Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey guys got a quick question. Just purchased a CK17 flexhead and im wondering if i can buy aftermarket cups or if i have to purchase CK brand cups and consumables? As being a welding student im kinda on a budget and found a cheap cup kit on amazon. Im hoping they will work on a CK17 torch

I'd stick with a reputable brand such as CK.

Seen too many issues arise from the cheaper stuff that on my opinion the small savings just aren't worth it.

Nothing's worse than thinking it's technique but it winds up simply being a bad consumable issue.

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unless your in a production setup where you go through $1000's of consumables, the small cost is not worth skimping on.
plenty of posts here and other forums of people having issues with cheap consumables.
nothing worse than chasing your tail because of some cheap consumable screwing up your weld and making you think its you.
just stick to the CK gear.

I'm one of those that had issues with cheap TIG consumables, namely gas lenses. Once I isolated the issue, I threw out all my cheap gas lenses. I only kept CK and other name brand gas lens collet bodies, but I did keep my non-namebrand standard collets, as there isn't too much to fail with those, as well as the collets.

Cups are pretty much the same, name brand or clones. Gas lenses on the other hand are worth the extra money.

for piece of mind i would get all the same good brand.
its simply not worth penny pinching, the amount saved with cheap stuff is insufficient.

CK torches take their own type of insulator, if you buy another brand consumable kit the insulator may not fit.


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Thanks for the info gentleman!! Much appreciated. I ended buying a cheap consumable kit but haven’t tried it yet. Have to wait until my new argon tank comes in. Ive been itching to lay down some beads in my new rig.

If you end up having contamination issues with the cheaper stuff, make sure to check the gas lens isn't unscrewing itself. The cheaper single piece gas lenses aren't soldered and can leak like a siv sucking in outside contaminants and make sure that your insulator seals with the new setup.