I'm looking for TIG welder opinions

steve-l · Nov 1, 2020

I do TIG work a few times every month. I have owned and used many machines over the years. I now use 3 phase welding inverter machines exclusively. I really like them. They are much easier on the wall supply and very smooth. However, I have a pet peeve. Many of the new inverter machines no longer have individual control knobs for each adjustment. The new machines want you to first recall a parameter from memory, then adjust it, then restore it to memory. This drives me crazy. I see no value in this system. In my mind, TIG machines are used for one-off jobs and rarely in a production environment. In my shop no TIG job is the same. I think this change benefits only the manufacturer, not the welder. What do you guys think about this?

steve-l · Nov 2, 2020

Bump bump?

mjr6550 · Nov 2, 2020

I am not a professional, so maybe this is not much help. I have a Lincoln Square Wave 200. It has some of the features that you don't like, but I have not used them. It has a push button to switch between ac and dc, and a nice dial for amperage. There is another button for other options, but I have not used that too much. I bought the welder about a year ago when they had a $400 rebate.
I have been happy with it i don't weld too much, but have welded steel of various thicknesses up to 1/4", about 0.30" stainless, and a little bit of aluminum.

jz79 · Nov 2, 2020

it's a "problem" with design ergonomics lately, not just TIG welder related, the best example (or worst) are Tesla cars with their huge touch screen and absence of tangible knobs or buttons, while it is great from manufacturing standpoint - cheap and easy to make, and interface design changes can be just a software update, the downside is that you need to take eyes off the road to do even simple adjustments

same thing with the tig welder controls, it is quite easy to cram lots of the analog stuff into a chip and manage things in software, while making manual knobs and switches for all functions gets expensive, and necessary changes also may be more difficult

it is the same with CNC controls, some have a button for a specific function, while other one doesn't and requires you to press this button, then type in number, press enter and so on, while on a simple DRO zeroing an axis is done with a push of one button

designers lack the feedback of real users, and the accountant feedback will still override anything that will make the product more expensive to make...

this is without taking into account the "designed to fail" and "designed too expensive to repair"

steve-l · Nov 2, 2020

jz79 said:
it's a "problem" with design ergonomics lately, not just TIG welder related, the best example (or worst) are Tesla cars with their huge touch screen and absence of tangible knobs or buttons, while it is great from manufacturing standpoint - cheap and easy to make, and interface design changes can be just a software update, the downside is that you need to take eyes off the road to do even simple adjustments

same thing with the tig welder controls, it is quite easy to cram lots of the analog stuff into a chip and manage things in software, while making manual knobs and switches for all functions gets expensive, and necessary changes also may be more difficult

it is the same with CNC controls, some have a button for a specific function, while other one doesn't and requires you to press this button, then type in number, press enter and so on, while on a simple DRO zeroing an axis is done with a push of one button

designers lack the feedback of real users, and the accountant feedback will still override anything that will make the product more expensive to make...

this is without taking into account the "designed to fail" and "designed too expensive to repair"

You are not wrong. All these new electronic welders are not really economically repairable. After a few years of use there will be little chance of replacement parts available, even from the name brand suppliers. Nobody will stock parts, they would represent dead money. So as a consumer, your only recourse is two or more machines. Plan on scrapping the broken one when it occurs, If the failure happens to be fixable you can consider yourself lucky. Just don't bank on it. My original point is not just ergonomics, it's about time management and the elimination of unnecessary frustration. These new imposed memory adjustments cost time and money. I hate them. Fortunately there are manufactures that are making IGBT, 3 phase, inverter machines with individual pots on the front panel . One per adjustment, but it is always a crap shoot buying one. You can have just as much of a lemon from any of these brands, even the well known ones for 4 times the money.

Bondo · Nov 3, 2020

I have purchased quite a few tig welders all millers. I currently have a dynasty 200, 280 and maxstar 151, 160 or 161, whatever.

As my shop does all custom work, I like the menus on both dynasty's DXs. I don't know what you mean about saving to memory as mine I just adjust the main settings all the time. Yes it means I have to remember what they all are, but over years of playing with it. I have narrowed most settings to just a general handful. I weld mostly stainless 18ga through 3/16 in custom fabrications. Mostly pulse for warp control and less worried about penetration.

I dont tig alum much anymore as I have 2 350p alums with push pull guns.

I learned on synchrowaves and the dynasty menus are just amazing. I love adjusting the pulse by 0.1 pps.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

jonok · Nov 7, 2020

I’ve got a bunch of welders, but the ones I use most are my ThermalArc inverters. I have 3 of them, A couple of 200s one set up as a cooled unit with 3 phase input, one on a portable cart with 240v, and a GMX345 with a helium tank for when I need a little more ummf.
They’re all Sanrex guts, as far as I know, (and I’m probably screwed when they break) but they work better and make less noise than my Dynasty 280.

jonok · Nov 8, 2020

Sanrex welders are still Available:
SanRex Sanarg 300AP AC/DC TIG Welding Machine | eBay

As far as I know, Japanese guts and sold and serviced in the USA.

I’ve got a little fronius which I bought at a shop liquidation and which is smarter than I am, but at 200A and a list price of over $8k, I’m not sure about the economic viability of that option. The “factory” is on my way from michigan to Illinois, but somehow I’d imagine a trip back to Germany would be requisite if something actually broke. Plus, all the connectors are DiN.

medsar · Nov 8, 2020

To the OP’s question, I haven’t had that issue on my HTP/Stel inverter TIG welders. The last parameters I used are the parameters that are ‘set’ on startup. The interface is like the old Lincolns and Thermal Arcs where you scroll to the correct parameter, adjust and hit ok. Then walk away and weld. I find it much faster than having to load a program, find the parameter via a few different scroll menus, set it, save the program and then re-run the program.

The only new inverter TIG welder that I know of that has dials for every parameter is the CK Worldwide welder, but it’s single phase and only 200amps.

Cole2534 · Nov 9, 2020

Invertec V160 has what you desire, but it's a pretty small power supply and DC only.

What about a Precision Tig from Lincoln?
[Product Display]

Strostkovy · Nov 9, 2020

My favorite devices to operate generally have all digital inputs which can be saved or recalled from memory by will, but require no menu navigation to adjust. You just turn the knob to where you want it, and the display is large enough to see.

Though I am talking about oscilloscopes, not welders.

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