Turbo09

I know it's Chinese junk but my Everlast 185 has been great, I tig stainless and aluminum weekly and even arc weld quite a bit with it... no issues. I also have a Lincoln mig that has been flawless as well. I just don't see the difference in machine for what you are spending.. just my. .02$

Tigger Welder

A few years ago I got an Idealarc 300 AC/DC High Frequecy rig with the torch and ground clamp for like $800 on Ebay from a guy not too far from me. It is a heavy beast, required huge wires and breaker, but it will weld anything and has the extra power when needed.

sprayedenali

iTrader: (11)

i just got a alpha tig off of amazon, it was super cheap and i couldnt be happier with it

Blown06

iTrader: (32)

What kind of tig welders do they use at that amazing place you work?

sprayed99

iTrader: (16)

As George said red or blue you really can't go wrong. I was spoiled at the shop using a dynasty 350. I have a squarewave 175 at home that I'm actually about to list for sale. Its a nice machine but I will be moving soon and its a perfect time for me to upgrade to a nicer.... and much more expensive dynasty.

YAMAHAGUY

iTrader: (6)

Before you look into what welders you want to buy you need to ask yourself what you want to weld. What you want to weld as far as material types and thicknesses.

Aluminum
- AC/DC machine with High Frequency. You can weld alumiunm on DC but it isn't going to be what you want.
- Requires much higher heat/amperage than steel/SS. A 200 amp machine will struggle with 3/16" thick aluminum on 100% argon, if you add helium you can make the arc hotter and weld 3/16"-1/4"
- Frequency adjustment is nice on the dynasty's but not necessary for a hobbyist.

Steel/SS
- any DC machine should be good.
- For GTAW/TIG I would suggest a machine that has a remote controller input for a foot pedal or hand controller.
- A high frequency machine would be nice for easy starts and you wont have to use a lift arc or scratch start.

Inverter or Transformer machine?
- Inverters are smaller and more expensive unless you get and off brand like Everlast or Eastwood. They also use less power and can be used on 110/220/480

- Transformer are larger, less efficient, and most require 3-phase some single phase, but can be less expensive.

Everlast and Eastwood are pretty decent machines and come with good warranties. Eastwood is the a great value. Shoot, you can get 200 amp AC/DC inverter with a plasma combo for $1200.

I'm a fan of Miller but have used everything. The Diversion 180 is a good machine but limited to only Steel/SS and you'd be fine with just about any thickness. It can be hooked up to 120 or 240 and has high frequency for easy no contact starts. Miller has taken all the options out and "dumbed it down" for the hobbyist.

Have you done any TIG welding before? If not I hope you know someone that can give you proper instruction or you are a youtube video learning savant. Check out weldingtipsandtricks.com for some great videos. I've taught at a college level for a few semesters and would be glad to help out in any way I can.

02_Orange_D1SC

iTrader: (30)

yeah a buddy of mine works for GE building air craft parts so he's been teaching me

i never pulled the trigger on one ended up changing my mind

TrendSetter

i chose a HTP 200 over a dynasty 200 about 5 years ago. On paper they are very similar machines, the difference was about $1000 in cost for equivalent water cooled setups (~3500 vs ~4500). I have been extremely happy with the choice, the HTP has been flawless. It is italian made i think?
I have used a few dynasty machines since then, and they seem to perform very similar to mine except you can dip the tungsten and just keep on going with the dynasty. My HTP can't do that miller magic. After watching a coworker continuously accidentally dip his tungsten in alum and keep going, im really unsure if its a good feature or not. i cant see how the weld remains sound, plus it encourages a really terrible habit.