Technical Tig welder question before purchase.

Did you have to preheat?

 

When my Adult Ed woodworking students used to show me the cheap off shore machines they could buy my only comment was, "Where can you get parts or service?"

 

Nope.

 

I'd like to see those wood welders.

 

You're forgetting a real viable option for you, the HTP Invertig221.

Nobody is going to debate you on the quality of Miller machines. They're great. The problem with Miller is that you pay for the quality, and arguably, the name. And that it's made in the USA, or at least some of it is.

HTP is not USA-made (though ironically they're available through USAweld.com , which is a USA-owned small business that distributes the machines and accessories). I can only tell you about my personal experience with mine.

In college, as president of the FSAE team, I welded basically all day. We had a Miller Synchrowave250, which was an amazing machine. Water-cooled 20-series torch, on-board cooler, all sorts of settings to adjust pre and post flow, various pulse settings, AC settings for aluminum.... just a wonderful machine that I lived on for 3 years of my life. When I graduated, I always told myself when I put together my own shop I'd get nice TIG for myself. Well, 10 years later, it was time. While I would have loved to get another Synchrowave for myself, the problem I have in a residential setting is input power. I just don't have the amps on my 220v circuits to run a transformer-based TIG machine. No problem nowadays with the advent and commonality of inverter-based machines. The Miller that spec'ed out closest to the Synchrowave in terms of power and features was the Dynasty, which was very impressive. Problem is that by the time I added all the features and necessary items (leads, foot pedal, liquid cooler...) the price was hovering around $8000. More than I wanted to spend. But as a capable welder, I wanted a machine that wasn't a Chinese-made throwaway item either. A buddy with a motorcycle shop recommended HTP. The Invertig221 specs out almost identical to the Miller Dynasty I was looking at. It's made in Italy, so while not USA-made, it's not cheap offshore junk by any stretch. I added all the bells and whistles, including 25 foot leads, a liquid cooler, bunches of extra tungstens, gloves, flow meter, and pulled the trigger during their Black Friday deal. The total damage came out to about $3800, and they threw in a new Striker mask, machine cover, and a few other nice goodies.

I have to say, I couldn't be happier with the machine. I weld basically every day, and it's been a beast. It will run it's full duty-cycle on a 30A 220v circuit, not that the machine has ever gone into overload protection or popped a breaker on me. The arc is stable and can be adjusted for penetration and high cleaning. It also has numerous settings that can be programmed into the machine and quickly referenced. I've been welding a load of 3/16" and 1/4" steel lately, and the little torch has never once gotten hot in my hand. It's every bit as capable as the Synchowave I used years earlier and has shown no signs of stopping. Because it's dual voltage, I was ever able to wheel my setup down my driveway and do some welding on some stainless near my pool, and just plug it in to the 110v there.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Invertig221 isn't a machine that you will outgrow.

 

All good input, I didn't mean to offend anyone with the Diversion comment. I've read (no experience) over the last few years that they've had some problems and that the Dynasty would be a better upgrade from then Syncrowave.

I value any and all comments.

To add to the info, I'm just barely starting to use a tig, using it in my home garage (2 car with equipment) and want to weld aluminum. I've used the Miller Syncro 250dx and it's great, but huge (space is tight) and a Lincoln once (can't remember the model).

So, it looks like I'm in the market for an inverter machine that does AC/DC, is upgradeable to water cooling, that has normal replaceable parts (easy to get) and that a service dept is somewhat close by. I'm going to talk to a local weld supply place next week (IF they're open) and ask some questions.

The plan is to move to an area where I can build a shop with shop power in the future (5-6 years). If I get something that I can't max out at my current home (220v circuit is 40A) but goes low enough for what I need, it will be even better in the future. But you know how the best made plans can go .

I will be watching vids, reading, asking questions and LOTS of practicing after I do get something. I suck and know it, but I want to get better.

 

Yep, I had a Diversion that worked fine, but I gave it to my son when I had the opportunity to buy a used Syncrowave. I love it.
I also have a Dimension 400, but I think I will be selling it because I don't need that large of a welder anymore.
Bob

 

Received my primeweld 225 today and it does indeed include the really nice ck17 flex head torch so parts are no problem there with any consumables.

And the foot peddle is also upgraded! Cool as that's about the only complaint I ever found on these, was the bad foot pedal.

Tomorrow I'll pick up some argon and try it out. Never tig welded before but I can oxy weld, stick and mig so hopefully my learning curve will be a short one !

 

Has anyone tried "cold welding"? No filler is needed as far as I know. And, I am cutous about the penetration.
Might be a way to go.

 

Did TIG for years, got spoiled by the Miller Synchrowave 250. Worked with a 180 which was ok but 1/4" thick was about all it could do if you pushed it. The Makerspace I frequent has a small TIG that does well on thin stuff, although the brand name escapes me. They also have a a really big, really ancient, really powerful Lincoln that works great once you get the feel for dialing it in.

 

You mean TIG, with no filler rod?

 

Yes, for the most part. Been around since the 1940"s?

Listen to this sexy voice...

