New boy, welder advice needed

[dobbslc]

Hi all I've just joined up and need a bit of advice.
I'm after a tig welder at the lower end of the cost scale and have seen the "New" SIP weldmate machines like the P178HF on eblag, they look quite tempting for the money,are these any good for general light steel and stainless steel work? I want to fab a seat sub frame for my bike and then if I get good enough a stainless exhaust system.
I have an old SIP mig that I know has many poor design and manufacturing area's, has this continued onto their more modern machines?
Thanks for any advice.
Rob

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum:

I have no experience with TIG so will leave that part of the advice to those in the know.

I do however have loads of experience with ebay and I'm afraid it's not the spot I would be buying a TIG from, there are many sellers there who fail badly with their after sales service in the event of future problems, being nothing more than box shifters.

Although in fairness there are bound to be a couple of good sellers, it's identifying them from the hoard that's not too easy to do, even the feedback ratings they may have can not be relied on to any great extent.

It would be much safer to buy from a reputable firm such as Weldequip or R-Tech, both firms well used by members here.

 

[daleyd]

^^ as cumbriasteve says, sip are generally not that well regarded on here, though I haven't seen any reviews on their newer inverter sets.

If you do get one I would make sure you get it from a welding supplier rather than a generic box shifter shop.

Be aware if you are making a subframe for a bike the potential for things to go wrong are immense, and tig isn't the easiest process to master. That's not to say you shouldn't take it up, but creating high strength structural welds isn't going to come overnight.

You are right in going for one with hf start as this is easier to get to grips with.

Whatever you choose keep us updated!

 

[Istayinalot]

Ebay is a bit of a lottery, you could be lucky and buy a machine that gives you no problems, but if your unlucky and you get a bad one after sales may be a non starter, My advice would be to pay a bit more for a tig from a firm that actually know about the stuff they sell, offer a good warranty and will sort any problems with a phone call.

 

[Richard.]

Or, buy a better quality used unit from a private seller and forget about warranty after sales etc. take a welder with you to try it out before parting cash, you will find been a better brand your far less likely to have trouble. And if it's been used in someone's garage for it's life it's prob been subject to light use and taken care of. It is a risk but one I've taken over and over again and by following some simple steps it is far less of a risk then buying from a box mover. Who knows you could land a deal on a high end brand.