Welding Tips and Tricks

I’m looking at these two welders from everlast. Just as a hobbiest I am wondering if pulse adjustment beyond the preset of the 185dv’s options is needed. Or is it worth the approx $400 extra? All other features are similar, accept the extra 15 Amps the 200 also has.

I was looking at the 211si but decided I might need ac tig more then mig. So my budget is still in the $1200 range.

I can't speak to the Everlast lineup, but it's a good idea to always buy the most amps you can, better to have then want, or something like that

I would only buy an AC TIG box with a minimum of 200 amps. Any less, and you really limit yourself on welding aluminum.

Is 15 amps gonna make that much difference? It’s not like it’s the difference between a 200 and 250 amp machine.

Maybe I am looking at this wrong. Maybe it’s about the amps and not the pulse control.

Homemade wrote:Is 15 amps gonna make that much difference? It’s not like it’s the difference between a 200 and 250 amp machine.

You will be surprised. And I did say minimum 200 amps. I have a 200 amp Dynasty and resort to using a 25% He mix when I weld thicker aluminum to overcome the amp gap.

Pulse control is a Tech Sheet feature. Millions of miles of weld have been laid on transformers with no Pulse. Sure, with Inverters it is now a feature but for a hobbyist, it is more likely to confuse you than become an aide. It takes a lot of experimentation to extract the value of pulse. I use it occasionally, but can peddle the pedal and get nearly similar results.

I can get my hands on 3/16 and thinner Aluminium. I don’t foresee doing too much work beyond the 1/4 inch thickness.

And you did answer my question on pulse.

+1 on minimum 200 amps.
I think pulse is awesome and highly useful on thin staino and tig brazing to keep heat and warping out of a joint. It's true you can get by without it, but I personally wouldn't own a power source without it. That's just me, I love technology and using it.

You don't have to re-invent the wheel trying to work out settings, Jody has settings on some of his vids and plenty of experienced pulsers on this forum that can help with starting settings that just need trimming on your own power source and application. Once you've worked up settings for one thickness, it's easy to adjust to other thicknesses based on 1 amp per thou in the same material.

It might be a good idea to get the higher amp machine, if you are going into this already knowing you want to weld 1/4 aluminum.

You might kick yourself in the ass later for not going big now.

I’m a hobbyist also. Ended up buying a 200amp machine based on my predicted needs over the next few years. But my plans do not include 1/4” aluminum. If I were you I would move up to a 250amp Everlast. Do you ever listen to Roy on the Podcast. He has to max out the 250 to weld aluminum and it will be no different for you. Either big machine or another cylinder for helium.


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Well looking at the price of the 250ex, I see that the 252si is a multi-process unit for the same price. I know it’s not an AC tig machine, but it does run a spoolgun. I know a spoolgun isn’t the best option when it comes to Aluminium but it’s an option non the less.

I wasn’t initially looking at a mig or multi process machine cause I didn’t think I would be getting into higher production that i couldn’t do with tig or stick.

Now do I wait for the lightning 250 to come out in spring 2020 or not....

If you’re considering a multi process box, the new Miller MultiMatic 220 would be top of my list. Stick, MIG, Spool, AC/DC TIG. I have their older MM200 and use the dog piss out of it frequently. Mine is not AC TIG, but I have a Dynasty for that.

At double the price........ yikes

www

Actually... if you want an AC/DC TIG box that’s full of features and is dirt cheap, the Prime Weld 225 on Amazon ticks all the boxes. It’s under $800 and comes with everything needed but gas and helmet.

Not only have there been several very favorable reviews of the machine, but I actually have used it. Bought by a buddy who needed to get into some welding. Recommended it to him. I went down and set it and he up, showered him how to weld to get him going and I’ll be damned, the box is pretty fricking nice. Really. Hard to explain it but the thing works flawlessly. And it is only $800!!!

If I welded for a living full time and needed to be fully portable, it would be on the truck. Capable, full featured, and at $800 disposable.

Radishfever wrote:You are all over the board on what you want for capabilities. Nobody will be able to guide you.

Might be a good idea to order some education materials to read and become familiar with the choices of welding processes.

Unfortunately you have decided to find aluminum as your choice of preferred material. With that choice comes the price of more expensive machines because aluminum requires special processes to accomplishing sound welds.

Nobody here wants you to under buy a machine and not be happy. So far there have been a few amateurs and several obvious pros trying to guide you. From my experience nobody has given any bad advice for your situation.

There is a high probability as a hobbyist that you are over thinking your purchase choice. It does not matter what brand machine you buy. It’s the person behind the hood and not the machine. All you need is a machine with AC. Any machine with AC these days will already have pulse features. You don’t need dual voltage because you are going to be welding aluminum. Save your money and buy a 220v only machine. If you go underpowered on the machine then plan on buying another flow meter, another cylinder and Helium.

There is no free lunch and you can complain about GTAW machine prices all day but the alternative is welding everything with a spool gun. Makes my skin crawl just thinking of it!






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Look. It may seem I’m all over the board and not know what I want, but I want the capabilities for what I foresee I will encounter in the future. And I must be able to do this within my budget.

I was looking at tig machines and needed ac because of some aluminum that might come through my shop. The option of an ac tig drives up the price so I have to sacrifice on mig or amperage. I was comfortable not going with mig cause my production is going to be low. I’m just a hobbiest, not a “for profit” full size shop. With everyone guiding me to a 250amp machine. I can get a machine with mig function for the same price at 250 amp also. I loose ac tig but have the spool gun if/when needed.


