Eastwood tig

[warbird]

I'm looking at getting the eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC. yes I know that a miller or Lincoln or whatever NAME brand would be better.... however. I am limited. both in cash flow and also in electrical service. I am in a rental and the shed I will be working out of has a 30 amp max (don't ask. old house with stupid electricians) I am not about to pay to upgrade the wiring myself and the landlord isn't interested either. as for cash flow on the name brands.... well even if I could come up with the cash I would still be limited by electrical service. so my question.
anybody out there in garage journal land have any FIRST HAND experience with one of these welders? the customer reviews seem to go all over the place from 5 star to no star. I guess it could be a hit or miss proposition just looking for a little input

 

[that-guy]

have had mine for 4 years, love it. some of the components have something to be desired, but Eastwood has great customer service and gets you squared away quickly

 

[kkroger]

Just remember there is no LOCAL repair facility it is a "SWAP" deal and you get to wait on a welder that is riding a slow boat from China....

 

[Conductor562]

I don't have the Tig, but I do have the Eastwood Mig 175 and the Versa Cut 40 Plasma.

I've only had it 3 weeks, but I'm happy with the performance. Eastwood offers a 3 Year warranty and their customer service has a good reputation.

 

[cammok5]

Just remember there is no LOCAL repair facility it is a "SWAP" deal and you get to wait on a welder that is riding a slow boat from China....

that depends ware he lives. the eastwood warehouse / store is a half hour from me. I don't have a there welder but picked up a 60 amp plasma cheap since the boxed was open. works fine for what I do with it.

 

[warbird]

Just remember there is no LOCAL repair facility it is a "SWAP" deal and you get to wait on a welder that is riding a slow boat from China....

I asked for 1st hand experience..... did you have to return your eastwood welder and wait on a slow boat from china?

honestly as much as I hate it...most everything has something from china in it (yes even everyones precious miller has Chinese components on them now)
not that that makes it any better. but I have to look into what I can use.... I could save up more for name brand yes.... but it could be years before I will be in a living situation that affords me the power supply needed for such a welder. let alone the space required (and please don't tell me to look on CL I have, I have even done a searchtempest for up to 400 miles....nothing)

 

[ishiboo]

Just remember there is no LOCAL repair facility it is a "SWAP" deal and you get to wait on a welder that is riding a slow boat from China....

Eastwood of course stocks the welders in the US, so no waiting for a replacement from China. I hear they stock common replacement parts as well.

There is a dealer about an hour away that sells them.

I bought my plasma cutter from a guy in the same city who repairs the Chinese MIG/TIG/plasma units, though it was brand new. He said for the most part, they'll either be screwed up right out of the box, or something common like the MOSFETs will go, and it's typically a straightforward, inexpensive repair.

 

[cammok5]

I asked for 1st hand experience..... did you have to return your eastwood welder and wait on a slow boat from china?

honestly as much as I hate it...most everything has something from china in it (yes even everyones precious miller has Chinese components on them now)
not that that makes it supply needed for such a welder. let alone the space required (anany better. but I have to look into what I can use.... I could save up more for name brand yes.... but it could be years before I will be in a living situation that affords me the power d please don't tell me to look on CL I have, I have even done a searchtempest for up to 400 miles....nothing)

I haven't had problems with my plasma cutter but they do stock welders and some parts. they don't ship over one welder at a time so no waiting for a boat. I also don't do a lot of fab work so it works for the little that I do. my mig welder is a Lincoln but when it comes time for me to get a tig im sure il get a china brand something or other. I just cant see spending the extra money for how little use it will get.

 

[Divcod]

Eastwood TIG welder has performed perfectly. Duty cycle might be an issue for someone who is a pro but for me it hasn't been an issue.
Plasma cutter had an issue and after answering a couple of questions from the tech support person a new torch was sent. Arrived in a few days and has worked without a problem.
MIG welder is a Miller 190 which is used on almost a daily basis, good piece of US based equipment.

 

[Professur]

I have no experience with the Eastwood machine first hand or otherwise, but for cost, the AHP alphatig is a lot of machine for a hair over $700
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EL8UQH4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Chucke2009 on utube put a beating on one and gave it nothing but praise ... but then he didn't pay for his.

