Small Tig Welder?

[Weazer]

Did a search and didn't much. I am looking for a small Tig welder. I need to weld small parts on occasion and I need a Tig welder to get the control I need. Problem is that I know next to nothing about Tig welders. I am decently capable with a Mig welder, I dont have one at home but we have larger machines at work.

I have looked at machines and it seems like you get what you pay for. It would be nice that if I get one that it could be used to weld aluminum, but the machines cost more. So, I don't need to be able to weld aluminum at this time if I want to keep the cost down. I don't think i need a cooler, cause I don't think I will be doing that much welding with it.

For example some of the things I would like to weld are, well basically fill 1/8" holes on round stock after pins are inserted. I just cannot get the migs to do it very well.

It would be nice to get a new machine atleast this way there should be nothing wrong with it. Vs if I purchase a larger machine from CL or Fleabay I have no idea how much I might need to spend on repairs. Power wise I can do 120 here at home for a real small machine or I can do 220 at one of the unused shops at work.

So give me your thoughts,
Thanks,
Matt

 

[35mastr]

The Miller Diversion 180 is a great little machine for home use. Great for steel and aluminum.

I have a Miller Econo Tig and wished they had this one when I bought mine.

Or if you want a machine that will do everything. Step up to a Miller Syncrowave 200. Pricey but you will only need to buy it once.

 

[ptschram]

I have a Longevity and love it. Hard to beat for $500 with plasma, stick and tig.

 

[35mastr]

Multi purpose machines are good until one part of it dies. Consumables can be a bear to find when they get dicontinued as they always have a new model every year. Then you are out of a machine. I personally would never spend money on those.

 

[ptschram]

Multi purpose machines are good until one part of it dies. Consumables can be a bear to find when they get dicontinued as they always have a new model every year. Then you are out of a machine. I personally would never spend money on those.

The first job it did paid for it. I could afford to throw it away after it did what it was bought to do.

One can spend a long time lusting after a piece of machinery, or, they can have a brand new machine with five-year parts/labor warranty (which the Longevity has).

I have a new Chi-Comm mig arriving tomorrow via UPS. Again, the first job it is used on , it will be paid for and free from that point on-it also uses Lincoln consumables and was bought from the on-line store of my LWS so they are within neck-wringing distance should there be a problem.

 

[rsanter]

if you have small stuff to do you NEED a foot pedal machine
do not get one of those HF cheapie **** machines
I have the miller diversion and like it. I would recomend the machine
for size/cost/features

bob

 

[35mastr]

The first job it did paid for it. I could afford to throw it away after it did what it was bought to do.

One can spend a long time lusting after a piece of machinery, or, they can have a brand new machine with five-year parts/labor warranty (which the Longevity has).

I have a new Chi-Comm mig arriving tomorrow via UPS. Again, the first job it is used on , it will be paid for and free from that point on-it also uses Lincoln consumables and was bought from the on-line store of my LWS so they are within neck-wringing distance should there be a problem.

The first jobs that I did with my Millers paid for themselves the first time also. I built 2 20 foot gates that paid 3,000.00 dollars. All out of 120 wall steel tubing. Then I did quite a bit of sheet metal work with my Tig that also paid for the machine and I will never need to throw them away when Chicom decides not to support them any more.

I support Miller And Lincoln as they are the best for any type of welding.
Will be here long after your Chicoms **** the bed.
I and most buy welders for the long run. That is what makes us money in the end.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have a Miller Diversion 165 that I bought a couple years ago, and like very much. It does everything I've wanted to do so far. When they brought out the 180, the welding store guy tried to get me to upgrade, but I just didn't see the additional value for a few extra amps - and it cost several hundred dollars more.

If I were buying it today, I'd probably go with the Hobart EZtig, which is the same as the Diversion 165, but has the foot pedal vs the hand control - which is what you really want anyway.

If you really want a small unit, the Thermal Arc 95 is tiny - about the size of a shoebox and it costs just over $400.

I've read that they really work - I'd buy one of them over the Chicago Electrics...

http://store.cyberweld.com/tharcstwe95s1.html

 

[mtnkrake]

Miller Maxstar is a nice little DC only unit. Works real nice. I havent used mine much but I like it. Oh and by the way it was FREE I won it in a Miller Giveaway......

 

[ptschram]

Will be here long after your Chicoms **** the bed.

