I was gonna pick up an Alphatig welder but they are back ordered. I’m looking to replace my dinosaur econotig for something with a few more bells and whistles to do aluminum. Something with frequency and balance adjustments in the 200ish amp range. Primeweld, HTP, Esab, Forney, Fronius, AHP, red, blue, yellow, green, black. Dual voltage would be nice. Suggestions?
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Help me spend money on a Tig
- Thread starter 4Eyedturd
- Start date
Pocahontas
Red Skull Member
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- Jun 18, 2020
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I have the primeweld 225, got it for $650 two years ago around Christmas. I don't use it a ton but it is a much more capable machine than I am a welder.
Customers service is good, machine was doa and they overnighted a new one that is going strong. I mainly use it for aluminum, stainless and copper.
Customers service is good, machine was doa and they overnighted a new one that is going strong. I mainly use it for aluminum, stainless and copper.
tracyb
Well-known member
dynasty ftw!
but really i had to start out cheap too. i would stay away from ahp. i've had 2 and smoked them both in the first week. i would try to find something used. other than the ahp's i've only bought 2 other welders brand new, engine drive tb325efi and a dynasty 210 (wish i would have gone for the 280)
if i needed to start cheap and new again i would first go to my local weld supply and ask them. probably get the lincoln ac/dc tig or one of the ck welders, its really nice that come with a good peddle and torch, alot of the cheap tigs you want to drop more money on right away to replace the peddle and torch.
www.ckworldwide.com
but really i had to start out cheap too. i would stay away from ahp. i've had 2 and smoked them both in the first week. i would try to find something used. other than the ahp's i've only bought 2 other welders brand new, engine drive tb325efi and a dynasty 210 (wish i would have gone for the 280)
if i needed to start cheap and new again i would first go to my local weld supply and ask them. probably get the lincoln ac/dc tig or one of the ck welders, its really nice that come with a good peddle and torch, alot of the cheap tigs you want to drop more money on right away to replace the peddle and torch.
ac dc Tig Welder
The MT200-AC/DC provides the ability to quickly and efficiently adapt to dynamic welding situations, while maintaining the quality you expect from CK Worldwide.
www.ckworldwide.com
Pocahontas
Red Skull Member
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dynasty ftw!
if i needed to start cheap and new again i would first go to my local weld supply and ask them. probably get the lincoln ac/dc tig or one of the ck welders, its really nice that come with a good peddle and torch, alot of the cheap tigs you want to drop more money on right away to replace the peddle and torch.
ac dc Tig Welder
The MT200-AC/DC provides the ability to quickly and efficiently adapt to dynamic welding situations, while maintaining the quality you expect from CK Worldwide.
The prime weld and that ck have the same torch/pedal from what I see. Ground clamp is kind of crap but it comes with a stick lead.
If you are using it daily I would get something better but for weekend warrior I think the ahp/prineweld are hard to beat.
gt1guy
Apparently a racist
Ok, I want to see someone use that goofy handheld tinted lens holder..........................while TIG welding.
I know.................the kit comes with a stinger so you can actually put the handheld gizmo to work. But why even include something that stupid. Leave it out and knock the price down $2.
I have a Dynasty DX , yes it was more spendy, but I've forgotten what the sting felt like when I bought it.
GLTHFJ60
Stupid is as stupid does
I've read a lot about the HTP Invertig 210. Seems to be a good machine. That's likely what I'll pick up when it's time to upgrade.
tracyb
Well-known member
i'd put the prime weld about the same territory as the ahp. anything CK is good. peddle looks to be good. but as a rule of thumb, anything that comes with a hand held bs weld lens... stay away from.
