R-Tech, Thermal Arc or Parweld

[3MPS]

So I'm wanting to buy my first AC/DC TIG welder.

I don't want £500 cheap ****, but then I haven't got £2k either.

R-Tech seem to have a good reputation, and the 6 months interest free has the wife's approval.

The Thermal Arc 202/Parweld look like the same unit. A friend who uses a Thermal Arc gets good welds, and he does the same type of work I want to do with it. The Parweld can be picked up from a local welding supplies shop, which gives some comfort with any repair etc.

Is there any performance/reliability benefits to any of the above machines, or should I choose based on convenience?

 

[mfletch]

Doubleboost a member on here has done a video on a R-Tech tig

I can also give a thumbs up for R- Tech

 

[ukracer]

I cant add any more to your choice. You seem to already know the salient points. I only have R-Tech machines so cant comment on the others. I would say convenience is the deciding factor in your case.

 

[Richiew]

Pulse frequency is a bit limited on the R Tech. Best check the specs carefully.

 

[sandman1071]

I'm also a newbie looking to buy a Tig.... and I've also been looking at the Thermal Arc 202 as well as the R-Tech.

Thing is, I am located in Norway and neither of those brands are represented here.. but still; both seem to offer more 'bang for the buck' than what I can get in this country...

I've been trying to decide what to choose - but I'm stuck!

The Thermal Arc looks nice and got a large known supplier behind it. It has good pulse and all the other things I think I need.. but has a fairly low duty-cycle - at least compared to the R-Tech... Will this be a problem for me in the future ???
Also another point that has me worried is the "pedal-problems" and "arc stepping" issues I've read about on forums.. Now, it seems like much of the "arc-stepping" has been solved, but now i read that there's some issues with one having to disconnect the foot-control in order to verify peak amperage settings... (Can any one confirm this??)

The R-tech 200 amp AC/DC also look nice... but comes from a smaller supplier (one single company if I understand it correctly?) and only has a 25Hz pulse.. (will this be a problem for a novice welder ??) I understand R-tech has quite good customer service and they will fix things for free... but not sure how that apply to me as I'm living in Norway.

Price-wise I think they come out about even as I can get free shipping on the Thermal Arc.

The new R-tech Digital has better pulse, but will be more expensive that the Thermal Arc.

Arrgh... what to choose ???!!?!?


--
sandman

 

[overload]

The Thermal Arc looks nice and got a large known supplier behind it. It has good pulse and all the other things I think I need.. but has a fairly low duty-cycle - at least compared to the R-Tech... Will this be a problem for me in the future ???
Also another point that has me worried is the "pedal-problems" and "arc stepping" issues I've read about on forums.. Now, it seems like much of the "arc-stepping" has been solved, but now i read that there's some issues with one having to disconnect the foot-control in order to verify peak amperage settings... (Can any one confirm this??)

The foot control needs to be disconnected when you want to play with the machine settings. When it's connected, it just shows a irrelevant reading.
A pain in the ass for sure but you can bypass it by adding a on/off type switch to one of the wires in the pedal. I haven't done this on mine yet but some people have shown it can be done.

One thing I have learnt about the machine is it prefers to have a max amp dialled in for, say 2.5mm steel at 125amps and you floor the pedal at first and then ease off/moderate afterwards.
If you just leave it on 200 amps all the time which is the maximum and then try to weld 1mm steel, then yeah, the pedal performance is definitely not like a miller. Just something to bear in mind that's all.

 

[sandman1071]

The foot control needs to be disconnected when you want to play with the machine settings. When it's connected, it just shows a irrelevant reading.
A pain in the ass for sure but you can bypass it by adding a on/off type switch to one of the wires in the pedal. I haven't done this on mine yet but some people have shown it can be done.

I mentioned this "pedal-problem" to a Thermal-Arc seller... but he said it should not be like this... Have you talked to thermal Arc or any Rep. about this?
(When did you buy your machine?)

I've also heard some complaints about the Thermal Arc's fan being loud and constantly running... how does that compare to the R-tech's fan?
Looking at Doubleboost's Youtube videos... seems to me like the R-tech fan is also quite noicy and running at all time... could someone please shed some light on this ?

Cheers!

 

[doubleboost]

The fan on my R_Rech TIG runs all the time
I would not call the noise excessive
I think the later units have a fan that cuts in as required

 

[overload]

I mentioned this "pedal-problem" to a Thermal-Arc seller... but he said it should not be like this... Have you talked to thermal Arc or any Rep. about this?
(When did you buy your machine?)

I bought it more than a year ago and no, I haven't mentioned it.

To be fair, it's a very minor fault in my eyes as long as you set the required amps to the material thickness you're welding. It's fine after that and the machine can make very good welds so it is still a viable choice to have when you're in the market for one, especially for the price they are selling at now!!

BTW the fan is noisy and continuous, just like the R-Tech!

 

[hotrodder]

I'm also a newbie looking to buy a Tig.... and I've also been looking at the Thermal Arc 202 as well as the R-Tech.