LOL-my Hyper-Therm plasma was dead more than it worked. My longevity is still cutting steel. I bought the Longevity as the Hyper-Therm had failed for the third time in two weeks and was costing me $150 each time it failed!

The longevity was used on a job about three times the size of the job you described.

I find it hilarious how quick folks are to jump up to bash machinery made anywhere but 'Merica. My business is still going because of my careful expenditures on all manner of tools.

The fact is that I have a plasma cutter, a TIG welder (with foot pedal), stick welder in a compact package, that cost me less than anyone of those tools, with a five-year no questions warranty. As far as consumables are concerned, replacement torches are easily available that will allow for use of commonly available consumables.

I was happily surprised to find that the tips for my Chi-Com spool gun are interchangable with my Hobart MIG!

My Chi-Com MIG that's arriving today uses the same torch that Prax-Air sells as replacement and uses Miller consumables.

 

[MBeaty]

I need to weld small parts on occasion and I need a Tig welder to get the control I need. Problem is that I know next to nothing about Tig welders.

I don't think i need a cooler, cause I don't think I will be doing that much welding with it.

For small detailed work, most non-scratch start TIG welders would suit you just fine. Just as you stated, the cost can be cheap or quite high depending on what features you want. For simple work on steel, I doubt you really need most of the advanced features that many of the welders have.

I don't know if space is an issue for you, but there is a large difference in the size of an inverter based TIG machine and a transformer based machine. Bear in mind that with either one you will need a tank though fro the shield gas.

I wave welded quite a bit on Miller machines, and personally would not look anyplace else. For home use, an older synchrowave, such as the 180 would be a great welder. It is not too big and would do most anything you want. As you stated, you probably would not need a cooler. The only benefits to a cooler when you are making small intermittent welds is that many of the water cooled torches are smaller than the air cooled torches for an equivalent amperage rating.

 

[olds70supreme]

Forgive the question but where does one find the longevity tig/stick/plasma for $500 w/ warranty?

 

[ptschram]

Forgive the question but where does one find the longevity tig/stick/plasma for $500 w/ warranty?

Pirate4x4.com. They regularly have specials.

AFAIK, the warranty on Longevity stuff is always five years.

 

[terabyte]

most people that have them love their thermal-arc

miller is nicer but more money

http://www.brweldingsupplies.com/brands/Thermal/index.cfm?id=13

 

[danski0224]

Miller Maxstar

 

[Big Rick]

I got the thermal arc very happy

 

[38D]

If i remember correctly, the Diversions only do DC. I thought you had to get a Dynasty to do AC.

 

[gda659]

I like my TA185.
Small, AC/DC/stick, inverter type.
Nice big foot pedal.

You might consider an HTP, too.
Miller and Lincoln inverters are a little pricey and rather rare to find used--I'm sure you wouldn't regret it if you could afford one.
Lots of used transformer types out there if you have the power to run them.

 

[IndyGarage]

If i remember correctly, the Diversions only do DC. I thought you had to get a Dynasty to do AC.

Incorrect. My diversion does both AC and DC just perfectly. It has a high frequency arc start, which works great

The thing it is missing is all the adjustments to the arc - waveform, pre and post timing, pulser, etc. - all the stuff that a professional would use, but a hobbyist wouldn't.

The only controls are AC/DC - Amperage, and the on off button on the torch, or the pedal. Actually the torch button has some cool features built in as well that I didn't realize until I went back and read the manual again.

I've welded on a Dynasty 200 and they weld almost exactly the same. I noticed the Dynasty had a little more aggressive arc start than my Diversion and of course it has all the bells and whistles and a few more amps (1/4" rating vs 3/16).

Would I rather have the Dynasty? - of course. Is it worth $2K more? - nope - not for what I do with it.

 

[waltari]

HTP Invertig 201 I paid $2600 delivered with a watercooler/torch. Has worked flawlessly for 2yrs so far and HTP customer service is great. The comparable Miller machine I was looking at prior to purchase was closer to $4500 out the door.

 

[milner351]

I got a syncrowave200 around the holidays for $2300 new. I will buy it once and keep it a life time. I got both the foot pedal (comes with the machine) and the accessory thumb wheel control - which I've not used yet.

So far I've gotten consumables from weldfabulous.com - I'd look at what they have before you pull the trigger - the seem to be spot on for the lowest prices I could find on just about everything to do with welding.