HTP like said above is solid. like on the level of miller and lincoln solid. some of there machines have features that are a hard no from me. like their propulse200 or 220? whe it hits duty cycle while derate while welding rather than shut down, that has caused headaches for me.
that being said HTP has a pre buy right now for their 300amp ac/dc tig... i'll likely buy it. i like my dynasty but like i said with i had gone for the bigger machine. HTP being half the cost of miller, for same feature from a proven line up makes it real hard to spend the extra coin.
i want to get rid of the htp220 i have but it does seem to save the day at least once a year, so it'll stay on the shelf. if i get the invertig 301 it will see near daily use.
HTP like said above is solid. like on the level of miller and lincoln solid. some of there machines have features that are a hard no from me. like their propulse200 or 220? whe it hits duty cycle while derate while welding rather than shut down, that has caused headaches for me.
that being said HTP has a pre buy right now for their 300amp ac/dc tig... i'll likely buy it. i like my dynasty but like i said with i had gone for the bigger machine. HTP being half the cost of miller, for same feature from a proven line up makes it real hard to spend the extra coin.
i want to get rid of the htp220 i have but it does seem to save the day at least once a year, so it'll stay on the shelf. if i get the invertig 301 it will see near daily use.
crazybluerider
Squirrel!
I've been incredibly happy with my Lincoln squarewave 200. Found one on an open box deal about year and a half ago for $1,300. I think they were about $1,700 full price back then. It has a fairly nice flex head torch and nice flexible hose factory. I'm typically a Miller person but they just don't have a machine in the hobbyist price range.
Weasel
Red Skull Member
I'm getting ready to do a ESAB EMP 210 shortly. I have another of their smaller Mig unit and it has been great. Welds better then buddies new bigger Miller unit with the auto setting and spray modes.
J.Cole
Red Skull Member
I have a Everlast 200DV from 2015, I'd like to get a new torch for it eventually. Besides that i have no complaints about it. I've done a ton of stick welding with it and a bunch of Tig including aluminum. I have 2 friends that each have a AHP Alpha Tig and they seem to really like them. I think that AHP, Everlast, or CK would be a good choice for more of a budget machine. I don't know much about the Prime Weld but have heard some good things about them.
Dethmachinefab
Red Skull Member
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If your looking to weld aluminum, and plan on thickness over 3/16" your going to want a water cooled set up.
CarterKraft
Red Skull Member
I have been thinking about selling my Syncrowave 250DX....
The PrimeWeld had my attention.
The PrimeWeld had my attention.
SomeGuyFromOlympia
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Blue or Red
tracyb
Well-known member
that would be a step in the wrong direction
Why the hell would you want to do that? Is the Syncrowave a transformer machine?
CarterKraft
Red Skull Member
That's what everyone keeps telling me.
FOMO, I want all the fancy inverter gizmos for welding Aluminum.
IT's HUGE, takes up a lot of real estate, not portable, it draws A LOT of current @ full throttle.
It is a transformer machine.
tracyb
Well-known member
i weld everyday all day
i have a syncro 250 and a dynasty210. have bolwn up a couple cheap ass AHP welders....
the sycro does everything and more the dynasty can. except mobile.
i wouldn't buy a primeweld unless i was prepared to throw the money away.
CAT mechanic right? what would you say to an owner thats thinking about selling his cat to buy a knock-off unit off Alibaba? thats about the same.
you have 600lbs off american bad ass muscle
and think you may sell to get a knock off Prius
what ever you do, dont sell the sycro until after you've bought the primeweld, and realize its a piece of shit with too many knobs on it.
if you really want to do fancy shit... i'll sell you a pulse controller for yous syncro, it'll be cheaper and you can satisfy the need for fancy gizmos
i have a syncro 250 and a dynasty210. have bolwn up a couple cheap ass AHP welders....
the sycro does everything and more the dynasty can. except mobile.
i wouldn't buy a primeweld unless i was prepared to throw the money away.
