First off let me give you a little info. Im in a welding program at GTCC in Jamestown, NC. I havent done any MIG welding but i have alot of TIG welding under my belt. Unfortunately, due to a pretty serious surgery the Dr's arent gonna let me go back to class this semester. Which means i wont be able to weld again for a year . So im thinking about buying a cheap TIG welder that would be enough to do light custom work like manifolds, strut bars, small cages, etc etc. Which welder do you thik fits this description best? And yes money IS a HUGE factor. Im not able to work now and probably wont be able to for a while so i obviously dont have alot of cash. I plan on making some custom parts with this welder to make some extra money until i can get back on my feet. Those doc's can keep me from going to school...but theyll NEVER stop me from welding. BWUHAHAHAHA lol.

BTW-i learned on an old school tigwave or something like that. This thing was a piece of **** to the max so ive seen pretty much every problem there is to see

 

Lincoln PT185

 

Yea ive looked at those a few times. They seem really good for the price. Anyone have a link to the place that sells them the cheapest? What other options are there out there? Thanks

 

Check out the Thermal Arc 185 TSW. http://www.thermadyne.com

It's a great machine...and an especially attractive one if you're limited to 110v power.

Sonny

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sonny &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Check out the Thermal Arc 185 TSW. http://www.thermadyne.com

It's a great machine...and an especially attractive one if you're limited to 110v power.

Sonny</TD></TR></TABLE>

i just bought one and it is an excellent machine. Oh and it's a 220 machine not 110.

 

I vote for the TA185, but I might be a little bias since I own one I personally think the TA185 is a awesome unit since it has a bit more features than the PT185. This allows your skills to grow, but you wont outgrow the unit in a year.

If you are looking for a TA185 at the best price try here. I talked to bill and he gave a me a nice deal and also answered all my newbie questions patiently!
http://www.aaaweldingsupply.com

Hope this helps,

John

 

Thanks for the links. Does anyone in here have any experience with the Miller econotig? I emailed them and they said that it could handle basically any automotive welding that i could think of. They said that it can easily handle up to 3/16 inch steel and aluminum. Do you think that will be enough for making turbo mani's and exhausts and ****? Thanks.

 

miller econo tig...

 

If you're not gonna be doing aluminum, look into the miller maxstar 140 or 150. Great machines for the money

 

Buy a used machine if money is a factor. You could go with a 20-year old Lincoln or Miller and have it run just as good now as it did when it was new.

 

i know a few welders they all use miller and say that it is the top of the line. i seen the miller 185 syncrowave tig selling for around 1450. hobert also has a tig welder that is made by miller i seen it go for like 1280. miller welder i saw on ebay store. and the hobert i saw it doing a search for tig's on the net so i dont remmeber the web page. but i think i saw a few selling it for that price. and both are AC/DC tigs. i would personaly go with the miller. heard they harly have issues, and last a long time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 30psiCiv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lincoln PT185</TD></TR></TABLE>
Fu*k lincolin miller is the ****

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b20turbojason &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i know a few welders they all use miller and say that it is the top of the line. i seen the miller 185 syncrowave tig selling for around 1450. hobert also has a tig welder that is made by miller i seen it go for like 1280. miller welder i saw on ebay store. and the hobert i saw it doing a search for tig's on the net so i dont remmeber the web page. but i think i saw a few selling it for that price. and both are AC/DC tigs. i would personaly go with the miller. heard they harly have issues, and last a long time.</TD></TR></TABLE>

although 1450 is a very great price, the welder is not too mobile, so the running package will be needed. That's an extra 250-300 bucks

 

Check out the Thermal Arc 185. More features than the PT185 and it only weighs 41 pounds and you can find it for the same price as a PT185. Also one more thing to add is you need a dedicated 60 amp circuit to run the PT185, since the TA185 is an inverter machine you only need a 40 amp circuit.

John

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jimbeamsEK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Fu*k lincolin miller is the ****</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sorry but Lincoln did a pretty damn good job on the PT185 to me, it's the **** of the new welder's this year.

Kranked.

 

I like my hobart tigmate cost like 1150 shipped to the door.

http://fostertool.com/tigmate.html they have since raised the price i see.

or i could have payed cash at the welders shop and got it for a a grand they said. Cash works wonders at some places LOL


rob

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jimbeamsEK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Fu*k lincolin miller is the ****</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would be willing to bet that you have never used either. The 185 is a great machine and very mobile as it comes on a cart. $1700 to the door.

 

i use a hobart tigmate , and after i got more practice my welds look like this with it, yeah it dosent have a pulser but i can work my foot here are some steel welds
and some aluminum




Modified by B18C1CYA at 7:45 PM 8/26/2004