I'm thinking I need to TIG ... because EVERYBODY wants to know if I do aluminum . This is also posted over at sejw , thought I'd post it here too for a little cross-pollination ... Now mind ya , I've already tried TIG and failed miserably . But I know WHY I sucked . And how to fix it .
It appears that to get the features I'd like in a less expensive package the inverter machines are the way to go . I've been looking at the specs of an Everlast Powertig 200 DX , looks like it comes with everything but tungstens, argon cylinder. and a power plug for under 1200 bucks . It has a 60% duty cycle at 200 amps , and 100% at 160 . I'm betting that at anything over 80-100 amps a water cooled torch will be necessary ... specs say it'll weld up to 1/4" aluminum , but one reviewer said he did up to 3/8" with no problem . I suspect I'll rarely weld much over 1/8" . I did find some reviews of this unit on Amazon , but every single one was a glowing report of it's capabilities ... which means this thing is fantastic or that they cherry-picked the reviews to publish . I did note that the eBay seller I was checking out has a 98.6% positive feedback , if the machines are junk I'd think that would be lower . Anyone with experience with Everlast products I'd really appreciate a report on quality , ability to perform as advertised , etc .