Considering a new welder purchase

[AZRedhawk44]

I've got a Lincoln 210MP that has been a great first welder to learn on.  Not doing to badly with MIG, but I've come to a point where I need to do some TIG welding on aluminum which requires an AC output.  My Lincoln doesn't do that.

$2000 on a Miller isn't in the works for this new purchase.

I was initially considering a rig from a company called Lotos, that I saw on Amazon, for $600.  But after reading reviews it sounds like it has low amperage throttling problems and I am specifically buying this because after borrowing an aluminum spool gun that is compatible with my Lincoln, I found that the 1/8" material I was trying to aluminum MIG weld would alternate between burn-through and blob due to how touchy the material was to wire speed and user speed... I'd prefer a machine with a bit better amp throttling at the lower end of the spectrum.  I'm considering using TIG to weld 0.040" sheeting to a frame, so low amperage quality is even more valuable for that application.

So moving upwards in the quality spectrum, I've come across an Everlast PowerTIG 185 for $900, or a Hobart EZTIG 165 for $1300.

I know Hobart is generally better regarded and is among the Big Three when it comes to welding machines.  But that's a lot of scratch between the Everlast and the Hobart.

Anyone here ever use anything from Everlast?

The Hobart appears to suffer from a lack of fine tuning capability.  May be a good thing, may be a bad thing.  All I see on the console is amperage adjustment and selection between AC and DC output.  The Everlast has a lot more tunability.  The Everlast offers 20 amps higher max output, and a higher rated duty cycle at high power.  I foresee using this on materials up to 3/16" thick.

The Everlast has a 5 year warranty while the Hobart only has 1 year.  The Hobart is US made and designed, and Hobart is owned by Miller.  The Everlast is US designed, Chinese made in an ISO 9001 factory.

Both come with everything I need except an argon tank (which I have from my aluminum spool gun experiments).

[lupinus]

Everlast are good stuff and at a decent price point.

Low end Hobarts you're BIG time paying for the name and it'll do you no better, and IMO probably worse, than the Everlast machines. Same goes for all the big guys. Regardless of the color paint their low end machines these days range from nothing special to overpriced junk, and they all trade heavily on their brand recognition/pedigree to charge what they charge. It's not until you get into the larger industry geared machines that they're really worth a damn. For something at a decent price I wouldn't look to any of them and would stick with Everlast or similar.

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[Brad Johnson]

Look at the ChuckE2009 youtube channel. He's a welder by trade and has reviewed a couple of different mid-range units. Might help make a decision.

Brad

[AZRedhawk44]

One more that's caught my eye is the AHP AlphaTIG 200X.  AC/DC, 200 amp.  About $750.  Any thoughts on this company?

[French G.]

Agreed on the Hobart name. Just a name now. My dad's cyber tig is older than I am and is a better welder than most any out there. But Hobart doesn't make them like that anymore. I use Millers everyday at work, so no experience with the others.

[Nick1911]

I have the Hobart.  I bought it maybe 7 years ago?  There were not very many inexpensive AC/DC TIG machines out there back then.  It has been a good machine and hasn't given me any trouble.  It uses a standard 17 series weldcraft torch.  I do like that the cable for the foot control is just a bit of cat5 with regular RJ45 connectors - makes it easy to replace when the cable inevitably gets damaged.

That said, after having a few classes in TIG at the local community college and using some industrial Lincoln machines, I do find the lack of configuration options on the Hobart just a bit limiting when working with aluminum.  Not "I can't perform this weld" limiting, but "I could probably tune this in better with balance and frequency control" limiting.  I’m not planning on switching machines, but if I had it to do over again, it would be a tough call.

My plasma cutter is a lotos.  It's been great.  I suspect that a Chinese TIG machine would be fine if it works out of the box and you mind the duty cycle.

[zxcvbob]

Dumb question:  Would a Lincoln "tombstone" stick welder do TIG with an add-on high frequency unit and gas controller?  (Actually, mine is an old Miller or Hobart AC/DC equivalent, don't remember which)

Does the TIG adapter cost more than a real TIG welder? :D

[tokugawa]

 Aluminum sucks heat.  185 amps might be marginal for 3/16". That .040 will be tricky, I think. Somewhere I read about sheet aluminum with a peel coat, so no need to do much cleaning, just peel off the plastic.
I am using a Lincoln SW200 and like it- it is my first welder and it seems to do ok with my limited skill set.
 I think all the small inverters are Chinese parts, the best one can hope for is good quality control.
The "welding web" has a lot of good reviews and pro info also "welding tips and tricks"  on youtube.

