Tig welder recommendations

I'm looking for a quality entry level tig welder, I will be doing Chro moly and aluminum work.
Thanks

I got one of the Vulcan ProTig 200 units from Harbor Freight. It does steel and aluminum, uses both 110 and 220. Does decent job for the money. I got mine as an open box special during a parking lot sale. $450.

A Miller syncrowave 210 is what was recommended to me, so that's what I got. But I am not very experienced, so I can't provide much feedback.

Entry level tig welder is like an entry level helmet.

Go big or go home.

I have a Miller Syncrowave 250DX that I got a great deal on when the plant I worked at closed. If I were buying new I'd buy an inverter machine with pulse, my 250 draws over 90 amps at full load.

If your gonna buy a welder...buy a welder you will have for as long as YOU want it. I too recommend Miller, I've had and used other brands but Miller is what is in my shop now and in the future (new purchases). And like Racing helmets, Cheep helmets are for Cheep heads...what are your eyes worth.

First decision is 110 or 220. 110 will limit you and is not something I would want to use on chassis tubing. While I'm old school and struggle through with an old Airco square wave transformer unit, I have used inverter units on steels and aluminum and they are fine. Miller does the Diversion and Lincoln does the Squarewave 200. Or if you have the budget, look at better units. I would prefer a good used higher end machine than a new imported toy. You get what you pay for.

220volt is what I want.
I'm thinking in the $1500- $2000 range

I have a Miller Synchrowave 180,older pre-electronic control panel.Good welder and trouble free.You may want a higher amp version and maybe a water cooled torch for chassis work though.
RT

If you get something around the 200 amp range, it will do most of the stuff you need. I've got something similar the Everlast units, but if your budget allows, a Miller, Lincoln or Fronius. We have a EWM machine at work, it's faultless, but may not be in your price range. Jody @ welding tips and tricks has done a lot of testing and reviews. Check out his YouTube channel

I paid a trade of labor and some tools for my Lincoln 225 tig, if you do thick aluminum, consider getting a liquid cooled torch. Tim

Lincoln tig 200 is what I bought.

Maybe look into the new Miller 215? Right around $2K with the TIG package. It's a 'multi process' machine so if you want TIG only then it might not be what you want. Looks like an OK deal to me though.

Miller 215 with TIG

Consider the features you may (or may not) need, now or in the future. Wide range of ac frequency and balance: many are limited. Adjustable gas pre and post flow: many are preset. Spot welding feature: you can use the pedal to simulate, but if you're going to hang body panels, it might be useful. Watch out for lower quality, non Miller and Lincoln protocol attachments. (Gas connections, current connections). Finally, warranty and reputation. I've owned both Miller (Syncrowave 180 transformer), and currently, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 200 (inverter). Close to a year, and it's perfect for me. I've used it successfully on both 110 and 230. I don't have one bad thing to say, except, the power cord and argon gas line are stiff plastic, that suck in my unheated garage. The pedal and torch are excellent quality. HOWEVER, I DO wish it has a wider range of ac freq and balance (It hasn't been a problem, but, it would be a good experience, to be able to apply different settings to different materials and joints), and adjustable pre/post gas flow. The gas flow valve isn't cheap, but the adjustment is herky jerky. Once it's set, it's fine. BUT, as the wish list grows, price goes up. This seems to be where the off shore units complete. As mentioned, check out Jody, members here, and then do some shopping. Good luck!

I bought an AHP Alpha‑TIG 200X: https://www.amazon.com/AHP-AlphaTIG-Stick-Welder-WARRANTY/dp/B076BSD6PG. Check out the reviews - lots of people having good luck with them, not just hobbyists.

The prices vary based on availability (they tend to sell out quickly, and have limited production runs), but are generally around $800 and have lots of nice features. The pedal it comes with is low quality, otherwise it's a lot of welder for the money.

I know of a chassis shop that uses an Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC, and their workmanship is second to none. If you are planning large production runs, I'd get the red or blue boxes. Otherwise, I'd spend my money somewhere else.

try to buy a big name. I am a welder and I have to say the prices of the cheap stuff are tempting for home use. Out of all, the Eastwood stuff I find most interesting. Guys that have had issues with them say the customer service is excellent. With that said, I make a living using Lincoln and miller so I’m going to try to avoid that knock off stuff. I just replaced my little mig and plasma cutter both with miller.

