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mobil1syn

mobil1syn

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Looking to add a TIG to the garage. I work out of a 2 car garage that is filled with stuff so space is at a bit of a premium.

I have narrowed my choices down to a NEW square wave 200 or a USED precision 225. Small compact hobby machine vs larger more capable machine. tig will be for mostly plate and tube work. dont plan on a ton of AL, but im sure I will tackle more with the the capability to. i keep coming back to the 200 for the dual voltage. a few people i have talked with have hit the duty cycle on it a few times, this is more concerning for the longevity of the unit if im operating in the upper ranges of its limits regularly. a buddy that has done more welding than i could ever imagine doing loves his 225 and told me to get that.

any input from the peanut gallery?
 
No input on either of those but I picked up a Primeweld 225x recently and am impressed with it. Lots of chatter going on lately about them on the book of faces.
 
I like dual voltage machines because i'm not always in a place with dedicated power and I can run 115v off an extension cord and be portable if needed.

if in a forever home or a place with space, dedicate 220v is nice, but dual voltage does leave more options. welding with a squarewave machine is a bit different than a sine wave with high frequency. different in a good way
 
Provience said:
welding with a squarewave machine is a bit different than a sine wave with high frequency. different in a good way
Click to expand...

explain yourself since im not smart or experienced in what you are talking about.

i used a dynasty 210 quite a bit at a previous job. millers are too expensive for my budget so lincoln it is.
 
mobil1syn said:
explain yourself since im not smart or experienced in what you are talking about.

i used a dynasty 210 quite a bit at a previous job. millers are too expensive for my budget so lincoln it is.
Click to expand...

square wave machines, inverters like the dynasty/squareware/others, don't ramp the electricity the way the rectifier (is that the right word? transformer/rectifier?) machines like the precision 225 do. so the rectifiers need to run high frequency signals over the regular weld signal to start the arc unless you are using scratch start. to avoid scratch start, things like lift arc came about where you make contact with the electrode and the base metal, then the machine puts welding arc once that is broken.

square wave has enough....force we'll call it, to clear the small air gap without first sending the high frequency pulses to "search" for the base metal across the air gap.

it sounds a little different but it actually works pretty well. I have very rarely had the high frequency stuff cause issues on very thin damaged metal and low amp welding as it can search and heat up a larger area before establishing the arc. square wave might pop a little hot very quickly and initially, but it is generally smoother of a start.

if the price is the same and you do thin stuff, let's say 0.040" is thin especially AL or Ni or other things more sensitive than Steel, the inverter makes life a little bit easier.

for welding aluminum the square wave is fast enough that you don't need to run the high frequency constantly to maintain the arc connection so it is kind of nice there, but i'm pretty certain 99% of people won't know or care and somebody will be along shortly to say that it doesn't matter at all. :flipoff2: I would if I saw this post :rasta:

I think the dual voltage is reason enough to buy the squarewave if the price is about the same. if you already have 220v in the garage and the precision is cheaper, buy the precision.
 
ooh that makes perfect sense. so if my crayon drawing is power inverter verse transformer/rectifier machines.

Screenshot 2021-02-11 115553.jpg
 
Do you have a stick welder that can run a suitcase welder? That seems like the obvious solution.
 
I'm on the verge of my 4th welder upgrade in the last few years. Lesson learned: Buy more machine than you think you need the first time.

BTW, a square wave is just a bunch of sine waves stacked on top of each other. :smokin:

Good luck with the purchase!
 
For an inverter machine - get the dual voltage. They are light and small enough to take to the field or a buddies place. You can do a lot with stick on a 110v 20a circuit. Some with tig

For a transformer machine - just 220v. They are annoying to move, so it probably never will.

In your case I would get the 225 and then watch used ads for a Miller 150 or the equivalents as a portable. You can grab them for ~300ish at times and work fine for burning rods and scratch tig.
 
was supposed to buy a tahoe after work on friday. seller texted me in the am saying he was selling it to someone else. welding store a crossed the street from work had one in stock and i had cash ... so yea

9EAEB942-0B8C-47C9-AD64-D801B3C5CDC2.jpeg
 
Get a new torch with a gas valve on it. The post flow on that machine is 15 seconds from what I remember. That’s a lot of wasted gas
 
I recently bought the Miller Dynasty 210 with a water cooled torch and digital (wireless) foot pedal for aluminum welding. It is very compact and light weight. It has been very easy to use as I am a novice welder. I have been very happy with the purchase. Eventually I would like to add one of the flex head torches as I find myself in a lot of circumstances where I would benefit from it. When I started pricing out the total packages with some of the other inverter welders, I didn't feel the savings was worth the risk of using a brand I was unfamiliar with. There are quite a few youtube channels for tig welding where they show a lot of the different inverter welders and features, I would definitely spend some time watching those.
 
Aggie007 said:
I recently bought the Miller Dynasty 210 with a water cooled torch and digital (wireless) foot pedal for aluminum welding. It is very compact and light weight. It has been very easy to use as I am a novice welder. I have been very happy with the purchase. Eventually I would like to add one of the flex head torches as I find myself in a lot of circumstances where I would benefit from it. When I started pricing out the total packages with some of the other inverter welders, I didn't feel the savings was worth the risk of using a brand I was unfamiliar with. There are quite a few youtube channels for tig welding where they show a lot of the different inverter welders and features, I would definitely spend some time watching those.
Click to expand...

i find my CK flex head torch to be way more useful than i thought it would be. no, i don't change it constantly, but there are surprisingly frequent opportunities to use it
 
Provience said:
Steady-Grip - CK Worldwide EN (ck-worldwide.com)

what i really want is one of these to add to my flex head OR get one of their 360* swivel head torches with this setup. pistol grip and slider amp control = no foot pedal and way easier to work in wierd positions :smokin:

no idea why i haven't tossed the couple hundred bucks at it, but "one of these days" :smokin:
Click to expand...