[Boomhauer]

See if you can find a good used Lincoln precision tig 225 in your range

[dogmush]

One of my buds has one of the less expensive Chinese welders, (I don't remember the name) so I've had a chance to directly compare it with my Miller Dynasty 200 SD.

In addition to less functionality, and less adjustments, the cheaper ones don't actually hit their advertised duty cycle, and while I didn't put a meter on it I suspect they don't actually hit the amperage either. In general it was just a lot harder than it should have been to get a good weld, and I had to crank it all the way up to weld metal that on mine Iwpuld have been about 65%.

Now, I didn't pay retail on mine so I know it's easy to say "spend more" but it was really noticeable using them back to back. I second Boomhauer's suggestion of looking at the used market.

[zahc]

HTP is supposed to be the best deal. It's European. That's what I am going to buy when I jump into TIG.

[Boomhauer]

The reason I suggest a Precision Tig is it is designed for your use- light industral and home shop and it’s a transformer instead of an inverter machine. It has the capabilities of a better machine and not nearly the limitations of an entry level machines. New price is high but used is probably going to be able to find in your range

A Tombstone will not work. For aluminum use you need the infininately adjustable current and foot pedal capability.

[lupinus]

Yeah. If it was steel, there's some options for scratch start Tig and such. For aluminum it's not really gonna work. You want the control and cleaning action of a machine designed to handle aluminum.

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[dogmush]

Honestly, If I were going to go with a Chinese TIG, I'd get the one at Harbor Freight, on the theory that if it sucks and/or breaks I can take it back to them.

[zxcvbob]

Not a scratch-start, you'd have to add a high-frequency injector.  TIG and stick are both constant-current processes, that's why I thought it might work.  (you can stick-weld with a TIG machine)  But I can understand a tombstone not having enough current settings.

[dogmush]

nevermind, crossed my wires

[lupinus]

Honestly, If I were going to go with a Chinese TIG, I'd get the one at Harbor Freight, on the theory that if it sucks and/or breaks I can take it back to them.

Actually, some of the reviews I've seen for the better brand HB welders, Vulcan iirc, while not glowing were that they were actually not half bad.

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[AZRedhawk44]

I've got the Everlast inbound.  It's hit or miss if it comes with a foot pedal in the description and reviews from previous buyers, so I added an aftermarket pedal for another $130 or so.

Evidently I'm going to need a dedicated sander/grinder to shape my tungsten rods, and avoid material contamination.  That'll be a Harbor Freight purchase.

Should have it in a week or so, so any recommendations for good TIG educational resources would be appreciated.

[Kingcreek]

Hope it works for you. Keep us posted please.
I signed up for 3 weekend classes at the junior college votech center when I got my mig (already had my AC/DC Miller stick machine and was sorta ok at SMAW. 1st weekend stick (12 hours) 2nd MIG and 3rd TIG. I was psyched.
1st weekend I was one of 3 students, father and teenage son. Instructor was awesome and I learned a lot between Doofus dad and half tard son.
2nd and 3rd weekend classes were cancelled.
I taught myself mig but sure would have liked some tig instruction

[dogmush]

TONS of good videos on YouTube.  With that, a machine, and some material to destroy, you can pick it up pretty quick.

I like this guy, but there are a bunch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLUXaLT6hIo

[tokugawa]

The pro's seem to be ambivalent over tungsten grinding- some use a special grinder, some a sanding belt, and others a bench grinder.  A green wheel would probably be good, or a diamond wheel.  They all do say to grind along the axis, and the one thing everyone one seems to agree on is cleaning the material well.
Which everlast did you get?

[Boomhauer]

I’ve always just used a dedicated normal grinding wheel a bench grinder. You could also use an angle grinder. Just wear a dust mask when grinding thoriated tungsten

Welding tips and tricks on YouTube is an amazing channel for TIG welding

[dogmush]

I just used to use my bench grinder. Now the way my tools are piled in my shop set up, it's easier to use the belt sander. No real difference in outcome.

I like the lanthanated tungstens. They do both steel and aluminum,  and aren't radioactive.

[French G.]

I use a belt sander everyday. I would like the shop to get a water bath diamond wheel tungsten grinder, but not essential. Guess that spot in the shop glows. Pure tungsten for aluminum. Miller has lots of learning on their site.

[AZRedhawk44]

Which everlast did you get?

PowerTIG 185.

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/tig-stick/powertig-185-dv