Thing is, I am located in Norway and neither of those brands are represented here.. but still; both seem to offer more 'bang for the buck' than what I can get in this country...

I've been trying to decide what to choose - but I'm stuck!

The Thermal Arc looks nice and got a large known supplier behind it. It has good pulse and all the other things I think I need.. but has a fairly low duty-cycle - at least compared to the R-Tech... Will this be a problem for me in the future ???
Also another point that has me worried is the "pedal-problems" and "arc stepping" issues I've read about on forums.. Now, it seems like much of the "arc-stepping" has been solved, but now i read that there's some issues with one having to disconnect the foot-control in order to verify peak amperage settings... (Can any one confirm this??)

The R-tech 200 amp AC/DC also look nice... but comes from a smaller supplier (one single company if I understand it correctly?) and only has a 25Hz pulse.. (will this be a problem for a novice welder ??) I understand R-tech has quite good customer service and they will fix things for free... but not sure how that apply to me as I'm living in Norway.

Price-wise I think they come out about even as I can get free shipping on the Thermal Arc.

The new R-tech Digital has better pulse, but will be more expensive that the Thermal Arc.

Arrgh... what to choose ???!!?!?


--
sandman

I wouldn't worry much about duty cycle, the Miller Dynasty 200 only has a 20% duty cycle at 200A but is one of the most highly regarded 200A machines about. Granted Miller are more likely to be on the conservative side of honest with regards to specs than a badge engineered Chinese machine (ALL 3 of the machines being talked about in this thread) but duty cycle is rarely if ever an issue with TIG unlike say MIG where you have a big spool of wire instead of cut lengths...

The ability to pulse at hundreds of Hz is more useful but it's not the biggest of deals unless welding ultra thin stuff and even then it's a useful tool rather than a must have

Pedal worries/problems can be side stepped by buying an SSC Controls pedal direct from the States, better quality and designe than just about anything else and typically cheaper too. Dunno about the TA 202 but SSC used to be an OEM supplier to Thermal Arc (they supplied Lincoln Electric too) pedals so it may just be a case of saving a chunk by buying direct

Obviously it depends on the actual warrenty terms but i would have thought the Parweld might make the most sense in that regard as they've got several European distributors inc Norway and Sweden by the looks of things

 

[Beady]

I've been looking at the Jasic 200 digital, again a Chinese machine, and very similar front panel functions to the Thermal Arc 202. It has 20 different TIG welding modes and user memories. It is a uk supplied unit with a five year parts and labour warranty. It doesn't come with a foot pedal which has to be bought separately.

I looked at the TA 202, but it only offers a two year warranty - which seems standard amongst many units at the moment.

 

[sandman1071]

Overload; any chance you could make a quick video of how the machine works (as well as showing the pedal problem and how to work around it) Would also be handy to hear how noisy the fan is!!

Hotrodder;
From what I can tell the Parweld has even lower duty-cycle than the T-A !?! Also.. the Parweld will cost me a lot more than the T-A.... If I buy it here in Norway the machine alone (no Torch, no pedal, no extras) will cost around £1500 + 25% VAT!

 

[Richard.]

The parweld was suggested not to buy it direct from Norway but because it could be easily supported in Norway should things have a turn for the worst. You would of course buy it where you can get it cheapest but you would also buy it for local warranty and support. Don't worry about the differences in duty cycle. More than likely the gas/air cooled torches will get too hot before your machine cuts out.

 

[hotrodder]

^^ This. I had no idea how much the Parweld costs in Norway when i suggested it but i'm not surprised it's spendy, AIUI everything in Norway is relatively speaking i.e. if Rtech or Thermal Arc were stocked locally they would be too

 

[ukracer]

Overload; any chance you could make a quick video of how the machine works (as well as showing the pedal problem and how to work around it) Would also be handy to hear how noisy the fan is!!

Hotrodder;
From what I can tell the Parweld has even lower duty-cycle than the T-A !?! Also.. the Parweld will cost me a lot more than the T-A.... If I buy it here in Norway the machine alone (no Torch, no pedal, no extras) will cost around £1500 + 25% VAT!

Why dont you speak to R-Tech and ask them how you stand with warranty.....its worth a try.

 

[Richard.]

As I see it all 3 of these machines are pretty much identical and the very subtle differences between should not be worried about as a deal breaker. A few Hz here and the odd% there is not gonna make a difference. The deal breaker should be based purely on support . I am sure they are built to a reasonable standard and go through QC over here but they are still Chinese and the easier it is for you to make use of the warranty should you have a problem the better. The last thing you need is to be shipping it off at your expense and be without it for weeks.

 

[Richard.]

I cant add any more to your choice. You seem to already know the salient points. I only have R-Tech machines so cant comment on the others. I would say convenience is the deciding factor in your case.

Gys fall in the same boat I think

 

[langy]

I've used both and the Parweld arc is more stable

 

[Richard.]

I've used both and the Parweld arc is more stable

Sorry to change subject how you getting on with your castalin.

 

[langy]

Sorry to change subject how you getting on with your castalin.

Castalin ???? You got me Richard