lotus

[Torched43]

Any opinions on lotus 3 in 1 units? Heard equal negative and positive reviews.

[makowicki]

3 in 1 units

I bought one of the "accurate tool" units about a year ago. I don't use it daily but have used the TIG and Plasma cutting, I gave the stick a try but really have no use for that. I have a Miller Shop Master also with a HF-15 box and have DC welded with both. The accurate tool machine is very light and a snap to set up and works ok. The Shop Master is more to get set up for a weld but will do better on the very low amps and has a whole lot more kick on the high side. I just built a SS grate for my gas grill and used the accurate tool machine and it worked great. the arc starting is much better than the HF-15. The only plasma cutter I have is the accurate tool and I have cut a lot with it and no issues. 1/4 steel is about al it will do and make a clean cut. The bad the regulator is a paper weight, the TIG and Plasma torch are cheap and will damage easy however you can buy a replacement on ebay for next to nothing. All in all it still works fine waiting for the day when that changes.

[Torched43]

lotus

Is it possible to switch the torch out for like a weld craft or something? Is the high frequency button built right into the torch?

[aametalmaster]

Any opinions on lotus 3 in 1 units? Heard equal negative and positive reviews.

Since you are asking on a Miller forum don't expect anything positive. I deleted your first post to keep the fighting down so lets see.
And its a Lotos, Lotus is a car..Bob

[Cgotto6]

I was really confused until Bob cleared that up, haha. I was wondering if the unit was turboed... Kidding.

[Torched43]

lotus

Sorry about the misspelling, I use my phone to get on to the forum and the spellcheck screws with me sometimes. I realize that I'm probably not going to get a lot of positive feedback because this is a Miller forum but not everyone can go and buy a Miller right away. I use Miller's at work every day and I love them to death, but I was thinking of possibly buying this to do my trailer fabrication and possibly save up enough money doing that to buy myself a nice Miller. I just thought that the three in one concept was a nice touch, And the price isn't so bad considering what you getting. A plasma cutter tig welder and stick welder all in one unit for 650 some odd dollars sounded like a good deal. I realize that I probably will not get the quality that I would with a Miller, but like I said before if I sell enough of my trailers I can go and buy myself a super nice Miller set up. And Bob, I don't mean to start any trouble or fights on this forum, I just asked because there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum such as yourself and I really value their knowledge insight and opinion.

[SparksNev]

I understand completely about the cost of the better American welders. I wanted to break into TIG welding and found the price for a new American welder was a bit more than I could afford right now. I thought about and looked into the different Chinese inverter welders, but read some bad things about their reliability. Guys were having to send machines back 2, 3, and sometimes more times, because of failures. Also, when shipping the Chinese welder back, you get stuck with boxing the unit up and must pay the cost of return freight (hence, don't throw the original box away).


I opted for an older American made machine that I found on Craigslist. Paid $500.00 and hope it will do those TIG projects I've been thinking about. Like you, down the road perhaps I will be in a position to upgrade to a newer machine. This older machine will give me some experience and help me make decisions about what things I'd like to have on the next TIG welder.