SMAW/Stick machines - options?

[General Zod]

Good luck with it. An acquaintance bought the 350EXT just recently about 2 months ago. It already blew the main board.

 

[FlyFishn]

Good luck with it. An acquaintance bought the 350EXT just recently about 2 months ago. It already blew the main board.

What service was it being used with? What was he doing with it when it blew? Process/current?

Thanks for chiming in.

 

[General Zod]

Not sure what service, but he is a professional welder in Maryland with his own shop. Likely 240V single phase service. He was doing 330A+ AC welding Aluminum. Yup, I just looked at what he posted and he said it was on a 50A breaker, so I'm 99% sure it was on a standard 240V AC 1-Φ input power.

 

[FlyFishn]

Finding more options before I order.

In another thread elsewhere I got a suggestion of the Primeweld TIG225. It looks like a decent machine with a lot of adjustments (and does AC).

TIG225X AC/DC TIG Welder With Pulse

Meet the powerful and versatile TIG225X AC/DC TIG Welder—PrimeWeld's top-selling model! Equipped with everything you need to start welding, it caters to both hobbyists and professionals. Order yours online today at PrimeWeld! How to Choose Your Torch: CK17 - 12.5ft - 150 amps - Air Cooled CK17 -...

primeweld.com

The AHP AphaTIG 201XP looks pretty good also. Looking at the pricing online it is around $100 less than the outfit with the Everlast 210STL with the TIG options as the AHP comes with them out of the gate for the list price of the unit. This one also does AC - so that is a big bonus plus the adjustments in the frequencies (AC and pulsed DC).

AHP AlphaTIG 201XD | AHP Tools Inc.

As an AC/DC inverter TIG welder, the Alpha TIG 201XD delivers pro-level features in an economically minded package that out performs major competitors' models nearest to our price. For comparison, the Alpha TIG 201XD range of features includes fully adjustable AC frequency and AC balance...

ahpwelds.com

 

[General Zod]

Now you just need a MIG to round out the features, lol.

 

[DavidR8]

I was looking for a welder this past year.
Looked at Everlast but the Primeweld beat it on features for dollars.
AHP was/is experiencing a seemingly high number of board failures on both the 200 and the 201 of recent.
The Primeweld customer service is above an beyond in my opinion.
I finally settled on the Primeweld and am completely happy with it.

 

[FlyFishn]

Now you just need a MIG to round out the features, lol.

I'd love to have a MIG. At some point in time I will.

Looking at what/how I have welded in the past what I need is a capable stick machine. That will give me a ton of capability that I've never had. In looking at machines - with TIG being so readily available on a stick power supply, to me, it makes so much more sense to combine the two. For smaller and/or more visually important welds TIG will get me there. Even with MIG - on the small end of the spectrum I don't think MIG is a good option. So blending the two processes - Stick and TIG - I have the whole range of capability of welding from the heaviest stuff I'll do down to the lightest I could possibly think of - in one machine.

Yeah, MIG is great for general steel fab. I won't argue that. However, I can't justify it right now.

 

[FlyFishn]

I was looking for a welder this past year.
Looked at Everlast but the Primeweld beat it on features for dollars.
AHP was/is experiencing a seemingly high number of board failures on both the 200 and the 201 of recent.
The Primeweld customer service is above an beyond in my opinion.
I finally settled on the Primeweld and am completely happy with it.

Thank you for your input.

 

[General Zod]

Yeah, MIG is great for general steel fab. I won't argue that. However, I can't justify it right now.

and now you can use it for general aluminum fab, thanks to modern-day inverters.

3/16", 176A. No spool gun. Dedicated aluminum gun with carbon-graphite liner, pulsed-spray arc transfer. User-controlled hot-start to eliminate cold-starts, and user-defined slope-down to minimize crater-cracks toward the end (I should have used a little more on that part).

 

[FlyFishn]

and now you can use it for general aluminum fab, thanks to modern-day inverters.

3/16", 176A. No spool gun. Dedicated aluminum gun with carbon-graphite liner, pulsed-spray arc transfer. User-controlled hot-start to eliminate cold-starts, and user-defined slope-down to minimize crater-cracks toward the end (I should have used a little more on that part).

What did you weld that with? What machine/set up?