Recommend me an AC/DC TIG welder...

[wrinx]

Budget of around £1k max, including a foot pedal if possible....I've looked at the various options including R-Tech and Parweld machines which look ok. Also fancy the Portamig TIG but it'd need to be damned good to blow the budget...although it would look rather nice next to my Portmig 235

Any recommendations please?

wrinx

 

[Richiew]

There's this option to consider too.

http://www.weldequip.com/swp-digitig-200.htm

Plus the Thermal Arc 202 that I have my eye on.

I'd love to get a decent answer to your question. I might possibly be in the market for one too.

 

[daleyd]

Don't forget to Keep an eye out for decent second hand machines too, there was a kemmpi for sale on here for 1600 which was a bargain in my eyes, even though it would blow your budget. Goes to show they are out there though.....

 

[HughF]

Don't buy the portamig tig machine, it's transformer based and doesn't have frequency control. Having spent far too many years working alu with transformer sets, I would not want to go back now I have an inverter with adjustable frequency.

 

[Jim Davey]

Another vote for second hand. I don't think a grand gets you an awful lot of machine really.

 

[wrinx]

There's this option to consider too.

http://www.weldequip.com/swp-digitig-200.htm

Plus the Thermal Arc 202 that I have my eye on.

I'd love to get a decent answer to your question. I might possibly be in the market for one too.

Thanks. I'd seen the Thermal Arcs on Weldequip's site and added them to the possibles list previously but removed them for some reason....forget why but it's likely to have been from comments on here.

wrinx

 

[wrinx]

Don't buy the portamig tig machine, it's transformer based and doesn't have frequency control. Having spent far too many years working alu with transformer sets, I would not want to go back now I have an inverter with adjustable frequency.

Thanks for confirming, I wasn't sure if the sturdiness of the "old tech" was better on balance than the newer tech. Seems to apply to MIG but not TIG.

wrinx

 

[wrinx]

Don't forget to Keep an eye out for decent second hand machines too, there was a kemmpi for sale on here for 1600 which was a bargain in my eyes, even though it would blow your budget. Goes to show they are out there though.....

Another vote for second hand. I don't think a grand gets you an awful lot of machine really.

I've been keeping an eye out on fleabay...but then so is everyone else :lol: I'd be happy to buy a decent second-hand set up but worry about repairs and spares. There's something to be said for a warranty when spending a grand.

My use will only be DIY so going over the budget will be hard to justify, plus I've only done a couple of weeks TIG welding brass many years ago so don't really know what to buy.

Thanks for your comments so far

wrinx

 

[pedrobedro]

My use will only be DIY so going over the budget will be hard to justify, plus I've only done a couple of weeks TIG welding brass many years ago so don't really know what to buy.

Thanks for your comments so far

wrinx

Did you weld it or Braze it on DC ? Brass has a lot of zinc content and disappears when you try to penetration weld it

 

[Appyasme]

wriax,you mentioned in your first post two companies that you were looking to buy a machine from,DO NOT BUY CHEAP IMPORTED JUNK FROM THEM.Thermalarc is the best machine you can buy,believe me we have at least 50+ on site.Yes they might say that Themalarc is imported from Japan,ask the supplier if the CHEAP rubbish they are trying to sell you is CE Marked,if they say yes ask them to show you evidence

 

[HughF]

Parweld and thermal arc 202 are the same machine mate... R-tech are Chinese but with superb after sales and warranty and are perfectly decent for the home user.

Hugh

 

[Appyasme]

Having seen inside both machines I don`t think so

 

[Richiew]

Having seen inside both machines I don`t think so

Thank you for that confirmation. I was curious. They seem to have the same tech specs but the Thermal arc always seems to carry a price premium compared the Parweld.

 

[HughF]

So you're saying that despite the identical outside appearance of the xti202 ac/dc and the thermal arc 202, and the fact they're Both from China, they have different internals?

 

[Appyasme]

Sorry Hugh.Made in Japan by Sanrex

 

[daleyd]

Sorry Hugh.Made in Japan by Sanrex

Which one? Both made in China as far as I know, though the older thermal arc machines were apparently made by sanrex, not the new ones though....

 

[wrinx]

Did you weld it or Braze it on DC ? Brass has a lot of zinc content and disappears when you try to penetration weld it

Not sure what you mean by brazing it on DC (I used to do lots of brazing and silver soldering with O/A), but afaik it was TIG welding. The puddle was only there for a short time before it'd implode

wrinx

 

[HughF]

Sorry Hugh.Made in Japan by Sanrex

OId ones were sanrex, like this....

 

[HughF]

Anyway, to the OP. Thermal arc is good, parweld is good, I've got 2 r-tech machines, one of them a 201ac/dc (6 years old now) which I hammer on thick alu and it's fine.

Sure, more expensive machines are available... My neighbour uses a cheap and cheerful wse-200 style chinese ac/dc inverter and lays perfectly decent welds with it.

 

[Appyasme]

Nice to see an old quality Sanrex invertor.Keep hold of them.You might need them