? For you welders out there
 

Phones spy on us nowadays, no question about it. I was talking to my brother about wishing that I knew how to TIG weld the other day and this popped up on my phone later that night.
My real question is...what do you think about this one? Waste of money or learnable on your own with practice? Is this one worth the money they're asking or should I just stick with my MIG?
YESWELDER TIG Welder 205Amp HF TIG/STICK/ARC 2 In 1 TIG Welder 110&220V Dual Voltage TIG Welding Machine with Foot Pedal Included TIG-205DS https://a.co/d/fvR2EJw

One Yes Welder was tested on a youtube channel not sure if it is that model but missed its quoted output numbers.

If I was looking for an affordable TIG, especially one that can do Aluminum it would be a Primeweld TIG 225

Has a 3 year warranty and Free shipping Both ways if there is a problem . It also comes with a CK Worldwide Flex torch.



Over 1200 5 star reviews on amazon and several guys over on Welding Web have them and seem happy.


If you just need DC the Lotos LTPDC2000 is less money and also has a plasma cutter. I have had mine since 2015 and other than replacing the Plasma cutter torch ( button went bad) it has been a Good unit. Does a Nice job on DC TIG

But, Again Primeweld has a better warranty of their similar unit. In a DC TIG and Stick only it would be the TIG Stick TIG 200DC which is priced at $450 but again has a 3 year both way shipping if you should have a problem.

Thanks, I'll look into those. I have to say though, the price and positive reviews are what got my attention. Then there's the other side of me that says if it sounds to good to be true, and you know the rest.
And then there's that whole thing about me not even being sure that I'd be able to learn TIG welding...

You will need a tank of 100% Argon which is around $200 for a full ~80Cu foot tank, wish I had bought a larger 125 cu ft. tank. Pure Argon does not "last" like say a tank of CO2 for MIG.

If TIG is something you want to learn, yeah give it a try.

After looking through some posts,
I was thinking of their MIG 250 referenced here. Their TIG models seem to have better reviews. I mainly posted the Prime weld because of the after sales care and warranty. If not looking at Lincoln , Miller etc.

https://weldingweb.com/vbb/threads/7...er-mig-250-pro

Upside is if you can TIG weld with that you'll be able to TIG weld with anything.

Before taking the plunge take a class or get someone to give you some lessons to get a feel for it. Tig welding requires you to build up the muscle memory to be good at it. So it's a bit of a time commitment to become and stay proficient. That being said there are some folks who are just naturals.
I'm not!

Thanks folks, not looking for a new hobby. I'll just stick to the MIG that I already own and have had the occasional success with..lol

Like 455dan mentions above, the Primeweld TIG225X is an awesome machine. It’s rock solid, loaded with options, has a great warranty, and ships with a top-notch torch. Only nit-pick from me was fan noise so I swapped them out with higher quality ones and love them. I have an HTP Invertig 221 now, but that Primeweld honestly does 90% at less than half the cost.

The TIG machine scene is evolving at a pace like it never has before. Companies like Yeswelder, Primeweld, Everlast, and others are providing serious competition to the typical red vs blue welder scene of the past. I mean look at offerings from Arccaptain… AC/DC TIG, 110/220, Pulse, HF start, Square/Triangle wave even? Never ran one but they get solid reviews too.

If you ever decide you do need a new hobby, HF start and Pulse would be a must in my book. I enjoy welding in general… but love TIG welding for the finesse and cleanliness. I feel like I can dial the machine into “me”, as opposed to making myself adapt to my MIG settings. If that makes any sense lol.

TIG welding is an art form. It takes a while practicing to get it down. I could teach monkeys to MIG weld. I use TIG for almost everything. I use MIG if I want to go faster and don't care so much about appearance (Floor pans, exhaust pipe, etc.). Another nice thing about TIG is you get no spatter. Outdoor welding use flux core wire feed (especially if it's windy). Can't remember the last time I stick welded. lol

Greg, don't let the reputation of TIG ever discourage you. I actually find TIG to be one of the easiest welding methods (well, except for MIG). I started out gas welding for years before I used any form of electric welding ... TIG is very similar except an arc instead of a flame. So that may be to my advantage.

