Favorite home TIG welder?

Syncrowave 250 - Perfect home machine and can be found used at a good price.

My favorite home welder is a Syncrowave 250.

i

Great minds think alike. Most bankrupt factories have at least one.

i

What price range do they usually sell for?

Years ago I went to a boat factory auction and they had several of these for sale, they went in the $550 - $650 range. They had water coolers and looked like they used them for fabricating boat parts out of stainless steel.

RogerN

That price range is quite reasonable for a machine in good condition with water cooler, torch, foot pedal and regulator / flowmeter. New price for that package is/was around $3,500 or so. Iggy can of course find one for $25...

They go between $150 apiece to $1500 apiece. $550 for a good condition

250 with TIG cooler is a good deal. I paid $150 apiece for a pair of 250's once, but it was unusual. Great stick welder and great TIG welder, simple and reliable. i

No, but I once bought two of them for $300. They had pedals and torches.

i

It sounds like the perfect home welder, I'll watch for one for a good price.

Are any of the portable lunchbox type TIG welders any good? I was wanting something I could carry, maybe have to carry the argon bottle in a 2nd trip, I don't really have an indoor place suitable for welding except in my shop, and that's where my 900lb beast of a welder is. I know it's often too windy to weld outside with shielding gas, but many evenings it is dead calm.

RogerN

Just be aware that the Miller site says they weigh 378 lbs.

Dan

The Syncrowave 250 setup is only ~500# :)

The small inverter type TIG welders (from the big brands) are good for what they do, but not as versatile as a Syncrowave.

Yep. Perfect size for a hobbyist.

i

Add the wheel kit, water cooler, argon cylinder, torch, foot pedal and work lead and the package is around 500#. But hey, it's got a lift ring built in, so it's easy to use your engine hoist (or forklift) to put it in your truck or trailer.

There are inverter type TIG welders that weigh about 50 lb and can weld up to 1/4" aluminum. Once such is the Miller Dynasty 200. They're pricey. Lots of electronics, very expensive to repair if that becomes necessary.

The Syncrowave is a fine machine, but if you are on a budget, Harbor Freight's larger TIG gets excellent reviews on constructor forums. I bought one after reading about it and for $349 it is an astonishingly good TIG machine, although it's DC only.

The handle, hose and collet set is made in Germany by Abicor-Binzel. It comes packed in the orignal box from A-B, it isn't even in a Harbor Freight package.

The machine welds flawlessly. The high frequency start is as good as it gets, instantly firing across a 3/8" gap without a trace of a hum. Amperage adjustment is smooth and linear.

The duty cycle is excellent, unlike the cheap 110 volt MIGs. 100% up to

128 amps, and 60% at full 165 amp output. I notice the web site now lists it as 100% to 140 amps and only 30% at 165 amps which seems odd. I did a lot of welding at 150 amps and the air was barely warm coming off the fan.

I added a gas lens set from McMaster-Carr.

There is a cottage industry springing up to make add-on foot pedals, you can find them on eBay for $69, complete with the necessary connectors.

What about one of these:

$1650 list price seems reasonable.

I also saw a Hobart 165 amp TIG for $1299 but not sure of the weight.

RogerN

\ \Just be aware that the Miller site says they weigh 378 lbs. \ \ Dan \

Well, I wouldn't have much luck carrying it lunchbox style :-) But I guess it would be easier to move than the one I have now (890lbs per Miller).

I'm wondering if I should get a small trailer and make an enclosure for the Miller TIG I have, it would be more portable on a trailer than a synchrowave setting in my utility room.

RogerN

Can I weld aluminum cans with it?

RogerN

Yes, one of the features of the Syncrowaves is the amperage control goes down to 5A.

One of the primary things I want to learn to do with TIG is weld aluminum, I thought maybe the HF unit wouldn't work for aluminum because of the DC only. Other than that the HF welder sounds good.

RogerN