A friend mentioned these when we were talking about my impending MIG purchase and I am curious to know more? Seems like a fairly recent technology using electronics instead of a transformer.
From what I have read it seems the main downside is the risk of the unit failing as due to the electronics pretty much the only option is replacement (i.e. the unit is junk!!).
Upside seem to be far finer control over settings for different metal thicknesses and a better/smoother arc resulting in neater welds?
For my usage I still plan to go with a transformer based unit like the Portamig 181 as durability and repairability are very important to me. Even with a 2 or 3 year warranty if the inverter goes pop after that I'm looking at a new machine I would guess.
Still be interested to hear what people know / have experienced with inverter based MIG's though.
I suspect its the way things will go eventually as the electronics become more reliable and cheaper to build, plus it gives extra control, smaller units and production costs are likely to be lower.
Chris
From what I have read it seems the main downside is the risk of the unit failing as due to the electronics pretty much the only option is replacement (i.e. the unit is junk!!).
Upside seem to be far finer control over settings for different metal thicknesses and a better/smoother arc resulting in neater welds?
For my usage I still plan to go with a transformer based unit like the Portamig 181 as durability and repairability are very important to me. Even with a 2 or 3 year warranty if the inverter goes pop after that I'm looking at a new machine I would guess.
Still be interested to hear what people know / have experienced with inverter based MIG's though.
I suspect its the way things will go eventually as the electronics become more reliable and cheaper to build, plus it gives extra control, smaller units and production costs are likely to be lower.
Chris