 

[Bib Overalls]

My friend **** has one and he likes it. He was a professional welder for many years and has not voiced a complaint.

 

[C_Hoyt]

A friend of mine has one, I've used it. He really likes it. Seems like it works well on a hobbyist level. Does not have pulse option. I would look at the The AHP like Professur recommended.

 

[Gore]

I've got the mig 175 and couldn't be happier.

 

[wakeboarder311]

i have had one for 2 years now and no complaint. i got the package tig and plasma and the plasma was no good from the get go. they replaced with no question took less than a week to swap them no big deal.

 

[Showkey]

I've got the mig 175 and couldn't be happier.

+3 and it came with a spool gun.

 

[Kamn]

I have the model you are looking at and am very happy with it, I did have a problem with the regulator/flowmeter and they sent me a new one immediately. I use mine all the time and it has never let me down

 

[warbird]

one thing that bothers me about the AHP is at least eastwood is a well known name. not exactly gonna go out of business any time soon... although that AHP has pulse which from my reading is supposed to help with aluminum welding (is this correct and how does it help) the AHP is cheaper too

 

[gungatim]

I've had the tig 200 ac/dc for about 3.5 yrs. now. haven't had a single problem with it and its done everything I asked of it. very pleased with it and would recommend it to any hobbiest...no idea if it would stand up to professional use or not but I'm just a weekend warrior...

 

[Professur]

one thing that bothers me about the AHP is at least eastwood is a well known name. not exactly gonna go out of business any time soon... although that AHP has pulse which from my reading is supposed to help with aluminum welding (is this correct and how does it help) the AHP is cheaper too

The DC pulse was claimed to be the answer to doing Al in DC ... it sort of works, but not really. What it IS good at is letting you run a lot hotter, without a lot of heat introduction into the part. At the high of the pulse, you get more penetration, but the low keeps the puddle from getting too big, while still maintaining the arc.

 

[MoonRise]

DC GTAW on aluminum is possible, sort of.

Have to run reversed polarity (DCEP), so that you get the cleaning action. That means that most of the actual 'heat' is going into the tungsten, instead of the workpiece. That means you have to use a bigger tungsten, that means a bigger and less controllable arc.

Or you can use 'regular' GTAW polarity (DCEN), but then you get no cleaning action. Which means you have to meticulously mechanical clean all oxides off the aluminum and also use a helium shield gas ($$$).

http://www.thefabricator.com/article/aluminumwelding/aluminum-workshop-aluminum-tig-with-dcen

AC is still generally 'the' way to go to weld aluminum with GTAW.

As to the Eastwood TIG machine, no idea.

The Eastwood TIG machine does list 200A and AC/DC, but a fixed AC output frequency of 60 Hz. And a rather limited duty cycle once you get past about 100 amps output current.

The manual also indicates that pre-flow and post-flow controls are rather limited, 0.1-1.0 sec on pre-flow and 2-8 sec on post-flow.

It also looks like it is a GTAW machine only, and is not usable as a SMAW (aka 'stick') welder.

http://www.eastwood.com/images/pdf/12746_tig_welder.pdf

Although the sale price of just $750 does look tempting.

 

[Professur]

Moonrise ... doesn't that DC method also require helium instead of argon?

 

[MoonRise]

Or you can use 'regular' GTAW polarity (DCEN), but then you get no cleaning action. Which means you have to meticulously mechanical clean all oxides off the aluminum and also use a helium shield gas ($$$).

Moonrise ... doesn't that DC method also require helium instead of argon?

Yup. GTAW (TIG) on aluminum using DCEN and you need to use helium $$$$ shield gas.

As I mentioned in my post. (see above where I quoted myself )

 

[Professur]

Oddly enough, it was there the first time I read it, but then I lost track of it.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Eastwood gets a bad name in many groups, being grouped with Harbor Freight, but the strange thing is that anyone whom actually *owns* their equipment doesn't complain. And the stories of their customer service being excellent rivals Amazon for support.

You don't just buy a piece of hardware, you buy the overall experience including support later. That was enough to convince me to go with their AC/DC TIG 200 and the 60A plasma cutter.