CAT mechanic right? what would you say to an owner thats thinking about selling his cat to buy a knock-off unit off Alibaba? thats about the same.
you have 600lbs off american bad ass muscle
and think you may sell to get a knock off Prius what ever you do, dont sell the sycro until after you've bought the primeweld, and realize its a piece of shit with too many knobs on it.
if you really want to do fancy shit... i'll sell you a pulse controller for yous syncro, it'll be cheaper and you can satisfy the need for fancy gizmos
CarterKraft
Red Skull Member
Fair enough.i weld everyday all day
i have a syncro 250 and a dynasty210. have bolwn up a couple cheap ass AHP welders....
the sycro does everything and more the dynasty can. except mobile.
i wouldn't buy a primeweld unless i was prepared to throw the money away.
CAT mechanic right? what would you say to an owner thats thinking about selling his cat to buy a knock-off unit off Alibaba? thats about the same.
you have 600lbs off american bad ass muscle
what ever you do, dont sell the sycro until after you've bought the primeweld, and realize its a piece of shit with too many knobs on it.
if you really want to do fancy shit... i'll sell you a pulse controller for yous syncro, it'll be cheaper and you can satisfy the need for fancy gizmos
I trust you and value your opinion on this.
I have never used a pulser or inverter machine and they seem to be the bees knees, just from videos etc.
I struggle with getting results from the AC balance knob but I also have a bad habit of not prepping aluminum like I should...
Any suggestions on a baseline for the AC balance on AL?
tracyb
Well-known member
if you even think you wan the pulse box i'll send to you to try out. (my wife will, i dont really get out much, i like work)Fair enough.
I trust you and value your opinion on this.
I have never used a pulser or inverter machine and they seem to be the bees knees, just from videos etc.
I struggle with getting results from the AC balance knob but I also have a bad habit of not prepping aluminum like I should...
Any suggestions on a baseline for the AC balance on AL?
ph
i hate selling shit (dealing with people not like here, fb, insta types) so it sits on the shelf till it goes to junk.
i'm new-ish too most of it, (i didn't start doing what i do until years after a bs in engineering, nd started biz as a wood butcher/ cabinet maker) I have learned my place the hard way.
the syncro is gold. there is a ton to aluminum weld, and its nothe machine, balance depends on prep... and so on... there is no easy setting and more knobs on on a knock off machine 100% will not make it easier/ better. pm i'll give my ph#, sma;; issues will trip you up, its easy but not so much in text form.
The times I’ve done aluminum at work on our Lincoln 375, I put the balance more towards the cleaning action than penetrating. Because no matter how much sanding with a fresh flap disc, scrubbing with a stainless brush and wiping with acetone I don’t think it’s clean enough but it turns out alright.
Landslide
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- May 20, 2020
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The capacitors took a shit on mine causing it to consume too much electricity. I could feel the power leads to my shop service panel vibrating and getting warm. Took it to CK welding repair shop and they found the start up capacitors bad. Seems to do fine without them.
Landslide
Red Skull Member
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There are some really great weld videos on YouTube from some knowledge people that can help offer instructional videos to learn from. It’s a rabbit hole but we’ll worth the ride, just watch videos from several people to balance it out. It’s like anything else, some people cover important things others skip over assuming you already know. That and practice practice practiceFair enough.
I trust you and value your opinion on this.
I have never used a pulser or inverter machine and they seem to be the bees knees, just from videos etc.
I struggle with getting results from the AC balance knob but I also have a bad habit of not prepping aluminum like I should...
Any suggestions on a baseline for the AC balance on AL?
CarterKraft
Red Skull Member
I had several feet of weld to do last weekend and I played around with the knob some more.
I more or less got it figured out through trial and error.
The confusing part is the grey and green rectangles on the dial. I think they suggest "balanced" but I'm not really sure.
Obviously my beads suck but this was all getting ground so I was just trying to get good build up.
I more or less got it figured out through trial and error.
The confusing part is the grey and green rectangles on the dial. I think they suggest "balanced" but I'm not really sure.
