Tig ac/dc - EWM or Kemppi

[Munkul]

Simple answer for me. Forget the colour displays.

Lorch T220 ac/dc control pro, with cooler and 8m powermaster torch.

Best user experience bar none.

Not sure what other dealers are like to deal with, but the ones oop north have always been spot on.

 

[Brad93]

Simple answer for me. Forget the colour displays.

Lorch T220 ac/dc control pro, with cooler and 8m powermaster torch.

Best user experience bar none.

Not sure what other dealers are like to deal with, but the ones oop north have always been spot on.

Agreed. Touch screen on a welder, asking to go wrong

 

[tom2207]

Agreed. Touch screen on a welder, asking to go wrong

ewm and fronius have the screen , but they are not actually touch screens ,,, totally agree that touch screens are not a good idea on welders though . [ just thought Id add this incase it put folk off buying.]

 

[Munkul]

Yeah I'm not sure they are touch screens, but they certainly have a huge layer of complexity over a simple 7 segment led display.

I didn't even care for the fancy control pro LCD screen on the lorch micortig, i prefer the basic one, and I've owned and used both. I just didn't see the point.

 

[tom2207]

Yeah I'm not sure they are touch screens, but they certainly have a huge layer of complexity over a simple 7 segment led display.

I didn't even care for the fancy control pro LCD screen on the lorch micortig, i prefer the basic one, and I've owned and used both. I just didn't see the point.

to those raised on big phones , it gives a lot of information and a graphic representation of whats going on at a glance ,,,, the rest of us twiddle knobs and imagine what could be
but then we never had the internet

 

[Munkul]

to those raised on big phones , it gives a lot of information and a graphic representation of whats going on at a glance ,,,, the rest of us twiddle knobs and imagine what could be
but then we never had the internet

I'm a millennial, and I love my phone and technology, but I believe in technology to make my life easier, not more complicated

I like seeing welding volts and amps, and I like adjusting everything, I think I'd probably like using one of these fancy displays, BUT it wouldn't improve my quality of life one bit.

Now, on-torch controls... that's the real quality of life improvement. Lorch, Fronius and EWM have got it figured out. Kemppi still hasn't caught up yet, going by the manuals and user experiences. And the rest of the pack, including Miller and Lincoln, haven't really cottoned on at all.

 

[tom2207]

Im prob older than you , but have lived in a very techy industry , I like the pictographs on the new big screens ,,, but Ill freely admit when Im going to lay in a shed and weld gates I take the most basic machines I own ,,,,, and a big hammer , cant get more basic than that

 

[doubleboost]

I am a but od a,Dinosaur with technology .
The display screen is very easy to get to grips with .
As far as reliability it has no moving parts .
No pots to go wrong .
The memory feature us really good
Once you find a setting that works it can be stored .
Mine stores up to 20 .
I have set a few machines up using my settings .

 

[Brad93]

A 5 or 7" display is gonna be a lot more expensive to replace than some pots or a multifunction button.

I'll stick with buttons and a segmented display

As for the memory, my Lorch Handytig has two memory settings.
I've got it set for 1 aluminium and 2 steel at the press of a button.
I'm always changing balance, frequency or post flow to suit the application so no need to save anything else.

 

[Brad93]

I'll still maintain the three best machines I've ever used were not even made in this century.

Miller Aerowave
Fronius Magicwave Fuzzy
Miller Syncrowave transformer

The only "modern" inverter I've ever really really loved is the first generation Miller Dynasty and the Thermal Arc Arcmaster which was a rebranded Sanrex made in Japan.

 

[Brad93]

I would say the Magicwave Fuzzy has the best arc of them all though for AC welding.

 

[addjunkie]

The only "modern" inverter I've ever really really loved is the first generation Miller Dynasty and the Thermal Arc Arcmaster which was a rebranded Sanrex made in Japan.

My Arcmaster still chugging away, it got a full 5 minutes of use the other day!

 

[Brad93]

My Arcmaster still chugging away, it got a full 5 minutes of use the other day!

Beautiful arc from those. Really sublime. I think the old Fuzzy just pips it, but not by much. If a cheap one came along I'd have one in a heartbeat.

 

[addjunkie]

Beautiful arc from those. Really sublime. I think the old Fuzzy just pips it, but not by much. If a cheap one came along I'd have one in a heartbeat.

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Think you can still get them in white

 

[doubleboost]

A 5 or 7" display is gonna be a lot more expensive to replace than some pots or a multifunction button.

I'll stick with buttons and a segmented display

As for the memory, my Lorch Handytig has two memory settings.
I've got it set for 1 aluminium and 2 steel at the press of a button.
I'm always changing balance, frequency or post flow to suit the application so no need to save anything else.

The 5 year warranty would take away the worry about cost if display .

 

[tom2207]

A 5 or 7" display is gonna be a lot more expensive to replace than some pots or a multifunction button.

I'll stick with buttons and a segmented display

As for the memory, my Lorch Handytig has two memory settings.
I've got it set for 1 aluminium and 2 steel at the press of a button.
I'm always changing balance, frequency or post flow to suit the application so no need to save anything else.

trouble is these days the whole lot is just a panel , all potted together and swapped out as a unit . these days you buy a warranty , and they lend you a welder to go with it . all the midrange stuff has now got the same features as the top of the range stuff , and if not then it will have at the next software release .

 

[Munkul]

Beautiful arc from those. Really sublime. I think the old Fuzzy just pips it, but not by much. If a cheap one came along I'd have one in a heartbeat.

I keep looking out for cheap sanrex based arcmasters but they don't come along very often at all!

 

[tom2207]

Ive a friend with an old Hitachi tig , its huge and heavy and looks like it was used on the Arc ,, but he turns out some mighty work with it , its about an inch thick in dust and more rust speckles than paint , but it just plods on ,,, mind you it would take a crane and a pick up truck to move it ,,, again theres always a trade off.

 

[addjunkie]

I keep looking out for cheap sanrex based arcmasters but they don't come along very often at all!

I dont think that many were sold, they were quite pricey when new, with other so called good brands in the same ball park. The Thermal Arc name wasnt a household name the way some brands are. I remember it been slightly more than the Murex Esab machine with out the full features for ali but less than the better Esab Murex with similar features. Miller, Lorch and EWM were slightly dearer for similar. I bought mine in 2009 think it was about 1600 plus vat with torch and SSC pedal. Still only the operator lets it down!