I am now in the market for a TIG welder, having received numerous requests for aluminum and stainless work.
I’m looking for a suitcase-sized unit that can be transported if need be, ideally 110/220 capable.
I’m curious what you guys might have at work, or home shops, and how they perform for you. I’ve looked at the Lincoln Square Wave, and some other welders on Amazon, and it seems there’s a significant price difference between an analog/digital machine. Is there any tangible difference between the two, and would I want to opt for a full digital unit? (ie a regular tig versus “squarewave” capable machines)
If your primary focus is aluminum then you need a “AC/DC” machine. Most of your cheaper tig welders are are not AC/DC and will not weld aluminum other then maybe a beer can.
Aluminum takes alot of heat to weld, you will not get that out of any 110 v machine.
Tig welding is not like mig or stick where you just set it and forget it. You have settings like pulse etc that it takes alot to get used to, the new digital machines take all that out of it and set it for you and are much easier to use hence: the extra money and it is worth every penny.
I bought this machine this spring and it is a beast, great machine. Very pleasurable to weld with.
Nice, I’ve heard good things about the Mulitmatics. I’ve tigged plenty of carbon and stainless steels, not much aluminum but do realize that aluminum takes tons of heat, and also AC. I remember some stuff from school about cleaning cycles and frequencies and that sort of stuff.
What sort of thicknesses of aluminum have you done with your Miller?
edit: Only reason I say “portable” is because I’m not looking for a 300lb shop unit. Definitely an inverter/suitcase sized unit so I can haul it around without breaking my back.
I have only run 10 ga- 1/8" stuff with it, my son is a professional welder and he has used on 1/4"+ material.
He taught me to tig with this machine, it was fun to learn. Some folks on here have the everlast machines and they like them just fine. A couple of my kids buddies bought the Harbor Freight version of this machine and returned them after trying this one, they are professional welders as well but almost all structural/highrise work. They tig on their hobby stuff, dirt bikes etc.
I have an everlast. I’m not gonna pretend they are top of the line machines…but mine runs just as good as the Miller machines from my welding school. For a budget-minded hobby welder… you can’t beat the bang for the buck you get with everlast.
My MIG machine is a Miller and I have a Miller plasma cutter… but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Everlast. In fact, I’m thinking about upgrading to a bigger one. I can get it with a water- cooled torch and cooler for less than the comparable Miller. I’m not poo-pooing Miller, I’m just saying you don’t have to spend that much to get a machine that welds great.
All of the newer inverter machines are very portable.
Ditto. I have the Everlast PowerTig 210 EXT with the upgraded foot control & torch (extra $100 I think if you buy it when you buy the machine). It will support water cooling if I end up wanting to do that. It has all of the features my pro welder friends have in their Miller & Lincolns.
I’ve been drooling about this machine since it came out but I haven’t convinced myself to spend the cash. https://store.cyberweld.com/miller-multimatic-220-welder-907757.html
it’s a do-all machine with AC/DC TIG. It would compliment my existing Miller 211 nicely because I could use my spool gun I currently have.
It really is a nice machine to use, I love it. I sold two welders, a mig and a tombstone stick welder when I bought the 220. it is so nice to have one machine to do it all.
You think you will now…
Run a few beads with the 220 with mig and you will not want to go back to the 211, they weld that much nicer, smooth, clean, flawless weld everytime.
I should look up why but I really is a cool thing.
To be fair I rarely get to use my buddies 211. I work on his racecars and weld a little and there but there really is a difference. The other thing that may be different is at my shop I have good power, commercial building with 3 phase and his huge shop is in a residential area and maybe the power is not so clean.
I taught his twin 14 year old boys to weld at my place and they could tell the difference between their welder and mine.
I wished I could try your fancy welder. I’m really impressed with the performance of my 211 and find it hard to believe the 220 is that much better but I’m willing to give er a whirl!
I’ve used the maxstar 150 since it replaced the 140. We use it for tig welding pipe and stick welding equipment in an industrial environment. I love these little machines. All my mechanics carry one in their toolboxes. welderreview. com
Portability is tough(er) with TIG - you need an Argon bottle in addition to whatever power unit you have. Those bottles can be pain to haul around. Best portable welder I’ve owned was the Multimatic 200 - but it’s DC TIG only - so you can only do AL with a spoolgun (and you still need Argon)…but it will run 120v or 240, you are just limited on 120v on how many amps you can pump out and the duty cycle is a little lower. Best portable units are stick and flux core mig - no gas needed - Multimatic 200 will do both fine…but AL is out without the gas.
I use a Miller Maxstar 150 stl I stick weld 3/32" all day long and Tig stainless without breaking a sweat with 110 also. If I’m doing 1/8" I’ll use the 220. Best welder I have by far and so portable. I also have a Millermatic 211 I mig aluminum with and a Hobart 210 mvp that I mig aluminum with also. Hobart is made by Miller and if I had the choice to buy again. Hobart for the price and how good it works. My next machine will be a Miller high frequency for Tig on aluminum. I’m sure you can get by with off brand ones but I use Miller at my regular job and Miller and Hobart in my welding shop. No down time and reliable.
I have been welding most of my life and I just needed a small welder for my shop. So I’ve bought a SUNGOLDPOWER.
The size and weight come with a little apprehension about its power. The numbers on the dial are simply a reference but look at the LED readout which is quite accurate. This machine does work on 110 but it is smoother on 220. I have read things to the contrary but I ran close to 20 sticks of normal 7018 of various diameters with no loss of power or penetration and very smooth wells. I also did a lot of TIG welding and that high-voltage start is a blessing for not having throttle pedal control. Get used to a little trial and error. Not sure it would work in a commercial shop but it is excellent for home use.
Do you have any TIG experience? My shop is all miller now. I used to have a mix of lincoln and esab. I wanted to run fronious but it was out of the budget. Miller 252 (MIG), Miller Syncrowave 210 (AC/DC TIG), and Miller Multimatic 215 (MIG). Out of everything the Multimatic sees the most use, as anyone can pick it up and weld with it. The 210 you have to know how to TIG first which scares people off. The 252 is an absolutely awesome MIG gut it’s not intuitive at all for a first timer. When the Syncrowave is a bit older I’ll add a new Dynasty to the fleet but that’s a year or so off, but that’s the suitcase size you are looking for.
It truly is a pleasant machine to utilize, welding blog I love it. I sold two welders, a mig and a gravestone stick welder when I purchased the 220. it is so ideal to have one machine to do everything.You guys Should Try it.
