maybe we can have ourselves a weld-o-rama. BYOAaS (Bring your own Argon and Scrap)


Fully user-adjustable double-pulse (pulse on pulse). This is on steel. Make nice, tight TIG-like ripples......

.... or atomic-blast nuke-like ripples that will smoke your MIG gloves in one single pass if you're not careful.....

...with ZERO gun manipulation. Just squeeze the trigger and MOVE or you'll smoke both the part and your gloves/hands!

 

[Tankueray]

Austin is still 3.5 hours away from me, unfortunately. But if you have time while you're there, go check out the ATX Hackerspace and say hi to Danny for me. (Edit: Looks like tours are on hold due to Covid, but there's a video tour:

Ooooh, that Tormach is new. ) The San Antonio and Houston Makerspaces are pretty awesome too.

.... or atomic-blast nuke-like ripples that will smoke your MIG gloves in one single pass if you're not careful.....

Lol, that reminds me of a saying from a few former C-130 mechanics I know, "The bigger the blob, the better the job."

HTP and Miller are on the top of my list for an eventual MIG machine, maybe not one that big though. My expectation is that MIG will get the majority of items that need to be fixed around here (i.e., trailers, implements, structural) and TIG will be for showcasing craftsmanship, or things I can fit in the garage to work on. In the short term, I'll either learn to live with the suitcase or wait until a decent used machine pops up. In the very short term, I'll perfect my grinding skills with the flux core...I need an excuse to buy the Kobalt 24V die grinder anyway.