Ac/dc tig

[Newlands]

Will shortly be looking for an ac/dc tig machine - single phase 16a supply, don’t envisage anything thicker than 3mm, but would like the ability to weld stainless and aluminium, maybe a bit of bronze welding as well. Would welcome some recommendations for something in the £1800-2000 range. A foot pedal would be nice (but why are they so expensive??!). I don’t need the stick welding function, though as far as I know most machines come with this.

 

[Munkul]

It depends... If you just want a machine, then Jasic/Parweld/Stealth 200 amp machines go for around £1300.

Or up your budget to around £2400ish and buy probably the best machine for the budget, a Lorch handy TIG 200.

Lincoln aspect 200 is a nice machine also, but check the warranty terms...

In between £1500 to £2500 I feel like you don't really get much for your money.

 

[MetalMonkey]

The Gys 207/208 units might also be worth a look at that sort of budget, other than that the cheaper recommended units are as stated above: Parweld xtt202p /Thermal Arc (near enough same machine), Jasic (I'd look at the 200 Pro Tig Mini) or SWP Stealth (Digitig ACDC 200). They all have their pros and cons. I opted for a Stealth in the end which can be had for around a grand with pedal.

Don't forget to allow some budget for consumables if you are new to Tig - selection of cups, gas lenses, maybe a different torch, tig wire etc and a bottle of Argon. It will easily swallow a good chunk of that.

 

[Newlands]

I like the sound of the Lorch, having read up a bit since the reply from Munkel - but they are a bit pricey. Secondhand is probably like gold dust! An ex-demo model would be nice...
Have to agree that there seems to be a gap once you get above £1500.

 

[hotponyshoes]

When ever I have looked it seems to be £1200 or so for a chinese machine with a 3yr warranty or £3200 for European.
If you are new to it then I would go for the cheaper option as all the other bits you need soon add up.

I don't know why the foot pedals are so expensive?
The ewm style is die-cast alloy which obviously has a high tooling cost but the others I have seen are folded steel with minimal electronics.
I suppose because they want to cover development costs and make a profit?

You could make one up yourself if you wanted or search for a cheaper one and change the plug.

I cant think of any machines that are any cheaper because they don't have a stick function. I presume the majority of what you need is there anyway so it does not make sense not to add it.

When you do get to a short list you might want to download some spec sheets and check the power requirements, I'm pretty sure the stealth is advertised as a 16a welder but it pulls more than that if you wind it right up.

 

[Munkul]

What you want to do is figure out if you want "yon welder" that will work and do the job just fine for less money, or if you want to spend another £1k+ on a european machine from EWM, Lorch, kemppi etc - which are all built for industrial use with very high duty cycles, and usually have a much higher level of refinement.

Basically it's like comparing Stanley spanners to snap-on. Both will do a job, but I know which i would put money on, and which one will give me pleasure to own.

There are deals to be had much better than internet prices if you ask around

 

[fizzy]

Aren't we all supposed to be supporting Britain now?

https://migtigarc.co.uk/oxford-tigmaker-220e-acdc-3022-p.asp

What about the Oxford Tig?
Only drawback is it's weight but I would love to own one!

 

[Munkul]

I'd like to try one. I bet the AC arc will be really nice

I always thought that they were too gutsy to consider, for some reason I thought they took 20amps+ input current on 240v, but looking at the spec its actually not bad at all, only 16 amps rated so could get away with a 13amp plug quite easily.

 

[hotponyshoes]

The inverters generally give more output power for the same input power but if you dont need the portability or space then a transformer machine is a good option.
Cheaper and easier to repair which would make me a lot happier about buying a second-hand one in the first place. You also get a lot more for your money if buying used as they dont seem to be as popular although it's mostly older machines that are available.

 

[chris pruteanu]

Inverters are so much better, also good chinese welders come full o bells and wistles...god that oxford tig looks dated...buy something european with confidence: lorch, ewm, kemppi, cebora, lincoln, etc.