I am considering buying a TIG set up and want to know what you WELDER guys recommend. I am NOT a welder by trade and really don't know thoriated tungsten from squat! Don't want to spend a fortune but don't want crap equipment either. Educate me! :D :flipoff2:

What do you plan on welding with it?

Steve,

"SEARCH" button is your friend!

Best thing you can do.... SIGN UP for a class. If you have any type of adult education or community college that offers welding classes, that is your first step.

Cool if you can get a class to learn a little of each process, but most will require an introduction class then a TIG class. They aren't being hard nosed, but I have had years of oxy acetlyene welding. TIG seems "natural" to me. I've had buddies who have run Wire feed welders, try the TIG and just "don't get it". Running a puddle, and controlling it, seems too strange. Wire is great as you "point and squirt" and away you go...

Having said that... look for machines you can find REPLACEMENT parts for. Miller, Lincoln, ESAB (formerly Linde) being good choices. I have a 20 year old Hobart monster. Good machine, big fat copper coils in it. It is old, cranks out amps (250Amp rating is at 60% duty cycle...). Overkill for most folk, but aluminum soak ups heat and needs the current.

Even if you buy something like the Miller 180 TIG package, for $1600 and decide you want to sell it... odds are you'll get $1000-$1200 for it. It is all too easy to buy JUNK for $1000 only to find ZERO resell. Buy a good machine, there is a market to sell it if you decide to move up to a bigger unit with more features!

Tom

depends on what you want to weld.

i would (and am) look into the Miller Maxstar 140 STR and 200 STR.

i think i'm going to get the 200 STR.

http://www.millerwelds.com/main/products/tig/M08900/

http://www.millerwelds.com/main/products/stick/M08951/

matt

Thanks for the input guys.
I plan on welding anything from .120 wall tubing to 1/4 or 3/8 plate for brackets and such. I am very familiar with oxy/ace and have recently (for the last year) been using a Millermatic 250x MIG for chores.
Just want to go with TIG for reasons of better control and better quality welds.

just find a nice machine in the 250 amp range with a built in high freq. i picked up my hobart tr 250 hf for 1000.00 bucks [ten years ago]with a high dollar remote and a air cooled tig torch. if you plan on doing much aluminum or heavy steel get a water cooled torch. i promise you, you will need it to do the heavy amp stuff. the air cooled torches are fine for cage work and stuff. but if you start fabbing aluminum fuel tanks and such it will get way to hot. and two sets of gloves won't work after a while. mike

I started with an Econotig
http://www.millerwelds.com/main/products/tig/M05500/

Worked great for light gauge square tubing, but not much good for steel over 1/4" thick. Current is too low, you have to go real slow and the air cooled torch gets too hot. Works on AL, but you have to preheat anyting over sheet metal thickness and welding time is real short with the air cooled torch on AC. Current control was not a good as the bigger/better machines.

For working on our trucks, I would reccomend 200+ amps min. Air cooled torches work ok for roll cage stuff, where you do a lot of stopping and repositioning. For 1/4" and up, your weld time is real short without water. But, it's easy to put together a simple water cooled setup by using a bucket and sub pump instead of paying for a high $$$ cooler.

Look for a name brand used machine. I found a 350A Lincon for less than I paid (and sold :) ) the Econotig. It takes up a little more floor space, but it will SPIN the dial on the power meter, and it welds ANYTHING! :D

Looking at this machine. Can get it locally for about $1600

www.millerwelds.com/main/products/tig/M15500/

Should do all I need for now. Can upgrade it to water cooled later when is becomes necessary. :D