I have been looking to buy a tig, had almost decided to get a Miller Diversion 180, looks like I can get one for around $1600. Recently saw Eastwoods ad for theirs at $899! Has any one any experience with this one? I have a Lincoln mig, also looked at their tig, am still leaning towards the Miller, but... If the Eastwood one is ok, I would almost have enough left for a plasma cutter! Brian
Go Blue and be done with it.Only drawback to diversion is you can't stick weld with it and requires special tig torch that it comes with. TIG
Yep, go Miller and you will have an investment for life and also find you are a better welder, having a great piece of equipment. Don
hhttp://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/multiprocess-welder.html here's a link to some information.... I have a Miller.....I also have a friend in Corpus Christi that bought one of these cheep ass Everlast welders. He likes it, and this guy that has 33 years experience seems to like it. Just a thought. I never have been one to be brand loyal, I don't give a shit, as long as it works. If your not using it professionally it may be worth a look.
The Miller is the only way to go. I love my Diversion 165 (with the Miller foot pedal which by the way works fine.) It will still be working years down the road when the Eastwood model is on it's way to the scrap bin. As others have said you get the quality you pay for.
I was in the same situation last year. After all my research I bought the diversion 180. I have had great luck with it. There is 2 things about it that you should know you cant stick weld with it but really who sticks welds after you bought a tig and the tig torch is hard wired so its more of a chore to change it
If you're putting a trailer together, you're gonna be stick welding that bitch, unless you R*E*A*L*L*Y like TIG welding, 'cause you'll be at it for days. For me, and, apparently thousands of others, go blue, or go home. Syncrowave 250 over here. Cosmo
I have a Miller diversion 165. I was looking at the 180 but at $500 more for what I do, I couldnt see it. I hear the foot pedal from Miller is crap. The one from SSC controls is made for the diversion 165 and works great. Plus its made in the USA. All my welding is done in shop, where I have 220V, so the 115V wasnt important to me. I bought the 165 also because of cost. I got mine for $1230 shipped to my door. A friend of mine also has one so I got to try it out before I bought. For everything that I do on chassis' and odds and ends, it's perfect.
I spoke to my bud in Corpus Christi yesterday about his Everlast welder.....He said they wanted $1200 for it and he "offered" them $900 and they took it??? If you don't like the price they offer, just tell them what you want to pay.......wtf.....I wish everything was like that. I don't know, that's what he told me. .... he told me he has used 4 bottles (middle sized bottle) of argon and everything is still working.....he had a tig mate cooler already, so he hooked that up.
Of all the tools we rolled the dice on setting up the new shop, welding wasn't one of them. We went with Miller; Millermatic 252 Mig, Syncrowave 200 Runner for Tig, Spectrum 625 Extreme Plasma. Thought about Hobart for a while because the older ones last for ever, but most journeymen tell me "Hobart's not what it used to be." Then again, I'm a creature of habit and have always used Millers. Think of what you'll use it on regularly, then go up a notch when you buy.
Yeah.......On second thiought, fuck that chinese shit..........get a miller or hobart or the red one............I can tell you, Hobart has great customer seervice. They backed a welder for me that was technically out of warranty. I like that. By shear chance, I have red, white and blue..........they all work....everybody's always looking for a deal. Chinese junk. May work though... The thing is, that multi-purpose welder is a plasma too....OK, I'm talking myself into it again...........NO .......Fuck that Chinese junk!!!!!!!.......I have a headache
I am the king of rationalizing the purchase of cheaper-but-still-good-quality tools! (As if that is really possible!) But I promise that with welders, Lincoln or Miller (or any reputable and costly brand) are basically the only way to go. Don't buy cheap welders...they always disappoint you sooner or later. I got a great deal on my Lincoln TIG at Humphries here in Utah, and it is unbelievably awesome. My other Lincoln MIG welders are workhorses that have given perfect welding for years. And my trusy Miller Thunderbolt is still the best stick welder I've ever used, and I got it super cheap, unused from a local ad.
Sooner or later somethings going to wear out. I`m pretty sure Miller will be around with spare parts. Who knows if Brand X will be. Buy cheap....buy again.