Watch those little multiprocess machines everyone seems to be coming out with, like that miller 215, I think most are dc only with no hi frequency. Good luck doing aluminum tig with that. Also with no hi freq, you are stuck with lift arc or scratch start. Neither are the end of the world, but if I’m going to spend money on a tig, I want ac and hi freq, otherwise you can just scratch start off a dc stick machine.

Both Lincoln and miller have had some good rebates going, just make sure you buy from an authorized retailer to get the rebate, and warranty.

Kind of a contradiction there !!

I bought a Thermal Arc TA186 a few years back. It has all the features that the small inverter Millers and Lincolns have but at a fraction of the cost. It's served me well. I added a pedal and swapped out the hose and torch that came with it - nickel and dime items.

That thermal arc is a great machine

Isn't every major brand of Tig Welder or most any welder for that matter, made in China now a days?

I asked this same question to the guys at JMR Manufacturing https://jmrmfg.com the same company that makes high quality tube benders, notchers and they also weld up trophy trucks. They stated that they use Harbor Freight welders themselves.

I did some research and was looking at some HTP Invertig tig welders that are made in Italy that look promising.

Esab is Europe also

Check out welding tips, and tricks on youtube. The guy, Jodi, does a ton of great videos. A couple vids are testing several affordable machines. He goes into good detail about the capabilities, and limitations of each, including cost.

His vids are also very helpful. I've learned a bunch from his vids.

My first choice - before buying the Thermal Arc - was the Everlast. Made in China but to a very high standard. Also and inverter with all the bells and whistles. I went with the Thermal Arc because its a long established company.

As far as I know, almost all Lincoln's commercial products are made here in Cleveland.

Did 40+ years there and have good memories.

Joe

P.S. referencing machines and consumables, ancillary stuff; worldwide.

If you think you need a welder, buy a welder! Dont spend the money on a welder you cant get rid of. I see it like this...

Your probably going to like it, and when you have a welder your buddies know it, and its like a trailer...

you have more buddies when you have a trailer.

I bought a used Miller econotig. traded an newer miller wire welder for this machine and its great for anything I do. its worth 1500 bucks and I know I can sell it tomorrow for that.

If you buy something off name thats harder to do.

I've often thought that a lot of folks buy machines that exceed the user's capabilities...IOW, a fancy machine with all the dials and do-dads is wasted on a less-than-talented user (like me) so the OP needs to match his skill with the machine.

Yeah, skills can improve over time but, again, takes lots of practice and many users (like me) just don't weld that much.

Miller just released a multiprocess 220 that had ac and hi freq. but it’s almost 3,000. That’s a lot. I would still rather have separate machines myself. I don’t like the idea of switching it over all the time.
As far as buying a big name vs something like harbor freight or everlast, I bought the Hobart handler 10 years ago on a sale I think it just came out. Hobart is owned by the same company as miller. They are supposedly assembled right in the same building. Use a lot of them same parts they just cut costs in a few areas. Was going for like 1,000 on sale brought it down to 800 and it came with a few extras.
I just decided to sell it and my HYPERTHERM Plasma cutter. I figured the Hypertherm would go right away and I’d have to drop the price on the Hobart mig. The mig sold in a couple Days and I was getting non stop emails. Guy didn’t even haggle. I sold it for 600$, in 10 years I lost 200$. I feel if it was a lesser name I would have had to give it away. The Hypertherm, I bought from a guy but it was never used. I think I had it about the same time, I got exactly what I bought it for.
With some of these rebates you really can’t go wrong. The kid that works with me just bought the Lincoln multiprocess, I think it’s the 210mvp. Something like that. It had a 433$ rebate.

He's the man. I think I've watched every video. Great instructor. His arc shots are better than the giant corporations. A benefit to society.

Don't skimp on features. Get them all. If you have to go used to get it, do that. I bet Craigslist has some. Be patient and get what you want.

I was looking for a new machine this summer. I had a decent 110 mig and an old AC stick for big stuff. I ended up buying a miller 220v mig. I searched and searched for a deal before realizing that people that invest in these things hold on to them and saving a hundred or two off of $1200 or so wasn’t worth the warranty and dealership support.

I really wanted a tig but I wouldn’t get one that didn’t have a nice arc start, post flow to keep the ends of the welds clean, and I really like the newer ones with pulse fearures- so slick for getting great penetration and not blowing through thinner stuff.

If you want to do aluminum and chromoly definitely spend the top of your budget and get a machine that will be a pleasure to use for years

I tend to make purchases of things (guns, tools, machinery, etc.) that are capable of doing better than maybe I can. I'd rather have a machine that I can grow into and learn with, than one I grow out of a month after I buy it. All those knobs, bells and whistles are there for a reason. And the name brand stuff will be easy to get parts and service for way into the future. Unlike the offshore crap.

