Inverter TIG machines

[Snag_one]

When every time I mention I do some welding I get asked if I can do aluminum , it makes me think it's time to buy a TIG machine ... and having looked around a lot at what's out there , I find that the inverter machines give more bang for the buck . I've been looking at an Everlast Power Tig 200DX , AC/DC/stick/TIG , and comes with almost everything needed for around 1200 bucks . Aside from helmets/gloves , which I already have , I'll need to purchase electrodes and a gas bottle .
I have yet to find a negative review , the only thing I've found is that some don't like the amps control on the foot pedal . Either this thing is the best idea since bar soap , or somebody has systematically removed all bad reviews ... so my question for the group is does anyone have experience with this or similar Everlast products , and are they really as great as it seems ?
--
Snag , wannabe TIG weldor

 

[sniggler]

For tig welding aluminium you really want to have at least 250 amps ac and a water cooled tig torch. The heat travels so well what you are welding sucks heat away from the weld. i have an old miller dialarc 250 hf and maxed out it welds 1/4 material well. If you working with thin stuff thats probably decent.

The spool gun setup for a mig welder is less limiting.

Bob

 

[Ulma Doctor]

You may wish to ask yourself if tooling up to TIG weld aluminum is cost effective for you.
If you are doing a little here and a little there you may be money ahead to take the work to a shop.
But, if you think you can make money by offering aluminum welding as a service, you may wish to consider a larger capacity welder.
Possibly into the 300 amp range with High Frequency welding Aluminum with A/C power with pure Argon.
You can cheat a little for penetration by using an Argon/Helium mix , it runs a little hotter. but as a rule larger machines do larger work. Helium mix is more expensive than straight Argon.
weigh out how much you'll use it, vs. how much you wanna do it and jump in!
The foot pedal heat control is a little weird for some to get used to.
it took me a while to stop thinking about it, that's when it clicked for me.
I find myself to this day still pushing a pedal with my right foot when welding, even if there isn't a pedal there.
it must be amusing to watch, especially when i'm doing other processes.:lmao:

i hope the right welder finds you, whatever you decide!
$1200 bucks does sound mighty inviting though...:thinking:
mike)

 

[Ray C]

I have an Everlast 250 multi-function (arc, plasma, TIG). The machine itself is fine. Not a lick of problems and I've had it a year with days of continuous use in the 180 Amp range. No sweat. The footpedals aren't the greatest. The rheostat in them go bad. I bought a 5k Ohm replacement, modified the method of attachment a little and it's fine.

Although it's a pretty advanced feature that most are not likely to use, the pulsed TIG works great in high frequency when working on thin aluminum. Few other units have that feature.

Ray

 

[sniggler]

I definitely agree with the idea of a multi-process inverter. I have never used helium or argon/helium but realize it changes the game on thickness you can weld a lower amperages.

I love Miller and Lincoln and I really apreciate what Lincoln has done for welding education and that they still run a very strong education program Lincolns's Hand book of arc welding procedure is still the best welding book. Lincolns project books are great too.

That said the Chinese competition is very strong and the everlast is well reviewed you can not argue with that price.

 

[Ray C]

Yes, the price is attractive and I think for low-production needs, it's decent quality. I use it 1-2 times a week for little TIG jobs that take only 10 minutes but there are times when I use it all day almost non-stop. It doesn't fade and behaves the same way all day long. I've got a big job coming up. It's a water and feed trough for a local goat farm. All aluminum 5/16" plate. It's going to be about 3 days of welding. I mainly use straight argon but on thicker aluminum, like this job, I go with 10-15% helium. I made my own mixing valves. Very intense, pin-point heat due to the helium and you can zip right along. The problem is, a 300 cuft tank of helium is going over 300 bucks now. Argon is cheap at 60 bucks for 300 feet. Filler rods are cheap. Tungsten lasts a long time and so do shielding cups.

