Tig Welder

hey guys,im lookin at buyin a a new TIG,all i have now is a hobart 187 mig,and i love it. im wanting to move onto TIG welding now. what do you guys recomend,brand,model ect. i want to learn but i also dont wanna have to upgrade after i get better. im lookin at the Plasma-Tec 30/125SV on this site http://www.parkermetalworking.com/ . has anyone used this? its a Plasma/TIG/ARC,figured since i need a plasma also why not get this lol.

Can't go wrong with Lincoln or Miller. I've used the precision tigs by Lincoln and the syncrowaves by Miller and have had great results with both.

If your going the Miller route , just buy a Hobart its the same machine same parts , just cheaper in price because of no Miller name on it except for on the Gun .

Edited: 9/23/2008 5:09:58 PM by lo75lux

about how much do thos models run?

"If your going the Miller route , just buy a Hobart its the same machine same parts , just cheaper in price because of no Miller name on it except for on the Gun."

i've been lookin at the Hobart TIGmate,they seem to be a reaoanble price.have you used one? if you have how well do you like it?

Tigmate is a good unit, and so is the econotig , which is the miller equivilant.

There are a few things that you going to want in the machine, miller, hobart, lincoln, esab, or whatever...

Make sure its an AC/DC machine. Even if you just plan on doing mild steel only, there will be a time when you want to try aluminum, and nothing will piss you off more than not being able to. Ive been thare, and it sucks.

If you can afford it, get something wtih HF start. Scratch starting or lift starting is kinda hard to pick up for some people, and if you dont get the hang of it right away, you may get discouraged and give up. HF pretty much takes the guessing out of starting your weld.

Most TIG units you will be looking at, will come with a foot pedal for amperage adjustment. Some offer a "fingertip" control for the amperage, the tigmate is one of them. My suggesgion is to try each one out and see what you like better. Ive only used a regular pedal in the past, but i tried a friends fingertip control and i was very suprised on how nice you could manuver your body while welding, without having to stay confined to the pedal on the floor. If you plan on doing alot of welding on a bench, go with the pedal probably. IF you plan on doing alot of in vehicle welding, or on your back or any other hard to imagine position, try out the fingertip controls and see if you like it.

General rule of thumb for tig welding, is 1 amp for every .001 you wnat to weld. So, by this rule, a 250amp machine will weld .250 plate steel comfortable. They can do more, obviously, but thats a good place to start.

In my opinion, if your looking to hobby weld, not in a light production type situation, you have a few good options:

Miller Econotig 150
Miller Syncrowave 200
Hobart Tigmate 150
Lincoln Precision Tig 175

All those machines are between 1300 and 2000. All of them do AC/DC welding, and all of them have optional amperage control systems, and all of them have air cooled torches standard, which is all you should need. My personal choice out of them is the Syncrowave 200, with the running gear.


Taylor

Edited: 10/18/2008 3:08:16 AM by nigels world

I have a Hypertherm Arcmaster 185, Its a really nice machine for $2000

I think the must haves are:HF startAC/DCat least 175 ampinverter (needing a fork lift to move your welder is lame)

Great thread....Taylor you just opened my eye's up to TIG welding. Very informative.

miller's are the go i use a syncrowave 250 everyday with the fingertip amperage controller- only way to roll. foot pedals are only good for bench work.

i use both licoln and millers all day for work. we have miller 250 sycros in the shop and and some portable licolns for field work. the millers are pedal control and the licoln is finger control. like taylor said you have to try them both out. i love them both and both have advantages.

im starting to LOVE fingertip control. It dosent confine me to the weld bench anymore.

it took a bit to get used to it, but its pretty nice.

i still prefer to use the foot control when im welding at the bench tho....



Taylor