I have been looking at the used market but anything that is blue or red is old as dirt, the size of a refrigerator, or they want my left arm for a price.

I started this post asking about pulse and how important it was on controllability versus having only two preset frequencies. I did some more research and listened to the people on here and learned and full adjustability is more for the highly skilled operators and the novice like me won’t notice or need much more then pulse on and off.

Radishfever wrote:You are all over the board on what you want for capabilities. Nobody will be able to guide you.

Might be a good idea to order some education materials to read and become familiar with the choices of welding processes.

Unfortunately you have decided to find aluminum as your choice of preferred material. With that choice comes the price of more expensive machines because aluminum requires special processes to accomplishing sound welds.

Nobody here wants you to under buy a machine and not be happy. So far there have been a few amateurs and several obvious pros trying to guide you. From my experience nobody has given any bad advice for your situation.

There is a high probability as a hobbyist that you are over thinking your purchase choice. It does not matter what brand machine you buy. It’s the person behind the hood and not the machine. All you need is a machine with AC. Any machine with AC these days will already have pulse features. You don’t need dual voltage because you are going to be welding aluminum. Save your money and buy a 220v only machine. If you go underpowered on the machine then plan on buying another flow meter, another cylinder and Helium.

There is no free lunch and you can complain about GTAW machine prices all day but the alternative is welding everything with a spool gun. Makes my skin crawl just thinking of it!






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Look. It may seem I’m all over the board and not know what I want, but I want the capabilities for what I foresee I will encounter in the future. And I must be able to do this within my budget.

I was looking at tig machines and needed ac because of some aluminum that might come through my shop. The option of an ac tig drives up the price so I have to sacrifice on mig or amperage. I was comfortable not going with mig cause my production is going to be low. I’m just a hobbiest, not a “for profit” full size shop. With everyone guiding me to a 250amp machine. I can get a machine with mig function for the same price at 250 amp also. I loose ac tig but have the spool gun if/when needed.


I have been looking at the used market but anything that is blue or red is old as dirt, the size of a refrigerator, or they want my left arm for a price.

I started this post asking about pulse and how important it was on controllability versus having only two preset frequencies. I did some more research and listened to the people on here and learned and full adjustability is more for the highly skilled operators and the novice like me won’t notice or need much more then pulse on and off.

Sorry, did not mean to be an ass.

The new information you provided really helps. You might not need a 250amp machine from what you are sharing now. I'm a hobbyist myself and can relate with your current position. In my case, I just recently bought an AHP 210DX at the end of August this year. Decided on that because I'm new and wanted to test the waters before going bonkers. Also take in considerations like how much gas, consumables, cart and hood cost when you choose your machines. The mig machine I ended up getting was a Hobart 210 MVP and it is just wonderful. So far I'm extremely happy and feel fortunate to have these new capabilities in my shop.

If you are not going to be welding aluminum like an animal then it might not matter so much what AC machine you get. It's just that aluminum generally requires more amperage than other metals.

We’re all good.

Homemade, take a look at the PrimeWeld that CJ suggested, it may meet all your requirments.
You can buy it on Amazon

T
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I’ll have to take a long look at that prime-weld. At less then $800 I can afford other tools. Justin from the fabricator series has a good review of the fabricator series has a video on them. I see too they offer a 180 amp mig welder for less then $500.



And for the guys who love the simple machine vs the one with all the features. I was trying to think of a witty response all day but I compare it to the million miles driven in a standard cab Ford F-150 xl trim. It will get me to work just fine but air conditioning and power windows sure are nice....

Homemade,

Listen to this and be blown away. There are several companies that make budget GTAW's. I have an AHP and the guy's are leading you to a Prime Weld and before that you were looking at Everlast.

All of those budget welders have pulse, AC, Post flow control and High Frequency Start. You are not giving up getting a full featured machine when you buy a new budget GTAW.

The difference between these new budget machines and the machines that are $2,500 and above. The expensive machines can often be dialed down to extremely low amps. This is important to some who weld thin metal. Also you most likely get more advanced internals and arc features. My guess is that pros can tell a difference between arc quality. Not so sure guys like us would notice anything accept just being awfully excited about using a premium machine.

I was split between two machines. The HTP Invertig 221 or the AHP 201DX. I chose the AHP because they just started selling them with the Nova Pedal, which works very good. I'm more than happy with my purchase and the price difference between the two machines went towards the rest of my welding gear. You end up needing much more than you think. My shop was dedicated to wood and light mechanics. Welding and metal work requires some new gear.

Consider the 200 amp version of whatever you get if you have the budget. I recommend just buying anything and starting to enjoy the craft. When you reach the limits of that machine you will know exactly what to get. It's more important to start welding than worrying about the machine. Plan on having to sharpen tungstens all day long also. Have a pile of sharpened tungstens next to your welding table.

Something I’m adding to consider. The Everlasting 185 and 200DV are probably fine machines. You are paying extra for Dual Voltage though. If you can settle for using 240 volts your machine prices go down. They dual voltage is a feature that costs money. For me the answer was no it is not needed. I wired a 240 volt outlet in the shop and have a 25’ long extension which allows me to be anywhere in my house.