Welding Tips and Tricks

I was thinking about picking up an AlphaTIG 200X, but I just noticed someone near me is trying to sell a "like new" (right) Lincoln Square Wave 175 for $875. That might be a better deal for me, since I could probably unload the Lincoln in the future for about what I'd pay. I would think a Lincoln would be less likely to die on me and easier to get fixed.

Here is my question: how do you check out a used TIG welder? I've never tigged. Should I just ask the seller to strike an arc and prove it works?

I notice the Square Wave claims a maximum input current of 51 amps, while the AlphaTIG, which is rated for higher output, claims only 43 amps on the input side. Is someone playing with the figures, or is this correct?

I only have 60 amps to play with.

The square wave is a transformer and the AHP is an inverter. Inverters tend to be more efficient on power.

Chips O'Toole wrote:I was thinking about picking up an AlphaTIG 200X, but I just noticed someone near me is trying to sell a "like new" (right) Lincoln Square Wave 175 for $875. That might be a better deal for me, since I could probably unload the Lincoln in the future for about what I'd pay. I would think a Lincoln would be less likely to die on me and easier to get fixed.

Here is my question: how do you check out a used TIG welder? I've never tigged. Should I just ask the seller to strike an arc and prove it works?

I notice the Square Wave claims a maximum input current of 51 amps, while the AlphaTIG, which is rated for higher output, claims only 43 amps on the input side. Is someone playing with the figures, or is this correct?

I only have 60 amps to play with.

Some machines have hour meters/arc times you can call up on the display. I can always tell if someone is BSing me about something by looking at his shop. If theres shit everywhere and dirt, move on. If the guy makes an attempt to keep his shop clean and organized he probably takes care of his stuff. Having him demonstrate a weld wouldn't be a bad idea if you can't do it yourself.. Used welders are a crapshoot...I would buy the Lincoln

Some other dude has a new-looking Dialarc 250 for $700, with a cart, but it only has a stick lead and ground. I would have to hire a crane to put it on my truck.

Any friend or maybe coworker who does know how to weld nearby that would come along and test drive it for you? Maybe bribe them with lunch, beer, (or lunch + beer) etc?

In my neck of the woods, used welders come up for sale pretty regularly, but most that I would care to buy used were of the older larger sort and just too big/old for my space. The newer ones of the sort that interested me were selling for close enough to "new" pricing that I ended up buying a new inverter unit.

As the other reply says, used machines can be a crap shoot, but the thing with older stuff is that it tends to be simpler and less prone to failing if it is still working. Can be difficult, expensive, or impossible to get repair parts for some of that older stuff however.
Good luck!

clavius wrote:Any friend or maybe coworker who does know how to weld nearby that would come along and test drive it for you? Maybe bribe them with lunch, beer, (or lunch + beer) etc?

Everyone I know is totally helpless. Can't turn a screw. Can't change a tire. It's sad. I'm pretty sure I don't know a single person who owns a table saw.

Chips O'Toole wrote:

clavius wrote:Any friend or maybe coworker who does know how to weld nearby that would come along and test drive it for you? Maybe bribe them with lunch, beer, (or lunch + beer) etc?

Everyone I know is totally helpless. Can't turn a screw. Can't change a tire. It's sad. I'm pretty sure I don't know a single person who owns a table saw.

Thats too funny...I know so many helpless people sometimes I pray for the power to go out so they can lose their minds..They laugh at me for storing food. Any way...ask the owner to try it out for you. Inverters are WAY easier on your electric bill than transformers....transformers suck power just sitting there with the lights on.

I just found out about the Lincoln Square Wave 200. The price is not that horrible, and the current draw is low. I believe it has fewer toys than the Chinese job, though.

Some dude is trying to unload a 2014 Miller Dynasty 350 for $1500.

Is it even possible to turn that machine down to the point where it won't melt a 60-amp circuit?

We run them on 50a 480 circuits all day everyday

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Sadly, that equates to 100 amps on my 250 volt circuit.

This seems like a really good deal, though. Maybe it's radioactive.

Edit: I must have misread something, because it looks like the Miller specs say it only draws a maximum of 43 amps. Can that be right? That seems awfully low.

It turns out the Dynasty 350 ad has been appearing on Craigslist and other sites all over the country, with small variations. I hate to say this, but it's just possible it's not legitimate.

Chips O'Toole wrote:I just found out about the Lincoln Square Wave 200. The price is not that horrible, and the current draw is low. I believe it has fewer toys than the Chinese job, though.

I've had a 200 for close to a year now. It's a really nice machine for the money. You're right, it lacks some of the functionality of the chinese machines, but if you don't know how to weld yet you're probably better off without all the options to confuse you. My personal experience was that I had to weld for about 40 hours before I knew enough to use some of the features that the 200 doesn't have. If you decide you want to sell a 200 you won't have any problem, and then you can buy whatever you decide you really need.

Now that my faith in humanity has been crushed by the shocking discovery that some people on Craigslist are not totally honest, I think it has to be AHP or a Lincoln.

I am thinking AHP, because people have posted shots of the innards on the web, and it looks pretty accessible.

I was worried that it might blow up ten minutes after the warranty expired, but when you have a few PCB's hanging out in the open where you can see everything, there is always a good chance you can fix it yourself. And with credit card points, it would be pretty danged cheap. I don't know what's in there, but if they're charging $800 for it, it can't be too complicated or expensive.

Chips O'Toole wrote:Now that my faith in humanity has been crushed by the shocking discovery that some people on Craigslist are not totally honest, I think it has to be AHP or a Lincoln.

I am thinking AHP, because people have posted shots of the innards on the web, and it looks pretty accessible.

I was worried that it might blow up ten minutes after the warranty expired, but when you have a few PCB's hanging out in the open where you can see everything, there is always a good chance you can fix it yourself. And with credit card points, it would be pretty danged cheap. I don't know what's in there, but if they're charging $800 for it, it can't be too complicated or expensive.

At the price that the AHP (or some of the other Asian made machines) sell for, you can almost consider it disposable after the warranty is up. If you really think about it, it amounts to owning a nicely featured machined for a few hundred bucks per year. As with most electronic devices, if they work for the first 6 or 8 hours without failures*, they will work for a very long time until they just wear out. So odds are in your favor and it's a pretty good bet that you will get years of hassle free use.

These machines have been out for a while and people that have them seem happy with them. If they were poorly built and failure-prone I think everyone would know that by now via forums like this.

I faced the same issue, wanted a TIG machine and just was not seeing the right deals on used machines locally though they appear regularly here in my area. I ended up with the Lincoln SW200 and have been happy with it, though I am not very sophisticated or experienced welder.

*Google "bathtub curve" for some interesting reading. Most electronics behave like this.

Now I just have to wait for Home Depot to restock it.

Home Depot is one of the best places to use Amex points because they assign a higher value to each point.