Dave Hughes (dick) told me in person at the nats in Indy when building an engine it’s cheaper to go fast the first time,this is true in so many areas of life.
I can’t even TIG weld yet but when I can my Lincoln 200 is sitting there ready to not only go but go beyond my abilities so that I can get better and not have to buy another machine.
The blue cart was built for my Miller 130,it now also has a Lincoln 210 MIG on the bottom shelf,not much I cannot do with those two carts.

100% best way to do it. I'd rather grow into something than grow out of it and just buy once.


When I started reloading, I did a ton of research and in the end I bough a full progressive press. Soon, I'm going to add a bullet and case feeder and I'm just going to pull the handle and check powder.


The internet gun sites I was on went ballistic because you can't start with a progressive. You need a rock chucker. After you load 100k rounds with that, you can maybe, MAYBE step to a Dillon Square B or whatever they call that. Another 100,000 rounds later you can get the 550 but don't you dare buy an auto indexing press yet. You need 100,000 rounds more.


I bought an auto indexing press and didn't look back.

I bought a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200 to learn on. They were $1200 when I bought mine. Nice machine except it doesn't have adjustable post flow so it wastes a bit of gas.
I believe they are made in Mexico.
Also, I only have a single stage press for reloading but it a nice single stage.

I bought a Lincoln squarewave 200 last year.
Brand new from a vendor in Chicago.
I paid 1300 or so shipped.

It’s a fantastic machine. The only feature it doesn’t have that I’d like it post flow adjustment.

I have the 175 and agree on the post flow. I wonder if I can hack an adjustment onto it? That package of documents just may have a schematic

There is nothing wrong with the SS press if that's what you need.


I would NEVER in an online forum tell someone they are so dumb they have to start with a SS press or they were a danger to themselves.

As you know, reloading is a repetitive process. It's not that hard. I would expect if you can run a race car, you could easily learn most anything you wanted to.

To tell everyone that they need to start that way is arrogant at best.

Somethings not mentioned, I got Miller Syncrowave 500, its a 600A Tig machine, it's a beast. I added a gas mixer, for Helium/Argon on the thicker alum stuff. I see some machines have the built in option. If you start doing any thicker alum, it helps. I currently use a pedal for most everything. But when inside the car, that soon becomes awkward. I thought I could connect up the newer wireless foot pedal. No deal unfortunately. I'm considering getting something newer and smaller that will allow the wireless foot pedal.

How much use will it get, and how thick of metal do you want to weld?
Most of the entry level units are < 200 Amps and use air cooled torches. This is fine for 1/8" and thinner metals, but when running 150+ amps (3/16" or thicker material) the air cooled torch will get hot in your hands fairly quick. This may be OK if just doing small jobs, but if you plan to weld long hours at high current look at the liquid cooled torch units.
There is a big jump in price going from air cooled to water cooled torch unit.
You will want to check what torch the welder is using to make sure it is compatible with common torch cups, and other torch consumable parts.

The older non-inverter units can be found at decent prices, but are big and heavy, and use more power to operate. The newer inverter units use less power for the same output, and are smaller and lighter.
For example, a Miller syncrowave 250 weighs 378 lbs, and uses 96 Amps @ 230 volts. A Miller Dynasty 280 (Inverter machine) weighs 52 lbs, and uses 30 Amps @ 230 volts.

If you are going to do roll cages and such where a foot control would be hard to use, look at getting a remote fingertip control.

I hear there are some good entry level machines now, but I have had my Miller Dynasty 280 DX for several years now, so I haven't look to see what is on the market lately.

My first tig machine was a thermarc. It was a scratch-start, dc only machine. I later bought a Lincoln square wave 175 for the capability of doing ac aluminum work. I used that machine for a few years, and decided to add the water cooled torch. It just isn’t practical to use the gass cooled torch if you are doing a lot of aluminum work. That machine only gave me trouble once. My area near the welder was also in my grinding area. The grinding dust accumulated in the arc initiating points and caused the machine to start the arc very poorly. Cleaning the points was simple, and brought the machine back to “like new” operation. I would recommend this machine to anyone who needs a versatile home machine. I still use that machine at work for small projects.
My current machine at home is a Lincoln precision tig 275. It is very nice and smooth in operation. It came equipped with a cart with storage, on board cooling system, tig pulser, ac balance control, etc... the one drawback is it takes up a lot of floor space. On the plus side of that argument, none of my friends come over asking to borrow it, because it is not a mobile machine. I picked it up on craigslist for $2500 from a business that was closing.

