Dynasty 200DX vs TA185

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  • b2major9th
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2004
    • 4

    Dynasty 200DX vs TA185

    Hi,

    I'm looking to get into TIG welding, and need to have the capability to do aluminum (up to about 1/4 in.) as well as steel. Aside from price, how to the two machines compare? As a beginning TIG weldor, would a standard transformer machine like a syncrowave 180 be a better choice? I know the 180 would help hold my garage down better (~200 vs. 50 lbs)

    Mike
  • arcdawg
    Guest
    • Sep 2005
    • 537

    #2
    i have used the t.a. machine and it is nice but im not sold on the inverters yet.... it is a **** of alot cheaper then the dynasty. and from what ihear the t.a. company has the inverter technoligy down !!

    i think that either of the two machines you are going to be pushing it to its limits on 1/4 in material.... thats why god invented spool guns!

    i have als0 tried out the lincoln inverter but i liked the t.a. better !!!

    brian

    Comment

    • b2major9th
      Junior Member
      • Mar 2004
      • 4

      #3
      1/4 in. would be the maximum. Would the aformented machines be adequate with proper joint preparation on aluminum?

      Mike

      Comment

      • GTA/SPEC
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2004
        • 469

        #4
        b2major9th-
        Thermal Arc doesnt make their own inverters, but thats no big deal.
        Thermal has a marketing agreement with SanRex, the real mfg of the 185TSW, to sell everywhere but Japan. (SanRex manufactures and sell in Japan) It is a good machine for the money, but the Dynasty has more options, better duty cycle, more amps, avaliability to use 120v, and more..

        Just dont buy the lincoln V205.... Its an Italian made Esseti with some Selco parts...they are trying to built it here...but its kind of a *******....

        if you got the green buy the blue

        Comment

        • arcdawg
          Guest
          • Sep 2005
          • 537

          #5
          proper joint prep is going to be key.....

          why not a syncro 250 tig runner, bullet proof, and easier to run then the t.a. 185 !!

          brian

          Comment

          • b2major9th
            Junior Member
            • Mar 2004
            • 4

            #6
            Originally posted by arcdawg
            proper joint prep is going to be key.....

            why not a syncro 250 tig runner, bullet proof, and easier to run then the t.a. 185 !!

            brian
            Brian, I hear you there! The syncrowave 250 is a great machine, but a bit over my budget. I'm more of a hobby weldor and mainly want the aluminum capability to repair railroad collectibles. It would thus be hard to justify the added cost in terms of return on investment.

            Most of the aluminum castings I see have cross sections of from 1/8 to 3/16 with the exception of some mounting flanges that may be up to 1/2 thick. So I am thinking that with proper joint preparation and preheat (and of course multiple passes for the thick stuff) a syncrowave 180 machine may suffice. And it certainly fits better within my budget constraints. Is this totally erroneous thinking or am I on the right track?

            I still need to resolve the conflict between inverter machines and transformers. I tend to be pretty conservative so there is a large pull toward buying the transformer machine, but there are enough people out there on these forums that seem to swear by the inverters.

            Mike

            Comment

            • arcdawg
              Guest
              • Sep 2005
              • 537

              #7
              you should really try out the t.a. 185, its a really nice machine,
              and if your not going to use it all the time i would look into a used machine.

              and how much are you willing to spend ?

              brian

              Comment

              • bail76
                Member
                • Sep 2003
                • 40

                #8
                You can get an argon/helium mix for the thicker aluminum.

                Comment

                • GTA/SPEC
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2004
                  • 469

                  #9
                  yeah, thats true. Adding helium to argon is like adding nitrous to your mommas honda. It will take your arc voltage up to 24v from 12v (depending on the mixture) and make 200 amps feel like 300. Just be careful, this will proportionally effect your duty cycle.

                  Comment

                  • arcdawg
                    Guest
                    • Sep 2005
                    • 537

                    #10
                    i would also be coserned wit hthe torch .... if it seems to go from 200 to 300 amps with the mix it must pump more heat through the tig torch right ? plus the cost diffrence too

                    brian

                    Comment

                    • Canuck
                      Senior Member
                      • Mar 2004
                      • 135

                      #11
                      Would you recomend a helium argon mix for 1/4AL with the syn180?
                      If so what would be a good upgrade from the 150 amp torch I don't really want to go the water cooled route?

                      Comment

                      • HAWK
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2006
                        • 3586

                        #12
                        Canuck,

                        Be careful using helium/argon with the Sync 180 SD. It does not have the capabilites of the Dynasty and may not perform well as far as arc starts and outages. You might want to test it on a 25% he/75%ar or maybe a 50/50 and see what happens. Sure your 150 air cooled torch will get hotter. Just shorten your duty cycle until you see how the machine performs before making any torch adjustments.

                        Comment

                        • HAWK
                          Senior Member
                          • Feb 2006
                          • 3586

                          #13
                          b2major9th,

                          The TA 185 is not nearly as much machine as the Dynasty 200DX. It is not a bad machine, but as GTA/SPEC mentioned it does not have the duty cycle or top end. Also it lacks many of the programming parameters that Dynasty users take for granted. I know 1/4" with argon is doing with the Dynasty 200, but suspect the TA 185 will fall short without the use of helium/argon mixture. I also do not know how it will behave on arc starts with a helium/argon mix. Use these machines side by side and it will be night and day!

                          Comment

                          • Canuck
                            Senior Member
                            • Mar 2004
                            • 135

                            #14
                            Thanks for your input Hawk. Would pre-heating critical parts and not worrying about non-critical parts be better? You see I have to some aluminum work on parts any size from 3/16 -3/8 but there was NO WAY I could have got anything bigger than the 180( as it is I already got $800 off the price and could barly afford it )

                            Comment

                            • GTA/SPEC
                              Senior Member
                              • Feb 2004
                              • 469

                              #15
                              The sync 180 will handle any amount of helium in an argon mixture. I had one, when i was in highschool, six years ago. I routinly pumped 75he/25ar through it on AC, and 100he through it on DC straight. I had no problems with the arc starting or the stability. But, i also had a watercooled torch....

                              I was able to weld 1/2 inch and larger billit aluminum sections on AC or DC with the 2 mixes that i described above. Its not about the amperage, its about the input wattage and time.

                              Comment

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