Anyhow, if I had the space and money, I'd go with individual units and go with Big Blue or Red but, the cost stopped me dead in my tracks and I'm pinched for space. This one is good enough and it serves my part-time-use needs. I think a brand called "Longevity" is neck-and-neck with the Everlast but, when I bought mine, Everlast had a 5 year warranty and Longevity only 3 year.

And BTW, I'm self-taught. I watched some videos from Jody Collier on weldingtipsandtricks .com, read a few books, picked up the torch and made beads on aluminum on the 1st try. A couple days later, I welded-up an aluminum welding cart and when people see it, they ask how much I paid for it... The point being, don't be scared-off by people saying its hard. It's not -but, it is a little tough on my hands and wrists that have problems to start with.


Ray

I definitely agree with the idea of a multi-process inverter. I have never used helium or argon/helium but realize it changes the game on thickness you can weld a lower amperages.

I love Miller and Lincoln and I really apreciate what Lincoln has done for welding education and that they still run a very strong education program Lincolns's Hand book of arc welding procedure is still the best welding book. Lincolns project books are great too.

That said the Chinese competition is very strong and the everlast is well reviewed you can not argue with that price.

 

[Uglydog]

Before investing.
Carefully assess the power to your shop.
How big are the wires.
I ran 6ga many years ago. 6ga limits me to 55 amp circuit.
TIG (GTAW) has a higher amp demand that MIG (GMAW) or Arc (SMAW).

At the time I found lots of new and used great deals on Blue 350 but would not have been able to power them, without a new run.
I'm running a Red 225PT. I've been pleased with it. However, It's got a different feel than the Blue 250 and 350 at school. Not bad, just different. Very stiff arc!
I've got great luck with aluminum. But, have thickness limits and Duty Cycle issues with big welds. But, I haven't messed with helium yet.
If I were starting new I'd take a serious look at HTP. http://www.usaweld.com/ Never used an HTP.
I've ordered alot of items from them. Great advice, great service, fair prices.
Does anybody here use yellow? ESAB is generally underrepresented!

However, first learn how much welder you can power.

Daryl
MN

 

[sniggler]

Ray

I taught myself to tig weld as well there was no internet then. If i had to weld 5/16 for production i would break out the spool gun and bang it out in 1/3 the time or less with decent cosmetics and equal structural properties. If i was the customer i would like you to tig weld it. But the speed really is night and day.

Bob

 

[Rbeckett]

Snag,
To be fair you should probably take a look over at Welding Web at the negative press you mentioned you haven't seen or been able to find. There is bad press out there, but it appears that they are doing a good job resolving most of the chronic issues and keeping a very large portion of their customers happier now than before. A few years ago they were not considered a good investment for serious lack of quality issues. They seem to have resolved most of them and continue to improve the product incrementally over time. I don't endorse any particular type or brand machine any more, but used to bleed Miller Blue and Hypertherm Gray. Now I don't really care as much, but I still require hypertherm for my CNC plasma table no matter what. Hope this helps you find the info you are looking for. And yes it was systematically removed for a while until the forum figured it out and put a stop to it by not allowing the manuf to have general access, only to their specific areas of the site.

Bob

 

[Ray C]

LOL, I don't think the goats will notice but, I might get a good boot in the butt if they do...

This job is not something I'd normally do but, the guys that just installed my roof noticed my shop and asked if I could repair some of their equipment. Little did I know they were going to call 3 more of their trucks to come by. I pulled in a few Ben Franklins... All easy stuff with no liability concerns. The crew boss has a goat farm and wanted the troughs. We worked a deal. He tuckpointed my exterior fireplace chimney. I paid his materials and he did the scaffold work and had a guy do it in a day. He's paying me for the aluminum and I'll stick it together... The 1.5 days is mostly for cutting the pieces and about 1 to 1.5 days to weld. Fair enough.


Ray

Ray

I taught myself to tig weld as well there was no internet then. If i had to weld 5/16 for production i would break out the spool gun and bang it out in 1/3 the time or less with decent cosmetics and equal structural properties. If i was the customer i would like you to tig weld it. But the speed really is night and day.

Bob