Good tig welder to buy?

[ford rules]

Looking into getting a tig this winter to do some projects and just because id like to get one for the shop. Planning on mostly header building and intercooler plumbing and so forth. Ill probably never do anything over 1/4.
Id like to get a miller as thats what i have for a mig and i love it. Spending limit is around $2500-3000

 

[e.nickkk]

hey bud check out this one I have it and my garage and love it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkSsBB3RLh4

 

[09stroker]

Dynasty

 

[ford rules]

Any one in particular^?

 

[mclean]

I suck at it but I have nothing bad to say about my diversion 180 yet.

 

[ford rules]

The diversion was the one I was looking at first but the tig/stick option would be nice.

 

[moose99psd]

A dynasty is out of that price range unless you can stumble on a used one. Brand new out the door around 5k if the welding shop likes you. A syncrowave is in that price range. New and used. I'd highly suggest a used machine for someone who is doing it every single day.. personally I hate everyrhing to do with air cooled torches so I hate the diversion series. And their pedal looks like it belongs on my moms sewing machine..

sent from some haybarn

 

[Stroked550]

If you have the room look for a Miller 330a/bp. They can be had with a water cooler for well under $1500, virtually indestructible machine. Spend a few hundred more on a good 20 series torch, I have a CK flex lock and its worth every penny. New machines are great but unless you are looking to do pulsed tig an older transformer machine will do anything you want.

 

[09stroker]

A dynasty is out of that price range unless you can stumble on a used one. Brand new out the door around 5k if the welding shop likes you. A syncrowave is in that price range. New and used. I'd highly suggest a used machine for someone who is doing it every single day.. personally I hate everyrhing to do with air cooled torches so I hate the diversion series. And their pedal looks like it belongs on my moms sewing machine..

sent from some haybarn

http://store.cyberweld.com/mildyn200dxa.html

:shrug:

Its only $230 over budget.... Well below $5K

 

[Spectre32]

Syncowave 210 so you can have AC and DC capabilities. I like the inverters and I have a Maxstar 200 DX but I cant do AC welding. 200 amps isn't enough to so some medium duty AL welding. You need at least 250-300 amps to cover most of everything. My ideal machine is a Dynasty 350 and a Millermatic 350P as the end all Be all SMAW/GTAW and GMAW/FCAW process machine. You can pretty much do anything with those two. If portability is your concern then you will need to sacrifice some capabilities for that.

 

[moose99psd]

http://store.cyberweld.com/mildyn200dxa.html

:shrug:

Its only $230 over budget.... Well below $5K

No water cooler, no cart, hand control I'm sure, no argon bottle, little consumables.. to be set up with a nice package your in the 5k range.. I've priced it and I get better pricing then cyber weld offers.. its been a year or so but can't imagine the price has dropped that much

sent from some haybarn

 

[moose99psd]

Syncowave 210 so you can have AC and DC capabilities. I like the inverters and I have a Maxstar 200 DX but I cant do AC welding. 200 amps isn't enough to so some medium duty AL welding. You need at least 250-300 amps to cover most of everything. My ideal machine is a Dynasty 350 and a Millermatic 350P as the end all Be all SMAW/GTAW and GMAW/FCAW process machine. You can pretty much do anything with those two. If portability is your concern then you will need to sacrifice some capabilities for that.

You can gain some "amps" by adding helium to your gas mixture as it will run hotter.

sent from some haybarn

 

[Spectre32]

True, but there is a world wide helium shortage. Your going to be hard pressed to find that gas. I got four bottles for work and the airgas people said that was the last of what they had. Helium will work in a pinch but there isnt any replacement for using the correct machine. Plus one you run the bottle down to about 500lbs you want to swap it out as the mixture does not work as well.

 

[hucorey]

Kinda old thread but you just can't beat a syncrowave 250 or 300. Great machine for all day production use.

I've got a Precision TIG 185 for my shop. Its undersized for what I do now, but it was perfect for sport bike frame repair, which is what I used to do quite a bit of.