Starter Tig???

**Smugglers Blues** · 12-02-2007, 09:24 AM

Is there a good starter tig? I want to buy a tig but I don't know much about them. I will be welding Aluminum 1/16-3/16 and stainless of the same thickness. Is the hobart tigmate a good choice? I have $1500 to spend on one. I just want to get the best bang for the buck. Any help would be much appriated.
Thanks Chris

**villemur** · 12-02-2007, 07:01 PM

If you were doing mostly steel and stainless, with only occasional aluminum, the Tigmate would be a decent choice. However, if you want to do a lot of aluminum you should buy a squarewave machine. The Tigmate (and the Miller Econotig) are sine-wave machines, meaning that they are not very efficient when running AC.

Look for a used Miller Syncrowave or a used Lincoln Precision Tig. These are transformer based welders that can do square wave AC and they will weld aluminum nicely.

Inverter based tig machines (like the Miller Dynasty, Thermal Arc 185, and HTP Invertig) are even better at aluminum, but they will break your budget.

**Smugglers Blues** · 12-02-2007, 07:08 PM

Thanks!! Yes I want to "say" I will be using it mainly for aluminum. I have read that Miller has a problem with the dynasty. It leaves the welds looking like they were sand blasted. The thread I was reading was a old one. Do you know if this problem has been fixed? Even if I have to save up for a better one that will make nice looking welds that's what I will do. Do you think the Miller Syncrowave will leave good looking welds if welded correctly?
Thanks

**villemur** · 12-02-2007, 07:40 PM

I have a Dynasty 200 DX and I've never had any trouble welding aluminum. If there was a problem it must have been in early machines and Miller worked it out. They are a first-rate company.

The inverter machines are nice for aluminum because you can set a lot of parameters to shape the arc - for instance, you can set the AC frequency real high to make a tighter arc. Also, the inverter machines are much lighter and are more efficient. My Dynasty can run on 110 power or 220 (or 440), so it's pretty portable. I consider the Dynasty to be the Cadillac of small tig welders, but then again, I am biased.

I've never used a Syncrowave, but they've been around a long time and have a great reputation. I have used a Lincoln Precision Tig 185 quite a bit, and I thought it was a nice machine, especially for the money. It was a big, heavy beast though. The general consensus is that transformer machines should last forever, while inverters are full of circuit boards, so there's more that can go wrong. Either way, buy from a reputable company.