Technical Tig welder question before purchase.

Good you didn't make any hasty decision

 

Have you ever asked yourself why all the professional welding shops and large industrial manufacturers don't purchase the Chinese machines that they rely on to keep their business producing things? Must be some reason why they trust Miller and Lincoln to provide not only quality, but reliability. As I mentioned previously, my son's Miller 212 cost $1700 about 10 years ago. Still works flawlessly. Current pricing is about $2300. My son could sell his for what he originally gave for it. Heres a used one on Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284705235127?hash=item4249c120b7:g:~6UAAOSw0nhiGSrr

My Miller 200DX is worth more than I paid for it and so is my 350P Mig . I got the 350P by selling a 251 and upgrading, and getting good money for my used equipment. They didn't develop their reputation by putting out a shoddy product. Doesn't mean that not one of them will ever need a repair, but when they do there usually is a local shop available to perform the repair and the parts are available. One of the biggest issues with Chinese machines is they change parts suppliers along the way and when a machine fails, the parts are no longer available. Also, you have to ship the machine back to the state you ordered it from (even under warranty) and thats not cheap. Probably $100 each way.
I bought another Name brand Mig a couple years ago because it was a "used 1 time" good deal FROM the distributor, not a private party. It was an ESAB and I wanted it just for sheetmetal welding, so light duty was not an issue with the gun and cabling. Shipped it to me for about $1000. Worked shortly then quit after almost no use. Contacted the MFG and tech walked me thru checking the machine. Still didn't work. So they sent me another brand new replacement and an RMA to send the broken one back. Thats the kind of service that builds a reputation and maintains it.
I considered HTP in the past. They are an American company that has been around for awhile. They have a pretty good reputation. Prior to purchase I called them to ask a few questions. Got a lady on the line who didn't have a clue about the mildly technical questions I had, and there was no one else available or an offer of someone calling me back. That made my decision for me.

I think they are one of the better of the lesser known brands and have American roots. The price of their Tig machines appears to be pretty close to the price of a Miller or Lincoln. Looks like about $2900 for their smallest one which is comparable to my Miller 200DX ($2200 at the time)
usaweld.com/collections/htp-america-tig-welders

Today the newer model Miller is $3225, but has wheels and a clearview helmet with it.

https://store.cyberweld.com/miller-syncrowave-210-tig-welder-907596.html?
utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleproducts&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5-WRBhCKARIsAAId9FnSDjqUNT5msbtlDcP7PTSXNnOeLCxZ5XK7F31uId7Q0wlVELrdIGwaAuH6EALw_wcB

Most of the Chinese made welders are quite a bit cheaper than the HTP and the people selling them do not specialize in welding equipment. With welders, I consider that an important distinction. With all due respect, I disagree that the quality of the American made Name brands isn't still better than the Chinese brands. There are some Chinese brands that have done well initially and then faltered later.

To me, the key thing is that a welder is one of those special decisions one makes that should consider a lot more factors than just the initial price. That said, I wish you well with your HTP and hope it lasts you a lifetime.

 

I don't disagree with you that when comparing a machine like a Miller or Lincoln to a Chinese machine like something you'd get from Harbor Freight or Amazon, there is a significant difference in quality. What I am saying is that just because a machine is USA made doesn't guarantee that it's a great machine, and just because a machine is Chinese doesn't mean that it's a piece of garbage. In an industrial setting, there is likely no question that a Miller or Lincoln is far more suited to the task than a Chinese made machine, both in performance and reliability, though I have seen HTPs used in industrial settings as well. However, for the average home hobbyist who is never going to abuse a machine the way it will be in a setting where it is used all day, that kind of durability becomes somewhat overkill when you can get a machine that works just as well in its limited use for significantly less.

I had this discussion with a fellow recently who's motto for his business is "when only the best will do". I told him, mediocre is actually perfectly acceptable for me, I don't need the best of the best to achieve what I'm trying to do. And as it has pertained to my HTP, I don't think I'm actually sacrificing any performance or quality thus far.

 

I have a 2002 Syncrowave 250DX with the water cooler for the torch. The small refrigerator sized one.

I have melted several hundred pounds of rod with it, and the only failures that I had was, after 19-years, one of the water lines in the torch sprung a leak, and I needed to replace the flow gauge hose. No rubber parts can last forever.

I recently added an aftermarket pulser, and now it performs like a fully modern machine.

 

I bought the Alpha Tig after reviewing several ones. I am not a hard core welder, and I have used it several times and I can make a decent bead with it. I'm happy as a pig in shit with the thing. And for less than $1K, pffft.....I cant say anything bad about it! Oh, and I have done some heavy stick welding with it too!