Recently picked up a hardly used Lincoln square wave tig for about half the price of new. Owner had health issues and was downsizing. I was able to test the welder before purchase and once the owner knew I could not tig he offered to include some lessons. Stay with the name brand and it will last. Chinese engineering = short lifespan.
I have a Miller 200 Syncrowave, $2,400.00 with tank and gas about 4 years ago. I do have a few complaints, it comes with the arc welding leads, i would rather it came with the steel foot pedal base. This base bolts on and makes it easier to move the pedal around without tipping it over. There are four small pads on the pedal and when you try to move it with your foot it tips over as it won't slide. Also where the pedal leads come out of the machine i have pulled them out on accident twice, $60.00 to have them repaired each time as they dealer has a special tool to remove the threaded coupler and reattach the leads, you can't buy this tool Also if you drop even the lightest anything onto the foot pedal leads you can break the wires inside without any aparent damage on the outside. I have had to repair this problem three times. I solved the wire prob at the welder by tying the leads off and i haven't yet but plan on splitting a piece of fuel line and running the lead inside with zip ties every few inches. I really like the machine, it does all that i need and is very adjustable, no problem getting any parts either. I do feel that the pedal base would be a great addition, and i need to be more carefull with the lead,..lol, however accidents do happen...maybe if it had a thicker housing...
As the other guys here already said, better to buy a used quality tig then a new chinese one. Im from sweden and therefor I dont know anything about Miller models but i think you should try to get one that is a ac/dc to be able doin some aluminum welding to. The newer tigs has someting called pulse welding that you realy will like if you get it. Good luck with your search
Not trying to be a dick here but FYI, I just had some issues with my Millermatic 180 and i took a few pieces apart to find out that a lot of the internals say MADE IN CHINA!! Just saying!!!!! Made in China, assembled in the U.S.A.!!
i to had problems with china made miller i have an 225 Everlast ac/dc stick give alex a call he will deal 5 yewr warranty they have parts the foot pedal needs to be tweaked for thin metal welds beautyful they have some tech guys that will help you through problems if you have any if you have any other china made unit the tes guys will help get it working only problem was the shipper i still have a lincoln mig great big ol thing bought it new drive motors magnet swell up on armature
as a welder myself, I'm a die-hard miller user.... with that said, I bought an everlast plasma cutter a year and a half ago directly from a sales rep in Oregon. The price was right in my budget and he cut me a screaming deal with literally a lifetime supply of consumables. Haven't had a single problem with it and I use it a couple times a week. their warranty is pretty damn good too, and all their shit is interchangeable with miller's stuff. If you can afford a miller, by all means go that route, but if the everlast is more within your budget, I'd buy another one.
I am a welder for the Airforce and I see good tig welders all the time on craigslist for a great price. If your just wanting to weld steel you can get a DC stick welder and use it for a power source and get a scratch start tig torch that will clamp onto your stinger. If you dont know how to use one you may want to invest in some training befor you purchase it so you will get a better idea of what you want. In my shop at home I have a old 80's era Lincoln ideal arc 250 that will weld what ever you can put your ground on.
If you're only doing heavy stuff, 1/4" and larger, on an occaisional basis, for the price and performance it's hard to beat a Miller Econo-Tig. I've had one since 94 and I love it for sheet metal. It'll also do aluminum sheet really nice. You just need to get in the zone and have at it. They come up every so often on scragslist for really reasonable prices. The only down side is the lower duty cycle for heavier aluminum and steel and the air cooled torch. I've never had to weld long enough for it to be an issue on steel but on aluminum I have to let the torch cool down after about 30min of work, or maybe 6-8ft of weld on heavy sheet. I'll be stepping up to something bigger in the future but this thing is as handy as a shirt pocket for me. Also, I say this a lot on threads like this, check out the biggest industrial suppliers of welders and supplies in your area and see if they have lease and demo machines for sale. They come fully serviced and ready to go for what's usually 1/2 price or less. I bought a Millermatic 250 mig that way and saved a pantload of money. That was in 91 and it still works like new. Good luck.
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