Obviously my beads suck but this was all getting ground so I was just trying to get good build up.
tracyb
Well-known member
they call the capacitors a PFC, power factor corection, not all machine have them. my syncro250 didn't come with them, but my shopmaster does have them. pfc machine where marketed to the big shops that pay teired energy prices based on peak consumption, having a crew of weld machine arc up at once can csot a shit ton.
(talking 1ph 240) a machine with pfc, will draw a ton of power even at idle, iirc 30-40amps, but it will not need more than a 60a breaker to run all out. with out the pfc they run, 6-9amps iirc, but you'll need all of a 100amp breaker to run it balls out.
story; the shipyard i worked at had 2 transformers explode while i was there, one was a substation box thing, lost power to our part of the shop. i went out, reset the breaker, took less than 10 steps walking away and BOOM
. good times. the other one was on a pole and shook the whole place and killed power to the entire yard. that was the only day we got sent home early.btw, i'll mess with and try to fix just about anything. capacitors i stay the hell away from, i dont wanna die like that. everytime i open up the shop master to blow it out, when the air wand is next to them, i just think in the back of my head of the videos of guys in india touching the rails cars power supply. nope!
grey and green rectangles
take a pic. there are allot of different panel layouts.if your balance dial is labled 1-10 you basically leave it set on 3 for all welding. except for ac tig. ac tig you can run the balance 3-5 to ball your tungsten, but when welding you want it at 7-8. the higher the number the less it cleans but also the less heat input into the tungsten/ torch. i dont think the dynasty even lets you set it below 50%, #5. think of an ac wave form... as you turn the balance higher the wave, heat, going into your weld piece increases, the opposite wave, goes into the tungsten, but is also providing the cleaning action. you want as much heat into your weld as possible, and dial it back for the cleaning you need.
you can usually tell if someone has it set wrong by the white haz next to the puddle. looks close enough. the tighter the white line the better.
for learning ac tig, there is no better machine than a syncro and running green tungsten. everyone wants to use the dynasty but to learn they start on the syncro.
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CarterKraft
Red Skull Member
This isn't my machine but the dial is the same. I think its suggesting that "balanced" is the color rectangle for each mode, AC/DC wich lines up with your suggestion. I had more success around 3.5-4 and the welds are shiny. I think I might have needed more power on that 1"x1/4" flat bar than 105A.
To those of you that do this for a living:
For the average hobbyist how much do the bells and whistles really matter?
I've got a Lincoln Square wave 175 and it has got me through plenty of AL projects and I never felt limited by it. Not one knob on it other than heat- which is really nice when you are learning so you don't get distracted.
I am a hack at best but for a basic hobby machine it seems pretty capable to me. Example of some of my work and what I use it for- would I seriously benefit from a machine upgrade?
For the average hobbyist how much do the bells and whistles really matter?
I've got a Lincoln Square wave 175 and it has got me through plenty of AL projects and I never felt limited by it. Not one knob on it other than heat- which is really nice when you are learning so you don't get distracted.
I am a hack at best but for a basic hobby machine it seems pretty capable to me. Example of some of my work and what I use it for- would I seriously benefit from a machine upgrade?
tracyb
Well-known member
thats showing that you want it set at 2 for most all welding. at 3 is where its 'balanced'.
the bareat 7 is its suggested setting for ac tig. running at 3.5-4 is way to low, i try to be 7 or above unless im trying to ball my tungsten. clean, wirebrush, actone, your joint... and leave your balance set to no lower than 7 while learning. you should only be forced to go lower than 7 on old material impregnated with contamination.
while learning, at first arc bring your *heat up slowly and watch the puddle, let it clean and get shiney, before you ramp up to weld heat.
the bareat 7 is its suggested setting for ac tig. running at 3.5-4 is way to low, i try to be 7 or above unless im trying to ball my tungsten. clean, wirebrush, actone, your joint... and leave your balance set to no lower than 7 while learning. you should only be forced to go lower than 7 on old material impregnated with contamination.
while learning, at first arc bring your *heat up slowly and watch the puddle, let it clean and get shiney, before you ramp up to weld heat.
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