Cheapest "good enough" TIG welder?

[SUPERJET-113]

Any suggestions or recommendations on a cheap worthy TIG welder these days. I would like to get in to it. I have tons of MIG/ARC welding experience, so I know a little about welding. Also a TIG/plasma cutter combo would be cool too! Thanks in advance!

 

[te4250]

Still have not ran one myself but keep hearing good reviews on the AHP alpha tig. My buddy with one tells me he actually prefers it over his miller dynasty

 

[DylanS]

Following, in the same boat. Have been told by a master welder that his Vulcan pro tig 200 performs almost as well as his expensive shop welder for a quarter of the price.

 

[aboarder]

I got a smoking deal on a "demo" Lincoln Square Wave 200 that wasn't even opened. Found it on marketplace. I was going to get the Miller 200 but they had a lot of problems with the board dying and it's an expensive fix, so I started looking around for the Lincoln.

It's not a cheap brand, but it's a reliable one and I'm very impressed with it. Keep your eyes open for deals, or used machines. I also got my MIG for 1/3 the price, but that was because Home Depot labeled the price wrong. I actually went in with the lowest price I could find online, to try and have them beat it by 10%, but I did way better than that.

 

[fastgtfairlane]

Heard really good things from the harbor freight brand welder.

 

[BruceSki]

I really like my everlast Tig200AC/DC. I think I paid around $1150 shipped brand new


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[BruceSki]

I’d say Everlast, Eastwood, AHP, Vulcan will all be right around the same price range. I’d say definitely get a 220 volt machine. Anything 110 I’ve ever used is pretty much useless.

If you want to do cast aluminum you’ll be welding at 130-185 amps and the 110 won’t have enough juice.

 

[BruceSki]

I also bought the everlasting 220 volt mig to replace that old astromig machine I posted above. Was about $600 and works great.

We have the everlast 220 plasma cutter at work(~$800 model) my only regret is we should have got an even bigger/better one to cut thicker plate. I wanted more out of the machine than it could give on the first day.

If you’re looking for plasma and tig together I think they have that option, but price is probably closer to $2K. May be your best option though. They are definitely fun tools. Wish I got more torch time on mine. I’d be way better at it.

 

[Chad24384]

I have the Vulcan 205, tig only machine at home and like it way more than the Lincoln and Miller machines we have at work. I can’t remember the company, but someone makes affordable torches for it if you need flex, thumb controls or longer leads, etc… consumables are average priced, and harbor freight is open 7 days a week… it’s probably the only harbor freight tool I actually would give a 5 star review on.

 

[Jcary85]

The two big AC capable cheap machines are alpha tig and primeweld. I love my primeweld tig. Comes with a CK flex head torch and the new ones have a nice foot pedal. Impresses me every time I use it.

 

[Jcary85]

Oh and the prime weld is $800 or so. Ships right out of NJ

 

[smokeysevin]

I have been really happy with the stuff I have from Everlast. I have an i-Mig 140 and a Power Pro 164. The PP164 is ~10 years old at this point and has done everything I have asked of it. The i-Mig is 7ish and other than having some weird torch liner I have not found a replacement for, its been a great little glue gun.

Both were really reasonably priced and have served me well.

Sean

 

[ADDict]

Primeweld is legit, just picked up a 225x about a month ago. Awesome customer service, check out the primeweld equipment user group on Facebook. The guys that build the machine post on there very regularly and respond to any questions quick.