r tech machines on fleabay

[Badger1bear]

can someone tell me why r tech machines on fleabay generally say shop soiled ? (not all of them)

Do they have a sloppy manufacturer or a less than careful delivery driver ?
I have long considered a tig machine to toy around with in the cellar at the end of the working day Ya know summat just to tinker with and learn the process

 

[madkayaker]

R tech do seam to have lots of shop soiled stuff. I think the tea boy keeps crashing the trolly

 

[Badger1bear]

Not knowing anything about Tig work.....is lift start tig the same as scratch start tig ?

 

[madkayaker]

Not lift start is a poor mans HF you hold the tip near but don't touch then as you pull away it strikes. Scratch start is like striking a match. I would save bit more and get HF start its much better

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I think it's a way to 'discount' the stock to keep it moving, I bought a 'shop soiled' AC/DC tig and it was in perfect nick with a full warranty.

 

[chunkolini]

My plasma cutter was 'shop soiled' it looks as though it had been demo'ed once.
Came with loads of spares as well.
The warranty is not affected either.

 

[Badger1bear]

I bought the THERMAL ARC 175 SE STICK /LIFT TIG WELDER some time back for roughneck arc welding on farms etc, it came with the tig feature but I never bought the lead and gun to go with it.

What tig machine do you think would be a good starting point bud ? is it best to pay extra and go for ac/dc or go just with dc (cheaper) to see what the process is like ? the downside to just dc is not being able to dabble with stainless or ally ?

I am gonna teach myself the black art of tig in my meager spare time late at night

 

[cumbriasteve]

When I bought a new machine from them a capacitor blew with 5 mins, fair enough the machine was collected and a new one delivered next day and has been fine since.

I suspect this is where the supply of 'shop soiled' machines come from, they have been returned with initial faults and failures, they fix the fault and resell as shop soiled, often it will look no different from new.

 

[madkayaker]

You do stainless with DC. I don't think they use Ali on loading shovels? . If you already have a machine with basic TIG its a good place to start. You could always get a HF add on box later on

 

[Paul.]

Not knowing anything about Tig work.....is lift start tig the same as scratch start tig ?

Not quite, scratch start sets are normally little more than DC arc welders with a tig torch fitted, permanently live torch, no contactor, gas or slope down control, just scratch to start, break of smartly to stop, gas is controlled by a manual valve on the torch,

Lift arc has a few slight variations but generally has some electronic control, for example my stel in lift arc mode, gas is controlled by a valve in the machine, the welding power is under the control of a contactor in the machine controlled by the button on the torch.
So you would touch the electrode to the job, press the torch button, this starts the gas, power comes on but the machine senses a dead short because you are touched down and applies a minimum current to prevent sticking, then when you lift the electrode the machine senses it and welding current flows, at the end of the weld release the button, the current stops subject to any slope down or post gas settings you have set,

 

[Badger1bear]

. I don't think they use Ali on loading shovels? .

true true but you never know what the future may hold in the way of work

 

[Badger1bear]

Not quite, scratch start sets are normally little more than DC arc welders with a tig torch fitted, permanently live torch, no contactor, gas or slope down control, just scratch to start, break of smartly to stop, gas is controlled by a manual valve on the torch,

Lift arc has a few slight variations but generally has some electronic control, for example my stel in lift arc mode, gas is controlled by a valve in the machine, the welding power is under the control of a contactor in the machine controlled by the button on the torch.
So you would touch the electrode to the job, press the torch button, this starts the gas, power comes on but the machine senses a dead short because you are touched down and applies a minimum current to prevent sticking, then when you lift the electrode the machine senses it and welding current flows, at the end of the weld release the button, the current stops subject to any slope down or post gas settings you have set,

Ya know that actually made sense to me

 

[madkayaker]

Not quite, scratch start sets are normally little more than DC arc welders with a tig torch fitted, permanently live torch, no contactor, gas or slope down control, just scratch to start, break of smartly to stop, gas is controlled by a manual valve on the torch,

Lift arc has a few slight variations but generally has some electronic control, for example my stel in lift arc mode, gas is controlled by a valve in the machine, the welding power is under the control of a contactor in the machine controlled by the button on the torch.
So you would touch the electrode to the job, press the torch button, this starts the gas, power comes on but the machine senses a dead short because you are touched down and applies a minimum current to prevent sticking, then when you lift the electrode the machine senses it and welding current flows, at the end of the weld release the button, the current stops subject to any slope down or post gas settings you have set,

Much better explanation to mine hadn't considered gas at all

 

[Badger1bear]

so any recomendations on machines guys ?

 

[ross27]

Ive got a 160 DC R-Tech machine and its perfect for me. I did call and ask about shop soiled ones, and i was told it is anything that has scratched, or marked during transport, or been used in a demo.

They said there tends not to be many 160DC machines shop soiled, as they are much lighter than the other machines.

 

[hotrodder]

While i'm sure the above and the stock turnover thing are true the cynic is me suspects it might be as much about the number of machines that were DOA/faulty and exchanged the next working day due to Rtechs excellent customer service

 

[cecotto479]

It could also be to do with volume selling and discounting agreements with the manufacturer/supplier. They may contractually only be allowed to discount a certain percentage off the manufacturer's retail price for perfect stock, but have more leeway with "shop soiled" or ex demo.

 

[hotrodder]

Yeah although (and i might be making it up) i'm sure someone on here (Matt1978 maybe?) has mentioned that the Chinese factories have been known to get in touch with retailers and undercut the importer of their own products!

 

[Shox Dr]

Not heard that one HR but it wouldn't surprise me, while I never managed to look around a Taiwan factory, I was involved with a US MTB suspension manufacturer with a manufacturing facility in Taiwan: so know a bit about their ways.

 

[hotrodder]

As you say, not a new thing or unique to welding/electrical stuff. Anyway found it...

It wouldn't be the first time the Original Chinese manufacturer hasn't tried to muscle in on a so called protected market.

I know of one UK company who was selling a certain Generic Chinese MMA welder badged in the UK companies name and this company had a list of there distributors on their website. A few months later all of the distributors listed on the website revived a pigeon English email showing a photo of the product in question but in the original Chinese manufacturers colours and offered it for sale directly to them at about a 3rd of the price they was currently paying for it via the UK company