(Part 2) Best tig welding equipment according to redditors
We found 35 Reddit comments discussing the best tig welding equipment. We ranked the 28 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
I'd avoid the personal stuff like gloves and hood. I'm guessing he already has the most basic tools, so my suggestions are the second tier of tools that make the job easier. You can get all of the following for under $100.
Figure out how much aluminum you would potentially be welding. You can get lots of welding machine if you only need DC (TIG/GTAW) for under 1k. For MIG/GMAW you need a spool-gun to do aluminum. Get a machine capable of doing aluminum now if you want to in the future.
I've been saving up for an AC/DC machine for a while and I'm torn between getting the AHP 200X from weld.com to take advantage of the bundle they have with accessories or go with something like an Everlast Powertig 200DX for a bit more money and some better features.
If I was going to buy a hobby MIG machine with a spool gun I would do a Hobart 210MVP or a Hobart 190.
This is all just my opinion as someone who has been having thoughts about buying something for similar applications. Also, do you have a beefy 220V circuit in your work area? The dual voltage machines are a nice in between if you don't yet but might later. Also for MIG and TIG, budget for buying a gas supply. Can you weld at all with oxyfuel or do you only cut? If you can weld at all decently you might find moving to TIG not such a hurdle.
You can pull them off with your fingers, but you will never get all of them off.
Replacement value for 4 is $9
If i'm fooling around with small magnets and picking up shavings, i put them in a bag like a glad wrap lunch bag. Once i've got off the excess, i just pull the bag inside out, and the shavings come with the bag. Won't work for OP in a welding environment though.
You could get a Longevity AC/DC for 900, an Everlast for around 1200 or a ThermalArc for about 1700
AC TIG machine are more expensive than straight DC ones.
https://www.amazon.com/Weldtec-Champagne-Nozzle-Super-Size/dp/B007KLUHRI
What you need is a 110V welder. It will likely be cheaper than a generator and power through a generator is crazy expensive compared to utility service so it's not a good option if you are broke.
Several companies have small 110V mig welders if you want to go that route, but I'm not aware of any 110V stick welders from a major brand/store that will put out 120 amps.
Edit: reworded
Edit: Also, here is a cheap 110v stick welder on Ebay as an example of what you could get from a no name brand. It will likely work when you get it (and if it doesn't Ebay is good about getting you a refund), but parts and service will likely be non-existent if there are problems after the first month or so, but it's only $150 so it may work long enough for you to learn and get a better machine (or it may be really good and work for years I have no idea). http://www.ebay.com/itm/160-Amp-Stick-ARC-Welder-Inverter-DC-Welding-110-230V-Dual-Input-Voltage-Machine-/152404530391?hash=item237c0494d7:g:GHIAAOSwzchXRIuI#rwid
For a name brand this should be decent: https://www.amazon.com/ESAB-0558101694-MiniArc-161LTS-Package/dp/B008S0OFB4/ref=pd_day0_328_11?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008S0OFB4&pd_rd_r=99MNP42JHZ707KVS9Z25&pd_rd_w=pT6He&pd_rd_wg=Ed36B&psc=1&refRID=99MNP42JHZ707KVS9Z25
Sorry meant to post this one torch
ETA I believe the machine has a gas solenoid, but our gas system is run off a copper header supplying each booth so I’m not 100% sure.
Thanks for the tips-- I didn't realize that Amperage was so important.
I was looking at Everlast brand welders and they seemed like they had good reviews at my price point. They have a 200A one right at $400: http://www.amazon.com/EVERLAST-PowerARC-200amp-Welder-Voltage/dp/B00K1LVS8Q/ref=sr_1_22?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1418365111&sr=1-22&keywords=welder#customerReviews
Do you think that that would be enough for a trailer? If not, it'd probably be better to wait.