Need Tig Welder Advice?

[Chopper]

I need some help on determining what TIG welder to purchase. Let me explain what this welder will be used for... It will be used to make motorcycle gas tanks, seat pans, and such on sheetmetal from 12G - 18G. In addition, it will be used to weld motorcycle frames which is .120 wall DOM. I would also like the capability to weld aluminum. Please help me determine what will be sufficient and what will be overkill. Thank you in advance.

[illuzion]

Dynasty 200DX, millers answer to the fabricators question. enough said
-illuzion

[arcdawg]

what kind of FUNDS are you working with ?

dawg

[dyn88]

for around 3000 dollars you can get and fully outfit a dynasty 200 which seems to be the unit for you. Although I dont own one myself yet, everyone on this board who does own one seems to be extremely satisfied. Or for around 2000 dollars you go with a sycro 180 fully outfitted which also seems to be an excelant machine. Do yourself a favor though and get a watercooled torch they are much more comfortable and versatile.

[Bendaman]

I recently bought a Dynasty 200 DX for many of the same reasons you listed
Its really a great machine, I dont have alot of time on the machine, but I
like what I've seen so far.

[Chopper]

For budget I can go as high as 3K, but if i could do the same for less I would. How much of a difference do you think there would be between the Syncrowave 180 and the Dynasty 200? Will the 180 be able to weld tubing? Thanks for all your help on this topic, I am going to be purchasing one of them this week and your feedback is much appreciated.

[illuzion]

Dyn 200DX

The real question you need to ask yourself is portability a concern. Second is really HOW MUCH alum will you be doing. You really need to be honest with both of these issues to decide on the dynasty. If you do not need portability, and you will be doing more steel than aluminum, your best bet is a syncrowave 180. The Dynasty can be had for about 2200 (brwelding), plus the tig kit (unless you want the worlds most advanced and most expensive stick welder). The dynasty is a machine that you will not outgrow. Its power flexibility and weight make it truly portable, and can run on anything from 120V household current up to 440v 3phase, just plug and play. As far as metal selection goes, the inverter technology itself natively allows you very precise control over the arc waveform, which is very difficult to do with a linear transformer (60hz) based supply. It also comes with a shoulder strap and weighs in at under 50lbs, as opposed to the syncrowave at 4x the weight which requires running gear to move it around the shop. In my opinion the price difference between these two machines is not wide enough to justify settleing for any less than the dynasty. I paid 2550 for mine (200dx) with the tig kit (150A Aircooled hand control), love the machine, still haven't really used it to 75% of its potential yet.

[ASKANDY]

Illusion is the man!!
Nice response...I would have to agree. The Dynasty 200 is really the perfect unit for your work. The Sync 180 is still a nice machine for the hobbiest, but if you want precision and unbeatable aluminum control, the Dynasty is it.


Good luck

Andy

[jeffscarstrucks]

The 200 is something you won't grow out of unless you start building with inch-thick tubing. I know my machine is still smarter than me! JEFF

[GaryM]

God knows the dynasty are smarter them most of us

Gary

[Chopper]

Illuzion,

To be completely honest, portability is somewhat of a concern and I'd rather have a machine that weighs around 50lbs then 250lbs. Most of the tanks I make now are 16 and 18 gauge steel, but aluminum is much easier to work with so I will start doing a few more of them. From what you have said, I feel much more confident getting the Dynasty 200 DX rather than the Synchro 180. I guess I was a little concerned about the tubing. Previously i had been MIG welding the frames with a 251. Most of the industry standard now for high end m/c frames is to be TIG welded, so i want to make sure I have a machine cabable of this. The cheapest I have found the Dynasty is on ebay with a contractors kit for $2671. Does anyone have any other websites or places I can contact that may be competitive? This forum is great by the way. I have banging my head off the wall in other forums because I havent got this kind of feedback from experienced welders. All of your help has been greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[dyn88]

my local abco rep will meet any price found on ebay. Dont be afraid to tell the sales rep wherever you shop the lowest price you found the machine. remember also shipping is often not incuded in prices on ebay. Finally its important to build a solid relationship with the place you plan on purchasing your wire, gas, and other supplies from.

[Alex]

dyn88,
All of the auctions I've seen on eBay from BR Welding and Indiana Oxygen Supply include shipping. You should also consider what you'll pay in sales tax in your home state. That said, I agree completely that it's extremely important to develop a relationship with your local supplier. It's also important to note that many items on eBay WILL wind up costing MORE when you figure the shipping, i.e., consummables. If your local supplier can match the eBay price, definitely buy from the local guy. One other thing that nobody seems to consider is the difference in electrical requirements between transformer-based machines and inverter-based machines. Transformers are going to draw significantly more amp-hours than a similar inverter machine. It all adds up when you start figuring price per weld (he said as he stepped off his soapbox).

Weld on,
Alex

[Scott V]

dyn88,
All of the auctions I've seen on eBay from BR Welding and Indiana Oxygen Supply include shipping. You should also consider what you'll pay in sales tax in your home state. That said, I agree completely that it's extremely important to develop a relationship with your local supplier. It's also important to note that many items on eBay WILL wind up costing MORE when you figure the shipping, i.e., consummables. If your local supplier can match the eBay price, definitely buy from the local guy. One other thing that nobody seems to consider is the difference in electrical requirements between transformer-based machines and inverter-based machines. Transformers are going to draw significantly more amp-hours than a similar inverter machine. It all adds up when you start figuring price per weld (he said as he stepped off his soapbox).

Weld on,
Alex

I guess if you use the price per weld deal the the Thermal-arc prowave 185 should fit pretty well into that logic.
Off my soapbox!

[arcdawg]

G.D. scott we actually agree on something the t.a. machine is a GREAT deal..... now i havnet have had a chance to run a dynasty yet(miller can send me one to demo )

the only real plus i see the dyna having over the t.a. 185 is 15 amps and the 110v option ........

besides around $800.00 diffrence !

dawg