 

[that-guy]

Eastwood gets a bad name in many groups, being grouped with Harbor Freight, but the strange thing is that anyone whom actually *owns* their equipment doesn't complain. And the stories of their customer service being excellent rivals Amazon for support.

You don't just buy a piece of hardware, you buy the overall experience including support later. That was enough to convince me to go with their AC/DC TIG 200 and the 60A plasma cutter.

very well said...I cant tell you how many threads have been made about this welder and other equipment by Eastwood with nut swingers of the blue, red, and yellow chiming in to say its junk because it isn't branded with their favorite brand...until you've actually worked with one of these and have experienced it, please don't open your mouth

my neighbor has been welding for the better part of 40 years and has a Thermal Arc 300, which is a damn impressive welder which cost over $3K, and he has used my TIG 200 is impressed by its capabilities at such a cheap price

 

[coma13]

I've built a ton of stuff with an Eastwood TIG 200. It has been very capable. I'm only now replacing it because I want a little more control, AC frequency, and pulse.

 

[warbird]

Coma.
as a beginner TIG welder would I even notice the lack of AC freq. and pulse control?
the AHP has both and is a few bucks cheaper. but eastwood requires less amp for the breaker (I am limited on power supply) and I like the customer service aspect. although on amazon I am reading good reviews of the AHP too.

 

[coma13]

Coma.
as a beginner TIG welder would I even notice the lack of AC freq. and pulse control?
the AHP has both and is a few bucks cheaper. but eastwood requires less amp for the breaker (I am limited on power supply) and I like the customer service aspect. although on amazon I am reading good reviews of the AHP too.

I'm actually going to pick up the AHP as my replacement for the Eastwood.

In short, as a beginner, absolutely not. I do a lot of aluminum fabrication and the ability to increase the frequency and narrow the arc is beneficial for me in tight tube intersections and things of that nature. For typical joints and 90 degree fillets, the baseline frequency of of the Eastwood has been fine.

I bought my Eastwood used for $400 so it was a no brainer for me at the time, and the AHP hadn't made the market impact it has now yet.

If I were to do it over, I'd probably just get the AHP from the get go since you can buy it straight from the company via Amazon and I've heard they are quick to replace if you get a dud.

My experience with these low end machines is that while they lack in refinement, if you don't get one that is a dud right out of the gate, they will serve you well, especially as a beginner/hobbyist.

 

[EdT]

I've had an Eastwood 200 TIG machine for a year or so. There were some issues with the first machine, but the customer service was great. I do light fab work as a retirement "hobby" and I have more than made the cost of the machine back from parts I have made with it. I chose Eastwood because I wanted to see if TIG would be useful to me w/o tying up a lot of money. It's worked out well for me and now I understand the process better and, should the need arise, I know what to look for in the next machine. The main thing would be pulse since I think that would be useful for some of the light materials I deal with. Otherwise, I'm happy with the functionality.

 

[Professur]

Coma.
as a beginner TIG welder would I even notice the lack of AC freq. and pulse control?
the AHP has both and is a few bucks cheaper. but eastwood requires less amp for the breaker (I am limited on power supply) and I like the customer service aspect. although on amazon I am reading good reviews of the AHP too.

The question being how long are you intending to stay a beginner? I'm sure you already know that once you buy a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. You buy a welder, it's the answer to problems you didn't notice you had before. You buy a tig ... you're gonna want to tig weld everything. Sure is nice when you're working in a confined space to not have sparks and splatter going everywhere.

 

[alan camby]

Have any of you guys looked at the Everlast tigs? They seem to have a strong presents a WW and tractorbynet. They claim a 5 year warranty.

Any thoughts on them compared to Eastwood and AHP

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/catalog-tig

 

[Toxicscrew]

I have an EW plasma 60 and Mig 175, both have worked great and done all I've wanted.

I have a friend who used to sell welding equipment, says they are rebranded Italian unit that I can't remember the name of at this time. So if you're worried about China, it's not from there.

 

[Professur]

Chucke2009's latest video is comparing all the tigs in this thread. I guess he's a follower