And some of us have financial constraints. The difference between "what I need" and "what I want" can amount to big bucks.

I used an ac/dc hobart buzz box, a simple air cooled tig torch and 75/25 gas for decades before I upgraded to my Lincoln 225 precision tig. There are high freq adapters that you can add to the buzz box for dirt cheap if you are on a serious budget, and it would weld 1/4" aluminum or 4130 all day long.

I'm not at all a fan of Chicom tools, but Ditto on Everlast unless you have Big $ for Miller, ESAB, or Lincoln inverter. Loaded with features and adjustability. Chicom built, American design with Siemens Rectifiers, 5 yr warranty, great price, but not exactly inexpensive. Get upgraded CK Torch and pedal. I bought the 250EX inverter, less than 1/2 the cost of similar featured welder from Big Blue, and I'm definitely happy with it. Check out

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

pretty interesting video. Everlast started out several years ago and quality control wasn't great at first, but they've steadily improved and now they are pretty solid. I believe Alpha run by the brother of the guy at Everlast, so there's probably some design overlap there.

Sometimes you can find good used American units but out on the welder's forums there's plenty of complaints about built-in-China board failures in name-brand "American" inverter welders. These boards are expensive unless you have a warranty....which most used units don't.

Really old Millers, ESAB, Lincoln, etc transformer welders are bulletproof, but they draw a ton of power and lack features like HF start and pulse. Sometimes you can get them with an external accessory box that adds those features, but unless you have 100 amp service in your garage, you won't be able to get full power out of them.

Also I second the recommendation to check out "Welding tips and Tricks". Also Tig Time on weld.com. Lots of great reviews of various TIG welders plus great pointers for newb's.


If you want a multi-Process machine(MIG/TIG/STICK):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7hnR-JHlzA

Impressive, one 11-minute long sentence.

ToT has a new Tig video for youtubers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOL1bMC-UJQ

I just seen the new videos of the Miller Multimatic 220 AC/DC multiprocess machine. Looks pretty nice for a easy setup entry level machine that has a bunch of options.
MIG (3/8"), Stick (3/8"), TIG AC/DC/Pulse (1/4"), connections for two shielding gasses (don't have to swap bottles when changing from Mig to Tig.)
Priced at $2,999 with free shipping and offer for free Miller Digital Helmet.
Looks like it comes with just about everything except the dual cylinder welder cart that is another $295.

https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/m...ChoCzm4QAvD_BwE

Millers YouTube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/nielsmiller/videos

In retrospect, if these new multiprocess machines existed when I bought my TIG, I would have ditched my millermatic and bought one of these. Here's a comparison chart I ran across. Any of them would be great machines

I have read a lot here, about some machines needing a "ton" of power. Somebody explain to me, I thought conservation of energy applied to Chinese welders also. I got an old school transformer Tig machine and it weighs in the neighborhood around 800lbs. If I put the pedal down if sure puts out a lot juice to the tig electrode, and expectedly draws a lot of current. The machine internally does NOT give off any real noticeable/excessive heat. Therefore I assume it is reasonably efficient in converting the building power to welding power, conservation of energy and all. So other then the new inverters being magnitudes lighter, how exactly are they reportedly magnitudes more efficient in this process?

My Miller welder at 500A draws 205 Amps at 208V, a Miller inverter at 500A draws 136 Amps at 208V, that means to me there is a loss (wasted heat inside machine) of nearly 70amps at 208V, that is a lot of energy.

my old 200a airco machine has ac/dc/stick/tig with a brand new, still in the box, 175a scratch start tig torch i have never tried. at my age, i will most likely never do much tig work, that is, if i ever teach myself how to in the first place.

Lincoln's website explains pretty well:

https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/support/process-and-theory/pages/inverter-power-detail.aspx

Smaller transformers used with big transistors and big capacitors. Same reason that audio amplifiers used to weigh a ton just to get 100W RMS into 2 channels, now you can get 135W RMS into 7 channels in the same sized box.

I bought the Lincoln square wave 200

Get back to us when you can weld a cut in half leak proof beer can back together.

I don't recall the brand of big welder but a guy I knew years ago showed me that he could weld 2 paper staples together and also the pop can.

I always liked my Miller Syncrowave 250 before it walked away...

Solid old school unit.

Let us know how you like it. Be sure to check out the trucolor helmets.