 

[waltari]

I got a syncrowave200 around the holidays for $2300 new. I will buy it once and keep it a life time. I got both the foot pedal (comes with the machine) and the accessory thumb wheel control - which I've not used yet.

So far I've gotten consumables from weldfabulous.com - I'd look at what they have before you pull the trigger - the seem to be spot on for the lowest prices I could find on just about everything to do with welding.

While the Syncrowaves are great machines, there not thge smallest thing out there if space is a concern. The HTP Invertig is equivalent to the Miller Dynasty 200 without the $6000 suggested retail. Sometime Jeff at HTP has demo units to be had for even cheaper.

 

[WSMC633]

When I was researching Tig machines, I was going to get the Diversion 180. For the work I wanted to do I figured it would handle 80-90% of it. What really turned me off was not having the option of adding a water cooled torch in the future.

I decided to spend a lot more money and get a Dynasty 200DX so I could upgrade to Water cooled in the future. As a fluke I was checking CL and found a 200DX with Cooler and Bottle. I had the Cash so I jumped on it. The guy was extremely nice, actually had a lot more for it then he listed in the ad that he threw in.
Ultimately I'm really glad I got the bigger unit with the Water Cooled Torch. But it's honestly in a whole other financial ballpark than the Diversion 180. It will take a bit longer for it to pay itself off

For what it's worth, I didn't really find anything negative about the Diversion when I was researching them.

I think you really have to be honest about the work you'll be doing with it and your ROI. For most people it's really hard to justify $5K for a hobby welder. A guy who welds 5 hours a Month on a project in the garage is going to have different needs than a guy welding 8 hours a day on trophy trucks!

My opinion is get the best you can afford for your needs, then use the hell out of it and enjoy yourself!

 

[HSURDDY]

The Diversion 180 looks like a good machine... anyone have a recommendation for an equilvalent in red?

 

[t100]

The Diversion 180 looks like a good machine... anyone have a recommendation for an equilvalent in red?

Invertec 165 or 205 AC/DC. twice the price of Miller, but far more control options.

 

[wishihadatalon]

My home machine is a Lincoln Squarewave 175. Really good machine over all, no pulse, no pre/post flow adjustment, and limited capacity of 175 amps but still a good machine. You can find them used on CL for a decent price every once in a while. My next favorite small machine would be a dynasty.

 

[1931S/X]

i have the invertec v205. i was surprised to not see it mentioned. one thing i think is cool about some of the millers, the fan on demand. you dont have to listen to a fan running the whole time the machine is on, but at the same time, if you hear the fan on, youll remember to turn it off when done. i have used some miller inverter tigs and the thermal arc there all good. the thermal arc and htp used to be a real good deal. im a welder and i really like miller electric machines and lincoln engine drives but i bought what fit my budget.

 

[HSURDDY]

My home machine is a Lincoln Squarewave 175. Really good machine over all, no pulse, no pre/post flow adjustment, and limited capacity of 175 amps but still a good machine. You can find them used on CL for a decent price every once in a while. My next favorite small machine would be a dynasty.

This machine looks interesting... AC and DC in an economical box... pedal control included...

Invertec 165 or 205 AC/DC. twice the price of Miller, but far more control options.

I like the 205 features... can't find the 165, but lots of info on the 160... typo? both DC only boxes, (the 205 is available as an AC/DC at double the price) but I like the 115/230v choice and the Fan as Needed feature, which is usually a Miller deal.. I think you need an AC/DC unit for ease of welding material choice inc aluminum, but would be interested in others thoughts... in the market for a TIG for home... have a 230V Lincoln MIG, plasma cutter and buzz box as well as O/A....

 

[lidlitalian]

Miller maxstar. Buy American for Heavens sake...

 

[AlchemyMetalworks]

You might want to look at this http://www.everlastgenerators.com/PowerTig 185 Micro-3910-pd.html

I have the PowerTig250EX and have used the hell out of it. No problems whatsoever.

I know, I know...buy American at 2-5x the price. Why? So I can support someone ELSE's lifestyle? I sure don't see anyone clamboring to pay higher prices on the components that I build, so that I can make more money. That argument is tired and lame...you aren't supporting the American worker, you're supporting the profit-driven corporation which is exploiting the "Buy American" jingoism to get your hard-earned cash. Last time I checked, most American companies weren't upping anyone's paycheck or bonuses at the worker level based on company revenues...but the exec's sure are enjoying their "performance" bonuses!

