Hi!
Some background / introduction info on my welding antics so far, you can skip this if you wish:
I've never given welding much thought until quite recently. I always figured it was something 'you should leave to a pro', until I recently (4 or 5 months ago) realised we still had an old Ferm stick welder at home which I'd never seen in action as far as I can remember. So with a slight hesitation, I clamped down on a random piece of steel, put a 25 year old electrode into the holder, flipped the switch and touched the steel with it...
Of course the electrode got stuck right away, but after a few tries I was able to actually lay down a small bead. It was kind of hard to think about all this stuff I saw in the hours of videos I watched, whilst holding a hood in one hand and trying to figure out where the heck I even was through the tiny piece of glass. It was great fun though, and before I knew it, 5, 10, 20 electrodes were gone!
With the welds getting a bit better, I started to realise this is something you can do at home, and I can make stuff with it!
I decided the next step was to get a proper helmet, and bought an Esab Sentinel, probably worth 7 times the welder But wow, what an improvement over the hand held hood!
I then realised I wanted a decent welder, one that has at least a normal display and minimal settings, and not some steel bar moving between a ruler to set the rod thickness, instead of the amps...
And so I began to research the options I have, and after a few weeks figured I wanted to go with TIG, as I intend to someday weld some nice things around the house. I'd also still have the option to do stick if needed.
The actual question:
So here we are today, after doing a lot of research on different machines/brands/settings etc. I decided I was going to look for a not too old used inverter DC welder from a well known brand, it has to be 230V single phase and I'd like HF start.
What I have in mind to weld, are projects around the house like for example a table frame or a closet frame, if I ever get to the level I want to be at a stainless bird cage and besides that repair some stuff that comes up like a hole in the lawn mower deck etc. I think it's also important to acknowledge I don't need to weld, I want to weld.
I have found some candidates, but would like the input from someone more knowledgeable to see whether I did my research right, or whether I'm about to make a stupid decision... I also understand these machines are probably overkill for my needs, but I like good tools and believe in the buy once cry once, within reason. I expect to own this machine for the next 25 years.
What do you think about the following options in my case?
Any comments welcome!
1. EWM Triton 160 DC +- 515 GBP (160 amps, 2t/4t, HF, up/downslope, pre and postflow)
2. EWM Triton 220 DC +- 650 GBP (220 amps, 2t/4t, HF, Pulse, up/downslope, pre and postflow)
3. Lorch Handy-Tig 210 DC +- 385 GBP (180 amps, 2t/4t, HF)
Pics below show what's included. So for the Lorch and Triton 160 I'd have to add a regulator as well.
Personally I am leaning towards the Triton 220. From what I've read, it's the predecessor to the Tetrix, and it's a great machine. I am not sure about the pricing though, it's hard for me to guess as a newcomer, and I feel it is on the high end of being OK for a 220 amp DC from one of the top brands?The torch is a Parweld 17 BTW, the torches on the other two I don't know.
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Some background / introduction info on my welding antics so far, you can skip this if you wish:
I've never given welding much thought until quite recently. I always figured it was something 'you should leave to a pro', until I recently (4 or 5 months ago) realised we still had an old Ferm stick welder at home which I'd never seen in action as far as I can remember. So with a slight hesitation, I clamped down on a random piece of steel, put a 25 year old electrode into the holder, flipped the switch and touched the steel with it...
Of course the electrode got stuck right away, but after a few tries I was able to actually lay down a small bead. It was kind of hard to think about all this stuff I saw in the hours of videos I watched, whilst holding a hood in one hand and trying to figure out where the heck I even was through the tiny piece of glass. It was great fun though, and before I knew it, 5, 10, 20 electrodes were gone!
With the welds getting a bit better, I started to realise this is something you can do at home, and I can make stuff with it!
I decided the next step was to get a proper helmet, and bought an Esab Sentinel, probably worth 7 times the welder But wow, what an improvement over the hand held hood!
I then realised I wanted a decent welder, one that has at least a normal display and minimal settings, and not some steel bar moving between a ruler to set the rod thickness, instead of the amps...
And so I began to research the options I have, and after a few weeks figured I wanted to go with TIG, as I intend to someday weld some nice things around the house. I'd also still have the option to do stick if needed.
The actual question:
So here we are today, after doing a lot of research on different machines/brands/settings etc. I decided I was going to look for a not too old used inverter DC welder from a well known brand, it has to be 230V single phase and I'd like HF start.
What I have in mind to weld, are projects around the house like for example a table frame or a closet frame, if I ever get to the level I want to be at a stainless bird cage and besides that repair some stuff that comes up like a hole in the lawn mower deck etc. I think it's also important to acknowledge I don't need to weld, I want to weld.
I have found some candidates, but would like the input from someone more knowledgeable to see whether I did my research right, or whether I'm about to make a stupid decision... I also understand these machines are probably overkill for my needs, but I like good tools and believe in the buy once cry once, within reason. I expect to own this machine for the next 25 years.
What do you think about the following options in my case?
Any comments welcome!
1. EWM Triton 160 DC +- 515 GBP (160 amps, 2t/4t, HF, up/downslope, pre and postflow)
2. EWM Triton 220 DC +- 650 GBP (220 amps, 2t/4t, HF, Pulse, up/downslope, pre and postflow)
3. Lorch Handy-Tig 210 DC +- 385 GBP (180 amps, 2t/4t, HF)
Pics below show what's included. So for the Lorch and Triton 160 I'd have to add a regulator as well.
Personally I am leaning towards the Triton 220. From what I've read, it's the predecessor to the Tetrix, and it's a great machine. I am not sure about the pricing though, it's hard for me to guess as a newcomer, and I feel it is on the high end of being OK for a 220 amp DC from one of the top brands?The torch is a Parweld 17 BTW, the torches on the other two I don't know.
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for your thoughts.