A Blast From The Past

[RapidResponse]

I have used and sold a lot of single phase mig sets over the years.

The days when performance rather than price seem to be over.

Does anyone remember the Powcon 200 GMS. 2 Grand for a single phase mig in 89, but christ what a machine.

A 10th of the price now, but from China.

Can this be true 20 years later.

Anybody else remember a machine that pushed all the right buttons.?

 

[Angusdog]

Yup. My Telwin BiMax 150. Cost NZ$800 or about 300 pounds and does everything I need to do. If it were NZ$6000, welding wouldn't be an option for the home user regardless of what it was capable of. And two thousand pounds adjusted for inflation would buy the best MIG welder on the market. I'd say the MIG welders available these days are popular because they're cheaper and allow home users in particular to tackle much more ambitious projects, so hands down welders these days are considerably better.

And lets face it: most home users and a lot of professionals weld steel thinner than 6mm, without the need of a much bigger machine. While my Telwin gets very light use, it shows no signs of wear or tear after five years. I'm going to change the torch to a euro connection, but it's small and capable and does everything I need.

Or are we talking only professional use?

 

[RapidResponse]

No. I was just asking which kit has seriously impressed you when you used it.

Although the Powcon is no longer made, i have not seen a better single phase machine.

It was a multi process inverter that was bloody reliable.

 

[pedrobedro]

I used to use a welder at a lorry maintenance yard which was a perfect tool for everything from 1.5mm upwards. It was a York 170 amp with stitch, spot, burnback and stickout control. It was as big as a washing machine so it wasn't exactly portable but it did run on single phase.

 

[busa]

I recently started back with a company I first worked for nearly thirty years ago, they have a Murex 230 mig set that they bought in 1982, I remember unpacking it and setting it up. It's still going strong, and welds just like real welders used to back in the day!

 

[RapidResponse]

Most of the Old murex still going. The tradesmig range was terrific. I still see some of the Grey cased machines around.

 

[malcolm]

My 1979 Syncrowave TIG is lovely (especially now the amps are right), but I preferred the basic Lorch 150H I borrowed from Matt. Easier to use and much smaller and quieter.

TIG seems to have benefited from new technology much more than MIGs, so it's MIG that would suffer more from cost down.

Are you talking about the thicker steel end of things for MIG? The expensive machines these days seem aimed at that sort of thing. Car fiddlers have it much easier - with niches that marketers like to fill we can have machines tuned to work well at very low amps for mid range money.

 

[RapidResponse]

I would struggle to suggest any machine that gives a better looking weld than a syncrowave on aluminium. Regardless of how much technology it has.
I am talking about weld appearence not weld quality.

 

[malcolm]

The basic Lorch didn't do aluminium, but now you mention it I was surprised to find welding aluminium on the Syncro easier than welding steel.

 

[Seano]

My 1979 Syncrowave TIG is lovely (especially now the amps are right),

Shame they are 3 phase malcolm, or am I talking drivel again...

Sean.

 

[malcolm]

Shame they are 3 phase malcolm, or am I talking drivel again...

Many of the big old TIGs are single phase 415V. Some like the Syncrowave can be set up for 240V. The manual suggests a 110 amp supply, but a 40 amp type D breaker will satisfy the start up surge.