I’ve got the flex lock torch on the machine at work. It’s definitely a great upgrade. CK makes quality stuff and have extraordinary customer service. Local welding shop I deal with at work wasn’t willing to help me out returning the 12.5’ torch and getting a 25’ torch even though it was still in the box. CK said the shops excuse was bullshit and sent me the hoses direct. Also sent me a replacement swivel part to use the bigger gas lenses and an extra knob as well. They will always get praise from me for customer service like that
 
mobil1syn said:
thats about $4k more than i was willing to spend.
Click to expand...

I didn't want to spend what I did either, as I was on the hunt for a decent deal on a used syncrowave 250dx. I went to a couple of local welding shops, and none of them were using the syncrowaves, most stashed away in the corners of the shop, and all had converted over to the inverters for various reasons. The Everlast PowerTigs were really popular, as two shops were using those exclusively. Best way it was explained to me is that the sycnrowaves are on their way out, and the maintenance cost on the machines far exceeded their worth; basically do you want just a flip phone or a smart phone, which was the analogy used. Some can get by with just a flip phone, just depends on your needs. Now that I have welded with both, I completely agree, and feel way better about my purchase....my wife is still sour though.... The adjustability and options you get with the inverters is awesome.
 
Provience said:
Steady-Grip - CK Worldwide EN (ck-worldwide.com)

what i really want is one of these to add to my flex head OR get one of their 360* swivel head torches with this setup. pistol grip and slider amp control = no foot pedal and way easier to work in wierd positions :smokin:

no idea why i haven't tossed the couple hundred bucks at it, but "one of these days" :smokin:
Click to expand...

Added to my wish list. That amp control trigger on the bottom is slick. Thank you for the link, I haven't seen that yet.
 
Aggie007 said:
Added to my wish list. That amp control trigger on the bottom is slick. Thank you for the link, I haven't seen that yet.
Click to expand...

i've used the wheel style a few times and honestly hate them. i cannot hold the torch stable while smoothly adjusting the heat and find a pedal, even using it with my knee or thigh, offers great control. the slider style seems to be the easiest, coupled with the "pistol grip" would actually put your hand in a good spot to function it. i'm intrigued :grinpimp:
 
Provience said:
i've used the wheel style a few times and honestly hate them. i cannot hold the torch stable while smoothly adjusting the heat and find a pedal, even using it with my knee or thigh, offers great control. the slider style seems to be the easiest, coupled with the "pistol grip" would actually put your hand in a good spot to function it. i'm intrigued :grinpimp:
Click to expand...

I'm always dragging the pedal up a ladder in one plant I work at to weld hydraulic piping. Top of the ladder leaned over in between pipes working the pedal is sketchy. Sometimes I'll just have someone run the pedal. "Imagine your driving. faster, slower, no not that slow"

Welding a process skid I got set up to weld something a few inches above floor level in a tight spot, laying down. Put the pedal under my hip and roll into it, quickly realized I left the work clamp off. :shocked: I then fell onto that pedal 100% and kept zapping myself banging around trying to get out. :laughing:
 
Dethmachinefab said:
I'm always dragging the pedal up a ladder in one plant I work at to weld hydraulic piping. Top of the ladder leaned over in between pipes working the pedal is sketchy. Sometimes I'll just have someone run the pedal. "Imagine your driving. faster, slower, no not that slow"

Welding a process skid I got set up to weld something a few inches above floor level in a tight spot, laying down. Put the pedal under my hip and roll into it, quickly realized I left the work clamp off. :shocked: I then fell onto that pedal 100% and kept zapping myself banging around trying to get out. :laughing:
Click to expand...

Put the pedal in your armpit and move your arm. :flipoff2:
 
Brad said:
I’ve got the flex lock torch on the machine at work. It’s definitely a great upgrade. CK makes quality stuff and have extraordinary customer service. Local welding shop I deal with at work wasn’t willing to help me out returning the 12.5’ torch and getting a 25’ torch even though it was still in the box. CK said the shops excuse was bullshit and sent me the hoses direct. Also sent me a replacement swivel part to use the bigger gas lenses and an extra knob as well. They will always get praise from me for customer service like that
Click to expand...

I recently bought a flex-loc torch also, I really like it. I'm not sure if I could get used to the pistol-grip torch. At the moment I'm not doing tons of out-of-position welding where I can't easily use my knee .
 
Dethmachinefab said:
Welding a process skid I got set up to weld something a few inches above floor level in a tight spot, laying down. Put the pedal under my hip and roll into it, quickly realized I left the work clamp off. :shocked: I then fell onto that pedal 100% and kept zapping myself banging around trying to get out. :laughing:
Click to expand...

:lmao:
 
I will make a cantilever system, 2x4 however long, squeeze the pedal with my elbow or do anything else before I use a thumb control. :laughing:
 
I’ve used something similar and it was helpful where I needed the high frequency start but not the amperage adjustment.
 
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