 

One more vote for offshore. Sorry, I drooled over Miller TIG welders for a long time, but when I needed to make the purchase I just plain didn't have the scratch. I am a hobby welder and weld... 10 times a year, maybe? And my (Miller) MIG welder will do what I need 9 out of 10 of those times. So I bought a Everlast 185DV - seems to work just fine. Burns hot, steady arc, and for less than $900 with AC to my door it was a no brainer for me. My only complaint is you have to shell out another $100 for a foot pedal -but the next rung up comes with one if you can swing it.

I can't say I've put it through its paces yet and I am not an experienced TIG welder but I am happy with my purchase.

 

Yep my primeweld is 2 yrs in now and no problems what so ever. I'd buy it again.

Of course it may not have the resell of bigger names but i don't buy stuff to sell, I buy it to use.

 

I don't weld for a living, I'm a recreational wrench. I'll weld hard for a few weeks, then it will sit for a couple months. My 3 year old Lincoln Square Wave 200 does any automotive/household job I need it to do, and it didn't break the bank. Looks good beside my old Lincoln SP125 Plus MIG too.
Go Red.

 

Yeah an Hobart is Miller . All the guts are miller, when you open the thing up it has miller on all the parts inside so why pay miller prices?

 

I now know a bunch of guys with the Primeweld machine.

All like it, and none have had trouble.

 

X-2 +
A lotta guyz on here are my age and OLDER!
What's the big deal about a MILLER or LINCOLN or nuth'in else.!
Most will be DEAD before the machine is worn out or maybe even paid for!
If you TIG a little here & there every 6 or 8 months most of these cheap machines will serve the purpose
They are both great machines..no doubt. But do we REALLY need a machine that's 90% duty cycle or more....water cooled...pulse...etc.??? For making a bead or two every 4 or5 months??
Not me...I'd rather have the difference in $$$ to-git-sump'in-else!!
IMHO
6sally6

 

We all tend to rationalize things the way we want to see them......especially when it comes to spending money. Thats why some guys can "logic" their way to buying a Harbor Freight welder.
I can "logic" my way to buying a lot of HF stuff.........but I'll never get all the way to buying one of their welders. The other side of that is I can't logic my way to buying a Snap-on toolbox or any of their ratchets/sockets/wrenches. We all have our own vision of just where and when value comes into play. As I said before, you have to intially pony up to buy a Miller. When you are done with it and resell it is when you realize exactly how much it cost you. If it outlives you/me, then my son will have a nicer welder than he already has...........and he can give his to his son.


As for the water cooling and pulse, they sure are nice to have. The water cooled torch is actually smaller than the air cooled torches and let you access places that you can't get to with a larger torch. It really doesn't take long to get an air cooled torch too hot to use.....especially if trying to weld any aluminum.

The pulse is handy when welding thin metal. The little pauses keep the heat passed into the thin metal down while still being fine for the weld. Its easy to warp a panel when you put too much heat into it, and warpage is one of the main things thats problematic for amatuer welders.

Its kinda like buying a house with one bathroom because you and your new wife only need one. Then later in life you kinda wish you had bought a house with two bathrooms. Experience is a great teacher when it comes to logic.........Oh, I started my welding journey with an old Lincoln Tombstone stick welder. Ya pays yer money un ya makes yer choice.........

 

The ones I'm looking at are the tig runner package that have the cooler with wheels under the machine. I was also looking at the Jattus Tig perfect 2.0 for a add on later.

 

I have that one. Vertical front panel. The generation after that had a front panel that was tilted back at the top.

If you are not planning on welding for hours-on-end it, or making money with, it might be overkill.

As I have mentioned, I know a bunch of happy guys with a Primeweld. All it is missing is a water cooler. If you are not pedal down for hours, it's fine. It even works on 120V at lower amperage settings, even for AC welding.

It is luggable, so it can be portable. Couple that with 120V capability, you can use it to help others out, on-site.

Charge a little and you can earn back the price of the machine with a few jobs.

 

Some great info here, especially for those of us who don't weld for a living. Thanks!

 

That's the plain truth I'm looking for. Maybe start off small until I get better.......then we'll see.

 

Too bad you are in Calif I have one of my tigs for sale.A Hobart Cyber-Tig 300 amp.Ac/Dc.Older machine but works great.Getting to old to move it around.As I'm in Georgia

 

Where in Georgia are you and how much are you asking?

 

I'm 50 miles south of Atl just outside Jackson Ga.$1500.Can send pic from phone