TIG can be complex when it comes to the settings, the choices of tungsten sizes, materials, adjustment, gas choice etc. but the technique itself really isn't that difficult. When it comes to work on autos ... you have to be very good with TIG for it to be a valuable addition to your skill set. I think I'm a decent TIG welder, been doing it for 30 years, but I find limited use for it on vehicles, for me it's mostly due to the out of position nature of most work on auto metal. I should rephrase ... I'm a decent BENCH TIG welder. Avoiding warpage with TIG on auto sheet metal is quite difficult.

Where TIG shines is for vehicle work is fabrication or modification of hard parts, very attractive fabrication of brackets, modification or repair of engine, suspension parts etc. Even recreating strange parts, bolts, braces, supports. Also excellent for making your own tools, modifying tools, building fixtures, welding tube, exhaust, frame repair.

Even with the low price of that machine, you'll be in for $5-600 pretty easy, tank lease, first tank, regulator, a few spare tungstens, cups, collets etc.

I've always considered TIG to be "Gentlemans Welding". The quality and strength can be outstanding without a whole lot of experience. It's probably just me .. but, with the exception of tube constructions ... if it's smaller than a bread box I'm going to TIG it, if it's bigger than a bread box I'm going to MIG weld it.

Thanks guys. Very informative. I've got a car that I really want to get started on this fall and there will be quite a bit of sheetmetal welding to repair some terrible 'bodywork' on the quarters plus what hasn't even been addressed such as the trunk.
With the information you're giving me I know the best path for me is to use what I have.

Yep, if you feel you are good with your MIG, that's the way to go. I ended up doing 90% of the welding on my GTO with a 30 year old, 100 amp, Lincoln MIG, with .024 wire.

Every so often I drift away from proper practice and settings with the MIG, a little quality time with it, testing settings, writing them down, checking the machine over to see if it needs tension adjustment, new cable liner etc. usually gets me back on track again.

+3 on the Primeweld 225 and +3 on learning to do tig. IMO stick is like doing it with a hatchet, mig like doing it with a butcher knife, and tig like doing it with a scalpel; it is a pita to learn but boy you can do neat stuff with it.

I have a Prime Weld 225 TIG machine and a Prime Weld 180 MIG machine
Both work great and the best part is they are local to me and bought both on an “open box” return for half price of new ones. They look brand new and are tested before resale.

If if Price were not a concern,

I would Also go with the HTP Invertig, but the Primeweld TIG 225 is Such a Good value.

For MIG I have the HTP ProPulse 220 MTS

It is a Very versatile MIG .

VERY Impressed with HTP's welders.

Yep same here. I can’t say enough good things about HTP.

I was really hoping to grab the PP 220 MTS if (when) they had another killer sale but finally gave up when ESAB/Firepower was offering a bunch of clearance prices on units that you could stack their couple hundred dollar rebates on. The week after I ordered it HTP had their sale haha. The ESAB crushes my old Lincoln I sold so it’s all good. I mainly TIG everything anyways. Your HTP MIG seems to get nothing but awesome reviews though. Nice!

I stumbled across this the other day FWIW ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdR0sr6rk8Y

Yeah, that's an interesting review. That guy really couldn't get his head around the difference between meters per minute and amperage on that readout...lol
Looks enticing though at $399.
Limited-time deal: ARCCAPTAIN MIG Welder, 200Amp 6 in 1 Gas MIG/Gasless Flux Core MIG/Stick/Lift TIG/Spot welding/Spool Gun 110V/200V Aluminum Multi Process Welding Machine with LED Digital Display, Burn Back Adjustment https://a.co/d/7xvNPST

Tempest, you got me in trouble. Is it okay to have more than one welder?
I just watched that video link again and it sold me on the Arccaptain. I like the size and versatility, 110v as opposed to my current 220v machine, making it more portable for me and I like the infinite voltage and current controls as opposed to the 3 position voltage switch on my Clarke. Plus, the price shot up $100 since I first watched that video and I noticed today it was back down $50 so I decided to pull the trigger.
I like my Clarke 180 and I'll probably keep it around for the heavier stuff.

Hey Greg,

Didn't intend for you to get in 'trouble', just thought it looked like a good unit. (price and versatility)

I have watched many of Fitzees videos and believe him to be an honest guy. (good ol' down to earth East Coaster)

Please add your own review of the unit, as I have an older Lincoln with the A B C D heat settings, and am thinking of an upgrade also.

...and 2 welders is OK with me (for whatever that is worth?)