Hitbox AC/DC welder from Amazon - Worth a try?

Should I get one of these on Prime or save up 10x as much before starting to learn TIG?

  • Sure, why not. What do you have to loose

    Votes: 7 63.6%

  • Maybe, but it'll probaly be a boondogle

    Votes: 2 18.2%

  • Forget it, just junk that'll waste your time

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • Total voters
    11
I figure a good pedal should make life better even with a cheap welder.
 
matthewsx said:
Thanks for the feedback, I figured there was a reason that used red or blue pedals were selling for $$$ on eBay.

This is the flowmeter I’m getting, looks like it’s adjustable.


Will keep looking on pedals.

Thanks,

John
Click to expand...

Yeah, the name brand pedals aren't cheap and the crazy thing is, the SSC pedals are made much nicer and far less expensive. It really is one of those things where people are paying for the name.

I've used those flowmeters on MIGs, and they work fine. The preset output pressure is a bit high for what I like on a TIG, but it may be one of those things you only notice once you've used a flow meter with the lower output. At the very worst it would be a good backup if you decide to try something else. Flow meters do get dropped pretty regularly, so a spare isn't a bad thing to have.
 
matthewsx said:
Or maybe these guys?

ssccontrols.com

C810-0625 TIG Foot Control Pedal for Miller 6-Pin (Replaces RFCS-6M (301587, 301588, 195183, 195504). - SSC Controls - The Foot Switch Experts

TIG Welding Foot Control Pedal for Miller® Maxstar 161 STL, Maxstar 161 STH, Maxstar 150 STL, Maxstar 150 STH, and Multimatic 200 TIG Welders. Includes 6-pin plug and 25-foot cable length. Replaces Miller® RFCS-6M (301587, 301588, 195183, 195504). Features heavy-duty steel housing, tough...
ssccontrols.com ssccontrols.com
Click to expand...
Yes, that's the SSC I mentioned above. If they have a pedal that will work for your machine it would be a nice upgrade. I have their pedals on both of my TIGs. I tested the pedals against the factory pedal when I got them. I set up the machine and had my wife read off the output amperage as I went from min/max amps. The SSC pedals had the exact same range as the factory pedals, but a shorter travel...makes them a bit more sensitive, but not overly so at all. Huge bonus is they're made in the U.S. If they have one that works for your machine, check eBay as they often sell pedals they list as something like cosmetic seconds for a nice discount (like $30-40). The pedal for my Miller is one of those and I couldn't find a mark on it...I actually wondered if they do that to move excess product or have a sale without calling it a sale...hard to say.
 
matthewsx said:
I like the looks of this Eastwood, and the price is low compared to others.

www.eastwood.com

Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC Foot Pedal (20565)

Replacement Foot Pedal for Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC Welder (20565)
www.eastwood.com www.eastwood.com

John
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I Like my old Lincoln foot pedal.
They are a center pivot and have a good amount of travel which gives a finer control. Any of the pedals that do not allow weight bearing bug me.
Foot gets tired real quick, and feels like you have to "hang" your foot somewhat suspended versus being able to put weight on it and just shift for or aft to adjust output.

So it looks like I would pick the inexpensive factory pedal, but the travel of the pedal looks somewhat short.

To do a little test welding just get some stick rods, maybe some 6011 and or 7018.
If you have some old crusty steel use the 6011. The welder did come with leads I take it? The work clamp and lead is needed for all functions and most every Arc capable welder will have a stinger included.

ps. I tried to find a YT test review of this model and only found a short one where it did TIG Aluminum.

It does have inductance and hot start features I believe.
 
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455dan said:
I Like my old Lincoln foot pedal.
They are a center pivot and have a good amount of travel which gives a finer control. Any of the pedals that do not allow weight bearing bug me.
Foot gets tired real quick, and feels like you have to "hang" your foot somewhat suspended versus being able to put weight on it and just shift for or aft to adjust output.

So it looks like I would pick the inexpensive factory pedal, but the travel of the pedal looks somewhat short.

To do a little test welding just get some stick rods, maybe some 6011 and or 7018.
If you have some old crusty steel use the 6011. The welder did come with leads I take it? The work clamp and lead is needed for all functions and most every Arc capable welder will have a stinger included.


Had to re read the description and unless I missed something ...

This is NOT an AC capable TIG at all.

It is a smart MIG that you can add a Teflon liner to and MIG.

The way the description is worded I missed that till just Now.
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Yes, it does have an arc stinger as well as the TIG torch.

You must be looking at a different machine though, mine is an ac/dc TIG. That’s why I bought it.

Thanks for the thoughts on a pedal, may have to try a few different kinds to see what I like.

John
 
matthewsx said:
Yes, it does have an arc stinger as well as the TIG torch.

You must be looking at a different machine though, mine is an ac/dc TIG. That’s why I bought it.

Thanks for the thoughts on a pedal, may have to try a few different kinds to see what I like.

John
Click to expand...
Yeah when I was going through amazons listings I grabbed the wrong one.

This unit must be pretty new and not much on YT yet
 
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