 

my 2 cents. I have a miller dynasty 200 dx & I like the way it works, when it works. last year I would hit the switch & all I got was a slight hum. turn it on again & again & it would come on . took it to a miller repair shop & for $80. was told it would be $2600 to fix. they agreed it was not worth that. a good friend has a dynasty 300 that started doing the same thing. he took it to the same shop & for $1200 they fixed his (this was a $6000 + machine) so it was doable. a friend I weld for told me to try turning mine on for a minute,turn it off, & try again, & that is working but I know one day it will not. I do`nt see me buying another one of these. I`ve got an old syncrowave as a backup & I know those are hard to kill. SS

 

It’s almost painful to see the responses on here.. on how quick people are to not support American made products to save a few bucks. Keep buying Chinese products guys, we’ll all be out of jobs soon. Just a little FYI for all of you, the ONLY American made tig machine under 250 amps is a Miller, made by your fellow Americans, actually making a decent wage in Wisconsin. Nobody, and I repeat NO other manufacturer can say that their under 250 amp machines are made in America.

Jesus people.. you’d think in our current situation you’d get your heads out if your asses and support your fellow American people for once.


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I have a Hobart EZ tig 165i. It has been a great machine for the past 2 years I’ve owned it. I’ve done some sheet metal work with it and built a couple turbo manifolds from stainless steel. The AC feature for aluminum is nice enough for what it is. No pulse feature but I was able to weld up a small aluminum air tank and it has held up 125psi without leaks. I am by no means a professional welder, but this machine has been ok to me. As for warranty, I broke the torch a few months into ownership by flexing it to much and after a phone call to the warranty center they sent me to a local welding supply shop to pick up a new torch and lead set. No fault of the machine at all just my pure ignorance broke the part.


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The difference between a machine being $8000 and $1500-$4000 is a lot more than "a few bucks". If the difference between a foreign machine and Miller or Lincoln was a few bucks, then this is an easy decision, you buy the USA machine every time. But when 22M Americans lost their jobs in the past month, a difference in price of 50%-80% is substantial, especially when it's not being used in a commercial setting and will do the job just as or close to as well. Reality.

 

Been doin' that for at least 3-decades, all on sheet metal. It is called autogenous welding.

Using only the base material, or using metal trimmed from the base material, to TIG weld, makes for a non-bead. What I mean by that is that there is little to no metallurgical difference in the weld area.

Unlike when using say an ER70-S(whatever) (70Kpsi) filler material on a 40-50Kpsi mild steel. You also introduce less heat, because you need to melt less material.

Much easier hammering and shaping, if you need to do that.

 

Miller has about 2,000 employees (0.0016% of 130,000,000 working-age adults in the US), and yes, most are paid well, but the welders are not "made", only assembled in the US. Over 95% of the critical components used are sourced off-shore, mostly from China.

I work for GM, and we have toured their factory, and know their supply chain.

We live in a global economy.

 

Sounds about like a GM vehicle. Maybe I’ll buy a Honda next time.


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A couple of things: First, this is a global board. Not everyone here is in, or is from the US.

Second, in the middle of the last century, we fought a global war, in which 75,000,000 people died, against people who thought that spouting hollow jingoistic nationalist rhetoric was a good idea. Don't start that here.

This board is about custom cars-n-stuff, and the tools to make them, sometimes.

You bordering on dragging politics into it. That is against the rules. Just stop.

 

Please show me where encouraging people to supper their own economy is against the rules. I’ve been on this board since the very beginning, Spare me your lecture on the rules.

Go buy overseas crap, and make your own beds to lay in.


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Sorry, but that ship has sailed.

 

Now, back to TIG welding, if aluminum is in your future, more current machines have better, more useful pulser settings.

Earlier machines are little better than pulsing with your foot. My circa 2002 Syncrowave 250DX has a pulser that I don't even bother to use.

A whole mess of the folks who like to post their welds on social media are using a pulser.

With a TIG running a pulser, and a rotary table, you can look like one of these folks, to! Will the welds be strong?

Who knows.

 

I bought a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200 a couple years ago. It's a heck of a welder. I've welded everything from 20 gage steel to .090 aluminum to 3/8 steel. It will run off 110 or 220 VAC and also stick welds. My only negative: I need to upgrade to a water-cooled torch since it gets pretty warm on high amperage.

 

me too.
So far as a new tig user, I am happy with mine.
I am thrilled at the aluminum welding it does, and am now making all sorts of cool polished stainless items from scrapyard junk, including a cool polished stainless tailgate pieced together from refrigerator door skins.
I wish I had bought one decades ago.

WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

I was a GM guy my whole life. Still love their engines, but have no interest in buying any new vehicle they make.See the USA in your Chevrolet and Apple Pie are all distant memories now. Got 4 old Chevy's, and I didn't even visit a GM dealer when I bought my wife a new vehicle last year. Somewhere along the way they lost my loyalty ,.........

 

Try these guys, they repair welders for about 25% of what the dealers do.

http://industrialelectronics.com

 

I don't care what anybody says, DON'T buy a 110 volt welder.

 

A whole bunch of them are dual voltage now, even from Yellow, Red, and Blue.

 

I bought a use Lincoln Idealarc Tig - 300 / 300. My plan was to set up a welding shop for my dad but cancer had another idea.
This thing is a beast and loud. Sometimes I think of a more portable machine but I think longer leads will work for me.
A friend has bought one of the Eastwood ac/dc tigs ( 200 or so amp dual input voltage ). I have only had limited time behind the helmet with it. What little I have used it, it seemed to work as a tig welder should. I plan to get a little more helmet time with it so I can use it when I build the roll bar for the Shaker as it would be a lot of work to move my tig to where the car is.