 

[HSURDDY]

You might want to look at this http://www.everlastgenerators.com/PowerTig 185 Micro-3910-pd.html

I have the PowerTig250EX and have used the hell out of it. No problems whatsoever.

I know, I know...buy American at 2-5x the price. Why? So I can support someone ELSE's lifestyle? I sure don't see anyone clamboring to pay higher prices on the components that I build, so that I can make more money. That argument is tired and lame...you aren't supporting the American worker, you're supporting the profit-driven corporation which is exploiting the "Buy American" jingoism to get your hard-earned cash. Last time I checked, most American companies weren't upping anyone's paycheck or bonuses at the worker level based on company revenues...but the exec's sure are enjoying their "performance" bonuses!

The Everlast 250EX looks like a great box for the money... thanks..

 

[sberry]

I've welded on a Dynasty 200 and they weld almost exactly the same. I noticed the Dynasty had a little more aggressive arc start than my Diversion and of course it has all the bells and whistles and a few more amps (1/4" rating vs 3/16).

If you ever get a chance to take a spin on the dyn again fool with the frequency control, there are other features but that really makes the difference in these type of units, I believe its 20-250, will make you feel like a super freakin hero once you get the hang of that.

 

[beee85]

Has anybody tried Eastwood welders? mig or tig

 

[CKC]

I have a Miller Diversion 180 AC DC Machine when I want to upgrade I know I can sell it

 

[uhohjim]

The first jobs that I did with my Millers paid for themselves the first time also. I built 2 20 foot gates that paid 3,000.00 dollars. All out of 120 wall steel tubing. Then I did quite a bit of sheet metal work with my Tig that also paid for the machine and I will never need to throw them away when Chicom decides not to support them any more.

I support Miller And Lincoln as they are the best for any type of welding.
Will be here long after your Chicoms **** the bed.
I and most buy welders for the long run. That is what makes us money in the end.

I would definitely have to agree with you...I've got a MM 252 ,180,135 along with a Syncrowave 350........Will always buy Miller QUALITY for my welding needs........and they have all paid for themselves many times over..........Jim

 

[REAL HOT SCHITT]

Hi, brnds to look for... Esseti,cebora,lincoln,miller and esab genisis.

Lincoln and miller has some made in italy.
The italians make most of the leading brands like cebora and genisis and a lot is made under contract and rebranded, i hade a genisis that pooped itself at 2300 hours,and the ceboras not far behind. My esab caddy 140 is yet unknown....but i like its tuff shell.
A lot of good welders let themselves down with a thin sheet metal housing thats prone to dents.

The trick is...
Do not use a generator (if u do? Make sure its 4 times bigger than needed.
Do not lengthen welding leads....as it can realy stuff them, . (u can have a really long feed lead to welder though).
Do not have unrealiable power supply as it can cook top deck control board.

So my choice is genesis for long life,esab for durability and performance,esseti...for reliability.cebora....nice to use but i don tlike steel case.

Pick whats common in your part of world.

Oh, esabs been sold to the poms and i don t get any representation here in n.z....piss poor, was beeter when swedes owned it.

 

[tdkkart]

Miller SD180 here, bought it used about 5 years ago and never been sorry. Don't use it much but it's there when I need it like today........

The wife tried to get out of leaf raking by breaking the handle off her rake, snapped it off in the necked down area between the times and handle collar.

Well, the only thing breaking the rake did was get her a chance to use my rake while I went to the shop and welded her's back together. First I bead blasted all the paint off around the break, clamped the two ends and welded. Had to be a bit careful because the metal was quite thin, maybe .040" folded into a rectangular tube.

A couple thousand dollars worth of equipment to fix a $10 rake........

 

[flatwins]

When I took my welding class at the local vo-tech, I had an array of welders to choose from but ended up doing the best on a Lincoln Precision Tig 185. I located a pristine used one from eBay and got a lot of extras with it. The new model is the PT225. If $ was no object, I'd have an inverter in a heartbeat. I bought my welder when I was married and had a dual income. Not so these days. Homie has to live with what he has but I have no complaints. The PT185 is a damn fine machine. The next step is to put a water cooler on it. FWIW, I priced the Millers too. Can't go wrong with those either.

 

[cnc-me]

Miller syncrowave

 

[cnc-me]

A couple thousand dollars worth of equipment to fix a $10 rake........

I know the feeling...