Hello all,
My experiences with different MIG welders is limited. For 25 years I have been using a Max Arc 200. It's an ancient piece of kit, and I thought I would only replace it if something went wrong. However, it just kept on going on and on! It is a bit big and I am limited for space. I had never used an Inverter MIG and after reading all the good press I thought I would treat myself to a R-Tec MIG 180. Its a quarter of the size and with my limited 13A supply I figured it would be just as good, if not better. I only weld steel 1mm-6mm thick.
So, I've had a few weeks of trying to get used to the R-Tec MIG180 and it just does not lay a bead as nicely as my old MaxArc. It's hard to explain, but new machine seems very sensitive to wire feed settings and I get a lot of spatter. My old machine was more forgiving, and seemed to weld a nice smooth bead. Is this to be expected? Am I just not getting to grips with the settings of the new machine, or is there an inherent reason why a 25+ year old transformer machine would weld better than a new inverter machine? Don't get me wrong, the R-Tec looks like a nice bit of kit and if I had never had experience of MIG welding before I would be happy.
Perhaps there's someone out there with more experience of old and new machines who can tell me why they feel so different to use?
My experiences with different MIG welders is limited. For 25 years I have been using a Max Arc 200. It's an ancient piece of kit, and I thought I would only replace it if something went wrong. However, it just kept on going on and on! It is a bit big and I am limited for space. I had never used an Inverter MIG and after reading all the good press I thought I would treat myself to a R-Tec MIG 180. Its a quarter of the size and with my limited 13A supply I figured it would be just as good, if not better. I only weld steel 1mm-6mm thick.
So, I've had a few weeks of trying to get used to the R-Tec MIG180 and it just does not lay a bead as nicely as my old MaxArc. It's hard to explain, but new machine seems very sensitive to wire feed settings and I get a lot of spatter. My old machine was more forgiving, and seemed to weld a nice smooth bead. Is this to be expected? Am I just not getting to grips with the settings of the new machine, or is there an inherent reason why a 25+ year old transformer machine would weld better than a new inverter machine? Don't get me wrong, the R-Tec looks like a nice bit of kit and if I had never had experience of MIG welding before I would be happy.
Perhaps there's someone out there with more experience of old and new machines who can tell me why they feel so different to use?